Checked September 30, 2026 against each organiser's official page. Every item here is seasonal and dates or times can change, so open the linked page before you go. Kickoff times for most Gamecocks games were still TBA.
October 2026
Congaree Swampfest (Oct 2–3)
Where: Historic Harriet Barber House, 116 Barberville Loop, Hopkins area.
Friday night is a ticketed BBQ, blues and soul show (gates 6 pm); Saturday's festival runs noon–6 pm and is free (congareeswampfest.com).
Gamecocks football: Kentucky (Sat Oct 3)
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium. The first of four October–November home games (gamecocksonline.com schedule). Expect road closures and paid parking around the stadium and the fairgrounds on game days; lots, prices and the campus shuttle are in our Williams-Brice parking guide.
JerryFest in Five Points (Sun Oct 4)
Noon–8 pm, a music festival honouring Jerry Garcia across Five Points (fivepointscolumbia.com calendar).
Phil Wickham (Thu Oct 8) and the Cash Money & No Limit Tour (Sat Oct 10)
Both at Colonial Life Arena, 801 Lincoln St (coloniallifearena.com/events). Parking, the clear bag rule and door times are in our Colonial Life Arena guide.
South Carolina State Fair (Oct 15–25)
Where: State Fairgrounds, 1200 Rosewood Dr.
Admission (from scstatefair.org): $10 at Circle K or $11 online in advance (through Oct 14); $15/$16 during the fair; $20 at the gate. Opening day, Thursday Oct 15, is $5 all day. Seniors 55+ pay $15, or $5 on Senior Day (Wed Oct 21). Children 5 and under are free. Ride wristbands are $32–$33 in advance and $40–$42 during the fair. Anyone under 18 must be with a parent or guardian 21+ all day Friday and Saturday and after 5 pm Sunday–Thursday, and bags must be clear. Daily hours, discount days and parking: our SC State Fair 2026 guide.
Boo at the Zoo (Oct 16–30)
Where: Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, 500 Wildlife Pkwy.
Nightly 6–9 pm. Children under 2 are free; a new $6 Spooky Rides Pass adds unlimited train and carousel rides. A Trick-or-Treat Dinner Party ($60, members $50) runs Oct 16–18 and 23–25 (riverbanks.org). More trick-or-treat events: Halloween in Columbia.
Famously Hot SC Pride (Oct 16–17)
Where: Main Street downtown. The Friday night parade and concert lead into Saturday's main festival on Main Street; some events are ticketed, so check scpride.org for what needs a ticket.
Gamecocks football: Tennessee (Sat Oct 24)
Williams-Brice Stadium. The team's open week is Oct 17. This is also a State Fair Saturday, so fair parking rises to $20; plan with our game day parking guide.
Dracula: Ballet With a Bite (Oct 23–24)
Where: Koger Center for the Arts, 1051 Greene St. 7:30 pm both nights, tickets $35–$60 (southcarolinaballet.com).
Five Points Trick-or-Treat (Sun Oct 25)
4–6 pm in Five Points (fivepointscolumbia.com).
The R&B Tour: Usher and Chris Brown (Thu Oct 29)
7:30 pm at Williams-Brice Stadium (listed by Colonial Life Arena).
November 2026
College basketball season opens at Colonial Life Arena
Men's home games on Nov 3 (Stetson), Nov 8 (Southeast Missouri State), Nov 11 (Saint Peter's), Nov 14 (Gardner-Webb) and Nov 18 (Elon); women's games include Florida Gulf Coast on Nov 17 and the PowHER Player Classic on Nov 28–29. The women's exhibition against Benedict is Oct 23 (coloniallifearena.com).
Rod Wave (Fri Nov 6)
8 pm, Colonial Life Arena.
Gamecocks football: Texas A&M, Homecoming (Sat Nov 7)
Williams-Brice Stadium.
Vista Lights (Thu Nov 19)
6–10 pm in the Vista: tree lighting, live music and a local vendor market (vistacolumbia.com). The Vista Live series also plays free Third Thursdays, 6–9 pm, at Steel Hands Brewing, 705-A Gervais St, through December.
NEON Joy in Five Points (Fri Nov 20)
6–9 pm, a holiday laser light show in Five Points (fivepointscolumbia.com).
Wild Lights at Riverbanks (from Nov 20)
Select nights Nov 20 to Jan 10, 5–9 pm; tickets go on sale Nov 2 (riverbanks.org/events). Every display in town, including Fireflies Holiday Lights at Segra Park: Christmas lights in Columbia.
Gamecocks football: Georgia, Senior Day (Sat Nov 21)
The last home game of the regular season, at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Every week
- Soda City Market: Saturdays 9 am–1 pm on Main Street, year-round (sodacitysc.com; our Soda City guide).
- Pumpkin patches and corn mazes: farms around Columbia run weekends through early November; dates and prices in our pumpkin patch guide.
- Columbia Museum of Art: free admission on the first Thursday of the month (Oct 1 and Nov 5).
- SC State Museum: $1 admission on the first Sunday of the month (Oct 4 and Nov 1).
More ideas: things to do this weekend, with kids and free things to do.
The full list, by category: things to do in Columbia, SC.
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2026 South Carolina State Fair?
October 15 to 25, 2026, at the State Fairgrounds, 1200 Rosewood Dr. Gate admission is $20, advance tickets are $10 at Circle K or $11 online through October 14, and opening day (October 15) is $5.
When is Boo at the Zoo 2026?
October 16 to 30, 2026, from 6 to 9 pm at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. Children under 2 are free, and a $6 Spooky Rides Pass adds unlimited train and carousel rides.
When are the Gamecocks' home football games in October and November 2026?
Kentucky on October 3, Tennessee on October 24, Texas A&M (Homecoming) on November 7 and Georgia (Senior Day) on November 21, all at Williams-Brice Stadium.
When is Vista Lights 2026?
Thursday, November 19, 2026, from 6 to 10 pm in the Vista, with the tree lighting, live music and a vendor market.