Happy holidays from COLAtoday. | Photo by COLAtoday team.
Get your fuzzy socks and hot cocoa ready, Cola. From light displays to holiday performances and festive parties, winter is where the Soda City thrives — and it’s just around the corner — so mark your calendars for these 40+ events, with more to come.
Holiday pop-up bars
Sparkle on Main | Thursday, Dec. 12 to Saturday, Dec. 14 | 5-11 p.m. | The Pastor’s Study | Enjoy live entertainment and festive cocktails.
Holiday parades, markets + events
Tinsel Toast | Friday, Nov. 22 | 6-9 p.m. | Re•Find | Find vintage clothes, antique decor, and food trucks at this holiday edition of Night Shift.
Holiday performances
A Magical Cirque Christmas | Tuesday, Dec. 10 | 7:30 p.m. | Koger Center for the Arts | $39+ | Experience high-flying performances and holiday music.
Light displays
Holiday Lights on the River | Wednesday, Nov. 27-Tuesday, Dec. 31 | 6-10 p.m. | Saluda Shoals Park | $25+ | Journey through more than three miles of lights featuring colorful, animated light displays of all shapes and sizes.
Sip & Plant Workshop: Kokedama | 6:30-8 p.m. | Gardener’s Outpost | $35 | Learn the art of creating Kokedama — a Japanese technique of growing plants in moss-covered soil balls.
Wednesday, Nov. 20
P!NK Live 2024 | 7:30 p.m. | Colonial Life Arena | $62+ | Just giving you a reason to see this rock-influenced pop artist.
Thursday, Nov. 21
Bluegrass Night | 4-9:30 p.m. | Blossom Plant and Produce | $25 | Get ready to kick back and enjoy some toe-tapping, banjo-strumming fun.
Vista Lights presented by Prisma Health | 6-10 p.m. | The Vista | Free | Kick off the holiday season in the Vista with great food, live entertainment, and Santa.
Friday, Nov. 22
Jelly Roll: Beautifully Broken Tour | 7 p.m. | Colonial Life Arena | $39.50+ | See the Tennessee-native perform and sing along to hits like “Son of a Sinner” and “Need a Favor.”
Saturday, Nov. 23
Holiday Market | 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. | Crooked Creek Park, Chapin | Free | Explore an array of vendors showcasing candles, home decor, clothing, jewelry, delicious food items, and more.
Thursday, Dec. 5
Holiday Fair & Kringle Village | Thursday, Dec. 5-Saturday, Dec. 7 | 10 a.m.-9 p.m. | Greenville Convention Center, Greenville | $10+ | Experience a winter wonderland in Greenville featuring 400+ vendor booths, a European Bier Garden, the Little Miss Kringle Pageant, snowball fights, enchanted tea, and so much more.*
You can get the care you need, when you need it without waiting weeks for an appointment. Even better? This feature is available at their five locations conveniently located across the Midlands:
Columbia Family Practice | 1415 Blanding St., Ste. 2
Devine | 3930 Devine St.
Forest Acres | 3710 Landmark Dr., Ste. 408
Irmo | 7611 St. Andrews Rd., Irmo
Rabon Road | 710 Rabon Rd., Ste. 203
Plus, they offer televisits, allowing you access to medical care from the comfort of your home.
Mark your calendars for Friday, Dec. 6 — Darius Rucker is performing an exclusive concert at the Township Auditorium to benefit Gamecock NIL. Tickets are now on sale to the general public and start at $50.
Traffic
SCDOT announced plans to add a new interchange at Exit 26 on I-77 to accommodate the growth of Scout Motors + alleviate traffic in Blythewood. The new production facility promises to bring ~4,000 new jobs to the area and produce 200,000 vehicles annually. A timeline remains to-be-determined. (WLTX)
Number
$1.14 million — that’s the amount South Arts, an arts nonprofit headquartered in Atlanta, will be donating to several Southeast artists + arts organizations that specifically support or are led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Explore its Cultural Sustainability program and apply. (The Post and Courier)
Travel
If you’re currently sitting at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) because your flight was canceled — we actually have good news. A new rule in the US just went into effect, and it requires airlines to automatically give you a full refund for canceled + significantly delayed flights. No refund request is required.
Try This
In case you missed it, we’re running our historical marker contest this month, and submissions are open through 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Make a submission for a chance to be featured on our national map of readers’ landmarks.
Sports
South Carolina beat Mizzou 34-30. Is USC the hottest team in America? Go beyond the scoreboard and behind the scenes of the South Carolina Gamecockswith Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.
Trending
It’s here — Oprah’s Favorite Things list for 2024. We’re seeing: fluffy ear muffs, cozy slippers, french fry seasoning, and fancy chocolate bark.*
Category
Try This
Don’t forget to submit
Columbia’s skyline at night. | Photo by Timothy M.
At the beginning of 2024, we ran a photo contest and garnered over 144 submissions. Thanks, Cola. We love how shutterbug-y you are.
We had almost 900 votes for our Picture of the Year contest and “Columbia’s Skyline at Night” — this year’s winner — garnered over 34.4% of the votes.
The year is about to wind down, so don’t forget to submit your Picture of the Year photo to our contest.
The rules
The most important rule: Photo submissions must include a visual element that directly connects to Columbia. Examples include a photo from a local sporting event, music performance, festival, or other 2024 events; a picture taken at a local park; or a shot that highlights a landmark in our city.
Finalists will be selected by our team at the beginning of next year, and then we’ll open up a vote via the newsletter and social media after that.
Last Thursday, it was cold + rainy in Cola. I met up with a few co-workers for lunch at Spotted Salamander, which was decorated for the holidays. May I just ask — is there anything better than a Spotted Salamander daily special deviled egg with a cup of warm soup? in my case, it was a pepper jam + cornbread deviled egg aside a cauliflower parmesan soup. Both were (of course) delish.
