Before December 10, North Myrtle Beach's Christmas Light Show Is Two Different Outings

The Great Christmas Light Show opens Monday, November 23, at the North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex and runs through December 30. For its first two and a half weeks, though, it changes from night to night. Some nights you get the two-mile drive past more than two million lights and over 500 displays, and that's the whole evening. Other nights you get that same drive, and then you can park and walk into Santa's Village.

The admission price follows the same split. If you live close enough to go on any night you like, picking the night matters more than anything else in the plan.

Nine Weeknights Without Santa

The gates open nightly from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The drive-through is closed on Thanksgiving, November 26, and both the show and the Village are closed on Christmas Day. Santa's Village has its own schedule. From November 27 through December 6 it opens Thursday through Sunday only. From December 10 through December 30 it opens every night except Christmas.

Put that against a 2026 calendar and the early weeks look like this:

That's nine Monday-through-Wednesday nights when the Village is dark, and they all fall before December 10. From December 10 on, every open night is a Village night. If you want the lights without the extras, you have to go in the first three weeks.

The Price Follows the Village

Admission is charged per vehicle. A standard vehicle pays $25 on nights when Santa's Village is open. On select non-Village nights through December 9, the price drops to $20. You buy tickets at the entrance, so there's nothing to reserve or buy online ahead of time.

The $25 gets you the Village too. Once you park, there's hot chocolate and s'mores, a fire, a petting zoo, festive photo spots, Santa's Rockin' Christmas Tree Show and Santa himself. A few things cost extra. The Santa Express Train Ride is $3 per person, and it takes you closer to the displays than the car route does. Children 3 and younger ride free on an adult's lap. The Sleigh Ride Slide is $3 for two rides, with a 36-inch height minimum, and Reindeer Games prices vary.

The choice gets clearer if you think about who's in the car:

• Adults, or a quick drive-by with visiting relatives: a Monday-through-Wednesday night before December 10, when the $20 rate may apply.
• Kids who want Santa, the train and the slide: a Thursday-through-Sunday night before December 6, or any night from December 10 on.
• Church groups, clubs or a family reunion: small buses and trolleys under 30 feet pay $50. Charter buses 30 feet or longer pay $100 and can only come Monday through Thursday.

One more point for beach-area households: golf carts aren't allowed on the route. Neither are pull-behind trailers, boats or flatbeds. Accessible parking and shuttles are available for guests who need them.

The First Look Is on Foot, Before the Gates Open

Before any car goes through, there's Dashing Through the Glow on Friday, November 20, and Saturday, November 21, at 7 p.m. It's a walk or run of about two miles along the light show route, and it ends at Santa's Village. The North Myrtle Beach Times notes that it isn't a timed race and calls it a way to experience the light show "in a whole different way," on foot.

Tickets are $25 for ages 12 and up and $10 for ages 11 and under. Every paid registration comes with a finisher medal and hot chocolate. Children in strollers can come along free with a paying adult but don't get a medal. Prizes go to the Best Dressed Individual and the Best Dressed Family or Team, and holiday pajamas, Santa suits and reindeer antlers are all encouraged. Registration runs through NMBChristmas.com while spots last.

Do the math for a family of four with two kids under 12. The walk costs $70, against $20 or $25 for one car on a regular night. The extra pays for medals, hot chocolate and seeing the displays at walking speed before the drive-through crowds start on November 23.

The City's Other Dates Fit Around the Same Weeks

North Myrtle Beach's other seasonal events are spread across November and early December. Several fall on Village nights or cheap nights, so you can plan them alongside a light show visit.

1. Flavors of Fall, Saturday, November 7, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This self-guided tasting along Main Street is run by NMB Parks and Recreation. Check-in is from 11 a.m. to noon at the Flynn's Irish Tavern parking lot. Tickets were $20, and registration closed October 30, so this year it's for people who already signed up. Adults can buy fall-themed drinks at select restaurants, marked as Flavors+ on the tasting map, as the North Myrtle Beach Times reported.
2. Veterans Day Program, Wednesday, November 11, at the Veterans Memorial at the Meadow inside the Park and Sports Complex, 150 Citizens Circle. That's the same grounds where the light displays go up.
3. Pet Photos with Santa, Sunday, November 29, in the Large Dog Park parking lot at the Park and Sports Complex. It's a Village night, so you can stay for the show.
4. Christmas Tree Lighting, Tuesday, December 1, at McLean Park, 93 Oak Drive. That Tuesday is a non-Village night at the light show.
5. Wreath Making Workshop, Thursday, December 3, at the J. Bryan Floyd Community Center, 1030 Possum Trot Road.
6. Annual Christmas Parade, Saturday, December 5, at 5:30 p.m. on Main Street. City Council approved the date at its October 19 meeting. It steps off as the light show gates are opening on a Village Saturday. If you want both on the same night, plan for a Main Street crowd first and a later drive.

The parade and Flavors of Fall bring people to the same Main Street businesses. Our earlier piece on the changes along Main Street's Ocean Drive block has more on that stretch.

Driving There From the South End After 7 p.m.

If you live in Windy Hill or Crescent Beach, the trip to Citizens Circle crosses an active work zone. SCDOT has started its U.S. 17 corridor improvements at 46th Avenue South, Windy Hill Road, 37th Avenue South, 33rd Avenue South and 27th Avenue South. The work adds concrete medians, ADA-compliant ramps, crosswalks, countdown pedestrian signals and signal upgrades. Most of the work happens overnight, and the city's notice says to expect delays and temporary closures roughly between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. in active areas. That window covers most of the light show's 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. hours. Completion is expected by June 2027, so the work will still be underway for the whole holiday season. The project ID is P037887, and SCDOT takes questions at 1-855-GO-SCDOT.

For an early-week visit from the south end, leave a little extra time before the gates close at 9:30 p.m.

If a December evening at the Park and Sports Complex has you thinking about which part of town you'd like to live in or own a second home in, Coastal Beach Homes can help. You can browse our North Myrtle Beach neighborhood page for streets from Windy Hill to Cherry Grove. When you're ready, Start Your Coastal Home Search with us.