The Holiday Festival of Lights is back at James Island County Park with more than 2 million blinking, twinkling and dazzling bulbs that are sure to carry you into the holiday season in spectacular fashion.
Hop in a car and cruise along the three-mile display of lights throughout the park, which features more than 750 unique displays. Guests can also park to explore additional attractions during the festival, including a giant holiday sand sculpture (formed from over 100,000 pounds of sand), holiday gift shops, marshmallow roasting pits and Santa’s Sweet Shoppe.
This season marks the 34th year of the festival, which has been hosted annually by Charleston County Parks in James Island County Park since 1990. The holiday hotspot has earned several awards and mentions throughout the country and has been toured by more than 5 million people since its inaugural event.
A holiday first
For the first time in the festival’s history, Santa Claus will be at the festival from day one through the event’s close, giving guests every opportunity to meet with the big guy himself. Santa will also be available at the park for select daytime appearances for Mingle with Kringle. Families can book private visits during the day on Saturdays in December at holidayfestivaloflights.com.
Festival organizers have also worked to identify each night of the festival by traffic to help guests manage wait times. “Green” nights are historically light traffic and crowd levels, “yellow” nights typically have moderate traffic and crowds, and “red” nights are likely to have heavy traffic and crowds.
Admission prices vary by night, and guests can save money by buying tickets online in advance. Green nights are $15 per vehicle in advance or $20 at the gate. Yellow nights are $25 per vehicle in advance or $30 at the gate. Red nights are $30 per vehicle in advance or $40 at the gate. See the calendar for all nights at holidayfestivaloflights.com.
The 34th Annual Holiday Festival of Lights is open from
5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly from Nov. 10 to Dec. 31.
Learn more at holidayfestivaloflights.com.
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