James Island Festival Of Lights

We have been going to this for over 5 yrs now and the kids (plus adults) can’t get enough. We usually end up going several times throughout the season. Whatever extended family is in town usually joins us and has a great time too. Love how big the set up is and the fact you can get out of the car and walk through the lights about half way through the drive. Helps to break it up some.

Epic, beautiful, and perfect for families. Loved that it is either drive thru or walking.

The Holiday Festival of Lights has been recognized around the country and the world. We enjoy going every year since we moved to Charleston several years ago and it never gets old. I can understand why its recognized around the world and one of the best holiday light shows in America.
Its more than just a light show! There are several activities including a magnificent sculpture made from over 50 tons of sand, a fun filled holiday train ride around the park, the Santa’s Sweet Shoppe where you could indulge in some delicious treats, handmade gingerbread houses, giant greeting cards created by local students and last but not least, the victorian carousel.
Some tips:
— If you are a Charleston County Park Pass holder, you can visit the festival of lights once with the pass for free.
— Go during off days, like in the middle of the week, to skip the long lines.
— For budget constraint folks, bring your own S’mores kit.
The event usually runs from mid-​November to the first week in January. So, don’t miss it :)

Loved loved loved this light show! Extremely impressive event and totally exceeded our expectations. We were visiting Charleston over Christmas and figured we would check this out! We went on Christmas Day evening and had a blast! You pay $ 15 per car and can drive through the show as many times as you want. We parked and had THE BEST marshmallows over their bonfires, you can buy them there or bring your own s’more supplies!

This place well exceeded my expectations! This is my first Southern Christmas and This visit absolutely helped me to get in the spirit. From the moment you drive in until the moment you leave there are lights everywhere! The themes are really neat and everything is very well hung and displayed. Take the time to get out and walk around as well, this entire place is really neat and worth the $ 15!

If your not in the Christmas spirit yet, then go here. Your sure to catch the holiday buzz after driving through the lights. I went with Laura and a friend and we had a blast just riding along and singing Christmas carols. You can tune into a local radio station as they set the drive through to music. They also have lots to do at Santa’s Village, so don’t just stay in the car. Park and walk around.

Best drive through lights display I’ve ever been to. The Christmas market and village are so cute. A definite must do for the holiday season. It did take us about 30 mins or more just to get into the park due to the line, I thought my husband was going to loose it, but after wards he said he was glad we didn’t leave and he had a great time. Well worth it.

Even when this place is crowded it’s a good time! They have everything coordinated very well. Bring a canned good Mon-​thurs for $ 5 off admission. The train ride though the village was fun. I recommend getting a ticket when you arrive because the times sell out quick.

I’ve heard rumors of the JIFOL for years while I’d visit Charleston as a tourist, but never timed it right to attend. This year, after having just moved here in August, we made it a point to check out this rumored JIFOL and see if the hype was real. I can honestly tell you that it IS real! We got to the park early as part of a Cub Scout expedition, and once the sun went down and we had our nourishment by fire, we hopped into our vehicles and drove around. There are so many lights to see, and although the cars are driving slowly, I feel like I could’ve driven round 2 or 3 times and still maybe seen only most of what was being offered. We also stopped off at the Winter Wonderland shops and browsed around. It was nice to see several campfires going and marshmallows being roasted (for a fee). There’s also a «train» that can take you and many others around an inner circle to save on walking time. I am so happy to finally cross this one off of my list, and look forward to going back again next year. My tip would be to go early though if you can. Lights are visible from 5:30 — 11:00pm but if you get there later, you’ll be lined up on the main road waiting to get in for a very long time.

Lights, lights and more lights. You can drive through the park, walk or ride a train to see the lights. Or you can do like we did and do all three to make sure you didn’t miss any lights. very pretty.

I always have such a blast here. It might take you a while to get in since the traffic is usually rough during peak times but it’s so worth it! During the week you get a discount with a canned good too! I will say that over the years it gets busier and busier, so be prepared to deal with lines if you want snacks or souvenirs. I’ve never ridden the train but we always do both the walking and driving portions — it’s always a great date!

The James Island County Park Festival of Lights is probably the biggest holiday attraction in Charleston. It draws people from all over the state, even busloads, to see the lights, so expect crowds, but it is worth it. I’ve been 4 times and enjoy it each year, although many of the light displays are the same. I like to go in the beginning of the holiday season to get into the spirit.
Some of the best options to see the lights are the events sponsored by CCPRC. Each year, there are 2 walks in the park the days before the lights open to the public, and they sell out every year. The walk is about 2 miles long, and you can take your time and see the lights without the car lights. This year, they’ve added a Festival of Lights yoga class.
Just driving through is a great option as well– if you do, I recommend going through twice. You can drive through as many times as you’d like for one price for the night. After your first trip through, swap sides of the car so that everyone inside gets to see all the lights from different points of view.

