The Holiday Festival of Lights opens Friday, November 13, at James Island County Park. The official rule is clear and pretty strict. The festival FAQ says pedestrians and bicycles can't enter, bikes are banned during all festival hours, and that applies to campground visitors too. The main show is three miles of road and more than 750 displays, and you see it through a windshield.
Charleston County Parks has also built a second calendar around the drive. It includes a dragon boat on the park's lake, an oyster roast with festival admission included, and daytime hours when the Santa programs and gift shops open while the lights are off. Most of these run on weeknights or weekend mornings. Anyone who lives a few minutes from Riverland Drive can plan around that schedule much more easily than a family driving in from another county.
The front door has a price for every kind of night
The 37th festival runs nightly from November 13 through December 31, 2026, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Every night is rated by expected crowd size, and the price per car follows that rating.
| Night color | Expected crowd | Advance, per vehicle | At the gate, per vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Lighter | $15 | $25 |
| Yellow | Moderate | $25 | $35 |
| Red | Heavy | $30 | $45 |
A green night bought online costs a third of a red night bought at the gate. Charleston County Parks recommends buying ahead and coming on a green or yellow night. The color for each date is posted on the festival tickets page. Gold Pass holders get one free vehicle admission per membership period, and the pass has to be shown at the gate. Once you're in, the FAQ says you can drive the loop as many times as you like.
Most of the side doors below are priced close to these gate prices, and most of them include a festival ticket.
By water, three nights a week into mid-December
The most unusual way in is a dragon boat. The park's listing calls it a chance to see the festival "from a new perspective": ten paddlers to a boat, a beginner-friendly introduction to the sport, and views of some of the best-known light displays from the lake. Afterward you get hot chocolate and free festival admission for that night.
The session costs $30 and runs 4:30 to 6 p.m., so you paddle at dusk and you're through the gate as the lights come up. Since admission is included, $30 is the same as an advance red-night ticket and $15 less than a red night at the gate. There's one difference worth knowing before you book: festival tickets are priced per car, and the dragon boat is priced per person.
The sessions all fall on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays:
- November 16, 17 and 18
- November 23 and 24
- November 30, December 1 and 2
- December 7, 8 and 9
- December 14, 15 and 16
You have to register ahead of time, and there's no sign-up at the park. Paddlers 15 and under need a registered, paying chaperone.
The other side door takes a different approach: it closes the road to cars. The Holiday Festival of Lights Fun Run & Walk is a two-mile preview of the course on November 11 and 12, from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. The park closes its gates to all traffic at 6:30 p.m. and keeps them closed until walkers clear the road, around 8:30. Admission is $38 per standard vehicle for up to 15 people, which makes it a group outing. Thursday, November 12, is the last session this year, and it's the only time on the calendar when the loop belongs to people on foot.
Opening weekend has dinner built in
The first weekend packs a lot in. On Friday, November 13, opening night, Meet the Grinch runs 6 to 8 p.m. and is included with admission. The Grinch walks the grounds for photos. On Saturday, Storytelling with Mrs. Claus runs 6 to 10 p.m., also included with admission.
That same Saturday evening, A Very Merry Oyster Roast runs 5:30 to 8 p.m. The $65 ticket covers oysters, other food, drinks, live music and Festival of Lights admission, and proceeds go to the Charleston County Parks Foundation. Next to the gate prices, that's dinner, a drink and the drive for $20 more than a red night bought at the gate, with the money going back into the park.
The walking areas are part of every ticket, oyster roast or not. Once you park, the festival has the Festival Express train, a 50-ton sand sculpture, an old-fashioned carousel, a climbing wall, marshmallow roasting over an open fire, holiday shops, and kettle corn and pretzels. Santa is there every night from opening night through December 23.
Daylight hours that come with a pass
The most overlooked part of the calendar happens in the morning. On two December weekends, the festival operates as a daytime event too:
- Mingle with Kringle, Saturday, December 5 and Saturday, December 12. The December 5 listing shows $85, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., professional digital photos with Santa for groups of up to five, and a free festival pass for that group. Advance registration is required.
- Inclusive Santa, Sunday, December 6 and Sunday, December 13. These are private visits for people with disabilities and their families. The December 6 listing shows $40, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., sensory supports, and a free night-festival pass for each registered group.
- Gift shops, December 5, 6, 12 and 13, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside regular festival hours.
Both Santa programs work like the dragon boat: you book a daytime visit and get a night at the festival included. You can book them and the Mingle with Kringle sessions through the festival's Santa page. The park's regular November and December hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and incoming traffic stops 30 minutes before closing.
Every way in, side by side
| Way in | Dates | Price | Festival admission included? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard drive-through | Nightly, Nov. 13 to Dec. 31 | $15 to $45 per vehicle | It is the admission |
| Fun Run & Walk | Nov. 11 and 12 | $38 per vehicle, up to 15 people | A two-mile walk of the course on foot |
| Dragon boat | Mon to Wed sessions, Nov. 16 to Dec. 16 | $30 | Yes, same day |
| A Very Merry Oyster Roast | Nov. 14 | $65 | Yes |
| Mingle with Kringle | Dec. 5 and 12 | $85, groups up to five | Yes, festival pass |
| Inclusive Santa | Dec. 6 and 13 | $40 | Yes, night-festival pass |
Getting to Riverland Drive, and what's on the way
Charleston County Parks says traffic is heavier on some nights and suggests planning ahead. Its recommended route from Folly Road goes by George L. Griffith Boulevard or Grimball Road, then right onto Riverland Drive and left into the festival. Larger vehicles are sent via Folly Road, Camp Road and Riverland Drive. The park's address is 871 Riverland Drive.
If you come in along Folly Road, Three Monkeys Ice Cream Parlour at 915 Folly Road is on the way. It opened in August and serves locally made ice cream, coffee and a full bar. The owners are John and Stephanie Teevan. When it was announced, the owners told Count on 2 they wanted a place "where friends, families and neighbors come together over ice cream, coffee and connections." A coffee before a 4:30 paddle or a scoop after a green-night drive both fit easily.
One more date: the Town of James Island's Town Market is on first Fridays, 6 to 9 p.m., at Town Hall, with music, vendors, food trucks and family activities. On that schedule, the December market falls on the 4th, the night before the first Mingle with Kringle. Festival details and the nightly color calendar are at HolidayFestivalofLights.com, or you can call Charleston County Parks at 843-795-4386.
At Modern & Main Group, we think the best stories about a place come from the routines you can only build when you live close by, like a Tuesday paddle under the lights or a morning with Santa before the crowds. If your James Island home has its own seasonal rituals and you're thinking about what comes next, tell your home's story. Start with a consultation.
