Discover our list of curated things to do in the Hilton Head, Bluffton and Beaufort areas. For a complete calendar of events, visit our event calendar here.

Charity & Community

Holiday Lights at Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina

When: Now-Dec. 31

Where: Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina

Details: Stroll through an island version of a winter wonderland as Shelter Cove Harbour and Marina transforms into a colorful affair. sheltercovehiltonhead.com

The Sea Pines Resort events & activities

Don’t miss this month’s events at The Sea Pines Resort. Check its website for details and a complete list. seapines.com

• Links Sommelier Series — Super Tuscan vs. Bordeaux: 5 p.m., Dec. 4, Links, An American Grill
• Audubon Christmas Bird Count: All day, Dec. 15, Sea Pines Forest Preserve 
• Pahlmeyer Wine Dinner: 6:30 p.m., Dec. 15, Heritage Room at the Harbour Town Clubhouse
• Links Sommelier Series: NYE Champagne: 5 p.m., Dec. 18, Links, An American Grill
• Gregg Russell Christmas Concert: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 23, Liberty Oak Tree in Harbour Town
• Holiday Fun in Harbour Town: 5:30 p.m., Dec. 27 & 28, Harbour Town
• Polar Bear Swim: 10 a.m., Dec. 30, Harbour Town Pool
• New Year’s Eve Celebration: 6 p.m., Dec. 31-Jan. 1, Harbour Town

Winter Wonderland Festival

When: 4-7 p.m., Dec. 8

Where: Shelter Cove Community Park

Details: Celebrate the season with bounce houses, a parade, music, food, drink and other activities. events.islandreccenter.org

Hilton Head Humane Christmas Party

When: Noon-2 p.m., Dec. 10

Where: Hilton Head Humane Hilton Head campus

Details: Support the Hilton Head Humane at this holiday event featuring pet pictures with Santa, refreshments, goodies and other fun activities. hhhumane.org

Deck the Hulls

When: 6 p.m., Dec. 9

Where: Skull Creek Corridor

Details: Don’t miss this annual Christmas boat parade presented by America’s Boating Club Hilton Head, where boaters will “deck their hulls” and dazzle islanders with fantastic light displays. americasboatingclubhiltonhead.org

Sparkles & Spirits

When: 6-9 p.m., Dec. 8

Where: Quarterdeck

Details: Join the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce for a community gathering to enjoy great food and drinks and browse a bounty of local holiday gifts in a silent auction. hiltonheadchamber.org

PAL’s Holiday Open House

When: 1-5 p.m., Dec. 9

Where: Palmetto Animal League’s Adoption Center in Okatie

Details: Guests are invited to Palmetto Animal League to drop by for cookies, hot cocoa, coffee and good cheer. palmettoanimalleague.org

Hanukkah Celebration & Menorah Lighting

When: 5:30 p.m., Dec. 7

Where: Lowcountry Celebration Park

Details: Come together to celebrate the Festival of Lights and spread the joy of Hanukkah throughout our beautiful island. hiltonheadislandsc.gov 

Live Nativity 

When: 4 p.m. & 6 p.m., Dec. 17

Where: Bluffton United Methodist Church

Details: Join the Bluffton United Methodist Church for a live nativity scene with live actors, live nativity animals, heartwarming moments, cookies and cocoa. blufftonumc.org

A Magical Beaufort Christmas

When: Now-Dec. 25

Where: Downtown Beaufort

Details: This town transforms into a winter wonderland that will have you feeling the holiday spirit in every corner. Enjoy a month-long marathon of events, from visiting with Santa to listening to a series of Christmas concerts. For a complete list of events, visit bfthospitality.com 

Christmas Dance Party

When: 7 p.m., Dec. 5

Where: Hilton Head Ballroom Dance Studio

Details: Celebrate Christmas with the Hilton Head Ballroom Dance Studio at its dance party, potluck, and BYOB. hiltonheadballroom.com

Christmas Eve Under the Stars

When: 6:30-7:30 p.m., Dec. 24

Where: Oyster Factory Park

Details: This annual outdoor worship service includes the traditional lighting of Christmas candles to the singing of Silent Night. thenewblufftonworship.com

