FESTIVAL HISTORY
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
In the beginning ... there was Cheerwine! Cheerwine was celebrating "100 Years of Cheer" and wanted to share the cheer with their hometown of Salisbury, NC. So they decided to have a festival, with true Southern hospitality.
Working with the City of Salisbury and local organizations, they organized a celebration of all things good and cheerful, southern and delightful.
The event was a wild success, with tens of thousands of locals and visitors from across the Carolinas converging on this small, historic city to eat good food, shop cheerwine merchandise and have fun in the downtown area.
A NEW TRADITION
Locals and fans of Cheerwine alike loved the Cheerwine Festival in 2017 so much they demanded a return! In response, the City of Salisbury decided to continue to host the festival as an annual tradition, working with Cheerwine to ensure the cheer would continue.
In 2018, the festival area was doubled in size to include almost all of downtown Salisbury so that more food trucks and vendors could participate, the kid's activities evolved into a kid's play area including rock climbing and a bounce house, and a beer garden was added for the adults.
The musical lineup was upgraded as well, with headlining band Sister Hazel performing at the end of the day to a cheering crowd!
SMASHING SUCCESS
In 2019, the Cheerwine Festival featured the revered, MULTI-PLATINUM California pop-rockers Smash Mouth! Downtown Salisbury was flooded with over 50,000 lovers of Cheerwine from the surrounding Charlotte area, North Carolina, and nearby states.
Food vendors sold over 1,800 Cheerwine tacos, 500 Cheerwine floats, 500 bags of popcorn and over 5,000 hot dogs! Afterwards, Cheerwine donated $7,500 from their drink sales to local charity, Meals on Wheels Rowan.
View 2019 Website
AWARD-WINNING VIRTUAL EVENT
The year 2020 brought unprecedented challenges, which our team met with good cheer and quick thinking. The May festival was the first in North Carolina to "go virtual," earning four awards for innovation as a virtual event.
Families at home enjoyed exclusive performances by Sugar Hill Gang, Tone Loc, Nathan Angelo, Ace Party Band and Live House. People across the country followed along on social media and shared their home-viewing experiences, and the spirit of cheer endured.
View 2020 Website
2021 FESTIVAL CANCELLED
After careful consideration and guidance from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Rowan County Health department as well as other local, state and federal authorities, the City of Salisbury and Cheerwine made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Cheerwine Festival schedule for Saturday, September 18, 2021.
BACK IN TOWN
In 2022, the Cheerwine Festival returned to the Downtown with a big turnout of locals and Cheerwine fans from across the eastern seaboard. The music stage was rocked by headline act the Spin Doctors as well as Ayron Jones, Lauren Light Trio, Tsunami Wave Riders and 9daytrip. All day long, crowds of cheerful people browsed craft and food stalls filled with Cheerwine specialties and the two beer gardens overflowed with hospitality.
View 2022 Website
A CHEERFUL CROWD
Perfect weather and the ever-increasing popularity of the Cheerwine Festival brought a record-breaking crowd of 100,000 Cheerwine fans to Salisbury in 2023. Cheerwine-inspired beer, crafts and food were available from a diverse lineup of local and regional vendors. And the cherry on top of the festival was the entertainment lineup rocking the music stage, including Ryan Perry, Divided by Four, New Local and headline act Neon Trees!
View 2023 Website