Festivus: Five Points

Festivus: Five Points
Friday December 2, 2011 - Sunday December 4, 2011

§ Friday, Dec. 2nd - Airing of Grievances Tour from 7-10 pm - Tour 12 bars, sample beers of the season and air your grievances!

§ Saturday, Dec. 3rd - Festivus Shopping & Art Tour from 4-8 pm - FREE - Enjoy local artists paired with local merchants, sample sweet treats and Van Gogh Vodka specialty cocktails!

§ Sunday, Dec. 4th - Festivus Family & Shopping Day from 11-5 pm - FREE - Enjoy amazing deals and trunk shows in our local stores, get your picture taken with Santa, complimentary gift wrapping at the fountain, and flash mob carolers!

Visit the Five Points Association website for info!

Come join us at the 1st Annual Battle at Congaree Creek

Reenactment Friday December 2, 2011 - Sunday December 4, 2011

The Battle at Congaree Creek is a Living History and Educational event that the whole family -young and old alike - will enjoy! This three day event with demonstrations drawn straight from the year 1865 of infantry, cavalry, and artillery including civilians, music, food, shopping, and clean, wholesome fun for all ages.

We honor veterans of all wars. Sunday veterans with valid ID or DD214 receive free admission. Regular admission = $5 (12 and under = free).
Click HERE for more information. Watch Congaree Creek video here.

Christmas in Cayce: 34th Annual Tree Lighting

December 2, 2011 - December 31, 2011

Cayce is a great place to get into the spirit of the Season at Christmastime! Free of charge, the City of Cayce and its residents welcome all to come and partake in the festivities:

Friday, December 2: 6:30 p.m.

§ NEW! - Caroling Along the Cayce Riverwalk: several area church choirs will be located throughout the first half mile of the park. Visitors can wander from choir to choir enjoying holiday musical selections. The Riverwalk will be lighted with luminaries and hot apple cider will be served free of charge.

Saturday, December 3 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

§ Christmas Traditions | Cayce Historical Museum Annual Holiday Open House: Each room of the Museum will be decorated with trees and crafts from the 18th century to present. The Open House will also feature live entertainment, docents dressed in period attire, and light refreshments. The War Between the States living history encampments will be on display as well.

§ War Between the States Lantern Tours
As darkness falls, scenes from the great American war come to life. History and comedy make this event a memorable and popular activity.

All details are available at the City of Cayce website.

Spring Awakening: Trustus Theatre

Friday December 2, 2011 - January 21, 2011

Winner of 8 TONY Awards, including BEST MUSICAL, "Spring Awakening" celebrates the unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, poignancy, and passion that you will never forget. Set to a rocking score by Duncan Sheik, "Spring Awakening" explodes onto the Trustus Main Stage this winter. All tickets are $25. Visit the Trustus website for details.

6th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL: Transfiguration Catholic Church | Blythewood

Saturday, December 3, 2011

6th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL, hosted by Transfiguration Catholic Church in Blythewood, SC, is a great way to celebrate the holiday season. Open to the public, the festival offers entertainment throughout the day, featuring children's choirs and adult choirs, Irish dancers, a popular talent show, puppet shows, craftsmen and vendors offering unique holiday gifts, delightful sweets as well as hotdogs, pizza, chili, desserts and much more! A White Elephant Sale is a favorite booth too! Visit the Transfiguration Catholic Church website for info! Noon - 6:00 PM

Breakfast with Santa: Northwest YMCA

Saturday December 3, 2011

Benefiting our Partners with Youth Campaign, our 2nd Annual Breakfast with Santa lets you get your picture taken with St. Nick himself. Drop by before the holiday rush takes a hold and have some breakfast with the kids and make neat Christmas crafts. All ages. Time: 9:00 - 10:30 am

Donations accepted.

Visit the YMCA website or call 803-407-8007 for more information.

Recommended Restaurant: Solstice Kitchen

Have you been to Solstice Kitchen and Wine Bar lately? Solstice takes New American cuisine to a WNL (whole 'nuther level!) Click on their menu to see what's being offered this week - it's like reading an issue of Southern Living - you know, the food that looks soooo good, but you just don't have the little melon-baller or the coriander or something to prepare it yourself. And who needs the stress? Go to Solstice Kitchen this weekend and celebrate food in a most creative and delicious way! Located in Northeast Columbia, at 841-4 Sparkleberry Lane. It's mission - to provide Columbia with the best, most innovative, and exciting cuisine in the city. Their wine list contains over 600 carefully chosen selections from all over the world. Information at the Solstice Kitchen and Wine Bar website.

31st Annual Santa's Market Craft Show: Seven Oaks Park

Saturday December 3, 2011

Enjoy the sites and delights of the holiday season at this annual event featuring unique gifts, charming decorations and one of a kind crafts. Complete your holiday shopping with items including (but not limited to!) art prints and paintings, hand-made jewelry, ornaments, painted glassware, and holiday wreaths and decor. Light concessions will also be available for purchase.

