Events Calendar
Explore family friendly events, theatres, galleries, concerts, nightlife, things to do, and more in the Greenville, SC and Upstate areas.
Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.
Magic of Lights is a dazzling, drive-through holiday lights experience featuring favorite holiday scenes and characters of the season using the latest LED technology and digital animations. Experience Magic of Lights from the comfort and safety of your own car as you wind through the sparkling path of Greenville’s best holiday tradition. Be sure to stop by Santa’s Village and the Enchanted Deer Forest for extra holiday magic! Kids 2 and under are free!
Step into the magic of Santa’s Village, where holiday cheer meets hands-on fun for the whole family. Feed and interact with gentle miniature horses, camels, Watusi cattle, pigs, sheep, alpacas, goats, waterfowl, antelope, and more—and don’t forget to purchase animal food to treat the many residents. Cuddle with bunnies, have your photo taken with a baby kangaroo, snap pictures with Santa in his animal barn, and visit the Grinch at his festive Grinch House.
Savor fresh coffee and pastries at Santa’s Sweet Delights, or enjoy hot cocoa, drinks, snacks, and food from our concession stand. Visit the souvenir shop for fun, colorful, and festive items, and leave your mark on the “feel good” graffiti board. Warm up by a crackling fire pit or the grand bonfire, roast marshmallows and s’mores, and steal a kiss under the mistletoe tree. Pose inside the giant lighted present, then find a picnic table to relax and take it all in.
Santa’s Village is more than a visit, it’s a memory in the making.
Biltmore’s next exhibition is an unforgettable exploration of the culture of ancient Egypt, the time of Tutankhamun, the search for and thrilling discovery of his tomb, and the treasures found within.
The event hailed as the world’s most complete Tutankhamun exhibition becomes all the more fascinating in its Biltmore presentation—this is the only experience that reveals the historical connections between the monumental discovery and the Vanderbilt-Cecil family.
This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition premieres March 21 in Amherst at Deerpark®. Reserve your admission tickets and special admission-inclusive overnight packages today.
The Omni Grove Park Inn invites guests to experience the 33rd Annual National Gingerbread House Competition, showcasing over 45 extraordinary edible creations from bakers of all ages. Entries will be displayed throughout the resort from November 18, 2025, to January 4, 2026. The competition, held on November 17, offers more than $40,000 in cash and prizes. While judging is closed to the public, the public is welcome to view the displays after 6 p.m. on Sundays and anytime Monday through Thursday, excluding certain holidays and dates. Free but there is a parking fee.
Join us at the Greenville Convention Center for 2025 Winter Invitational Gymnastics Competition.
The 2025 Winter Invitational – Gymnastics Competition returns to Greenville, SC from December 12–14 at the Greenville Convention Center. This signature Southeast gymnastics event brings together talented athletes from across the region for a weekend of exciting competition, camaraderie, and celebration of the sport.
Participants can expect a well-organized meet in a premier venue, supportive crowds, and the chance to showcase their hard work and skills on a big stage. Whether you’re aiming for the podium or gaining experience for the season ahead, the Winter Invitational is the perfect way to start out the season.
November 28 – December 21
It’s like a big, warm holiday HUG! The tradition everyone loves continues with the same great holiday cheer to put you in the Christmas spirit. All new renditions of your holiday favorites will help you get those sleigh bells jinglin,’ and chestnuts roasting! There is truly no better way to kick off your holiday season. So, hurry on over with your family, friends, and loved ones to share in the joy and excitement of this seasonal spectacular that will have you feeling merry and bright!
Event Times: 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Ticket Prices: $60 / $70 / $80
Child Pricing Available (17 & under)
Michael Maliakel, vocalist
Broadway’s Aladdin
Perfect for ages 7 to infinity!
Celebrate the magic of the season with Holiday at Peace, Greenville’s favorite Christmas family tradition! This year’s festive program features the stunning vocals of Broadway’s Aladdin, Michael Maliakel! Rooted in cherished traditions and filled with new surprises, this holiday spectacular unites nationally renowned artists and beloved local talent in a heartfelt celebration of family, community, and the spirit of the season.
For 35 years in Spartanburg, the delightful story of Clara and her adventures on Christmas Eve has been a part of over 90,000 families’ holiday season. This year, we celebrate with new costumes, new choreography, and enchanting surprises, all while partnering with the brilliant music of the Spartanburg Philharmonic (for our fifth season together).
This 35th Nutcracker is dedicated to Carlos Agudelo, Artistic Director.
