Celebrate New Years Eve in Sumter at several area events
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SUMTER COUNTY
South Carolina's largest free Christmas lights display, Swan Lake Fantasy of Lights, is open. through Dec. 31. Visitors to Swan Lake Iris Gardens can see the gardens come alive with more than 1 million lights. The light display is open Sunday-Thursday until 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m. The event is designed as a drive-through, but visitors are allowed to park to take photos. Access to the walking trails is closed after dusk. Lights are displayed along the main parking lot area to the gardens, along Liberty Street and along Garden Street (enter at Liberty Street and exit onto Oakland Avenue). No parking is allowed along Garden Street; however, parking will be available in the lot across from the Heath Pavilion. Admission is free. For more info, call the Visitors Center at (803) 426-2640.
Fans of new author Leah Dawkins can meet her and get books signed during an event with Dawkins on Saturday, Dec. 28, at Under the Cover book store in downtown Sumter. She wrote "Home Cries the Soul" and "Peace Cries the Soul," books one and two of the Beauregard Family Series. Visit the shop from 1 to 3 p.m. at 9 S. Main St.
Spend the last night of the year bowling with your family and friends during the New Years Eve Bowlerama 2025 at Shaw Lanes, 416 Recreation Street on Shaw Air Force Base. Count down to the new year on the lanes for $30 per person or $50 per couple from 10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, to 1 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1. Call (803) 895-2732 for more information.
Join Sumter Original Brewery for a night of dancing, craft beer tasting and food to celebrate the new year at the Brew Years Eve Party. Tickets are $10 but are limited, so get yours as soon as you can. The doors will open at 2 S. Main St. in downtown Sumter at 7 p.m. Dec. 31, and DJ Howie D will perform at 8 p.m. Buy your tickets at https://tinyurl.com/2zpxspzf.
Enjoy fellowship with friends and family during the Watch Night Service celebrating New Year's Eve at Grace Full Gospel Church, 1540 Bradham Road, Sumter. Ring in the new year with worship, fellowship and ministry from 9 p.m. to midnight at. There will be a breakfast served after the service. Main speaker will be the Rev. Ricky Bledsoe, and vespers speaker will be the Rev. Isaac Cowart. Music will be by the Floyd family. Visit the church's website for more details at gracefullgospel.org.
Looking for a night out and away from the cold? Make your way to Sumter Little Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 4, for the second-annual A Night of Songs and Stories. This acoustic evening will feature Curt Ackerman and Friends in concert. Enjoy the event from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at 14 Mood Ave., and tickets are now on sale at sumterlittletheatre.com for $25. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Come to the downtown library and read to a therapy dog. Sparky, Skipper and Missy love hearing a good story, and young readers can get practice reading their favorite books. This event is held the second Saturday of every month at the downtown Sumter County Library, 111 N. Harvin St. January's reading will be on Jan. 11 from 11 a.m. to noon.
Shake off the holiday sluggishness and get moving with a First Day Hike at Poinsett State Park on Jan. 1. Hikes will be from 10 a.m. to noon and also 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 6660 Poinsett Park Road, Wedgefield. According to the state parks website, visitors will receive a commemorative sticker and a car decal while supplies last. And don't forget to share your 2025 First Day Hike moments with the park system by using #SCStateParks and #FirstDayHikes on social media.
COLUMBIA
The South Carolina State Museum, 301 Gervais St., Columbia presents "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 4D" daily through Dec. 31. According to the website, "When young Rudolph is teased for his red nose and runs away from Christmastown, he sets off on a series of adventures, meets new friends Hermey the Elf and Yukon Cornelius along the way, and escapes the clutches of the Abominable Snow Monster. When an epic snowstorm threatens Christmas, can he rescue his family and friends and help Santa save the holiday? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 4-D uses the same stop motion animation as the beloved television classic to deliver a visually brilliant, high definition 3-D experience." Show times are: 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday. Purchase tickets at https://scmuseum.org/visit/hours-admission
Fireflies Holiday Lights at Segra Park will brighten the holiday with even more lights, more activities and the return of the Fireflies Express presented by Thermal Technologies. The park will open from 6 to 9 p.m. (with last entry into the park at 8:45 p.m.) through Saturday, Jan. 4, at 1640 Freed St., Columbia. Lights will be closed New Years Day. The lights will operate under different hours on New Years Eve, 5 to 8 p.m. Ticket prices are $12 per person. Children 2 and under get in free and do not require a ticket. Military members will receive $2 off their tickets with proof of valid military ID. All tickets are general admission and get you access to the view of more than one million LED Christmas lights with themed areas, numerous vendors and visits with Santa Claus. We encourage fans to purchase their tickets online, but you can purchase tickets by calling the Dukes Investigations Fireflies Ticket Office at (803) 726-4487 extension 1, or by visiting the ticket office during the week (Monday-Friday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ticket office will also remain open from 6 to 8:45 p.m. during Fireflies Holiday Lights event days to assist those who did not purchase tickets in advance. To purchase group tickets for Fireflies Holiday Lights, contact the Fireflies sales team at sales@columbiafireflies.com or call (803) 726-4487 extension 2. Food and drink choices will be available, as well as holiday-themed drinks and concessions throughout the concourse. Visit www.firefliesholidaylights.com.
