Ballet Under The Stars

September 21st 2025

Presented by CONTEC, City of Spartanburg, Chapman Cultural Center,

SC Arts Commission and WSPA/TV

Register here and join us on Sunday evening, September 21st from 5:00-7:00 pm in Barnet Park as we kick off our 2025/26 season! Beginning at 6:30 pm on the Zimmerli Amphitheatre stage, enjoy performances by West African Dancers, our Center for Dance Education students, and excerpts from our 24/25 and 25/26 seasons by Ballet Spartanburg Company dancers.

Fabulous food trucks will be at the park. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair and a picnic. “Ballet Under The Stars” invites Spartanburg and beyond to enjoy classical and contemporary dance in a unique outdoor setting, complete with a stage, lighting, costumes, and we hope no rain. (Rain Date TBD) This event will take place in the heart of Spartanburg's cultural district in Barnet Park - for families and friends to enjoy an evening together!

This FREE event also includes activities for children such as crafts, dancing lessons, facepainting, and balloon creations. Fun for children of all ages.

YOUR BALLET UNDER THE STARS TOP TEN HINTS FOR A GREAT EVENING!

1. Mark your calendar for Ballet Under the Stars. Mark YOUR calendars (and your grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, church, mahjong groups, book clubs and everyone you know... mark their calendars, too) so that everyone will have Sunday, September 21st from 5-7 PM reserved. It is only a two-hour evening, so you will want to arrive on time and grab your favorite section of the park. You can sit right in front of the stage or anywhere on the park's green grass.

2. Bring a folding chair or blanket to sit on. If you don’t mind getting up close and personal with nature, or sitting on a blanket in the itchy grass, by all means do! But, for those of you who would prefer a comfortable and relaxed “theater” experience, we recommend a folding chair. We know children will be all over, but adults may want to snuggle into their favorite chair for the evening.

3. Food is welcome (and encouraged)! You can pack your own picnic basket - bring your own Sunday night sandwiches and drinks. (This is a Non-Alcohol Event.) Sky Cream Ice Cream (ice cream, funnel cakes, cotton candy and more) and Fuddruckers will also be selling delicious food from their food trucks.

4. Restrooms are available at the Park Barnet Park has restrooms on site in well-maintained buildings.

5. Grab A Ride with a Friend or Family Here is our tip......Share a ride. Ride with friends and family. You may park at the Chapman Cultural Center's two parking lots and in the parking garage located next to The George, located at 160 East Saint John Street. FREE to park. The First Baptist of Spartanburg parking spaces may NOT be used for this event.

6. The early bird gets the SPOT. It’s simple. The earlier you arrive, the better the spot you’ll find on the green. As a bonus, you might even be able to catch the dancers warming up onstage from 6-6:30PM

7. Don’t forget to protect yourself from the elements! Be comfortable and be prepared. Bring hats, sunscreen, fans for the pre-sunset heat, bug spray for the little flying or crawling friends, and a light jacket for the breezy evening temperature drop.

8. Bring a good light source for AFTER the show. It gets pretty dark in the park and gathering your stuff can be tough! Flashlights, lanterns, glow sticks — all light sources need to be dark during the show to avoid distracting the dancers and other people in the audience. However, we encourage you to light them up when the performance is over to help you pack up your belongings and exit the park safely.

9. Take Pictures! Snap Away! We are encouraging photos! If you post on your Instagram story or feed and tag @balletspartanburg, you could win FREE TICKETS to one of our upcoming productions this season.

10. Ballet really is for everyone. For some people, you hear the word ballet, and you would rather wash your car in the heat of the summer. Ballet is misunderstood. There is no right way to experience a ballet or a piece of ballet. It is just a way that belongs to you. It is the music you may notice or recognize, or a theme or a love story. It is the beauty of the movement of the dancers translating the music and the story. All we want to do with this evening is to introduce you to who we are, what we do, and how we do it. So, we want you to come, learn a little about Ballet Spartanburg, have fun with family and friends and hopefully walkway and say, " I had no idea that ballet was so beautiful. Let's go see more this season!"