Holiday Bizarre | Thursday, Dec. 8 | 5-8 p.m. | NoMa Warehouse, 2222 Sumter St, Columbia | Free | Enjoy sips and snacks while you shop and chat with these local makers.
Homes for the Holidays | Sunday, Dec. 4 | 1-5 p.m. | Hollywood-Rose Hill, 2818 Devine St., Columbia | $30 | Join the Shandon Hollywood-Rose Hill Homes for the Holidays Tour of Homes to kick off your Holiday Season.
Photos with Santa at Ho-Ho-Hotel Trundle | Sunday, Nov. 27 | 1-3 p.m. | 1224 Taylor St., Columbia | Free | Hotel Trundle will create a whimsical holiday backdrop so that you may take as many photos as your hearts desire.
Holiday performances
A Christmas Carol | Saturday, Dec. 3 | 2 p.m. | Harbison Theatre, 7300 College St., Irmo | $15 | “A Christmas Carol” is the perfect holiday offering to warm even the Scroogiest of hearts.
The Nutcracker w/ Columbia City Ballet | Saturday, Dec. 10, Saturday, Dec. 17 | 3 p.m. | Koger Center for the Arts, 1051 Greene St, Columbia | $25+ | The Nutcracker, Columbia’s holiday family tradition, has the distinction of being Koger Center for the Arts’ first Nutcracker production and longest consecutively running annual arts event.
Light displays
Christmas in Cayce Drive Thru | Thursday, Dec. 1 | 6-8 p.m. | Cayce City Hall, 1800 12th St., Cayce | Free | Experience thousands of lights, local music performances, and a visit from Santa, all from the warmth of your car.
Fireflies Holiday Lights | Thursday, Dec. 1-Sat, Dec. 31 | 6-9 p.m. | Segra Park, 1640 Freed St., Columbia | $9-$13 | See over one million lights, experience themed areas, holiday shopping, and great food, and see Santa at Segra Park at night.
Holiday Lights on the River | Tuesday, Dec. 6-Saturday, Dec. 31 | 6-10 p.m. | Saluda Shoals Park, 6071 St. Andrews Rd. | $25+ | Journey through more than three miles of lights featuring colorful, animated light displays of all shapes and sizes
NYE happenings
New Year’s Eve 2023 | Saturday, Dec. 31 | 7 p.m. | Tin Roof, 1022 Senate St, Columbia | $20+ | Join in on the New Year’s fun with this block party featuring two stages, live music, three bars, a complimentary champagne toast at midnight, a balloon drop at The Senate, and a confetti cannon at Tin Roof.
New Year’s Eve Party Thru The Decades | Saturday, Dec. 31 | 9 p.m. | Chayz Lounge, 607 Meeting St., West, Columbia | $85 | The Tre’King Band will have you up and grooving to the hottest hits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s till the ball drops.
Ann Brodie’s Carolina Ballet - The Nutcracker | Wednesday, Nov. 23, Friday, Nov. 25, Sunday, Nov. 27 | 10 a.m. | The Township Auditorium, 1703 Taylor St, Columbia | $14.50 | Enjoy the seasonal ballet show to usher in the winter + holiday season.
Holiday Lights on the River | Wednesday, Nov. 23-Saturday, Dec. 31 | 6-10 p.m. | Chapin | After Thanksgiving dinner, sing along with the radio station that synchronizes with the holiday lights.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 4D debut | Wednesday, Nov. 23-Sunday, Jan. 1 | South Carolina State Museum, 301 Gervais St, Columbia | $11.95-$13.95 | The classic animation shines in an all-new, immersive 4-D Experience® (think: chilling air blasts, snow + more) at the South Carolina State Museum for the holidays.*
We Care Christmas Drive | Friday, Nov. 25-Saturday, Dec. 31 | 7 a.m.-10 p.m. | Chophouse of Chapin or Bakon Southern Eatery, 105 Ellett Rd, Chapin | Bring in items to donate and receive 10% Off Any Entrée at Bakon all month long
Black Friday Flea | Friday, Nov. 25 | 6-9 p.m. | NoMa Warehouse, 2222 Sumter St, Columbia | Free | NoMa Flea will have great deals, all from local makers and creators as well as live music, food, drinks, pictures with Santa, and its Christmas Tree lighting.
Shandon Turkey Trot & Burn 5K | Friday, Nov. 25 | $35 | Columbia | Shandon Neighborhood Council invites you to Join them on Black Friday for a community race.
Saturday, Nov. 26
Ninth Annual Holiday Market & Christmas Craft Show | Saturday, Nov. 26 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Cobblestone Park Golf Club, 1298 University Parkway, Blythewood | Free | The amenity center will be filled with vendors from across South Carolina selling their handmade goods and crafts.
