Christmas in Myrtle Beach brings seasonal lights to the Boardwalk and two quite different theatre evenings: The Carolina Opry Christmas Special and Pirates Voyage Christmas Show. Choose the public celebrations for an outdoor evening, or a theatre performance for a seated holiday outing. Christmas Day itself needs separate arrangements for meals and travel, rather than the same plan you would use on another night.
Christmas dates and planning
- Christmas Day
- 25 December each year
- Public celebration season
- November into early January
- Winter Wonderland at the Beach
- Late November to early January, more than 30 days
- Admission
- Free Boardwalk light trail, paid theatre performances
- Holiday accommodation
- Arrange rooms early
Christmas suits a visit built around lights, live entertainment and a holiday meal. Winter Wonderland at the Beach offers a public outdoor celebration, while the theatres give you a reason to set aside a whole evening. The organiser sets the light trail’s exact opening and closing dates for each edition.
The Visit Myrtle Beach Holiday Events Calendar covers the wider region as well as the city. For city-run celebrations, Myrtle Beach’s Rec+ events portal and city notices also publish the programme. Keep the venue location in mind when choosing an event, since a regional listing need not be in Myrtle Beach itself.
Choose your accommodation base around the evening you most want to enjoy. Staying near the Boardwalk puts the public lights at the centre of your visit. A theatre-led stay needs a plan for travelling to the northern end of the city and returning afterwards. Decide that before choosing a room, particularly if you will not have a car.
For a stay continuing beyond Christmas, New Year’s Eve in Myrtle Beach adds fireworks and countdown celebrations to a separate part of your holiday.
Boardwalk lights and public celebrations
| Moment | Programme day | Time | Location | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tree Lighting & First Snow | Small Business Saturday, day after opening | 4–7pm | Plyler Park | Tree lighting, concert, simulated snow |
| Light Up the Night | Usually a Thursday in December, organiser-set | 6pm start | Grand Strand Brewing Co. | Decorated-bicycle slow-roll ride |
Winter Wonderland at the Beach turns the Boardwalk between Plyler Park and Second Avenue Pier into a seasonal light trail. Walk along the displays rather than treating the park celebration as the whole attraction. The trail runs nightly from 5pm to 9pm, including Christmas Day, so it can also be the outdoor part of a holiday evening without a theatre visit.
At Plyler Park, the Carolina Master Chorale leads carol singing during the free holiday concert. Come for the celebration as well as the switch-on, leaving room to listen to the music before continuing along the Boardwalk.
- Name
- Plyler Park
- Location
- 1000 N Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 Maps
- Hours
- 6am–12am
For Light Up the Night, decorate your bicycle with holiday lights to become part of the moving display. Choose the ride if you want to take part on two wheels, or walk the trail if you prefer to stop at the displays at your own pace.
The Winter Wonderland at the Beach organiser publishes each edition’s programme and participation details. Joining the bicycle ride means arriving with a bicycle ready for the activity. If you prefer to watch and wander, make the Boardwalk trail your main plan.
Leave space between your arrival and the public celebration. Get settled near the park before the activity you want to see, and keep the rest of the evening flexible enough to enjoy the displays. When pairing lights with dinner, put the meal before or after your chosen celebration rather than squeezing both into the same part of the evening.
Christmas shows and dinner performances
The Carolina Opry Christmas Special is the music-led choice, combining live holiday music, comedy and dance at The Carolina Opry Theater. Choose it if you want a variety performance rather than a story built around dinner. It runs in November and December, with performances lasting two hours and 30 minutes. The usual pattern is a 7pm evening show, with 1pm matinees on selected dates.
Adult tickets cost roughly $55–80 and child tickets roughly $30–50, including taxes and fees. Premium, Regular and Value seating give you a choice of ticket tier. The theatre sells tickets online and at the box office. A matinee leaves your evening for the Boardwalk or a separate dinner, while an evening performance is best treated as the main outing.
- Name
- The Carolina Opry Theater
- Location
- 8901 N Kings Hwy, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572 Maps
- Site
- thecarolinaopry.com
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 9am–8pm
- Sat–Sun 11am–8pm
Pirates Voyage Christmas Show at Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show centres on a pirate adventure and a Crimson-versus-Emerald battle for Christmas treasure. A live Nativity, acrobatic giant toys and action aboard two full-sized ships, in the water and above the lagoon make this the more story-and-spectacle-led option.
Admission includes a four-course holiday feast, so arrange the performance as your dinner rather than adding a separate restaurant meal beforehand. Its seasonal run stretches from early November into early January, and the main show lasts about 90 minutes. Pirates Voyage takes online reservations, with a date and showtime selected during booking.
- Name
- Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show
- Location
- 8907 N Kings Hwy, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572 Maps
- Site
- piratesvoyage.com
- Hours
- 8am–7pm
Christmas Day meals
Treat Christmas Day dinner as a separate holiday arrangement, especially if a seated meal is central to your visit. Visit Myrtle Beach’s Christmas food-and-drink guide provides regional dining ideas, so pay attention to which restaurants are in the city rather than neighbouring towns.
Carolina Roadhouse’s holiday dining has included dine-in or takeout festive meals, with turkey-and-ham and prime-rib options alongside its regular menu. Carolina Seafood & Steak has offered a Christmas buffet. These give you two different formats to consider: a restaurant meal or takeaway, and a buffet built around the holiday. Choose the format that fits your evening rather than building your plan around a particular festive dish.
Carolina Roadhouse’s Priority Waitlist is not a confirmed table reservation. It puts you ahead of walk-ins, with a table assigned when one becomes available around your preferred time. Allow room for a wait if you are eating before another activity. For a meal with a firm start time, make a confirmed seated arrangement rather than relying on waitlist priority.
Christmas Day transport and shows
Arrange both the outward journey and the return to your accommodation before committing to a Christmas Day meal or outing. A car, taxi or other arranged ride needs to fit both ends of the evening. The Boardwalk lights offer an outdoor holiday plan, while a ticketed theatre visit belongs on the specific performance date you choose. Keeping those arrangements separate lets you enjoy Christmas Day without depending on an ordinary bus-and-show evening.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: opening hours, services, practical rules, and closures.
- Winter Wonderland at The Beach Illuminates Myrtle Beach Boardwalk for 30-Plus Days of Holiday Fun
- Visit Myrtle Beach; City of Myrtle Beach — service
- Visit Myrtle Beach — practical rules
- City of Myrtle Beach — closures
- The Carolina Opry Theater — closures
- Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show — closures
- Coast RTA — service
- Visit Myrtle Beach — service
- Visit Myrtle Beach; Carolina Roadhouse; Carolina Seafood & Steak — service
- Kingston Resorts — service
- The Christmas Show of the South — The Carolina Opry Theater
- Tickets — The Carolina Opry Theater
- City of Myrtle Beach Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism Department — opening hours
- Winter Wonderland At The Beach
- City of Myrtle Beach Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism Department and Special Events staff — opening hours
