A year ago, a few days before opening night, Rob Salvador was in a shop at a North Myrtle Beach city facility working on a helicopter made of light. He explained how Light-O-Rama control boxes would be used to time its lights so the rotors would look like they were turning. The Sun News reported that he works three days a week, all year, bending LED rope light onto metal frames. The city's Special Events team calls him the "lighting guru," and he has been stringing lights for the show since 2018.
That workshop explains a lot about The Great Christmas Light Show at the North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex. The displays are built in-house, and according to the Sun News, the crew behind them includes city welders, electricians, computer specialists, and construction and grounds crews. The city also sets the ticket rules, and those rules split this year's run into two different evenings at two different prices. The night you choose decides which one you get.
The 2026 run, by the dates
The show opens Monday, November 23, and runs through Wednesday, December 30, 2026. Gates are open from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. every night except Thanksgiving, November 26, and Christmas Day. Destination North Myrtle Beach's event page describes more than two million lights and over 500 displays along a two-mile drive, with some pieces reaching 55 feet tall.
Santa's Village is what changes the evening. It's the part where you park after the drive and walk around. It runs on its own schedule:
- Thursday through Sunday, November 27 to December 6
- Every night, December 10 to December 30, except Christmas Day
The price follows the Village. A standard vehicle costs $25 on nights when Santa's Village is open. On select nights through December 9 when the Village is closed, the price drops to $20.
Here is how those rules fall across the 2026 calendar.
| Stretch of the season | Santa's Village | Standard vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| Mon. Nov. 23 to Wed. Nov. 25 | Closed | $20 on select nights |
| Thu. Nov. 26, Thanksgiving | Show closed | None |
| Fri. Nov. 27 to Sun. Nov. 29 | Open | $25 |
| Mon. Nov. 30 to Wed. Dec. 2 | Closed | $20 on select nights |
| Thu. Dec. 3 to Sun. Dec. 6 | Open | $25 |
| Mon. Dec. 7 to Wed. Dec. 9 | Closed | $20 on select nights |
| Thu. Dec. 10 to Wed. Dec. 30 | Open nightly, closed Dec. 25 | $25 |
So the $20 option exists only in the show's first two and a half weeks, and only on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The listing says "select" nights, so not every one of those weeknights is guaranteed the lower price. From December 10 on, every night the show is open includes the Village and costs $25, with Christmas Day closed.
What the extra $5 covers
On Village nights, you park after the drive-through and walk into a separate area with hot chocolate and s'mores, a fire, a petting zoo, Santa's Rockin' Christmas Tree Show, photo spots, and Santa himself. Some things inside cost extra. The Santa Express Train Ride, which gives a closer look at the displays, is $3 a person, and 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. Reindeer Games prices vary.
That makes the choice simple. If your household mainly wants to drive the route with the radio on, an early-week night before December 10 gets you the same two miles of lights for less. If anyone in the car is counting on Santa, the train, or the petting zoo, plan for a Thursday through Sunday in late November or early December, or any night from December 10 on.
A few gate rules apply every night. Tickets are sold at the entrance, so there's nothing to reserve or buy online. Golf carts, attached pull-behind trailers, boats and flatbeds can't go on the route. Small buses and trolleys under 30 feet pay $50, and charter buses 30 feet or longer pay $100 and are admitted Monday through Thursday only. Accessible parking and shuttles are available.
Why the drive got longer last year
The show turned 10 in 2025, and the city used the anniversary to expand into Phase Two of the Park and Sports Complex. The Sun News reported that the expansion lengthened the drive to just under two miles and added two themed sections, "Jingle in the Jungle" and "Land Before Christmas." Angel Sylvester, the city's special events and programs manager, told the paper that more than 100 staff members from every department helped, while ground crews were still finishing construction on the new phase.
The longer route was also meant to fix traffic. In the same Sun News story, organizers said they expected it to ease the backups that had built up on Robert Edge Parkway and Highway 90 in earlier years. The 2025 plan called for visitors to enter through the Phase 2 gate farther up Champions Boulevard and allowed drivers to turn right from Highway 90 onto Champions Boulevard. That plan was for last season. The 2026 event page only says tickets are bought at the entrance, so check the city's event information before your first trip this year.
Sylvester told the Sun News that 38,000 cars went through the display in 2024, the season before the expansion. The details have shifted from year to year. The 2025 coverage described more than 3 million lights and a 50-foot tallest display. This year's event page lists more than two million lights and pieces up to 55 feet.
The one time you can walk the route
Before the first car goes through, the route opens to people on foot. Dashing Through the Glow is a noncompetitive walk and run of about two miles on Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21. It follows the light show route and finishes in Santa's Village. Registration is $25 for ages 12 and up and $10 for ages 11 and younger, and it includes a finisher medal and hot chocolate. Gates open from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., the start is at 7 p.m., and only registered ticket holders can enter. Spectators aren't permitted. Tickets went on sale August 24, according to the city's Parks and Recreation announcement, and the event page says spots are available while space lasts. Wear a holiday outfit if you like, because there are prizes for best-dressed individual and family.
The Saturday run lands on a busy night. Lighting of the Landing at Barefoot Landing is also Saturday, November 21. Its program starts at 6 p.m., the tree lighting is at 7 p.m., and there are fireworks and Santa visits. Admission is free. Both events start their main moment at 7 p.m., so households wanting to do both should register for the Friday run.
The rest of the season works around the park
Most of the city's other fall and holiday events happen in the same two places as the light show, the Park and Sports Complex and the Main Street area, in this order:
- Saturday, November 7: Flavors of Fall on Main Street. This is a ticketed, self-guided tasting of seasonal treats at participating Main Street businesses, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $20. Check in between 11 a.m. and noon at the Parks and Recreation tent to pick up a treat box and tasting map. Some restaurants offer fall-flavored alcoholic drink upgrades, sold separately. Details are on the event listing.
- Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day program at the Veterans Memorial at the Meadow, on the same Park and Sports Complex grounds where the lights are going up. It's on the city calendar.
- November 20 and 21: Dashing Through the Glow, with Lighting of the Landing on the 21st.
- Monday, November 23: The Great Christmas Light Show opens, with $20 drive-through-only pricing on select early-week nights.
- Saturday, December 5: North Myrtle Beach Christmas Parade at 5:30 p.m. It starts at Second Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard and ends at Main Street and Ye Olde Kings Highway. The parade listing has the details.
- December 7 to 9: The last weeknights that can carry the $20 drive-through-only price.
- December 10 to 30: Santa's Village open every night except Christmas Day, at $25 per car.
The parade falls on a Saturday when Santa's Village is open, so an evening on Main Street can roll into a trip through the lights. If you're aiming for the lower price, December 9 is the last night it could apply. After that, every open night is the full Village experience, and the show is closed on Christmas Day.
If family is visiting this December and you'd like help planning which nights to show them around North Myrtle Beach, or you just want to compare notes on the season, I'm always happy to talk. Let's Connect with Alexandria Bevier.