The James Island Festival of Lights is glorious! I will admit that I have an above average affinity for elf culture, ie. I’ve had my Christmas tree up since 11/​1, have already watched every Christmas movie that I own, and dragged my friends here before Thanksgiving. That said, we all thoroughly enjoyed it and agreed it’s a real bang for your buck.
For $ 15 a car, you can drive around the Festival of Lights as much as you want. There’s an AM station to tune into to listen to Christmas music, or you can supply your own of course. It’s really a quite expansive and impressive array of Christmas lights. It’s not per se all fancy like the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, but I equally enjoyed it nonetheless. There are a couple of non sequitur displays like the dinosaurs, but 99% is holiday themed. There’s the Christmas Village area where you can park your car and get out and walk around. Here you can purchase s’mores, hot chocolate, or a ride on a merry-​go-​round. There is also an impressively large section of the lights that you can walk around and check out.
As somewhat of a holiday lights connoisseur, the James Island Festival of Lights is a really impressive setup. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to instantly be in the holiday spirit. I’ll be back before Christmas for sure.

Worth it to go every single year! The lights are amazing, s’mores are a must and it just puts you in a festive, holiday mood – for a lot of years this was our New Year’s Eve tradition and it was just as much fun after Christmas as before.
This year we did the fun run/​walk for the first time and it was a blast! For two nights before the festival is open to the public, you can walk or run through the whole display. It was great to see all of the lights up close and easily stop and take pictures or just enjoy at any point. The event was sold out and the start was kind of claustrophobic, but once everyone started moving, the crowd was nicely spread out and it really felt almost like a private display.
The sand sculpture is always a high point for us and was still under construction. There was a man working on it and he did a great job answering people’s questions and it was really fascinating to watch him work – can’t wait to see the finished product!
I definitely recommend going to the Festival of Lights any time, but if you have the chance, go early and do the fun run/​walk.

The JI FoL is a great festival and a Charleston tradition. It’s very kid friendly but also plenty to do with adults, too.

Ok, so I’m a freak when it comes to Christmas decorations, lights, singing, and anything and everything having to do with the spirit of Christmas.
We went to the James Island Festival of Lights after having done some research online. This place is HUGE! The drive through the maze of lights has several stopping points where you can park your car, get out and participate in a number of activities. We ended up stopping to check out the marshmallow roasting, as it was near closing and we didn’t have an abundance of time to participate in everything.
Like children in a candy store, my husband and our friends each purchased a stick of large marshmallows and roasted them on an open fire pit. Our hands were kept warm with some tasty hot chocolate. Christmas music filled the air, and all in all, this was the best festival of lights I’ve visited in decades.
A helpful tip is to bring cans of dog or cat food and you’ll receive a discount off the admission of your car AND you’ll be helping the effort to feed homeless animals.
If I’m in Charleston over Christmas again, this is one attraction that I will DEFINITELY visit again!

Always worthwhile to go every year. Took my son and grandchild on thanksgiving evening. I do believe everyone in SC was in line! The folks working their got us in quickly and we really enjoyed the lights this year. There was no place to park so we could walk thru part of the exhibits. But we expected it to be swamped and it was! Will be back with my family nextyear.

The Festival of lights is a great trip with or without kids… I don’t have any so I just bring my dog Mollie! After entering, you can drive around as many times as you want to make sure you didn’t miss any lights. I typically drive around once all the way through, then on the second round, stop at one of the parking lots to check out the Christmas village. They have a train ride (no dogs allowed, I’m not sure why) and a couple of souvenir shops to browse. Above the main souvenir shop is a sweets shop too. In the village area you’ll find artwork from kids all over the lowcountry, live performances, plus snacks and goods for sale.
Pro Tip: Stop and get smores supplies or sticks and marshmallows on the way for the fire pits!

This is a Christmas tradition and every year we get just as excited as the year before! They were just named number 3 in the nation of Best Public Lights Display in USA Today’s 10 Best. You start off by driving through some awesome light displays on your way to park. Once inside you walk around Winter Wonderland and Santa’s Village where you can make smores, ride a train around to check out some lights, check out life-​sized Christmas cards, and see Santa Claus! There are two holiday shops, a carousel, a rock climbing wall, and a huge sandcastle too. It’s not over there! On your way out, you drive through even more awesome light displays. Trust me, it’s not just for the little ones! I’ve gone without kids for the past couple of years and it’s not weird at all :)
Tips: They usually have some sort of deal if you go during the week.
If you want to ride the train, buy a ticket as soon as you get there! They sell out sometimes over an hour ahead of a specific time slot.
Try the white hot chocolate!

Easily one of our favorite Christmas traditions. Here’s a tip, try to get there when the park opens (if it’s not completely dark yet, you can always loop back around to see the lights in the dark. They have easily the best Santa experience in Charleston. Our kids love it every year!