More info at the Seven Oaks Park webpage.

St. Nicholas Festival: Holy Apostles Orthodox Church, West Columbia

Saturday December 3, 2011 (10am - 4pm)

From 10am - 4pm, come and join the folks at Holy Apostles for some great food, crafts, fun and listen to their amazing choir as they perform ancient hymns! Children visit with the "REAL St. Nicholas" and he'll present them with the traditional "gold" (chocolate) coin; shop for holiday crafts, craft ideas, and artwork as well as Russian food and collectibles, and handmade beeswax candles. Enjoy Russian Bell Ringing -- come hear their wonderful bronze Pyatkov bells, made in Russia! A different and unique way to ring in the holidays! Visit the St. Nicholas Festival website for info!

A Whoville Christmas Carol: Chosen Dance Academy (at White Knoll High School)

Saturday December 3, 2011

Come join the Chosen Dance Academy dancers as they bring you their rendition of Cindy Lou Who's happy town and the Grinch who's heart was a few sizes too small. A wonderful mixture of jazz, tap, musical theater, and ballet sure to delight audiences of all ages. Matinee and evening performances. Call 803-356-7116 for more information. Or visit the Chosen Dance Academy website.

A Devine Night Out: Devine Street

Thursday December 8, 2011
More than 40 stores on Devine Street in Columbia will welcome guests from 5 – 8 p.m. on December 8th for an evening of shopping, socializing and festive cheer. Red-clad tables staffed by volunteers from the American Red Cross will line the street in front of participating businesses. These volunteers will take donations and will be conducting their annual “Holiday Mail for Heroes” campaign. Visit the Devine Street Merchants Association website for info.

Shop Local: Shop Small: Shop Happy!

Now - December 24, 2011

Holiday gift-buying is way more fun if you skip the WalMart and Target mega-stores and focus on the small Columbia area business that really needs and appreciates your patronage! Plus, you can find unique items that tell your gift-recipient that you put more thought into it this year!

The Backpacker: Have an outdoorsy person on your gift list? The Backpacker accesses, tests and stocks the best gear in the industry so that you don't have to search for it. And they back it with their expertise and service. Quality gear. Quality service.

Our Hands Together: Choose from beautiful, handmade local crafts including hand-carved wooden writing pens, lovely beaded necklaces, scented candles, fabric art including fabulous quilts, paintings, ceramics and more! And join them on Saturday December 3 from 11am - 2pm for their Holiday Craft Fair!

Pupcakes: Bring some yuletide gay to your favorite pup! Hand-crafted delicious dog treats in a variety of fun holiday shapes and colors as well as a selection of gorgeous collars, leads, pet beds, sweaters and more!

Belladonna's: Jen searches the world for the most unique religious items she can find ~ Nepal, Tibet, India, Thailand, Madagascar, Indonesia, Kenya, and Egypt, to name a few. Belladonna's promotes education, cultural history, and proper use to help people connect to Spirit and heal their lives. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Kabala, Paganism, Taoism, Judaism, and almost everything in between is represented at this most unique shoppe!

More Holiday Events Around Town

Especially Fun!
Carolina Carillon Christmas Parade in Downtown Columbia
Saturday December 3 @ 9:45AM

Town of Lexington Christmas Parade: Sunday December 4 @ 3:30PM

West Metro Holiday Parade of Lights Sunday December 4 @ 5:30PM

Ongoing Through the Season
Holiday Lights on the River thru December 31, 2011. Saluda Shoals Park
Winter Wonder Ride - Friday and Saturday nights only December 2-3 and December 9-10, 2011. Saluda Shoals Park
Nights of Wonder-December 16-23 only! Saluda Shoals Park
Children's Garden Christmas and Kid's Walk - thru January 1, 2012. Edisto Memorial Garden in Orangeburg
Lights Before Christmas thru December 30, 2011. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
Holiday House Tours of Historic Houses
thru December 31, 2011. Historic Columbia Foundation

Fabulous Ongoing Events, Upcoming Events, News and Special Offers!

Dixie Swim Club: Workshop Theatre

Now - December 3, 2011

Five Southern women, a story spanning 33 years…what tales they have to tell! Join the folks at Workshop Theatre to eavesdrop on their conversations during four of their weekends together. It all began in the college swimming pool when the five women became the Dixie Swim Club. Their friendship continued long after graduation, and they set aside a long weekend every August to be together. Free from husbands, children and jobs, this is truly a "girls' weekend," a chance to reconnect and recharge. The Dixie Swim Club is set in a beach cottage on North Carolina's Outer Banks. As their lives unfold and the years pass, these women increasingly rely on each other, through advice and raucous repartee, to get through the challenges (men, sex, marriage, parenting, divorce, aging) that life flings at them.

Visit the Workshop Theatre website for all the fun details!