- December 12, 2024 at 7 PM
- December 13, 2024 at 3 PM
- December 13, 2024 at 7 PM
- December 14, 2024 at 3 PM
*There is an elevator to the main floor of Twichell Auditorium; but there is no elevator to the balconies. Please call the Box Office if you need wheelchair accessible seating, 864-596-9018.
Alyssa and Homer are feeling disconnected in their marriage. Trying to start a family, Alyssa is hyper-focused on work while Homer has recently been laid off and thrown himself into an online video game. Not knowing how to navigate this new normal Alyssa does what she’s least comfortable with: start a support group for other women in the same situation. These strangers band together to devise a plan to get their partners back as they realize together, and only together, can they end this war.
A new comedy from Bekah Brunstetter, writer of THE CAKE, the digital short HOPE from LONG STORY SHORT, and nominated for a Tony Award for her book for THE NOTEBOOK musical on Broadway.
WHY SEE THIS SHOW:
Bekah writes comedies that make you laugh and also have a surprising amount of depth and characterization. This is a lovely multi-generational ensemble comedy with just enough surprises and belly laughs to keep you on your toes.
You don’t need to know it’s based on Lysistrata, but it is. (That one is for the nerds!) But, seriously, it helps that it has a little bit of the “the more things change the more things stay the same” to it, while updating it for the modern age and wrapping it up a lovely character study about platonic and romantic contemporary relationships.
WHO SHOULD SEE THIS SHOW? If you enjoyed THE CAKE, ODD, or a really good network sitcom like “Abbott Elementary” that is funny and zany but also has heart.
For 35 years in Spartanburg, the delightful story of Clara and her adventures on Christmas Eve has been a part of over 90,000 families’ holiday season. This year, we celebrate with new costumes, new choreography, and enchanting surprises, all while partnering with the brilliant music of the Spartanburg Philharmonic (for our fifth season together). This 35th Nutcracker is dedicated to Carlos Agudelo, Artistic Director.
Join us at the Greenville Convention Center for 2025 Winter Invitational Gymnastics Competition.
The 2025 Winter Invitational – Gymnastics Competition returns to Greenville, SC from December 12–14 at the Greenville Convention Center. This signature Southeast gymnastics event brings together talented athletes from across the region for a weekend of exciting competition, camaraderie, and celebration of the sport.
Participants can expect a well-organized meet in a premier venue, supportive crowds, and the chance to showcase their hard work and skills on a big stage. Whether you’re aiming for the podium or gaining experience for the season ahead, the Winter Invitational is the perfect way to start out the season.
November 28 – December 21
It’s like a big, warm holiday HUG! The tradition everyone loves continues with the same great holiday cheer to put you in the Christmas spirit. All new renditions of your holiday favorites will help you get those sleigh bells jinglin,’ and chestnuts roasting! There is truly no better way to kick off your holiday season. So, hurry on over with your family, friends, and loved ones to share in the joy and excitement of this seasonal spectacular that will have you feeling merry and bright!
Event Times: 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Ticket Prices: $60 / $70 / $80
Child Pricing Available (17 & under)
For 35 years in Spartanburg, the delightful story of Clara and her adventures on Christmas Eve has been a part of over 90,000 families’ holiday season. This year, we celebrate with new costumes, new choreography, and enchanting surprises, all while partnering with the brilliant music of the Spartanburg Philharmonic (for our fifth season together).
This 35th Nutcracker is dedicated to Carlos Agudelo, Artistic Director.
- December 12, 2024 at 7 PM
- December 13, 2024 at 3 PM
- December 13, 2024 at 7 PM
- December 14, 2024 at 3 PM
*There is an elevator to the main floor of Twichell Auditorium; but there is no elevator to the balconies. Please call the Box Office if you need wheelchair accessible seating, 864-596-9018.
Alyssa and Homer are feeling disconnected in their marriage. Trying to start a family, Alyssa is hyper-focused on work while Homer has recently been laid off and thrown himself into an online video game. Not knowing how to navigate this new normal Alyssa does what she’s least comfortable with: start a support group for other women in the same situation. These strangers band together to devise a plan to get their partners back as they realize together, and only together, can they end this war.
A new comedy from Bekah Brunstetter, writer of THE CAKE, the digital short HOPE from LONG STORY SHORT, and nominated for a Tony Award for her book for THE NOTEBOOK musical on Broadway.
WHY SEE THIS SHOW:
Bekah writes comedies that make you laugh and also have a surprising amount of depth and characterization. This is a lovely multi-generational ensemble comedy with just enough surprises and belly laughs to keep you on your toes.
