The Soiree on State was an idea Mayor Partin had after attending the Mayor’s Institute on City Design, an initiative with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Endowment for the Arts where a small group of mayors present a challenge in their community and receive advice.

Mayor Partin wanted to attract residents and visitors to the City’s original downtown core, State Street, to hopefully revitalize the area.  In June 2017 the empty buildings on State Street were cleaned and opened for local artists to feature their work inside the spaces, local bands performed in the street with local food and craft vendors lining the streets.

Seven years later there are thriving locally owned businesses on State Street.  Piecewise Coffee, SOTA Art Gallery, Salvage Sisters, State and Frink, Swatch Graphics, Dialed Bicycles Repair, Trini Lime Caribbean Café, Henry’s Bar and Grill and more!  Soiree on State is the City’s most popular annual event and has grown into a street festival with arts and crafts, food trucks, and live music.

Now in its 6^th year, the “Party in the Streets” as its fondly known as has grown to include even more local arts and craft vendors (the City has partnered with the Avenues Neighborhood Association to combine the Cayce Festival of the Arts with Soiree on State), more bands, a free kids’ area with balloon artists, face painting and bounce courses, a huge variety of food trucks and exhibits by local businesses.