James Island County Park has held its Festival of Lights event for over thirty years. Over two million lights make up the show. We visited on Saturday December 4th, 2021. I won’t lie, the line to get in was rather long but it is so worth the wait. In addition to driving through a wonderland of shimmering light displays, you can park your vehicle and partake in festival activities: A leisurely train ride, a carousel, rock climbing, admiring a 50 ton sand sculpture, pictures with Santa and his Helpers … There is also plenty of usual festival fare including roasting smores, cotton candy, hot chocolate, popcorn and other concessions. I especially liked the Charleston specific displays, my favorite being the Ravenel bridge and the Charleston houses. The lights dancing to music spread more cheer (video below).
We purchased our tickets online before arriving. Admission is higher on weekends and what they consider to be “peak nights”, $25 per vehicle otherwise an advance ticket is $15. It cost $5 more if purchased on site. The festival hours are 5:30pm until 10pm. The festival ends on December 31st, 2021.
Reference James Island County Park Festival Site, Visit Historic Charleston
Watch the lights come alive to the rhythm of the music in this short video
You may enjoy the following nearby blogs near Charleston
- The Gardens of Mepkin Abbey
- Comingtee Plantation
- Shem Creek
- Caw Caw Interpretive Center
- Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge
- The Awendaw Passage of the Palmetto Trail
- Cypress Gardens
- Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
- James Island County Park Festival of Lights
- Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge
We loved going to see the lights on James Island when we lived in Mt. Pleasant. You really captured the beauty in your photos. Great pictures. Thank you for sharing!
thank you very much!
Such a lovely event. Sure to put visitors in the Christmas spirit