The Isle of Palms Holiday Street Festival has encountered 2020 (aka the year of COVID), and the result is Santa Claus Lane.
Well, COVID has changed the status quo, that’s for sure. 2020 has seen numerous events postponed or more often cancelled, including Spoleto, the Cooper River Bridge Run, and the Volvo Car Open.
Other events have been able to go on, albeit in some tweaked formats. The beloved Holiday Festival of Lights has been converted into a fully drive-through experience. It’s going on every evening through the end of December, at James Island County Park.
The Isle of Palms has been both flexible and creative in adapting their annual events to the pandemic. On Halloween, they went through with a celebration around the Rec Center. This year, instead of a traditional carnival and such inside the building, they pivoted to a large-scale golf cart parade, complete with decorated carts and costumed people. At the end, they offered a drive-thru haunted house. The Isle of Palms is nothing if not crazy about its golf carts, and the newly tailored event was a huge success.
The Isle of Palms also sponsors an annual Holiday Street Festival and Tree Lighting at Front Beach early each December. Traditionally they would block off all vehicular traffic and open it up instead to a slew of holiday craft vendors, food and beverage sales and live music to entertain the crowd. There would also be things for the kids like carnival rides, balloon artists, jump castles, face painting and a mechanical bull. Then, after it got dark, they’d ceremonially light the 25-foot tall Christmas tree.
Unfortunately, the usual street festival format brought a lot of people into close range of each other. So organizers had to get creative. The result: Santa Claus Lane.
Come drive through Santa Claus Lane instead!
What is Santa Claus lane, you ask? It’s a socially distanced, safe way to get in the holiday spirit, right here on the Isle of Palms. It’s happening this coming Saturday, December 5th from 6:00 p.m. till 7:00 p.m., at Front Beach on the IOP.
Basically, it’s a drive through Christmas experience. You’re encouraged to load up the kids (of all ages) into the car and head on down to Ocean Boulevard, and “Cruise the Front Beach Loop.”
As you drive down the boulevard, keep an eye peeled for….
Lighted Christmas displays and Christmas music;
Illuminated palm trees (this is the Isle of Palms, after all);
The famous 25-foot IOP Christmas tree, all lit up for the holidays!
At the Christmas tree, check out the Sugar Plum Candy Stop – a drive-thru candy station! Elves will show up to your car with treat bags of goodies for the kids;
Where JC Long Boulevard meets Ocean Boulevard, check out the special mailbox where you can drop off your letters to Santa;
Look for Santa Claus himself, who will be presiding from his special chair and waving to all who drive by;
Loop around and then drive north back up Ocean Boulevard.
Read more about it on the official Isle of Palms website or the Santa Claus Lane event page on Facebook or on Hulafrog.
So if you’re here this Saturday, why not cruise on down Santa Claus Lane. And if you’re not here in a luxury house on Isle of Palms in but would like to be, just give us a call at EP.
All best,
Lowcountry Lisa
your Isle of Palms vacation blogger