Historic Columbia Speedway
Historic Columbia Speedway in Cayce, South Carolina is a former stock car track turned outdoor events ground, with a 9 acre grass infield inside the half-mile asphalt oval. It sits less than 5 miles from downtown Columbia, close to the I-77 and I-26 junction, with parking for over 3,000 cars. Tartan Day South holds its Saturday main event here.
Before you go
- Capacity
- Parking for over 3,000 cars on 71 acres
- Indoor or outdoor
- Outdoor: a 9 acre grass infield inside a historic half-mile oval
- Official site
- columbiaspeedway.com
- Next festival here
- Tartan Day South Highland Games & Celtic Festival, Apr 1 to 4, 2027
Worth knowing before you go
- It is all outdoors, on grass inside the oval.
- Tartan Day South charges $5 per car for parking on its main event Saturday, cash only.
- The festival asks for exact change at the gate.
- Camping at Tartan Day South has water and portable toilets only.
Festivals here
Venue basics: Outdoor, on a 9 acre grass infield · Parking for over 3,000 cars · Near I-77 and I-26.
Is it for you
Choose it if
- You want a big open-air site with space for thousands of cars
- You like walking a historic racing oval
Think twice if
- You need a covered or indoor venue
Getting there and parking
The speedway is at 2001 Charleston Highway in Cayce, less than 5 miles from the State Capitol and downtown Columbia, and a mile or two from the junction of I-77 and I-26.
Over 40 acres of the 71 acre property are cleared for parking, enough for more than 3,000 cars.
Festival-specific · Tartan Day SouthParking at the Speedway on the Saturday main event is $5 per car, collected on entry in cash. Bring exact change.
Accessibility
We don't yet have confirmed information about accessibility at Historic Columbia Speedway. The venue's own pages are the place to check: columbiaspeedway.com.
Camping
Festival-specific · Tartan Day SouthThe festival offers a Columbia Speedway Campground. Water and portable toilets are provided, and camping fees do not include admission to the event.
Food, water and what you can bring
Festival-specific · Tartan Day SouthThe festival has an array of food on site, plus a marketplace with Celtic fabrics, jewelry, ironware and foods.
A little history
Historic Columbia Speedway was a stock car track. After a 2009 reunion event drew a reported crowd of nearly 30,000, the owners cleared 30 years of trees and vegetation and reopened the property as an events facility.
The racing surface is intact, so you can walk around a track where Richard Petty ran his first race in 1958 and won for the first time in 1959.
The festival honors Celtic culture and heritage in South Carolina's Midlands. Its main event is held here on a Saturday, other free and paid events are held in West Columbia, Cayce and Lexington, and the festival benefits the nonprofit River Alliance.