Christmas lights on and near Johns Island: the 2026 Festival of Lights, markets and parades

We didn’t find a public light show on Johns Island itself for 2026. The big one is next door: the Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park, with more than 750 displays along a three-mile drive. Here are its 2026 dates, prices and the route from the island, plus the holiday markets on Johns Island and five nearby events worth the drive. We checked every date on Oct. 29, 2026, against the sources linked here, and we add events and reader displays through December.

Where can you see Christmas lights near Johns Island?

At the Holiday Festival of Lights in James Island County Park, 871 Riverland Drive, about 8 miles from the Angel Oak. The festival dates to 1990, and 2026 is its 37th year. It’s open every night from Friday, Nov. 13, through Thursday, Dec. 31, 5:30 to 10 p.m.

Downtown, the South Carolina Aquarium fills its building with holiday light installations on select nights for Aquarium Aglow. Details on both are below. If you know of a display on the island, send it to us.

When is the 2026 Holiday Festival of Lights, and what does it cost?

It runs nightly from Nov. 13 to Dec. 31, 2026, 5:30 to 10 p.m., including Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission is per vehicle, and the price depends on how busy Charleston County Parks expects the night to be:

Night	Online in advance	At the gate
Green (lighter crowds)	$15	$25
Yellow (moderate crowds)	$25	$35
Red (heavy crowds)	$30	$45

Advance tickets aren’t refundable and are good only on the night you book. The gate takes cash and credit cards, and there’s no ATM on site. Gold Pass members get one free vehicle admission per membership year; bring the pass itself, not a receipt.

Your ticket covers the drive, and you can loop it as many times as you like. To park and walk around Santa’s Village, stay in the left lane: all of its parking lots are reached from it. Don’t stop or get out of your car on the driving tour. Bikes and pedestrians aren’t allowed during festival hours.

Inside Santa’s Village, according to the festival’s FAQs and Santa page:

• Festival Express train: $5 per person for a ride of about 15 minutes, 6 to 10 p.m. Children 2 and under ride free on an adult’s lap. Ticket sales end at 9:40 p.m.
• Carousel: $2 a ride, from 6 p.m.
• Climbing wall: $4 for two climbs, 6 to 10 p.m.
• Santa: a visit is free, nightly from 6 p.m. to closing through Dec. 23. Sign in with an elf to join a virtual line, and your phone gets a notice when your turn is close. Photo packages start at $16.99.
• Marshmallow roasting: it’s over an open fire. Bring your own marshmallows and sticks or buy them at the snack stands, and don’t break branches off the trees.

There’s also a 50-ton sand sculpture with a new holiday scene each year, plus gift shops and snack stands. The gift shops open in the daytime too, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Dec. 5, 6, 12 and 13.

What special events are at the Festival of Lights in 2026?

• Fun Run and Walk, Wednesday, Nov. 11, and Thursday, Nov. 12. A two-mile walk or run through the lights before the festival opens. It’s $38 per vehicle of up to 15 people, registration is required, and the county expects both nights to sell out. Arrive by 6 p.m.; the gates close to traffic at 6:30 p.m. Dogs on short, non-retractable leashes are welcome, and Gold Passes aren’t valid. Details and registration.
• Mingle with Kringle, Saturday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 12. A daytime visit with Santa for a group of up to five, $85, with a digital photo package and one festival gift pass. Registration closes the Thursday before.
• Inclusive Visit with Santa, Sunday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 13. Calm, scheduled sessions for people with disabilities and their families, $40 per group of up to five, with photos and a gift pass. Santa is fluent in American Sign Language.
• New Year’s Eve fireworks, Thursday, Dec. 31.

Book the Santa visits on the festival’s Santa page. For accessibility questions, call the park at 843-406-6990. It lends a wheelchair and KultureCity sensory bags free, first come, first served, and a wheelchair-accessible train car is available on request.

Which Festival of Lights nights are least crowded?

Green nights. Charleston County Parks color-codes each night by expected traffic: green for lighter crowds, yellow for moderate and red for heavy. It recommends buying tickets online in advance and going on a green or yellow night, which also costs less. The night-by-night calendar is on the festival’s tickets page.

How do you get to the Festival of Lights from Johns Island?

