The weekend doesn’t wait for Saturday anymore, thanks to Columbia’s newly announced concert series “Finlay Fridays.”

Finlay Park is offering a free outdoor concert series every Friday night from February through October this year. The series launched Feb. 20 at the newly refurbished downtown park, with the Reggie Sullivan Band taking the stage.

Singer and bassist Reggie Sullivan himself said he’s no stranger to the park.

“In the past, I would play Finlay Park at least once a year,” he said. “I introduced a version of my band there that featured a string quartet.”

The show ran 6-9 p.m., with food and drinks available. Sullivan, who has been performing around Columbia for 24 years, promised an entertaining set, featuring his upright bass as the band’s lead instrument.

“I’ll be digging deep into the bag of ideas,” he said. “We generally try to create music that everyone will enjoy – and you might dance a little.”

Finlay Park recently reopened after a revitalization effort that transformed the 18.5-acre space. The grand reopening ceremony was held Nov. 15, 2025, 10 years after a master plan was developed by lead designers at Stantec’s Charleston-based landscape architecture studio.

“The community reimagined Finlay Park as a vibrant heartbeat for downtown — a place where community spirit and outdoor enjoyment come together,” said Stantec project manager and landscape architect Jenny Horne in a news release. “It’s more than a park; it’s a canvas for connecting people to the outdoors and to one another.”

The reimagined park features a new central pond, stage, splash pad, playground, bouldering walls and gardens, all with downtown skyline views. Sullivan said he is happy to be involved in one of the park’s first new concerts.

“We are glad to be a part of anything in Columbia that’s meant to improve our city,” he said. “The park is busy on cold days and warmer days, so it’s getting great buzz and attention. I have a 4-year-old daughter, so anywhere different you can take your child is a plus.”

For some attendees, the opening night was their first time visiting the renovated space. USC pharmaceutical sciences student Kaia Pixler heard about the event from her mother and decided to check out the park for the first time.

“I loved the concert and atmosphere,” Pixler said. “It was so fun seeing the support for the community and all of the families out together. I think it’s such a great way to promote local artists and for people to enjoy the park’s reopening. I love live music, too, so that is also something that drew me to this.”

Others, such as Eileen Newman, a Columbia resident of 42 years, had been visiting the park since before its renovation. Newman said the new additions and updates make it a different experience entirely. 

“It was grand. It was lots of fun,” Newman said. “Just all the people there – and it’s a lovely time. And I love that time of the evening, when it’s twilight, and the sun’s going down.”

One moment from the night stood out: Newman noticed a fellow concertgoer dancing with a hula hoop, and a duet began between the two former strangers.

“I like to dance, so I just got up and I thought, ‘Well, I’ll go keep him company,’” she said. “I never expected him to engage with me. But then he just offered his hand, and I took his hand, and off we went.”

She is already looking ahead to future shows, she said, even if she doesn’t yet know all of the artists.

“It’s just a nice place to hang out for an hour or so and be with the community, really,” she said.

The new events stage has a growing calendar to fill it. The schedule through March includes more local bands, such as the Jon Rooks Band and Opus & The Frequencies, and a pre-St. Patrick’s Day party with a performance by Slim Pickens. Additional artists for the remaining months have yet to be announced.

Finlay Fridays are free and open to the public and, as the series tagline puts it: “Finlay Fridays — where the weekend begins.”