11 Holiday Light Festivals In South Carolina You Won’t Want To Miss This Year
Each year millions upon millions of Christmas lights go up around the Palmetto State. We’ve rounded up some of the biggest, best, and brightest Christmas lights in South Carolina so you can put them on your bucket list. You’re pretty amazing if you can find time to visit them all this year! Get ready, South Carolina: a big, ole dose of holiday cheer awaits!
During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date.
1. Christmas in Hopelands - Aiken
Hopelands Gardens, 135 Dupree Pl, Aiken, SC 29801, USA
Each year, Aiken's Hopelands Gardens lights up for the holidays with more than 100,000 twinkling lights, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a children's activity area, and live entertainment. Bonus: admission to this festive event is free!
At Anderson Lights of Hope, 3.5 million Christmas lights are on display at a 2.5 mile loop across from the Civic Center. Live performers add an extra amount of holiday cheer to the event. And there is even an epic Santa's village that kids are sure to love!
3. Holiday Festival of Lights - James Island County Park, Charleston
James Island County Park, 871 Riverland Dr, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
The Holiday Festival of Lights in Charleston is an experience. Featuring over 700 displays and two million lights, the Holiday Festival of Lights is a cherished holiday tradition for many families throughout Charleston and beyond. Each winter, James Island County Park comes alive with illumination, and is a great place to capture the magic of the holiday season. This is what Christmas is all about!
4. Lights Before Christmas - Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens, Columbia
Columbia's longest-running holiday light event is a total fan favorite, offering families an enchanting and wondrous experience. It's one of the Zoo's most popular events, and once you visit with your family, you'll immediately see why. Lights and displays, some of which are animated, surround you as you wander through the Riverbanks Zoo, which, of course, is a magical place in and of itself!
5. Holiday Lights on the River - Saluda Shoals Park, Columbia
Saluda Shoals Park, 5605 Bush River Rd, Columbia, SC 29212, USA
A perennial Palmetto State favorite, Holiday Lights on the River features more than 400 themed animated light displays and millions of twinkling lights on a three-mile drive-through loop of the park. The fun doesn't stop there: kids can slide down the winter wonder tube slide, ride a hayride through the whimsical displays, enjoy a laser light show on the Wetland Trail, and even catch a holiday flick in the Environmental Center!
One of the coolest places to take your family in South Carolina, Roper Mountain's Holiday Laser Shows are beyond spectacular. These shows are only offered a handful of times during the holiday season, so be sure to scoop up your tickets early!
Hop in the car with your family and friends and follow a picturesque path through thousands of brilliant, twinkling lights. Admission is $5 per vehicle and proceeds benefit local charities. Enter the Holiday Lights Driving Tour at One Riverwood Drive, Moncks Corner. There's really no better way to usher in the holiday season in South Carolina!
8. Nights of a Thousand Candles - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrell's Inlet
Brookgreen Gardens, 1931 Brookgreen Dr, Pawleys Island, SC 29585, USA
Every winter, Brookgreen Gardens lights 2,800 candles as well as thousands of other sparkling lights. Carolers and live music only add to the charm of this event, which, year after year, draws major crowds. In fact, this light display has been named "Best Christmas Lights in South Carolina" by Travel+Leisure Magazine! This popular event does tend to sell out, so get your tickets ASAP!
9. Children's Garden Christmas and Kid's Walk - Edisto Memorial Gardens, Orangeburg
Edisto Memorial Gardens, 200 Riverside Dr SW, Orangeburg, SC 29115, USA
This winter, wander through a beautiful, animated light display at the Edisto Memorial Gardens. Enjoy a stroll through the Kid's Walk that features interactive light displays. The Children’s Garden Christmas, a drive through display located in the beautiful Edisto Memorial Gardens, hosts thousands of lights including still and animated displays such as Old Man Winter, a river boat, Santa and his elves, a Nativity Scene, and more than 60 lighted cherry trees. Enjoy a stroll through the Kid’s Walk which features interactive displays including a hopping bunny, a squirrel running up a tree, and colorful Christmas trees. Be sure to visit the Twelve Days of Christmas display during your time on the walk!