Take Maybank Highway (SC 700) east across the Stono River bridge, the Paul Gelegotis Bridge, onto James Island. Turn right on Riverland Drive and follow it to the park entrance at 871 Riverland Drive. From the Angel Oak it’s about 8 miles, according to OpenStreetMap’s route planner.

Charleston County Parks’ own directions start from Folly Road: turn onto George L. Griffith Boulevard or Grimball Road, turn right on Riverland Drive, then turn left into the festival. In a larger vehicle, the county recommends Folly Road to Camp Road to Riverland Drive, to avoid low branches and tight turns. Tour buses should call the park office first at 843-406-6990.

For roadwork on Maybank Highway, see our traffic and road projects page.

What holiday events are on Johns Island in 2026?

Two holiday markets, plus holiday meals at The Dunlin. We didn’t find a public tree lighting or parade on the island this year.

• Homegrown Holiday Bazaar, Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Sea Islands Chamber of Commerce holds its 12th annual bazaar at Johns Island County Park (Mullet Hall), 2662 Mullet Hall Road, with local goods, food vendors and a silent auction. The chamber says past years have drawn more than 100 vendors and 1,000 shoppers.
• Sea Island Farmers Market Holiday Market, Saturday, Dec. 19, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. At the market’s usual spot, 2024 Academy Road, with fires for toasting marshmallows and a photo cutout. The regular market runs there Saturdays year-round.
• The Dunlin, 6000 Kiawah River Drive. The resort in the Kiawah River community serves a festive afternoon tea at Linnette’s on Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 7 to Dec. 31, 2026, with seatings from 2 to 3:45 p.m. Linnette’s also serves holiday dinners on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Book the tea on Resy; holiday dinner reservations open on Resy 30 days ahead. The resort’s holiday page lists more December activities, such as carols and breakfast with Santa, so ask whether they’re open to non-guests.

Is the Angel Oak open over the holidays?

Not on holidays. The City of Charleston closes the park on holidays but doesn’t say which ones, and it hadn’t posted a 2026 holiday schedule when we checked on Oct. 29, 2026. Otherwise it’s open Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4:50 p.m. Call 843-559-3496 before a holiday visit, and read our Angel Oak guide for the rules.

What nearby holiday events are worth the drive?

• Freshfields Village, Nov. 27 to 29, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19. Santa poses for free photos in Santa’s Surf Shack on the Village Green, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; bring your own camera or phone. A holiday market runs Saturday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., when a St. Johns fire truck will be there for the third annual Stuff a Truck. Free holiday movies play on the Village Green at 6 p.m.: The Grinch on Saturday, Dec. 12, and Elf on Saturday, Dec. 19. Freshfields, at 165 Village Green Lane, has a Kiawah Island address and sits just outside the island boundary we use.
• Town of James Island tree lighting, Friday, Dec. 4, 6 p.m. It’s on the Town’s calendar as part of the First Friday market, which runs 6 to 9 p.m. at James Island Town Hall, 1122 Dills Bluff Road.
• Charleston Holiday Parade, Sunday, Dec. 6, 3 p.m. The City of Charleston’s parade steps off at 3 p.m. downtown. The Post and Courier’s holiday calendar says the route runs from Colonial Lake down Broad Street and Meeting Street to Marion Square, where a tree lighting follows.
• Aquarium Aglow, select nights Nov. 20 to Dec. 31. The South Carolina Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, fills the building with holiday light installations from 5:30 to 9 p.m., with timed entry. The 2026 nights are Nov. 20–22 and 27–29, and Dec. 3–6, 10–13, 16–23 and 26–31. Buy tickets ahead from the aquarium; prices go up $3 on event dates. The most convenient parking, the aquarium says, is the city’s pay garage at 24 Calhoun Street.
• Folly Beach Christmas Parade, Saturday, Dec. 12, noon. Floats and marching bands parade along Center Street, and Santa hands out goodies at Folly River Park afterward. Center Street closes to traffic by 11:30 a.m.

How can I add a Christmas lights display to this page?

Email [email protected] with the subject “Christmas lights” and send:

• the street address
• the nights and hours it’s lit
• a photo
• your permission to publish

We list a home’s address only with the owner’s OK, and we add reader displays through December. Know of a holiday event on the island that we missed? Send it to the same address.