Like many people, Christmas is one of my favorite Holidays! When I moved to Emerald Isle, NC I was worried about the Christmas traditions I was leaving behind and kept asking “What are the best Christmas Events Near Me?” A decade later, I’ve learned that there are so many fun “happenings” to take in during Christmas in Emerald Isle and the surrounding towns of the Crystal Coast!
Around Christmas on the Crystal Coast, you will find parades, flotillas, beautiful lights, and plenty of Santa sightings! Here are a few of my favorites!
1. Swansboro by Candlelight
The first event of the holiday season each year is Swansboro by Candlelight, typically held in mid-November. Only a short drive from Emerald Isle, the small waterfront town of Swansboro is decorated with Christmas lights and full of holiday cheer. There is live music in the square downtown with the local ballet showcasing dances from the Nutcracker. It reminds me of something straight out of a Hallmark movie! Many of the businesses stay open late and have refreshments for their patrons including mulled cider and hot chocolate. It’s a great event to get into the holiday spirit and welcome Christmas to the Coast!
2. A Christmas Parade
The Emerald Isle Christmas parade is always held the Saturday directly after Thanksgiving at 2pm. The parade route follows Emerald Drive and Mangrove Drive through the heart of downtown. It includes numerous area businesses, school groups, and local organizations. They decorate floats, drive the streets and pass out candy to kids.
Other area townships also host their own parades later throughout the month of December! The Beaufort, NC Parade is typically the first Saturday of December and the Morehead City Parade is typically the second Saturday in December.
Atlantic Beach, NC also hosts a parade the first Friday of December. This unique night time parade travels down Fort Macon road and around the Atlantic Beach Circle! Floats are covered in twinkling lights and decorated for the Holiday!
3. Chowder and Cheer
Chowder and Cheer is one of the most coveted tickets on the coast! Every year, they set a new record for tickets selling out, usually in less than 5 minutes. So, if you’re able to snag a ticket, consider yourself lucky! Chowder and Cheer allows those with a ticket to stop by businesses, restaurants and bars in downtown Morehead City, NC and get a sample of soup, chowder dessert or a signature beverage. People also like to dress up for the occasion in their best Tacky Christmas sweaters and meet up with friends to explore downtown!
4. A Christmas Flotilla
What do you get when you combine a parade and christmas lights in a coastal town? A flotilla! Boaters in the area go all out decorating their boats for the annual flotilla, making it so much fun to go watch!
The Swansboro Flotilla is always held the Friday after Thanksgiving in Downtown Swansboro. The boats begin from the Emerald Isle Bridge, and travel down the Intercoastal Waterway until they get to Swansboro where they loop and show off for about 30 minutes. Plan to arrive early since parking downtown can get tricky. While you’re waiting, do some gift shopping or stop at Bake Bottle and Brew for the best views of the festivities!
The Crystal Coast Flotilla is typically held the first Saturday in December and travels from Morehead City to Beaufort, NC. The boats can be seen on the Morehead City Waterfront at 5:30 and arrive in Beaufort around 6:15.
5. Beaufort’s Candlelight Christmas
The Beaufort Historic Society hosts a Candlelight Christmas Tour the second Saturday in December. Many of the historic homes and churches throughout Beaufort are decorated for Christmas. The homes include the old historic grounds, the graveyard, as well as, private homes that have been restored and are opened for the occasion. You can walk from house to house or catch the double decker bus from one area of town to the other and enjoy the Christmas lights and luminaries along the way. The decorations throughout town are beautiful. And while you’re in Beaufort, NC be sure to check out my favorite things to do in Beaufort, NC!
6. A Night at the Cape
The only thing more magical than a lighthouse is a lighthouse at night lit up at Christmas. Each year, the Cape Lookout National Seashore illuminates the Cape Lookout Lighthouse with gigantic spotlights around the Christmas Holiday.
You can catch a ferry with Island Express Ferry Service for their Night at the Cape where you get to ride over to the Lighthouse at sunset and spend an hour at the Cape! The ferry ride takes about 30 minutes each way from Harkers Island. The ferry departs around sunset at 5pm and returns by 7pm on select nights during the weeks surrounding Christmas! Be sure to bring lots of layers and a thermos of hot chocolate to keep you warm because the boat ride can be cold and windy!
Keep your eyes peeled for horses along the way, (read more about the horses of Shackleford here), enjoy the beautiful sunset and take in the stars you can see from Lookout! Cape Lookout is an official “dark site” and is an amazing location for stargazing. Pro tip: If you let your eyes adjust to the darkness instead of using a flashlight, you’ll still be able to see where you’re going AND get to see more stars!
7. Harkers Island
While you’re down east seeing the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, drive over to the Core Sound Museum right next door to check out their Christmas lights! They have a huge tree made out of Crab Pots, as well as, tons of other Christmas lights that are fun to drive through!
Throughout the entire town you’ll find a plethora of Crab Pot trees and lit up Anchors, the coastal version of Christmas! In my opinion, Harkers Island has some of the best Christmas Lights on the Crystal Coast!
8. Santa Sightings
There are two excellent locations to meet Santa on the Crystal Coast. Santa arrives in Beaufort, NC the Friday after Thanksgiving, usually coming by boat or fire truck. You’ll find Santa in his workshop at John Newton Park right on the waterfront in Downtown on Saturdays (11am-3pm) and Sundays (1-3pm) throughout December.
You can also meet up with Santa at Carolina Home and Garden in Newport, NC. If you’ve read my post on the Hidden Gems of the Crystal Coast then you know we love an excuse to visit here! Santa comes to the garden center between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don’t miss the Kodak moment with the Jolly man in front of their beautifully decorated fireplace in the main greenhouse on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-3pm. It’s well worth the $5 admission.
There are so many fun Christmas traditions in Emerald Isle, NC and the surrounding towns of the Crystal Coast that you won’t want to miss!
If you’re planning to get away be sure to checkout my post on traveling to Asheville around Christmas!
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What are your favorite things to do at Christmas on the Crystal Coast? Let me know in the comments below!
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