We have amonthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
Ralph is feeling the holiday spirit — are you? | Photo provided by the South Carolina Aquarium
The South Carolina Aquarium isthe place to be for the holidays. Guests can visit Santa, immerse themselves in waves of color from tens of thousands of lights, and enjoy the transformation as they journey through Aquarium Aglow.
It’s well-worth a day trip to Charleston to watch the animals snack on festive “fish pops” and frolic in their holiday-themed environment, and let the kids participate in a special scavenger hunt to win prizes. Bonus: Get up close and personal with the animals (accompanied by an educator, of course).
For truly immersive holiday fun, feed the “RAYndeer” by hand. Santa’s favorite cownose rays await their treats in The Shallows from 10:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Feeding vouchers ($5) are available at Admissions and the Information desk.
Trying to decide when to make the trip? Santa will be coming to (Charles)town Dec. 4, 11, and 18 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Look for the special red mailbox for kids to drop their letters to the North Pole, and don’t forget the keepsake photo.
Pro tip: Reserve your tickets early to join in the fun — and consider giving yourself an early gift of membership. Aquarium members enjoy special privileges like discounts, unlimited visits, and the ability to skip the line with a reservation. Merry Fish-mas, Columbia.*
Along with the Benedict College Marching Tiger “Band of Distinction,” 70 dancers from Irmo’s Dance Department will also perform at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Be on the lookout for dancers dressed in holiday hues as they perform a rendition of “Run Rudolph Run.” ✨ (WLTX)
Tech
USC is partnering with Apple Inc. to launch a free coding certification course in the Spring 2023 semester. The new course will teach students + community members Apple’s iOS Swift programming language. Registration for the Swift course will open in December. 📱
Number
30 ft. That’s how tall the tiger was at USC’s annual tiger burn event, which kicks off rivalry week. The Gamecocks have one game left in the regular season and will be traveling to Clemson to play at 12 p.m. this Saturday in Death Valley. Check out this video to see how the annual tiger is made. 🔥
Sports
Cock n’ Bull Pub is opening early (1 p.m.) to watch the World Cup soccer games. USA will play England at 2 p.m. this Friday. Catch the game at this British-style neighborhood pub in Rosewood (326 S. Edisto Ave.). ⚽️
Pets
Columbia Animal Services is currently hosting a Thankful for a Home adoption special. Adopt any cat or dog for $20 and meet the recently announced puppies for sale. For information on how to adopt or foster call (803) 776-7387 or stop by 127 Humane Ln.
Outdoors
Looking for something to do with family in town this week?Friday, Nov. 25, all South Carolina state parks will offer free admission. We recommend Sesquincetennial or Dreher Island State Parks — both within 45 minutes of downtown Columbia. Find a park near you. 🌳
Drink
Columbia Craft‘s week-long 5 Year Anniversary Party is kicking off on Small Business Sunday, Nov. 27, and running through Saturday, Dec. 3. Expect barrel aged releases (including the new Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with coffee, maple syrup, brown sugar, lactose, cinnamon, and vanilla... yum), special anniversary swag, glassware, and giveaways. See more event info.*
Family
Seeing family this Thanksgiving? Family gatherings during the holidays are a great opportunity to talk about your family’s medical history. Find out why it’s important. 💬 *
Travel
ICYMI, Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) recently launched the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, which offers a discreet way for passengers with hidden disabilities to alert the staff that they may need a little extra help. Fun fact: CAE is the first airport in the state to implement this program. Learn more.🌻*
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Autumn is full of crisp falling leaves, family fun, and spiced lattes. But, far more importantly in Columbia, fall issports season. College football is wrapping up and basketball traveledits way onto our calendars.
We want to make sure that you’re catching all the sports coverage you need to join the conversation. As the fall season gets going, what kind of sports content do you want to see in COLAtoday?
Grab your foam finger and tell us by filling out this survey. You’ll be entered in a drawing for a chance to score big with team-branded swag up to $100 in value.
THE WRAP
Today’s issue was written by Sam.
Editor’s pick: Happy rivalry week to all who celebrate. We’ve made a bet with our Midlands friends, GVLtoday — one that’sall in good fun. If the Gamecocks win, GVLtoday has to show their Carolina pride in Greenville. If the Tigers win, we’ll be supporting Clemson here in Columbia. We’re not telling you to (kindly) go talk some Palmetto Bowl smack in the comments on this post, but we’re also not going to stop you.
Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Learn about Jackson County, NC’s Secret Season, here.
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