MYRTLE BEACH
Ripley’s Aquarium once again spreads holiday cheer with its 10th annual Festival of Trees. Featuring nearly 100 beautifully decorated Christmas trees, including one tree for each of the fifty states.
Night of a Thousand Candles at Brookgreen Gardens is a Grand Strand tradition. With warm cider in hand, stroll the lighted paths as you listen to the sounds of hand bells ringing and carolers singing. The ceremonial lighting of an 80-foot-tall fir, decorated with 70,000 lights, takes place at 5:45 p.m. each night.
The Great Christmas Light Show has returned to the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex! The 1.5-mile drive-through light show features roughly two million lights in more than 400 custom made displays, including some as tall as 70 feet. After driving through the show, guests can enjoy s’mores and hot chocolate in Santa’s Village, where they can meet Santa, ride the Santa Express Train, experience the Go Ape lighted tree top adventure, and even ice skate.
The tradition lives on as the Calvin Gilmore Theater where the magic of the season comes alive in The Carolina Opry Christmas Special, a dazzling, jolly and sentimental musical celebration of America’s best loved holiday. Dubbed “Father Christmas” by McClatchy papers, Calvin Gilmore produces and directs the show with his usual award-winning flair for production.
An incredible combination of talent, scenery and special effects make up Alabama Theatre’s award winning production, The South’s Grandest Christmas Show. A combination of traditional Christmas classics and contemporary holiday favorites, this spectacular holiday musical experience is a Grand Strand family tradition that keeps visitors and locals returning year after year.
Combining a classic Christmas tale with a feast, the Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show puts a spin on “A Christmas Carol.” The mystical Christmas spirit takes Captain Scrooge through time and space to find the true meaning of Christmas, including a dream where giant toys come to life, performing amazing acrobatics high above the indoor lagoon. Other adventures include a live Nativity featuring the three wise men on camels, as well as an angel with a special message and a comical Christmas castaway and her sea lion companion.
Those seeking something a little off the wall during the holidays should check out the Redneck Christmas Show at the GTS Theatre. This non-traditional holiday show, complete with Christmas favorites such as Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, 12 Redneck Days Of Christmas, plus a few traditional songs celebrating the reason for the season, is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.
Coastal Youth Ballet Theatre is delighted to announce the 11th annual staging of “The Nutcracker” as it returns to the stage of the Wheelwright Auditorium, Coastal Carolina University on December 10, 11, 17 and 18, 2016.
The Five Points Business Association is hosting another Plaza City Market event, but this one will be holiday-centered. On Friday, Dec. 9 the holiday market is open from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. On Saturday, Dec. 10, it is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Organizers say you will find vendors offering holiday gift items. There will also be food trucks, apple cider and hot chocolate. Live entertainment is scheduled for Friday night, and Saturday includes a visit by Santa Claus.
12/10 – Rivertown Christmas Parade, Downtown Conway, ConwayAlive.com
12/10 – Living Window Display, Downtown Conway, ConwayAlive.com
12/10 – Breakfast with Santa, J. Bryan Floyd Community Center, Parks.NMB.us
12/10 – Surfside Beach Christmas Parade, Ocean Blvd/Surfside Drive, SurfsideBeach.org12/10 – Longs Christmas Parade
12/10-11 – Christmas and All That Jazz, Trinity United Methodist Church, CarolinaMasterChorale.com
12/11 – 13th Annual Christmas Towne Myrtle Beach Convention Center, VisitMyrtleBeach.com
12/17 – Breakfast with Santa, Golden Egg Restaurant, SurfsideBeach..org
12/17– Breakfast with Santa, 1610 Hawkins Street, Georgetown, call (843) 545-3275.
12/24 – Yuletide Music & Bonfire, La Belle Amie Vineyard, LaBelleAmie.com
12/31 – New Year’s Eve Garden by Candlelight Pre-Party, Brookgreen Gardens, Brookgreen.org
12/31 – New Year’s Eve Celebration & Fireworks, Broadway at the Beach, BroadwayAtTheBeach.com
12/31 – Rock-In The New Year, Hard Rock Café, HardRock.com
12/31 – Noon Year’s Eve Party, Children’s Museum of S.C., Myrtle Beach, CMSCKids.org
12/31 – A Southern Times Square, The Market Common, MarketCommonMB.comPEE DEE
Florence Christmas Parade- Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 11:00a.m. Parade begins on W. Evans and Edisto and will continue its route to the BTC Building on E. Evans. There will be dance groups, bands, floats and visits with Santa after the parade. Donations will be collected throughout the parade to support the work of the Shriners.
Florence Ice Rink– Ice skating is back for another year at the Florence Civic Center. Admission is $6 for kids and $8 for adults. Tickets are sold on a first-come-first-serve basis and people can bring their own skates, or rent skates at the Civic Center for $3.
Hartsville Christmas Parade- 10:30 am on Saturday, December 10. The parade route will begin on South Fifth Street at the Newsome Warehouse parking lot and proceed north on South Fifth Street The parade will turn right onto Laurens Avenue, just before Applebee’s, and turn left on South Fourth Street past the Fairfield Inn. The parade will continue on Fourth Street, past the Hartsville Farmers Market on East Carolina Avenue, and will turn left onto East College Avenue. The parade will then turn left again onto North Fifth Street before turning right onto West Carolina Avenue. The parade will end at Thornwell School for the Arts, 437 West Carolina Avenue.Columbia City Ballet presents The Nutcracker:
-Francis Marion University of Performing Arts– 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 13, 2016
-Hartsville Center Theater 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 16, 2016
Florence Symphony Orchestra presents 2016 Holiday Pops featuring the FSD1 High School Honor Choir. Monday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Sumter – The Fantasy of Lights opening ceremony starts at 6 p.m., Dec. 1, with the holiday event running nightly through Dec. 31. More than 1 million twinkling lights will illuminate the gardens from dusk until 9 p.m. weekdays and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Visitors can drive through or park and walk.
Florence Festival of Lights – The second annual Florence Festival of Lights will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sundays evenings for the first three weekends in December. This premiere light display and holiday event will be fun for the whole family. Hoffmeyer Place, 2441 Hoffmeyer Road.
Downtown Florence Christmas lights show- This awesome light and music show is located on the 100 block of South Dargan Street in the City of Florence Cultural Courtyard with nightly shows every thirty minutes beginning around dark.
