Holiday Lights on the River - Saluda Shoals Park
Now - December 31st, 2015
Winter Wonder Ride
Get ready for the slide of your life on the Winter Wonder Ride at Holiday Lights on the River! Zip through a series of lighted arches and experience downhill tubing without the snow on this 125 foot, exciting, fun-packed family ride. Tubes are provided. The Winter Wonder Ride is open nightly (except Christmas) from 6-10 p.m. Experience the Magic of the Midlands Largest Drive-Through Light Show! Saluda Shoals Park comes alive in a blaze of more than a million sparkling lights with over 400 themed, animated light displays on a two-mile loop of the Park!
Wine and Windows - Devine Street
TONIGHT! Thursday December 10th, 2015
This new event for shoppers offers you the chance to shop then end your night with a wine tasting at Bohemian Home. Vote on which store has the best holiday / decorated windows and have a chance to win a $100 gift card to that store! So grab a friend, book the sitter, shop late and drink wine with us on Devine Street.
Santapalooza with the Griswold's - Wingard's Nursery
Mrs. Claus - Christmas Train - Cookies
Saturday, December 12, at 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
While Santa Claus is getting the sleigh and gifts ready for his long ride, enjoy hot cider and cookies with the cast of (Wingard's Staff) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the Griswold's.
Pick out your Fresh Fraser Fir and wreath from our tree lot with Clark (Wally) and Ellen (Delores), visit Cousin Eddie (Mark) in the Produce Market for all your fruit, pecans and homemade baked goods, and then stop in and go shopping with Mary (Andrea) in the Gift Shoppe. And while your children are riding the Santa Train be on the watch for the rest of the Griswold family wandering around the Garden Center. As a special guest, Langston Moore, former Gamecock football player and now children's author, will be here to pose for pictures and to sign his book, #JustaChicken! Rumor has it he may bring Cocky along! Admittance is Free.
Celtic Christmas Celebration - Delany’s Music Pub & Eatery
December 12 at 6:00PM
Celebrate the holiday the Irish Way. The Ancient Order of Hibernians and Delaney's Irish Music Pub are hosting the First Annual Celtic Christmas. SYR will be there to play starting around 7pm performing traditional Christmas Carols and American and Irish favorites including all your favorite pub sing-a-longs. There will be Irish and Scottish Dancers and perhaps even a bagpiper or two as well as a possible appearance from that jolly old elf, Father Christmas himself. Raffles, door prizes and food and drink specials all night
741 Saluda Avenue, Columbia, SC 29205 (803) 779-2345
Capital City/Lake Murray Country Holiday Open House
December 12 and 13 10:00AM to 4:00PM
The Historic Lorick Plantation House (Lake Murray Visitor Center) steps back in time to Christmas season 1840 for our Annual Holiday Open House. Area Garden Clubs and volunteers - including the Coldstream Garden Club, Little Mountain Unlimited Antiques, Pisgah Lutheran Church and the Saluda Garden Club transform the Visitor Center into a Christmas haven with period decorations, including live and dried plant materials and this year the theme is The Scents of the Season. Admission is free.
SC Philharmonic Four Packs
Stop the last-minute scrambling for the person who “has everything.” Make someone else’s holiday bright (or even your own?) with a Four-Pack: tickets to the season’s last four, big Masterworks Series concerts. Start off in January with extraordinary double bass star Edgar Meyer, a master collaborator who boasts Grammy Awards and appearances with the biggest stars and orchestras in the world. Classical meets jazz for a cool February evening, and Sayaka Shoji brings her Stradivarius for a spring-inspired March concert. Spring’s dark side closes the season in April with Stravinsky’s epic The Rite of Spring. Prices start at just $70!
20th Annual Peddler & 26th Annual Sampler Craft Show
Saturday December 12th, 2015
Some of the best arts and crafts shows in the South! See if you can make your way to each show! Located at both the Lexington Leisure Center and the Tri-City Leisure Center, you'll find dozens of local craftsmen and vendors who offer unique items that you won't find anywhere else! Enjoy live entertainment, door prizes, and shop-til-you-drop. Canned food donations are accepted to benefit Lexington County Meals on Wheels.
