North Myrtle Beach, S.C. · November 2, 2026 · By Thomas Beach Vacations
The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce published its 2026 holiday lineup Monday, with Lighting of the Landing on Nov. 21, The Great Christmas Light Show opening Nov. 23, the North Myrtle Beach Christmas Parade on Dec. 5 and a new America 250 tribute on the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk.
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The Grand Strand’s holiday season has a calendar. The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce released its 2026 roundup of community holiday events Monday through PR Newswire, listing more than a dozen tree lightings, light displays, parades and festivals across Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Little River, Murrells Inlet, Surfside Beach and Conway between November 21 and New Year’s Eve.
Visit Myrtle Beach President Stuart Butler said in the release that the holidays on the coast are about discovering the traditions each community brings to the season. The announcement is the first consolidated 2026 schedule for the region’s holiday events; several individual organizers had not yet published times or prices as of Monday.
North Myrtle Beach and Little River
The season opens Saturday, November 21, with Lighting of the Landing at Barefoot Landing, featuring fireworks and Santa. The Great Christmas Light Show, the city’s drive-through display of more than two million lights and 500 displays at the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, runs November 23 through December 30, closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The North Myrtle Beach Christmas Parade steps off Saturday, December 5, at 5:30 p.m. from Second Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard and runs to Main Street, according to the City of North Myrtle Beach. The Alabama Theatre’s Christmas show and shag dancing at Fat Harold’s Beach Club round out the city’s listings.
In Little River, Waterfront Winterland, a free community celebration at Crab Catchers and Little River Landing, is set for Friday, November 27, followed Saturday, November 28, by the Intracoastal Christmas Regatta, a parade of decorated boats from Little River Inlet to Dock Holidays Marina.
Myrtle Beach Adds America 250 and Dolly Parton Tributes
Winter Wonderland at The Beach returns to roughly a mile of the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, from the SkyWheel to 2nd Avenue Pier, from November 25 through January 2, with free walk-through displays. New this year, according to the chamber, are an America 250 tribute and a Holly Dolly Christmas corridor honoring Dolly Parton. The city’s tree lighting at Plyler Park is Saturday, November 28, with Santa and snow flurries, and the Merry Myrtle Festival on December 11 and 12 brings Santa photos, carolers, a hot cocoa crawl, sleigh races and live music from Julio and the Saltines. The Market Common’s A Southern Times Square countdown closes the year on December 31.
Murrells Inlet, Surfside Beach and Conway
Brookgreen Gardens’ Nights of a Thousand Candles runs on select evenings from November 27 through January 3 with more than 2,700 hand-lit candles, and the MarshWalk Wonderland of Lights illuminates the Murrells Inlet waterfront from November 27 through December 31. Surfside Beach lights its tree at Memorial Park on Thursday, December 3, holds its Christmas Parade along Ocean Boulevard and Surfside Drive on Saturday, December 12, and runs a free Trolley of Lights on Thursday, December 17. Conway’s Rivertown Christmas Celebration keeps downtown shops open late on Thursday, December 10, and Thursday, December 17, from 6 to 8 p.m., alongside city-built displays and a Christmas village along the Riverwalk.
| Date | Event | Community |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 21 | Lighting of the Landing | North Myrtle Beach |
| Nov. 23 to Dec. 30 | The Great Christmas Light Show | North Myrtle Beach |
| Nov. 25 to Jan. 2 | Winter Wonderland at The Beach | Myrtle Beach |
| Nov. 27 | Waterfront Winterland | Little River |
| Nov. 27 to Jan. 3 | Nights of a Thousand Candles (select nights) | Murrells Inlet |
| Nov. 28 | Intracoastal Christmas Regatta; Plyler Park tree lighting | Little River; Myrtle Beach |
| Dec. 3 | Memorial Park tree lighting | Surfside Beach |
| Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m. | Christmas Parade | North Myrtle Beach |
| Dec. 10 and 17 | Rivertown Christmas Celebration | Conway |
| Dec. 11 and 12 | Merry Myrtle Festival | Myrtle Beach |
| Dec. 12 | Christmas Parade | Surfside Beach |
| Dec. 17 | Trolley of Lights | Surfside Beach |
| Dec. 31 | A Southern Times Square | Myrtle Beach |
What It Means for Visitors
The schedule clusters around Thanksgiving weekend and the first two weekends of December, which are also the quietest weeks of the year on the beach. Guests in Cherry Grove are closest to Little River’s waterfront events, those in Ocean Drive can walk to the parade route, and Crescent Beach and Windy Hill sit minutes from Barefoot Landing and the light show. Our companion blog guide, Holidays in the North Myrtle Beach Area 2026, breaks the season down town by town with planning notes, and our Christmas and New Year’s rental guide covers our oceanfront homes and oceanfront condos for holiday weeks. For more local coverage, visit our North Myrtle Beach news page, and for trip planning, start with our guide to things to do in Myrtle Beach.
Thomas Beach Vacations has been welcoming families to North Myrtle Beach for the holidays since 1962. Explore oceanfront homes and condos at www.northmyrtlebeachvacations.com or call our local team at (843) 273-3001.
Sources: Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce via PR Newswire (Nov. 2, 2026); City of North Myrtle Beach Christmas Parade page (2026). Featured image is an illustration. Dates, times and prices are subject to change; confirm with each organizer before attending.