A grand LED light display that moves and flickers to music, Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland is a festive fan favorite! Also featuring a park and participate area with Santa's Village. It's billed as "the most immersive drive-through experience on Earth," and we don't disagree!
11. Fantasy of Lights - Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Sumter
Swan Lake Iris Gardens, 822 W Liberty St, Sumter, SC 29150, USA
One of the largest Christmas light displays in South Carolina, Fantasy of Lights is an immersive, wondrous experience. For the entire month of December, the gardens come alive with a display of twinkling holiday imagery created by more than one million lights. The Pilot Club's floating Christmas tree is an annual favorite, along with Santa's Village, angels and characters of song and story.
Christmas light events make a great family outing. Most of these even have scheduled guest appearances by the big man himself – Santa! How many of these have you heard of? Have you been to any of them? We tried to include the best Christmas lights in South Carolina on this list, but if we missed any then please feel free to add them in the comments. That way, they’ll be on the record and everyone will know of them too.
Address: Brookgreen Gardens, 1931 Brookgreen Dr, Pawleys Island, SC 29585, USA
Address: Edisto Memorial Gardens, 200 Riverside Dr SW, Orangeburg, SC 29115, USA
Address: Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland, 3540 Line Dr, Kodak, TN 37764, USA
Address: Hopelands Gardens, 135 Dupree Pl, Aiken, SC 29801, USA
Address: 150 Rose Valley Blvd, Anderson, SC 29625, USA
Address: James Island County Park, 871 Riverland Dr, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
Address: Swan Lake Iris Gardens, 822 W Liberty St, Sumter, SC 29150, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
Christmas lights in South Carolina
November 15, 2021
Sarah
What’s Christmas like in South Carolina?
Like most Southern states, South Carolina doesn’t often (if ever) experience a White Christmas, but that doesn’t mean we’re lacking in the holiday spirit! Quite the contrary. Come November and December, you’ll see our big cities and small towns decked to the nines in twinkly lights and holiday displays. We have craft fairs and artisan markets all throughout the season. We have Christmas trains and holiday festivals. Christmas in South Carolina is, quite simply, the most wonderful time of the year!
Are there any Christmas towns in South Carolina?
We do! One incredible South Carolina town that dresses up for the holidays is Rock Hill, otherwise known as ChristmasVille. Each year come December, this magical holiday town changes its name in order to become one of the best winter villages around! Picture four days of wintertime enchantment, with live music and performances, food, drinks, ice skating, Christmas carols, and so much more. Here’s why we adore this South Carolina Christmas town…
What are some fun holiday traditions in South Carolina?
We’re big fans of hopping aboard a Christmas train for a magical excursion through the beautiful South Carolina landscape. And happily, South Carolina has one of the best Christmas trains in the country! The Santa Express on the Rockton, Rion, & Western line offers a unique holiday adventure the whole family will love. Ride the historic rails in decorated train cars as you listen to Christmas stories and even receive a visit from Santa himself. Just make sure to reserve tickets early, this seasonal attraction sells out almost every year! There is nothing else quite like this holiday train ride in South Carolina — have you ever experienced it?
Address: Brookgreen Gardens, 1931 Brookgreen Dr, Pawleys Island, SC 29585, USA
Address: Edisto Memorial Gardens, 200 Riverside Dr SW, Orangeburg, SC 29115, USA
Address: Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland, 3540 Line Dr, Kodak, TN 37764, USA
Address: Hopelands Gardens, 135 Dupree Pl, Aiken, SC 29801, USA
Address: 150 Rose Valley Blvd, Anderson, SC 29625, USA
Address: James Island County Park, 871 Riverland Dr, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
Robin Jarvis is a travel writer and editor for OnlyInYourState.com with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. Her love for travel has taken her to many parts of the world. She's lived in the Carolinas for nearly three decades and currently resides in Charleston. When she's not working, she loves to cook with friends and check out new adventures. General questions and FAM tours: rjarvis@onlyinyourstate.com.
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