WATCH: Reporter A.J. Jackson shares his top three stories from 2025
Greenville News reporter A.J. Jackson shares some of his favorite stories to work on in the Upstate in 2025.
- Several new music and entertainment venues are slated to open in Greenville throughout 2026.
- Mauldin will welcome a new pro soccer stadium and a pickleball complex in the new year.
- The Bon Secours Wellness Arena is planning a major expansion, including a new amphitheater.
- A former movie theater on Greenville’s eastside is being transformed into a dining and entertainment space.
Expansions, renovations and new builds of several culture defining venues are expected to open or begin to take shape beginning in the new year.
In 2025, the Upstate’s social and entertainment scene was highlighted by the multi-year completion of Unity Park in Greenville and the first pitch thrown at Fifth Third Park in Spartanburg.
In 2026, there are various music venues headed for Greenville, a pickleball complex and pro soccer stadium slated for Mauldin, and a new sports and events facility in Greer is expected to make significant progress.
Here are eight entertainment or social activity-based business projects to look forward to in the new year.
Peace Center’s ‘A Music Project’ venues to debut
The Peace Center is ready to roll out the red carpet for two venues as part of its three-year buildout of the “A Music Project” expansion, beginning in January.
The Mockingbird — an upcoming 180-person capacity music club and intimate listening room — will debut its newly repurposed building at 330 S. Main St. with Maia Sharp, a country and rock singer/songwriter, who will guide the venue’s first “Song Sessions” series.
Taking place on Jan. 17, The Mockingbird’s opening show is part of an inaugural year-long concert series, slated to feature Sharp as the lead performer, alongside a rotating list of notable guest performers for each month in 2026.
Coach Music Factory — a two-story, standing room only live music venue — is set to host its first three live music acts and open a new era at the Peace Center’s campus at 310 S. Main St. beginning in February.
The first announced acts scheduled to perform are G.Love & Special Sauce on Feb. 7, The Lone Bellow on March 27, and The Infamous Stringdusters on April 26, with all shows beginning at 8 p.m.
The new music venue is expected to feature a wide range of genres, including rock, country, jazz, pop, R&B, electronic jazz, and more.
Bon Secours Wellness Arena expansion
The Bon Secours Wellness Arena is expected to begin unveiling its new music amphitheater, upgraded locker rooms, and added concourse space in 2026 or early 2027.
In 2024, BSWA officials announced a reported $150 million plan to improve current conditions, including renovations to the front and back of the house, land acquisition, and repairs. In April 2025, the entertainment arena confirmed its plan, noting that the cost is now closer to $300 million and that the project is expected to improve walkability, connectivity, and infrastructure between Academy and Main Street in downtown Greenville.
The proposed physical changes to the building at 650 N. Academy St. include:
- A grand entryway into the arena with a new building facade design.
- An improved and expanded concourse area (adding 22,000 square feet), featuring more circulation, lighting, and entrance space leading into the building, creating new event areas, and adding more room for retail stores and merchandising.
- A 6,500-seat amphitheater and a parking structure will be built after the arena upgrades are complete.
- Expanded concession stands and terrace areas, more accessible seating, and restroom areas.
- New hospitality experiences around the concourse area.
The venue is currently exploring funding options for the project. It is expected to be a nearby complement to the East North Street Gateway project, which will upgrade sidewalks, crosswalks, landscaping, retail businesses, and a public art gallery.
Trueline to arrive in the West End
The 2,500-person capacity music and event space at 401 E. Rhett St. in the West End is expected to be complete sometime in 2026.
Trueline, a House of Blues-style venue, plans to bring pop, hip-hop, country, comedy, and various artists to Greenville as the 30,000-square-foot space at the former location of D&B Glass plans to attract high-level artists such as Lil Wayne, The Struts, and Brett Young to appear, while also serving as a local artist incubator and community music hub.
The project is headed by Michael Grozier, CEO of Trueline Brands, and is expected to include:
- A 1,700-capacity main room amphitheater called The Concert Hall will include 129 balcony seats.
- A 400-capacity small room called The Handlebar will serve as an ode to John Jeter, “The Godfather of Greenville’s music scene.”
- A 150-capacity VIP room known as The Greenroom.
- A 250-capacity outdoor music space known as The Clubhouse is pending approval from the city of Greenville.
- Four standing-room platforms in The Concert Hall allow easy sightlines to the stage, and more.
