Night on the Town celebration to kick off Beaufort's Christmas activities
Here come the holidays and the ‘trifecta’ of downtown events – plus a few more!
Nothing gets you into the Christmas spirit like our fun-filled first weekend in December with the annual ‘Night on the Town’ celebration, followed by the ever-popular Light Up the Night Boat Parade and ending with the Beaufort Christmas parade.
Friday, DECEMBER 2, 2022
A NIGHT ON THE TOWN, 6-9 PM with the Tree Lighting at 8 pm
The Annual A Night on the Town is the opening of the Christmas/holiday shopping season and takes place on Friday evening, December 2nd, beginning at 6 pm. A long-standing tradition of the community, A Night on the Town is a mix of traditional and contemporary. An evening with a surprise around every corner and a number of things that will entertain, delight, and get you in the Holiday Spirit. Shops will stay open late to welcome regular and new customers with special treats and a preview of their large and unique selection of items for the Holidays to help get a head start of the holiday season.
The evening also includes the City of Beaufort’s tree lighting ceremony, entertainment by the Parris Island Marine Corps Band, choral performances, plenty of good cheer, and a rumored visit from Santa himself.
Gullah Tour & Christmas Market – USCB Center for the Arts
Attendees will take part in a three-hour extensive tour to learn about the history of Gullah people in the Greater Beaufort area. After the tour, get your Christmas shopping done by participating in the Gullah Christmas Market. Purchase one-of-a-kind gifts from Gullah Geechee vendors to give as the perfect gifts for Christmas.
Saturday, DECEMBER 3, 2022
Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, 11 AM – Gullah Taste of Christmas – Beaufort, SC Waterfront Park
The Gullah Taste of Christmas will showcase vendors and performances by the Gullah Kinfolk Traveling Theater and local artists, with the highlight of the event being the Rice Cook-off. The competition gathers professional Gullah Geechee chefs, caterers, restaurateurs, and home cooks from the Gullah Geechee Corridor – Florida to North Carolina – to participate in the cook-off, showing off their culinary skill preparing the rice dish for which they are known.
Gullah Homecomings Symposium: Four Sierra Leone – Gullah Homecomings – 2 PM – Technical College of the Low Country
After Many Years, the participants of the four trips to Sierra Leone come together to share their memories and increasing the awareness of the major historical and cultural connections between Sierra Leone and the Gullah Geechee people that historians have uncovered. This continuum will not only memorialize the events of the past but give legs into the future. – Ticket can be purchased separately through this link – https://bit.ly/3zqH5Gk
Light up the Night Holiday Boat Parade, 5:30-8:30 p.m
The first boats will start arriving at the seawall at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park by 5 pm. Boats will make three passes by the seawall.
Sunday, DECEMBER 4, 2022
CHRISTMAS PARADE, 3 PM
The traditional Beaufort Christmas Parade will be on December 4th, at 3:00 pm, through the streets of downtown Beaufort. Floats, bands, groups of walkers and personal cars and trucks are expected to participate.