Holiday Parade of Lights - Cayce, West Columbia
Saturday December 12th, 2015
This beloved night time parade begins at 5:30 pm at the corner of Hwy. 1 & 12th Street in West Columbia and proceeds down 12th Street ending in front of the Cayce Municipal Complex. We have great crowds so come grab yourself a viewing spot early!
Festivals of Sharing - EdVenture
Saturday December 12th, 2015
Join us for a multicultural celebration as we explore Hanukkah, Las Posadas, the Chinese New Year, and many more winter holidays through hands-on activities, story time, and information booths.
Columbia Gun & Knife Show - South Carolina State Fairgrounds
Saturday-Sunday December 12th & 13th.
Mike Kent and Associates, LLC was founded in 1990 to produce the Nashville Civil War Show, which has grown to become the largest Civil War Show in the world, featuring over 1,000 tables of authentic Civil War weapons and memorabilia. Come out and see what they have to offer.
The Nutcracker - The Koger Center
Saturday December 12th-20th, 2015
Columbia’s holiday family tradition, has the distinction of being Koger Center’s first Nutcracker production and longest consecutively running annual arts event. With seven snow-filled performances, including four matinees, Nutcracker is designed to accommodate the entire family’s holiday schedule.
Love Feast - Shandon United Methodist Church
Sunday December 13th at 5pm, 2015
Be a part of this annual celebration filled with wonderful music by Choir and Orchestra and sharing bread, coffee and warm fellowship.
Elgin Lights
Tuesday December 15th-24th, 2015
See dozens of antique tractors, miniature trains and memorabilia decorated with thousands of lights by the Towns family. Admission is free.
LIVE MUSIC!
Old Mill Brewpub Located in the Old Mill in Lexington
Friday December 11th, 2015 - Ronnie Hopkins at 8pm-11pm
Saturday December 12th, 2015 - Bradley Sanders at 8pm-11pm
Tombo Grille Located in the heart of Forest Acres
Monday December 14th, 2015
Tin Roof Located in Downtown Columbia
Friday December 11th, 2015 at 10pm Sean Rivers
Pearlz Upstairz Above Pearlz Restaurant on Gervais St. Very cool, intimate club.
Thursday December 10th, 2015 Mark Rapp
Friday December 11th, 2015 Robert Gardiner
Saturday December 12th, 2015 DM Radio
Candlelight Tours of Historic Homes
Friday December 18, 2015
Join Historic Columbia for a holiday to remember! Visit the decorated halls of our historic Robert Mills House and the Hampton-Preston Mansion by candlelight. Visit the decorated halls of our historic Robert Mills House and the Hampton-Preston Mansion by candlelight on a guided tour. Enjoy musical entertainment and children’s activities while celebrating the holidays with HC.
Breakfast with Santa and Historic Columbia
Saturday December 19, 2015
Here's a holiday treat to remember! Enjoy a continental breakfast in our cozy Carriage House while listening to seasonal music. After your meal, view the decorated halls of the Hampton-Preston Mansion, see a Victorian Christmas tree, make a holiday craft to take home, and don’t forget to take a picture with our Victorian Santa Claus!
Sing-Along Messiah - Washington St. United Methodist Church
Monday December 21, 2015 7pm
Columbia’s annual Sing-Along Messiah will once again be celebrated in the beautiful, historic sanctuary of Washington Street UMC on Monday, December 21st at 7:00 PM. Messiah, by G.F. Handel, is perhaps the best known and most popular sacred oratorio ever written. In its entirety, it is comprised of 53 individual selections presented as orchestral symphonies, choruses, recitatives, and arias, divided into 3 sections. Sing-Along Messiah includes all of Section 1 and “Hallelujah” from Section 2, so be sure you don’t miss out on this musical gift from Washington UMC! The concert features a 20-member orchestra and a core choir to lead the singing of the choruses.
*Information courtesy of Gardener Guides Publications LLC