In October 2025, the final beam was installed at a “topping out” ceremony, further cementing the soon-to-be arrival of Trueline music venue to the West End in 2026.
GE Verona Stadium at Bridgeway Station
The future home for the Greenville Triumph and Greenville Liberty soccer teams is underway, with construction officially beginning in late September 2025 and an anticipated completion date before the 2026 season.
The stadium at BridgeWay Station — now known as GE Verona Park — will seat 6,300 people and offer an intimate gameday experience at 616 Bridgeway Boulevard, to advance the Triumph and Liberty to higher levels of competition in the United Soccer League (USL).
Mauldin’s new stadium is designed to be in sync with BridgeWay Station’s unique European-inspired architecture, which features grand columns, ornamental cornices, Italian-inspired towers, and archways that will serve as grand entrances to the stadium and the community.
Pickle Yard facility to open in Mauldin
Pickle Yard is an upcoming development by Parker Group Development. It will feature a mix of racket games, golf simulators, and more, alongside a full-service restaurant and bar in a 20,000-square-foot industrial warehouse near 15 Jenkins St. at Mauldin’s City Center.
The new athletic facility and communal space are slated to feature six indoor pickleball courts, three golf simulators, two outdoor paddle courts, and grass volleyball with full kitchen and bar functionality.
Pickle Yard expects to be the entertainment anchor of Maverick Yards — a new mixed-use property by Parker Group Development that also includes 42 townhomes at the corner of Jenkins Street and Jenkins Court and marks the next phase of Mauldin’s downtown transformation from a master plan that was created in 2012.
The new racket-centric facility is expected to include dining, entertainment, and community gathering spaces, with an official opening in early 2026.
Backyard at Pelham development on Greenville’s eastside
A former movie theater site at 10 Pelham Drive in Greenville will transform into “Backyard at Pelham” — a 30,000-square-foot shopping, dining, and entertainment space headed to Greenville’s eastside.
Construction on the commercial project began in June of 2025 and seeks to create a community gathering spot with diverse dining and entertainment options in an area somewhat void of multi-use entertainment options nearby.
In 2023 and 2024, Reedy River Retail at SVN Palmetto began attracting tenants and shaping the overall content of the new Backyard at Pelham. The first six of nine confirmed tenants are: Seasons Innovative Bar and Grille, Indigo Kitchen, Biscuit Belly, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, Coop’s Crazy Chicken, and SWTHZ.
The project, spearheaded by Reedy River Retail at SVN Palmetto and Central Reality Holdings, is expected to open sometime in 2026 and have all nine tenants on-site in 2027.
Baby Bi-Lo to soon become North Hills
In September 2025, Oxford Capital Partners announced plans to revive the 44,000-square-foot property at 505 N. Main St. into a boutique neighborhood shopping experience.
A month later, the city’s design review board team approved development that will transform the building at East Park and North Main Street from its former, smaller incarnation as a Bi-Lo grocery store, which earned it its original nickname, “Baby Bi-Lo,” into an upgraded retail site.
Expected to open sometime in 2027, the site will feature retail, restaurants, grocery, fitness, coffee, clothing, a general convenience store, and new storefronts, along with pedestrian access, landscaping, lighting, and facade improvements.
According to Harrison Horowitz, owner of Oxford Capital Partners and the project’s lead developer, the deal cost $6.75 million and became a priority acquisition after previous developers’ rezoning plans were dropped.
According to Horowitz, the new shopping center will host 10 to 15 retail brands known locally and regionally.
Greer Sports and Events Center
In August 2025, Greer leadership broke ground on a 200,000-square-foot-facility that Mayor Rick Danner said, “will transform our community.”
The City of Greer has seen demand for recreation facilities and programs explode in recent years. There hasn’t been the capacity to serve all of Greer’s residents, including children who wish to participate in sports teams.
Greer offers destination of champions sports and events center
Greer offers destination of champions sports and events center
The Greer Sports and Events Center will come to South Buncombe Road and Highway 14 with basketball and volleyball courts, an e-sports space, rooms for community meetings, and more.
Costs are still being finalized, but city administrator Andy Merriman confirmed the project will likely cost $65-$70 million.
In addition to serving Greer residents, city leaders plan to use the Sports and Events Center to host travel teams and tournaments, bringing an opportunity to generate revenue and boost tourism to the area.
– Baker Maultsby contributed to this report.
– A.J. Jackson covers business, the food & dining scene, and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at [email protected], and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.greenvilleonline.com ’