Explore the Northern Lights in the digital dome planetarium of the South Carolina Museum, 302 Gervais St., Columbia, through Feb. 28, 2025. "During this award-winning show created by some of Iceland's best-known scientists, writers, photographers and musicians, you will not only witness the beauty of the aurora above Earth, but also explore how these stunning displays of colors have also been seen on other planets and moons throughout our galaxy," according to the museum's website. To learn more and plan your visit, go to https://scmuseum.org/explore/astronomy/planetarium/arora.
Experience the holidays with a guided tour of the historic Robert Mills House and the Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens, 1615 Blanding St., Columbia, weekly through Jan. 5, 2025, Wednesday-Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tour guides will provide stories of holidays past in Columbia and discuss how families decorated and entertained during the 19th century. At the Robert Mills House, guests will see how a home might have been decorated in the 1820s during the time before Christmas trees were popular. Across the street at the Hampton-Preston Mansion, Christmas of the 1850s was very different from today, but some current holiday traditions have their roots from this time. Guests will have the opportunity to view artifacts and learn about holiday traditions involving Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year celebrations. There will be no tours on Jan. 1. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at https://www.historiccolumbia.org/holiday-house-tours up until midnight the day prior to the tour, or purchased the day of the tour at the Robert Mills Gift Shop, 1616 Blanding St., where all tours begin; please plan to arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled tour time. Tours last approximately 75 minutes.
FLORENCE
The Florence Stampede and Pro Rodeo, presented by Booty Brothers Western Store, returns to the Florence Center, 3300 W. Radio Drive, on Feb. 7-8, 2025, marking its 10th anniversary with a weekend of high-energy rodeo action and fun for all ages. This event will feature top-ranked cowboys and cowgirls from across the country, competing against some of the most award-winning livestock in professional rodeo. The lineup will include bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, team roping, cowgirls barrel racing and wild Brahma bull riding. Beyond the arena, the Florence Stampede and Pro Rodeo offers an engaging experience for the entire family. Attendees will enjoy a variety of vendors offering delicious food, unique merchandise, and much more. Tickets can be purchased at the Florence Center Box Office or online at www.FlorenceCenter.com.
Multi-platinum country artist Gary Allan will be at The Florence Center on Friday, March 21. Tickets are available at FlorenceCenter.com. Allan's 13-song album, Ruthless, features songs produced by Mark Wright, Tony Brown, Greg Droman, Jay Joyce and Allan himself. His previous album, Set You Free, topped the Billboard 200 (Pop Chart), a career first for Allan. The album also made its debut at the top of the Billboard Country Album chart (for the fourth time in a row), and produced his fifth #1 country radio chart topper with "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)." The California native has released eight additional studio albums selling over 8 million albums, been certified platinum on three back-to-back albums and been certified gold five times. Allan has five #1 hits at country radio, 14 Top 10 hits and more than 2.8 billion total streams. He is described as "dark and dreamy" in Entertainment Weekly and deemed a "maverick" by Rolling Stone. He has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Live with Kelly and Michael and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He has also landed on the covers of Country Weekly, Pollstar and People magazine.
ORANGEBURG
The City of Orangeburg invites the public to its free Children's Garden Christmas and Kids' Walk through Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. The Children's Garden Christmas, a drive-through display in Edisto Memorial Gardens, 218 Riverside Drive SW, Orangeburg, boasts thousands of lights including still and animated displays such as Old Man Winter, a river boat, Santa and his elves, a nativity scene and more than 60 lighted cherry trees. Kids' Walk features interactive displays including a hopping bunny, a squirrel running up a tree and colorful Christmas trees. Be sure to visit the Twelve Days of Christmas display. The holiday event is open seven days a week. Children's Garden Christmas is open from 5 to 10 p.m., and the Kids' Walk from 5 to 9 p.m. For additional information, call (803) 533-6020.