Each December, Greenville, South Carolina, feels like the set of a holiday movie. Downtown glows with thousands of lights, a motorized Santa’s sleigh makes nightly runs down Main Street, and skaters can twirl around an ice rink modeled after the one in NYC’s Rockefeller Center, looping beneath strings of white bulbs.
Main Street is the center of it all, lined with garland-draped storefronts and decorated trees. The sleigh—a converted 1993 Ford Aerostar—has become a local legend, greeted by cheers and camera flashes as it passes. A few traditions have come to define the season here, including the annual Greenville Gingerbread Exhibit, now in its fourth year, where professional chefs and home bakers create elaborate, candy-coated displays throughout downtown. Additionally, throughout December, Window Wonderland transforms Main Street into an open-air gallery as local merchants compete for the best storefront displays.
For those still checking off holiday shopping lists, the Greenville Christmas Market at the decked-out Grand Bohemian Lodge is a must. Taking place from November 28 to December 28, the event brings together over 30 local vendors selling everything from handmade ornaments to jewelry to seasonal treats. Live music, photo ops with Santa, and a kids’ story hour make it a festive stop for families, too. And if that’s not enough, Greenville’s long-running Holiday Fair is joining forces with Kringle Holiday Village, creating an expanded market experience filled with artisan goods and local eats.
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The city’s restaurants and bars also fully embrace the season. The rooftop bar Up on the Roof transforms into Elfed Up, a twinkle-lit pop-up serving winter-inspired cocktails, while Southernside Brewing Co. brings back its annual Miracle Pop-Up Bar. For something more low-key—but just as festive—the eighth-floor rooftop at Juniper offers private heated igloos for cozy drinks under the stars.
Meanwhile, Table 301 Restaurant Group is decking out each of its six restaurants with themes inspired by classic Christmas films. At CAMP, for example, guests can sip “The Griswold” cocktail amid Christmas Vacation decor—and rumor has it, a vintage station wagon topped with a Christmas tree will be parked out facade for the perfect photo op. Over at The Jones Oyster Co. tuck into Bumble’s Oyster Bliss, a Rudolph-inspired take on Oysters Rockefeller, reimagined as a creamy dip and topped with hollandaise and served with parmesan-dusted pretzel sticks. Finally, The Lazy Goat pays homage to the Grinch with its “Roast Beast Feast” and “Who Pudding.”
After your meal, retreat to the historic Westin Poinsett, where the Home Alone Experience puts a playful spin on the season. The package includes suite accommodations (and an enormous ice cream sundae delivered to your room), a two-hour limo ride through downtown—pizza in hand, of course—and a shopping spree at local toy shop O.P. Taylor’s. It’s a wink to one of the most beloved holiday movies, reimagined with Greenville’s signature Southern charm.
The season officially kicks off with Night of Lights on Dec. 5, when thousands gather downtown to watch the city’s 30-foot Christmas tree—strung with more than 25,000 LED lights—spark to life in front of M. Judson Booksellers. The celebrations continue with the long-running Poinsettia Christmas Parade, a Greenville tradition that has been ongoing for more than 75 years, and Holidays at the Zoo, where thousands of lights and festive décor bring a family-friendly glow to the city’s beloved animal park.
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