Greenwood's Holiday Season Builds to One Big Week in Uptown
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
How much of a Greenwood Christmas fits into one week? In 2026, most of it. The Uptown tree lighting is on Tuesday, December 1. On Sunday, December 6, the Greenwood Christmas Parade steps off at Seaboard Avenue and Main Street. Between those two dates come a Santa pajama party, Santa photos, crafts with Mrs. Claus, two free Lander concerts and opening night of White Christmas at Greenwood Community Theatre.
November works differently. Its holiday events are single dates with days in between, and they're spread across Uptown, Lander's campus and Ninety Six. If you know which dates fall early and which all land in that first week of December, you can plan the whole season.
The season starts with two Saturdays and a Tuesday night, each with its own crowd.
These dates don't build on each other. Each draws a different group of people to a different part of the county, and you can skip one without missing anything at the next. That changes after Thanksgiving.
The Uptown Greenwood Christmas Tree Lighting runs 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 1. That same evening, the Lander University Old Main Singers perform from 7 to 9 p.m. at 320 Stanley Avenue. The concert is free and open to the public.
The two events overlap by an hour. One choice is to see the lights come on in Uptown early in the evening and then drive to Stanley Avenue for the second half of the concert. The other is to pick one and save the other for another year.
Two nights later, on Thursday, December 3, the Lander University Wind Ensemble plays the Lander University Cultural Center at 314 Stanley Avenue from 7 to 9 p.m. It's also free and open to the public. It's a quieter evening before the weekend fills up.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Uptown Christmas Tree Lighting | Uptown Greenwood | 6–8 p.m. |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Old Main Singers | Lander University, 320 Stanley Ave. | 7–9 p.m., free |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Wind Ensemble Concert | Lander Cultural Center, 314 Stanley Ave. | 7–9 p.m., free |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | PJ Party with Santa | The Arts Center of Greenwood | Seatings at 5:30 and 7 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | White Christmas opens | Greenwood Community Theatre, 110 Main St. | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Photos with Santa | The Arts Center of Greenwood | 9–11 a.m. and 3–5 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Crafts with Mrs. Claus | The Museum | 1–2 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Greenwood Christmas Parade | Seaboard Ave. and Main St. to South Main Baptist Church | 2:30 p.m. step-off |
Uptown Greenwood calls the December 4 to 6 weekend Santa On Main. Most of it happens inside Uptown's cultural venues instead of out on the street.
On Friday, The Arts Center of Greenwood holds a PJ Party with Santa at two seatings, 5:30 and 7 p.m. On Saturday, Santa is back at The Arts Center for photos from 9 to 11 a.m. and again from 3 to 5 p.m. Between those two photo sessions, Mrs. Claus leads crafts at The Museum from 1 to 2 p.m. The PJ Party is set up in seatings, so look up seat details on The Arts Center's website before Friday evening.
Greenwood Community Theatre opens Irving Berlin's White Christmas on Friday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m. at 110 Main Street. That curtain time works with the PJ Party. A family could go to the 5:30 seating at The Arts Center and still make the theatre's opening night.
The 2026 Greenwood Christmas Parade is on Sunday, December 6. Its theme is "Greetings from Greenwood: A Hometown Christmas." The step-off is at 2:30 p.m. at the corner of Seaboard Avenue and Main Street, and the parade ends at South Main Baptist Church. The Santa On Main schedule lists the parade from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The city's entry guide explains a few things you'll see from the curb. Participating groups check in starting at 12:15 p.m. at Seaboard and East Cambridge Avenue, and the latest check-in is 2:00 p.m. sharp. Judges score floats heavily on how well they fit the theme. Floats that don't follow "Greetings from Greenwood" lose points in the overall scoring, which is why so many entries carry the same hometown idea. The rules also say no entry may feature a live or life-size Santa Claus. Saturday's photo sessions at The Arts Center are the Santa On Main stop that has Santa himself.
Because the parade is on Sunday afternoon, the whole Santa On Main schedule fits into one weekend. You can do Friday night, Saturday morning or afternoon, and Sunday after lunch, and none of it requires taking time off work.
The events are close together and the times are set, so a few combinations work well:
The week ends, but a few events continue. White Christmas closes with a 2 p.m. performance on Sunday, December 13, so if opening night is too busy, the following weekend is another chance to see it. Greenwood Community Theatre also lists the Ashby and Friends Christmas Concert on Thursday, December 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Listings for the Open House, the Lander Spectacular and Santa On Main can still change before the dates arrive. Check Discover Greenwood and Uptown Greenwood's events page the week of any event you plan to attend.
Joan Timmerman has spent more than 22 years in Greenwood, and the team at Premier Properties Real Estate Team uses this same Uptown calendar when we talk with neighbors about the places they love. If you're thinking about what's next for your home, or for a family member's, we'd be glad to sit down in the new year. Schedule a Local Market Consultation once the parade is over.
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