Magic descends on Rock Hill for annual ChristmasVille festival. Here are details
Every year in Rock Hill, Santa Claus makes his debut a little early.
He’ll be in the Christmas parade Friday at 6:30 p.m., but his first stop is the opening ceremony of ChristmasVille, where snow falls even in warm weather.
The Rock Hill RockHettes will high-kick to celebratory holiday tunes and students with Showtime Theatre will perform skits and songs with Santa at the opening ceremony, which is 6 p.m. to 7 pm. on Thursday at 300 East Main St. in Rock Hill. After the show, Santa will help launch a flurry of fake snow into the sky with a snow machine.
Downtown Rock Hill will glow with twinkle lights as ChristmasVille events are expected to draw tens of thousands of people to the heart of the city. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the festival and includes nearly 100 events, from gingerbread house and LEGO displays to historic trolley tours and a vendor market.
The annual four-day festival will be Thursday-Sunday.
“It is a well-loved community event,” ChristmasVille chairperson Maddie Ewing said. “It takes a village and Rock Hill shows up year after year.”
The festival also celebrates artist Vernon Grant and his gnomes, which are artfully displayed on the side of the York County Library in Rock Hill. Grant is famously known for his Snap, Crackle and Pop cartoon mascots of Rice Krispies, and Santa with his gnomes.
Ewing said the 2024 event drew about 70,000 people and organizers are expecting to draw nearly 80,000 people to this year’s event.
What’s new this year?
To celebrate this year’s anniversary, festival-goers in their best formal wear can experience 20th and Main, an event with cocktails, chef-inspired food, live symphony music and other entertainment at The Gathering Space, Elsie’s and Kounter.
The event is Thursday from 7 to 11 p.m. Ticket prices start at $175 a person.
Also new this year is North Pole Nights, an “after dark” event Saturday for adults ages 21 and over. The event will include a cooking demonstration, wine sampling, crafts, mocktails, games, speed dating, line dancing and cigar rolling. The event will be 6:30-10 p.m.
Some events at North Pole Nights are free and others require ChristmasVille tokens purchased on site.
On Saturday, ChristmasVille is partnering with The Joyful Noise Project to bring caroling to Main Street. Festival-goers can join Santa for the Jingle Bell Parade for a stroll down Main Street and a chance to break the state record for the biggest crowd of carolers. Drones will fly overhead to count participants. The event will be at 2 p.m.
Sunday’s draw is the Jingle Shells Oyster Roast — a beach-inspired oyster feast that will include live music and drinks on Caldwell Street from 1-3 p.m. Tickets are $75 a person.
Visit christmasvillerockhill.com to see all the events and to purchase tickets.