You don’t need to know it’s based on Lysistrata, but it is. (That one is for the nerds!) But, seriously, it helps that it has a little bit of the “the more things change the more things stay the same” to it, while updating it for the modern age and wrapping it up a lovely character study about platonic and romantic contemporary relationships.
WHO SHOULD SEE THIS SHOW? If you enjoyed THE CAKE, ODD, or a really good network sitcom like “Abbott Elementary” that is funny and zany but also has heart.
Curated and presented by Grammy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, producer and revered guitarist Warren Haynes, the Christmas Jam is a one-of-a-kind music marathon. Since its inception in 1988, the concert has provided an opportunity for the performing artists, audience, and the local community to give back during the holiday season as Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity’s largest annual contributor. For more than 20 years, Haynes – an Asheville native – has worked closely with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. To date, 50+ houses have been built with proceeds from the Jam and more than 2.8 million dollars has been raised, including a record-breaking half-million dollars marking one of the largest-ever contributions to the organization. In addition to supporting the construction of new energy-efficient homes, proceeds also go towards purchasing and developing land to build entire Habitat neighborhoods – such as the 25-house Hudson Hills neighborhood in West Asheville (named in honor of Warren and his wife Stefani’s son Hudson), a 21-house community in Arden (South Asheville), a 12-family neighborhood in Candler, and phase 1 (38 homes) of New Heights in West Asheville.
Christmas Jam’s rich history continues to grow year after year and has seen unforgettable musical moments from past performers including The Allman Brothers Band, Ann Wilson, The Avett Brothers, Blackberry Smoke, Blues Traveler, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Bob Weir, Branford Marsalis, Brothers Osborne, Coheed & Cambria, Counting Crows, Dave Grohl, Dave Matthews, Dinosaur Jr., The Doobie Brothers, Eric Church, Gov’t Mule, Grace Potter, Hiss Golden Messenger, Hot Tuna, Jackson Browne, James Johnson, Jason Isbell, Joe Bonamassa, John Paul Jones, John Scofield, Johnny Winter, Marco Benevento, Michael Franti, Michael McDonald, moe., O.A.R., Peter Frampton, Phil Lesh, Ray LaMontagne, Sheryl Crow, Steve Miller Band, The String Cheese Incident, Taj Mahal Trio, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Trey Anastasio, Tyler Childers, Umphrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic and many more.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Avengers: Endgame — The Exhibition
June 7, 2025 – January 18, 2026
“In the comic books and the movies, the story is always the most important element.”
– Stan Lee, Writer, Editor, Comic Book Creator
For over 85 years, creating independent yet deeply connected stories has been the foundation of the Marvel Universe. Conceived from a simple idea of strange tales and journeys in 1939 with the publication of Marvel Comics #1, Marvel began to create a world with visual and cultural impact that has continued to influence readers and viewers today.
As the comic book industry gained momentum in the 1930s, Stan Lee, an aspiring writer, joined Timely Comics, the forerunner to Marvel Comics. In 1940, Timely introduced characters such as Captain America, Toro, the Whizzer, and even Miss America, who with the Human Torch, founded the Invaders, dedicated to combating Nazi forces in Europe. Following the war, the group was renamed the All-Winners Squad with the mission to fight crime in the U.S.
Over the next two decades, new characters in different genres expanded the growing repertoire of stories which furthered the narratives of heroes and villains. By the 1960s, Marvel had risen in popularity. Lee and artist Jack Kirby created the company’s first family with The Fantastic Four in 1961, followed in 1962 with Spider-Man, well Daredevil, Nick Fury, Incredible Hulk, and the X-Men.
In 1963 Marvel created a team of superheroes including Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Hawkeye, Hulk, and Black Panther. Named The Avengers, their mission was to stand as Earth’s first line of defense against the most powerful threats in the universe.
By 2012, movies and television shows were the outlets for Marvel Universe characters, the parent company became Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avengers continued to provide audiences with thrilling storylines based on their mission as seen in 2012, 2015, and 2018 films.
Avengers: Endgame debuted in theaters in 2019 and became the highest-grossing film of all time that year. In partnership with The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Studios and private collectors, the Upcountry History Museum will present an exclusive 2000 square foot exhibition featuring an extraordinary display of original costumes, props, and memorabilia showcasing the film’s messages of teamwork, courage, and perseverance.
The first exhibition of its kind in the United States, the project invites visitors of all ages to traverse the Marvel Universe. This once-in-a lifetime experience will explore the fourth installment in the Avengers saga and is the culmination of 22 interconnected Marvel films and the climax of a journey. The exhibit’s design and messaging will emulate Avengers: Endgame’s principles of friendship, teamwork, and setting aside differences to overcome impossible obstacles.
Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Get wild and “embrace the invase” in this kudzu/bamboo= “KuBoo” Basket Weaving class! Get to know split bamboo and kudzu as weaving materials. Learn how to harvest and strip a kudzu vine. Engage with refined, hand-crafted split bamboo. Weave the Kudzu and Bamboo together to create your own personalized and unique KuBoo basket!
We will provide baubles and decorations for you to choose from to make your basket unique. Many of these embellishments will be made of bamboo, including beads and buttons made from canes and rhizomes.
We will also provide all weaving materials, including split bamboo that has been “defanged”, meaning: The edges of all split bamboo materials will be processed beforehand using the traditional Japanese habatori, mentori and senbiki methods. These techniques remove the sharp edges and splinters from split bamboo. Our refined split bamboo will make weaving with bamboo more enjoyable, manageable and easier on the hands. Watch our YouTube video for a quick visual overview of these three processes here: https://youtu.be/omEk3KkTLFk
While we weave, Aaron will be available for a Q&A session about bamboo. Bamboo is a mysterious plant to many. Ask Aaron questions to learn more about bamboo while you weave.
What to bring:
A water bottle
A “Can-do” attitude!
We will provide:
All crafting and weaving materials and tools
Camp Croft State Park’s Shelter #1 has a wood burning fireplace, tire swings, an open area for exploring and restrooms within walking distance.
Additional Cost: Croft State Park is over 7000 acres and offers everything from a playground to hiking and biking trails. As a state park, there is an admission fee: $3 for adults over the age of 15, $1.50 for seniors, $1 for kids ages 6-15, and free for children age 5 and under. This admission fee is NOT included in your ticket price and must be paid separately upon entry into Croft State Park. Note: You may choose to avoid this fee by requesting a SC State Parks Passport from your local library. If you choose this option, we recommend making a request for this item a few weeks in advance before the class, due to possible high demand and low availability.
WORKSHOP #1:
Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025
Location: Croft State Park Shelter #1
Address: 450 Croft State Park Rd, Spartanburg, SC 29302
Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (this time frame is extended to allow everyone to complete a basket. You may finish much earlier based on your skill set).
Cost: $50 per participant (recommended ages 8+)
September 20, 2025 – February 1, 2026
“I want to pay tribute to the soldiers who served with great sacrifice by creating the sculptural allegory of wounded warrior dogs who were the soldier’s best friend and companion in battle.”
– artist, James Mellick
Since the American Revolutionary War, military working dogs have served with all branches of the United States Armed Forces. First used as pack animals, working dogs have expanded their military roles to include scouting, policing, detection, and combat. U.S. military dogs officially began serving in WWII, following the formation of the Dogs for Defense, Inc. coalition. Today, hundreds of dogs serve with U.S. military forces around the globe assisting with dangerous missions on today’s modern battlefields.
The Upcountry History Museum will spotlight and honor the important role of these four-legged warriors when it hosts War Dogs: K9 Military Heroes. The exhibition combines life-size sculptures designed by Ohio master craftsman James Mellick with combat art and objects on loan from the collections of the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the United States Coast Guard, and the Naval History & Heritage Command.
The project features eight Wounded Warrior and two Canine War Dog sculptures, bringing attention to the history, service and heroism of military working dogs. The collection represents Doberman Pinchers, German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers and Belgian Malinois who served in WWII, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan military campaigns.
One of the sculptures honors Lucca, a Marine Corps war dog. Lucca conducted more than 400 missions during two deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. One of those missions cost Lucca her leg and severe burns but there were no human casualties under her watch. When she retired, Lucca’s handler adopted her.
Twenty pieces of art paint a more complete picture of dogs at work, detailing the most menacing war dogs to goggled high-flying dogs to sleeping warriors and keen detectives. Artifacts include items used by war dogs and their handlers. Dog uniforms, medical kits and Purple Hearts share poignant stories of perseverance and bravery. Military working dogs have served and protected countless lives in war, this inspiring exhibition tells their amazing story.
Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m., Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Promenade. Please note, Rocky Cove Railroad will not operate in rainy or wet conditions.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol follows the journey of Ebenezer Scrooge, a hardened and bitter man who is visited by three mysterious spirits on Christmas Eve. As past regrets, present realities, and future warnings unfold before him, Scrooge is given a chance to open his heart and embrace the joy of generosity, grace, and redemption.
With rich storytelling, unforgettable characters, and a message that still resonates today, this classic holiday tale is perfect for the whole family. Join us for an evening of wonder, warmth, and a renewed celebration of what truly matters most.