The 37th Holiday Festival of Lights opens at James Island County Park on Friday, Nov. 13, and runs nightly from 5:30 to 10 p.m. through Dec. 31. Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission sorts every night by expected crowd size. Green nights cost $15 per vehicle bought online in advance or $25 at the gate. Yellow nights cost $25 or $35. Red nights cost $30 or $45. The prices haven't changed since 2025. The calendar is where the planning happens.
On the 2026 calendar, the entire first week is green, opening weekend included. Saturday, Nov. 14 is the only green Saturday on the calendar CCPRC has posted so far. After November, every green night falls on a weekday. For anyone living a few minutes from Riverland Drive, that means planning around opening weekend and weeknights.
Opening Saturday is the only green Saturday
The CCPRC ticket page marks Nov. 13 through Nov. 20 as green, which covers opening Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14. The first yellow night is Saturday, Nov. 21. Then the calendar goes back to green for Nov. 22 through 24. Thanksgiving week is where it starts to change.
| Week | Green ($15 online) | Yellow ($25 online) | Red ($30 online) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 13 to 19 | Every night, opening weekend included | None | None |
| Nov. 20 to 26 | Nov. 20, 22, 23, 24, 25 | Nov. 21; Nov. 26, Thanksgiving | None |
| Nov. 27 to Dec. 3 | Nov. 29 and 30; Dec. 1, 2, 3 | Nov. 28 | Nov. 27 |
| Dec. 4 to 10 | Dec. 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 | Dec. 5 and 6 | None |
| Dec. 11 to 17 | Dec. 14 | Dec. 11, 13, 16, 17 | Dec. 12 |
The pattern is easy to read. Nov. 21 and Nov. 28 are both yellow, so Nov. 14 is the one green Saturday. Sundays stay green through Nov. 29. In December, weekdays stay green through Dec. 10, along with Monday, Dec. 14, while every Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 13 is yellow or red. The season's two red nights fall on the Friday after Thanksgiving and on Saturday, Dec. 12. Christmas Eve is yellow. For Dec. 15 and the run from Dec. 18 to New Year's Eve, check the live calendar on the tickets page before you buy.
There are two more ways the calendar saves money. A ticket is good for as many laps of the light show as you like, according to the festival FAQ. A household with a Charleston County Parks Gold Pass gets one free vehicle admission per membership period. CCPRC asks for the pass to be shown at the gate. The free entry saves $30 in advance or $45 at the gate on a red night, compared with $15 or $25 on a green one. So a Gold Pass household gets the most from it by saving it for a red night and paying $15 for a green one.
December's weekends cost more after dark, and they also have the daytime events
The four December weekend days that cost more at night are Dec. 5, 6, 12 and 13. Three are yellow and Dec. 12 is red. Those same four days also have the season's daytime offerings, outside the festival's regular 5:30 to 10 p.m. hours.
Santa visits every night from opening through Dec. 23. He also makes daytime Mingle with Kringle appearances on Saturday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 12. Private inclusive visits for people with disabilities and their families are set for Dec. 6 and 13. Mingle with Kringle and the inclusive visits are by appointment only. The nightly visits are first come, first served. The festival gift shops, with their ornaments and holiday gifts, open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on those same four dates.
That gives a household two ways to split the season. You can book Santa and do the shopping on a December weekend morning, then come back for the drive on a green weeknight like Dec. 8 or Dec. 9. You'd pay $15 in advance, compared with $25 or $30 on the weekend nights around those daytime events. Bookings for the daytime Santa visits go through the festival's visit with Santa page.
The only nights to see the lights on foot come before opening
Once the festival opens, the FAQ says bicycles and pedestrians aren't allowed in during festival hours, and that includes campground guests. The drive is three miles long and goes past more than 750 displays. For most of the season, it is a car-only event in a park many neighbors use on foot the rest of the year.
There's one exception. The Holiday Festival of Lights Fun Run & Walk is set for Wednesday, Nov. 11 and Thursday, Nov. 12, the two nights before opening. The details CCPRC lists:
- Price. $38 per standard-sized vehicle, with up to 15 people per vehicle. Everyone has to arrive together, since each car needs its own ticket.
- Timing. The event runs from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. CCPRC suggests arriving by 6 p.m. Park gates close to all traffic at 6:30 p.m. and don't reopen until pedestrians have cleared the road, around 8:30 p.m.
- Route. A 2-mile run or walk past more than 200 light displays. Afterward, participants can use the festival amenities.
- Dogs. Socialized dogs are welcome on short, non-retractable leashes.
- Not allowed. Bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, rollerblades and scooters.
- Other rules. Participants 15 and under need a chaperone. Flashlights are recommended. The event goes ahead rain or shine, and every participant gets a glow necklace.
Tickets went on sale Aug. 1, and CCPRC says space is limited and the event is expected to sell out. A carload of 15 at $38 works out to a little over $2.50 per person. These are also the only two nights a dog can come along on the route.
Opening Saturday has a second event at the park
Opening weekend is green, and Saturday, Nov. 14 has one more event on the park grounds. CCPRC's A Very Merry Oyster Roast runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. that evening at the park's Wando Shelter. Tickets are $65 per person, and proceeds go to the Charleston County Parks Foundation.
The roast starts at the same hour the lights come on, 5:30 p.m. So the festival's second night is a green night, with $15 advance tickets, and a fundraiser for the county parks is running at the same park. A neighbor who wants to support the parks system and see the displays while they're new can do both in one evening on the same grounds.
Getting in from Folly Road, and where to stop on the way
CCPRC's directions page lists the park at 871 Riverland Drive. From Folly Road, it routes drivers onto George L. Griffith Boulevard or Grimball Road, then right onto Riverland Drive and a final left into the festival. Larger vehicles are sent from Folly Road to Camp Road to Riverland Drive instead, to avoid low branches and tight turns. Once you're inside, all the Santa's Village parking lots are reached from the left driving lane. The FAQ asks drivers not to stop or get out anywhere along the driving tour. After parking, the train, the 50-ton sand sculpture, the carousel, the climbing wall and the marshmallow roasting are all within walking distance. You're welcome to bring your own marshmallows and sticks, but the park asks visitors not to pull branches from its trees. There's no ATM on site, though most locations take credit cards.
Every recommended route starts on Folly Road, and Folly Road has a new place to eat this year. CudaCo. Deckhouse is open at 769 Folly Road, next door to CudaCo. Seafood House at 765. It focuses on chef-led crudos, ceviches, snacks and drinks that go with seafood. Co-owner Shaun Brian told The Post and Courier that Deckhouse is "an extension of our love letter to James Island, by the community, for the community." Dinner at Deckhouse, then the turn at Grimball Road on a green Tuesday in early December, is one easy way to fit the festival into a weeknight.
The season ends on Dec. 31 with a New Year's Eve fireworks display over the park. For questions, CCPRC's festival line is 843-795-4386.
If you'd like to talk about James Island this season, from the green nights at the park to the new tables on Folly Road, Middleton Rutledge is glad to share what a lifetime in the Lowcountry has taught him. Let's Connect.