Save the Date! Columbia City Ballet’s Nutcracker: Koger Center for the Arts

Saturday December 10, 2011 - Sunday December 18, 2011

Columbia City Ballet’s Nutcracker is “as close to perfect as you can get,” says The State. Columbia City Ballet’s holiday family tradition, Nutcracker, dazzles South Carolina audiences each season. Don’t miss this year’s extraordinary performance. Visit the Columbia City Ballet website for more info.

Junior League of Columbia's Holiday Market: SC State Fairgrounds Cantey Building

Now - Sunday December 4, 2011

This year the Holiday Market is celebrating its 26th year and has grown to one of Columbia’s premier shopping events and largest fundraisers with over 90 merchants traveling from all over the United States. Friday, December 2, enjoy a little family time as the market stays open late and children are entertained by games, crafts, storytelling, and visits with very special guests during PJs with Santa! The Market is open through December 4, and admission is $8 for all four days. Tickets for the market or special events can be purchased on their website, or at Junior League Headquarters at 2926 Devine Street until November 29.

Nature and the Grand American Vision - Masterpieces of the Hudson River School Painters: Columbia Museum of Art

Now - April 1, 2012

Forty-five magnificent paintings from the rich collection of the New-York Historical Society are on view at the Columbia Museum of Art beginning this weekend, in a major traveling exhibition Nature and the Grand American Vision: Masterpieces of the Hudson River School Painters. Though individual works are very seldom loaned, these iconic works of 19th-century landscape painting are traveling on a national tour for the first time and are circulating to four museums around the country as part of the Historical Society's traveling exhibitions program Sharing a National Treasure. The Columbia Museum of Art is the first stop in the South. During the second quarter of the nineteenth century, a loose-knit group of artists and writers — who collectively became known as the “Hudson River School” — forged the first American landscape vision and literary voice. That vision, still widely influential today, saw the natural world as a source of spiritual renewal and an expression of an emerging national identity. It was first expressed through the majestic scenery of the Hudson River Valley. Don't miss your opportunity to experience these awe-inspiring pieces. Visit the Columbia Museum of Art website for details.

Historic Holiday House Museum Tours at Historic Columbia Foundation

Now - Saturday December 31, 2011

TEN family-friendly holiday events are planned, including Holiday tours of their beautifully decorated historic house museums. Holiday tours will be offered November 18 – December 31 at the Robert Mills House, Hampton-Preston Mansion, and Mann-Simons Site. Guides will provide stories of holidays past in Columbia and discuss how families decorated and entertained during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Visitors will enjoy a variety of holiday decorations in each house and stunning details of faux food on display. In addition to house tours, holiday events include a Homeschool Fridays: Historic Holidays (December 2), Scout Day: Historic Holidays (December 3), FREE Choir Showcase (December 10), FREE Toy Roadshow (December 17), FREE Candlelight tours (December 15 and 16), Breakfast with Victorian Santa Claus (December 17), Dollar Sundays (December 18), and Early Adventures, a program designed especially for private groups of children (month-long, ages 3-8 years old). More information at Historic Columbia Foundation or by phone at 803.252.1770 ext. 24.

Holiday Lights on the River: Saluda Shoals Park - The Midlands Largest Drive-Through Lights Show!

Now - December 31, 2011

Saluda Shoals Park will come alive in a blaze of more than a million sparkling lights. Holiday Lights on the River features over 400 themed, animated light displays on a two-mile loop of the Park! Enjoy the Dazzling Dancing Forest with it's dancing, lighted trees synchronized to classical and whimsical holiday music. Take a stroll along the boardwalk through the Wetland Wonderland Walking Trail watch nature come to life in sparkling lights. Get ready for the slide of your life on the Winter Wonder Ride at Holiday Lights on the River. Zip through a series of lighted arches and experience downhill tubing without the snow on this 125 foot, exciting, fun-packed family ride. Tubes are provided. Winter Wonder Ride is open Friday and Saturday nights only December 2-3 and December 9-10 from 6-10 p.m. Open nightly during the Nights of Wonder, December 16-23 at Saluda Shoals Park. Get all the info at the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission website.

Children's Garden Christmas and Kid's Walk

Now - January 1, 2012

The City of Orangeburg invites you to experience the most breathtaking display of lights you will ever see. The Children’s Garden Christmas, a drive through display located in the beautiful Edisto Memorial Gardens, hosts thousands of lights including still and animated displays such as Old Man Winter, a river boat, Santa and his elves, a Nativity Scene, and more than 60 lighted cherry trees. Enjoy a stroll through the Kid’s Walk which features interactive displays including a hopping bunny, a squirrel running up a tree, and colorful Christmas trees. Be sure to visit the Twelve Days of Christmas display during your time on the walk.
Open seven days a week | Free admission
Children’s Garden Christmas: 5:00pm-10:00pm
Kid’s Walk: 5:00pm-9:00pm

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