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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWATCH: Reporter A.J. Jackson shares his top three stories from 2025<\/p>\n
Greenville News reporter A.J. Jackson shares some of his favorite stories to work on in the Upstate in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/story-highlights> Expansions, renovations and new builds of several culture defining venues are expected to open or begin to take shape beginning in the new year.<\/p>\n In 2025, the Upstate’s social and entertainment scene was highlighted by the multi-year completion of Unity Park<\/a> in Greenville and the first pitch thrown at Fifth Third Park<\/a> in Spartanburg.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Here are eight entertainment or social activity-based business projects to look forward to in the new year.<\/p>\n More to Come: <\/strong>ICARE CommUnity Hub creates one-stop shop for community resources<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The Mockingbird<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 an upcoming 180-person capacity music club and intimate listening room \u2014 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<\/a>” series.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Coach Music Factory<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a two-story, standing room only live music venue \u2014 is set to host its first three live music acts<\/a> and open a new era at the Peace Center’s campus at 310 S. Main St. beginning in February.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The new music venue is expected to feature a wide range of genres, including rock, country, jazz, pop, R&B, electronic jazz, and more.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The proposed physical changes to the building at 650 N. Academy St. include:<\/p>\n The venue is currently exploring funding options for the project. It is<\/span> expected to be a nearby complement to the\u00a0East North Street Gateway project, which will upgrade sidewalks, crosswalks, landscaping, retail businesses, and a public art gallery.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The project is headed by Michael Grozier, CEO of Trueline Brands, and is expected to include:<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Trueline Greenville topping out ceremony in the West End<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The future home for\u00a0the Greenville Triumph<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Greenville Liberty<\/a>\u00a0soccer teams is underway, with construction officially beginning in late Sep<\/span>tember 2025 and an anticipated completion date before the 2026 season.<\/span><\/p>\n The stadium at BridgeWay Station \u2014 now known as GE Verona Park \u2014 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).<\/p>\n Mauldin’s new stadium is designed to be in sync with BridgeWay Station\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Pickle Yard<\/a> is an upcoming development by\u00a0Parker Group Development<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Pickle Yard expects to be the entertainment anchor of Maverick Yards \u2014 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\u2019s downtown transformation from a master plan that was created in 2012.<\/p>\n The new racket-centric facility is expected to include dining, entertainment, and community gathering spaces, with an official opening in early 2026.<\/p>\n A former movie theater site at 10 Pelham Drive in Greenville will transform into “Backyard at Pelham” \u2014 a 30,000-square-foot shopping, dining, and entertainment space headed to Greenville’s eastside.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n According to Horowitz, the new shopping center will host 10 to 15 retail brands known locally and regionally.<\/p>\n\n
Peace Center’s ‘A Music Project’ venues to debut<\/h2>\n
Bon Secours Wellness Arena expansion<\/h2>\n
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Trueline to arrive in the West End<\/h2>\n
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GE Verona Stadium at Bridgeway Station<\/h2>\n
Pickle Yard facility to open in Mauldin<\/h2>\n
Backyard at Pelham development on Greenville’s eastside<\/h2>\n
Baby Bi-Lo to soon become North Hills<\/h2>\n
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