Last December, the Anne Springs Close Greenway's Winter Holiday Market ran from 2 to 7 p.m., so it went on after dark, long after the morning crowds had left downtown. This year it runs noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5. With the earlier hours, the market now opens an hour after the Fort Mill Christmas Parade steps off downtown, and it closes at the same hour as the Kingsley Holiday Celebration across town.
That puts most of Fort Mill's public holiday calendar into one three-day stretch, Thursday, Dec. 3, through Saturday, Dec. 5, and Saturday holds three events in three parts of town. You can make all three if you go in the right order and decide ahead of time where the ticket goes.
Two tree lightings on back-to-back nights
The weekend starts Thursday. The Town of Fort Mill's Christmas Village & Tree Lighting runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 3 at the Fort Mill Amphitheater in Walter Y. Elisha Park, 345 N. White Street. Admission is free. The town's listing includes a 50-foot tree, local performances, vendors, family activities, trackless trains, food trucks and photos with Santa.
On Friday, Dec. 4, Baxter holds its own annual Holiday Tree Lighting at Springmaid Park, and Santa makes an appearance there too. Look up the start time on the Baxter Community Association's events page that week.
Thursday also gives you a preview of Saturday. Walter Y. Elisha Park, home of the 50-foot tree, is where the parade ends two days later. If you go Thursday night, you'll already know the park layout, where the amphitheater sits and how people move around the lawn, before Saturday's parade crowd fills the same space.
Saturday, Dec. 5, by the clock
Saturday is the day that takes some planning. Here's the full schedule in order:
| Time | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. start | 79th Annual Fort Mill Christmas Parade | Main Street and North White Street, ending at Walter Y. Elisha Park | Free |
| Noon to 5 p.m. | Winter Holiday Market | Greenway Gateway, 2573 Lake Haigler Drive | $17 adults, $8 ages 3 to 12, members free |
| 2 to 5 p.m. | Kingsley Holiday Celebration | Kingsley Town Center, 259 Textile Way | Free |
The parade fills the late morning, and the market and Kingsley share the last three hours of the afternoon. That overlap is what you have to plan around.
The parade sets the morning
The 79th Annual Fort Mill Christmas Parade starts at 11 a.m., and it's free. The town's parade application lays out the route. It starts at Tom Hall Street and Unity Street, follows Main Street and North White Street, and ends at Walter Elisha Park. The Town of Fort Mill organizes it.
The route shapes your plan in a simple way. The parade ends at the park, so anyone watching from the North White Street end ends up near where the crowd breaks up. If your afternoon starts at the Greenway, that's the better place to stand. The market opens at noon, so you can head over once the last float reaches the park.
The Greenway is the stop that costs money
The Greenway's Winter Holiday Market is the only Saturday event that charges admission. Adults pay $17 and kids 3 to 12 pay $8. Greenway members get in free. For two adults and two kids in that age range, that's $50 at the gate. The parade and Kingsley cost nothing. The market is held at the Greenway Gateway, 2573 Lake Haigler Drive. On its own site, the Greenway calls the December event both the "Winter Holiday Market" and the "Winter Artisan Market." The address and hours are the same under either name.
That price affects the order. A family paying $50 to get in will want to stay a while, and the market's open hours now run from noon to 5. Kingsley's celebration starts at 2. So the earlier hours of the Greenway's five-hour window are the ones with no competition. Members can do it differently. Since they get in free, they can drop in and leave whenever they like.
Kingsley closes out the day
The Holiday Celebration at Kingsley Town Center runs from 2 to 5 p.m. at 259 Textile Way. It's free, and Clear Springs Development Company presents it. The lineup includes a cookie crawl, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, festive treats and photo ops, faux snow, food and drink samples, and music from Fort Mill school choirs.
A cookie crawl and samples work fine as a late stop. You can pick up what you like as you walk, and there's no set program you have to arrive on time for.
Three ways to run the afternoon
Last year the market stayed open until 7. That left room to fit the Greenway in after other plans. This year both afternoon events close at 5, so nothing gets pushed into the evening. Most households will end up with one of these plans:
- The full relay. Watch the parade at 11, head to the Greenway once it ends, stay until midafternoon, then finish at Kingsley before 5. This gets the most out of the Greenway ticket and still gets you to Santa and Mrs. Claus.
- The free day. Watch the parade, take a long lunch, then go to Kingsley at 2. It costs nothing. You'll miss the market, and Thursday's Christmas Village has already covered the vendor-and-food-truck part of the weekend.
- The member's loop. Greenway members, who don't pay at the gate, can switch the order. Go to Kingsley first at 2, then spend the last hour or so at the market before it closes at 5. The ticket doesn't push you to arrive early, so the order is up to you.
Whichever plan you choose, start at the parade. It's the only Saturday event where the start time is everything, since a parade you arrive late to has already gone by.
The weeks around the weekend
Dec. 3 to 5 is the busiest stretch, but the calendar starts earlier and runs later.
- Friday, Nov. 13: The Greenway's Guided Night Hike runs from 5 to 7 p.m. and covers the nighttime woods, wildlife and constellations. It's tomorrow night if you're reading this on publish day.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: Baxter's Turkey Trot starts at 8 a.m. at Village Hall, with a 1-mile family fun run, a 5K and a trail run. The Greenway is closed all Thanksgiving Day, including every entrance, facility and trail, so Baxter's trail run is the trail option that morning.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9: Baxter's Adult Tacky Sweater Party brings games to Village Hall.
- Thursday, Dec. 24: For Santa's Goodnight Ride, Santa rides through Baxter on a fire truck, courtesy of RVFD.
Each of these is a single event on its own day, so none of them takes the planning Dec. 5 does. That's why the first weekend of December is the one to plan out.
Where to eat between stops
Kingsley's samples and cookie crawl will cover snacks late in the day. If you're doing the full relay, lunch has to fit between the parade and the Greenway, or come after Kingsley. Fort Mill's restaurants are clustered around the Kingsley end and the Baxter end, with downtown Main Street in between. Your Saturday route already runs past all three, so pick the spot that's on your way to the next stop. More local spots are on our Fort Mill neighborhood page.
If you're thinking about the year ahead, whether you might sell in the spring or just want to know what your place near Main Street, Baxter or Kingsley is worth, Timothy Garland Group can give you a straight answer before the holidays get busy. Ask us for a free home valuation, and we'll see you on North White Street on Saturday morning.
