SUMTER, S.C. — Thousands of visitors came together at Swan Lake Iris Gardens on Saturday for the 82nd year of the Iris Festival, celebrating Sumter and a very special flowering plant species.
The three-day festival runs all weekend, starting Friday and ending Sunday afternoon. Kristin Milan, the tourism manager for Sumter and chair of the festival, said they typically see 20,000 to 30,000 visitors come to Sumter throughout the weekend.
"It's a really big deal, and it's fun to get to have people from all over the state come and see how cool it is," she said. "We have boutiques, we have mom-and-pop shops, we've got a lot of local businesses here."
The gardens are full of families, vendors, live music, and, of course, the flowers and swans.
Diana Brown with Brown Sistaz Island Vibz said they usually spend their Saturdays at Soda City Market in Columbia but believe the festival offers more financial opportunities.
"Any event that affords us an opportunity to expand our client base is paramount to us," she said. "We love what we do, we love meeting people, and festivals afford us the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life."
Others spent their time at the festival walking around the gardens and enjoying the weather.
"We like a little walk, get outside, get some fresh air -- it's nice. It's a beautiful day, having a good excuse to enjoy some flowers and actually maybe bring some back home," said Robert Tenny.
The festival will continue again on Sunday at 10 a.m.