Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Christmas in Columbia on a Dr Pepper Budget: Lights, Parades & Holiday Fun
16
items Columbia gets famously hot in the summer, but come December the whole capital city lights up. Here are 16 tree lightings, parades, light shows and small-town Christmas traditions around Columbia and the Midlands, sorted into downtown, light shows wor...
Map
Sections
4
Downtown & the State House
Light Shows Worth the Ticket
Small-Town Christmas Around the Midlands
Free & Festive Extras
Downtown & the State House
The big kickoff nights. The Governor lights the state tree, the Vista and Five Points throw their own parties, and the Carillon parade rolls through downtown.
The Governor lights the state Christmas tree on the State House grounds, and it's free and open to everybody. It's been going on for nearly 60 years, usually the Sunday before Thanksgiving around dusk. Bring the grandkids and sing along.
Governor's Carolighting at the State House
The Vista's big tree lights up Thursday, Nov 19, 2026 at 7 p.m. at Lincoln and Gervais, with live music, Santa and a kids' zone. Galleries and shops stay open late. Park free at the State Museum and ride the free shuttle over.
Vista Lights
Five Points throws its own free holiday kickoff the night after Vista Lights: Friday, Nov 20, 2026, 6 to 9 p.m. Do both nights back to back and you've officially started Christmas in Columbia.
NEON Joy in Five Points
Columbia's big Christmas parade has rolled through downtown for over 70 years, with 125-plus entries, rain or shine. Last year it was the first Saturday morning in December. Free, so stake out a curb spot early and bring a thermos.
Carolina Carillon Holiday Parade
Light Shows Worth the Ticket
The big-wow light shows. The zoo, the ballpark and the river park take a ticket, and the lit-up boat parade on Lake Murray is free to watch from shore.
If you remember it as Lights Before Christmas, this is the same tradition with a new name. Riverbanks lights up the zoo on select nights, Nov 20, 2026 through Jan 10, 2027, 5 to 9 p.m. It takes a ticket, and prices change by night, so compare dates b...
Wild Lights at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
The Fireflies' ballpark (it used to be Segra Park) lights up for the holidays Nov 20, 2026 through Jan 3, 2027, 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets start around $10 in November and go up in December, so go early and save a couple dollars.
Fireflies Holiday Lights at Prisma Health Park
A long-running Midlands tradition along the Saluda River, nightly Nov 25 through Dec 31, 2026, 6 to 10 p.m. Head to the park's east entrance on St. Andrews Road, not the Bush River side. Prices vary by night.
Holiday Lights on the River at Saluda Shoals
Boats strung with Christmas lights parade across Lake Murray, and watching from the Lake Murray Dam park has been free. It's usually an early-December Saturday at dusk. The park fills up and closes when it's full, so get there early with a lawn chair...
Christmas Light Boat Parade on Lake Murray
Small-Town Christmas Around the Midlands
Lexington, Irmo, West Columbia and Cayce each do their own tree lighting or parade, with hot chocolate, Santa and a lot less traffic than downtown.
Lexington's free Snowball Festival runs several nights in early December at the Icehouse, with a parade and a tree lighting. Last year it ran Dec 4 through 7. Bundle up, the amphitheater gets chilly once the sun drops.
Snowball Festival at the Icehouse in Lexington
Irmo lights its town tree at Irmo Town Park, then holds a Saturday morning Christmas parade that ends out on St. Andrews Road. Last year that was Dec 2 and Dec 6. A morning parade means hot coffee and kids who still have energy.
Irmo Tree Lighting & Christmas Parade
West Columbia lights its tree on the City Hall lawn on 12th Street, with hot chocolate and cookies. Last year it was the first Friday night in December. Short, sweet and just across the river from downtown.
West Columbia Christmas Tree Lighting
A nighttime parade of lit-up floats down 12th Street in Cayce, free to watch. Last year it was a Saturday evening in mid-December, so it's a good one if you missed the early-December rush.
Cayce Holiday Parade of Lights
Free & Festive Extras
The little extras that make it feel like Christmas without spending a dime: a movie on the lawn, a holiday hop on North Main, a market and a parade out in Blythewood, and Saturday mornings at Soda City.
Last December, The Polar Express played free on the lawn at Finlay Park. Bring a blanket, put the kids in pajamas and pack a thermos of cocoa. Watch for this year's movie night date.
Screen on the Green at Finlay Park
Free to walk around, with a holiday market and food up on North Main around Curiosity Coffee. Last year it was the first Saturday evening in December. Grab a coffee, or a Dr Pepper, and shop small.
Uptown Holiday Hop on North Main
Two reasons to head up to Blythewood: a free Holiday Artisan Market at Doko Meadows Park on Saturday, Nov 21, 2026, and a Christmas parade down Main Street in early December. Last year's parade was a Sunday afternoon, easy for after church.
Blythewood Holiday Market & Christmas Parade
Every Saturday morning Main Street turns into one long open-air market, and it's free to wander. In December it doubles as gift shopping from local vendors. Get there early, before the good parking's gone.
Soda City Market