City of Hartsville Prepares for Downtown Holiday Events

With the holiday season quickly approaching, Hartsville residents can begin making plans to attend the many downtown holiday events that the City is hosting this year. Special Events Coordinator, Samantha Altman says, “The City of Hartsville is very excited about a new holiday season filled with events that our residents can get excited about as they prepare for the most wonderful time of the year.”

On November 21^st from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., the city will kick off the holiday season with the Downtown Holiday Open House and Centennial Tree Lighting. This celebration will be headlined with the Tree Lighting by Mayor Mel Pennington in Centennial Park at 6 p.m. Stop by Centennial Park early, around 5:30 p.m., to hear the Hartsville High School Chorus perform holiday favorites. Following the tree lighting, shoppers can kick-start the shopping season by checking out some of the Main Street Hartsville businesses that will be open until 9 p.m. Visitors are also invited to stop by City Hall to visit Santa Claus and warm up with hot chocolate and cookies sent to Hartsville by Mrs. Claus herself. It will be easy to get into the holiday spirit by playing in the snow in Centennial Park or taking a horse-drawn carriage ride around Downtown.

Christmas on Carolina events will be held Thursdays from December 5^th-19^th from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. During this event, Camden Carriage Company will be conducting carriage rides around downtown. These 25-minute carriage rides will be $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. They will pick up riders on East College Avenue. Main Street Hartsville business will also stay open late for shoppers to enjoy extended shopping hours during the busy holiday season.

The Hartsville Museum will be festively decorated again this year for their Simply Christmas event open December 1^st – January 10^th. The main exhibit will be Santa’s Workshop, an exhibit that will give guests a peek inside of jolly St. Nick’s workshop. Admission is free. The Hartsville Museum is located at 222 North Fifth Street and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The annual Hartsville Christmas Parade will be held downtown on Saturday, December 14^th at 3:00 p.m. This community parade will feature Hartsville’s first responders, local businesses, marching bands, and dance troops. Before jolly Santa Claus makes his parade appearance, he will greet guests at the Hartsville Museum for free photo opportunities. Parade applications are due by November 22^nd and can be found, along with other important event information, at hartsvillefortheholidays.com.