National Wreaths Across America Day

When: Noon, Dec. 16

Where: Six Oaks Cemetery 

Details: Attend a local ceremony to remember, honor and teach for Wreaths Across America. Help ahead of time by sponsoring a wreath, volunteering or inviting friends to help. wreathsacrossamerica.org

Upcoming events at Alexander’s Restaurant

Enjoy a cooking demonstration, wine dinner and other special events at Alexander’s Restaurant this month. alexandersrestaurant.com 

• Brunch with Santa: 10:15 a.m. & noon, Dec. 10
• Freemark Abbey Wine Dinner: 6-8:30 p.m., Dec. 14

Tasty Tuesday Wine Tastings

When: 5-7 p.m., Tuesdays 

Where: Rollers Wine & Spirits

Details: Enjoy a wine tasting led by Rollers’ certified sommeliers, featuring 4-6 new wines and some familiar favorites, live music on the garden patio and cheese plates and other small bites available to order. Call 843-842-1200 to reserve your spot.

Upcoming events at The Salty Dog Cafe

Don’t miss this month’s events at the island’s well-known eating spot. For a complete list, visit saltydog.com. 

• The Salty Dog’s Christmas Village: now-Jan. 1
• The Christmas Market at Land’s End Tavern: now-Jan. 1
• Santa and S’mores Saturdays in South Beach: Saturdays, now-Dec. 25

Hilton Head Distillery Cocktail Classes

Take your cocktail game up a notch with a mixology class (or two) that inspires you to shake up delicious and creative sips like never before. Classes are from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Hilton Head Distillery. hiltonheaddistillery.com

• Holiday Cocktails & Cookies Class: Dec. 6 & 13
• Island Time Cocktail Class: Dec. 7 & 21
• American Classics Cocktail Class: Dec. 14
• History of Rum Class: Dec. 28

Game Days at Fraser’s Tavern

When: 1-4 p.m., Sundays

Where: Fraser’s Tavern

Details: Every Sunday during football season, you can cheer your team to glory with beer specials, including $4 domestics like Shock Top, Michelob Ultra and Coors Lite, plus half-priced appetizers. seapines.com

Oyster Roast

When: 1-4 p.m., Saturdays

Where: Coast, Oceanfront Dining

Details: Weekly oyster roasts are back at the Sea Pines Resort. Head to Coast on Saturdays for buckets of oysters roasted on-site and pounds of peel-and-eat shrimp. coastoceanfrontdining.com

Knife Sharpening with Bill Jankoski

When: Noon-2 p.m., Dec. 13

Where: Cassandra’s Kitchen Store

Details: Head to Cassandra’s Kitchen, where Bill Jankoski of The Sharpening Shoppe will prepare your knives for the holiday season. cassandraskitchen.com

Michael Anthony’s Cooking classes 

When: 11:30 a.m., Wednesdays-Fridays in Dec.

Where: Michael Anthony’s Cucina Italiana

Details: Michael Anthony’s has demonstrations and hands-on cooking classes Wednesdays-Fridays with holiday themes this month. Call Michael Anthony’s at 843-785-6272 for details and to reserve your spot. 

Buon Natale!

When: 4 p.m.-close, Dec. 24

Where: Nunzio Restaurant + Bar

Details: Nunzio is taking reservations for Christmas Eve featuring Nunzio’s à la carte menu and the Feast of the Seven Fish prix fixe menu. Seating is limited, so reserve your spot now. nunziohhi.com

Entertaining for the Holidays

When: 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Dec. 8

Where: TCL Culinary Institute of the South

Details: Orchid Paulmeier, winner of The Next Food Network Star and executive chef and managing partner of One Hot Mama’s American Grille, will teach you how to make savory and sweet original recipes suitable for entertaining family and friends for the holidays. tcl.edu 

Cooking the Gullah Way

When: 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Dec. 16

Where: TCL Culinary Institute of the South

Details: Best-selling cookbook author Sallie Ann Robinson will prepare some of her favorite Lowcountry recipes she learned from her mother and grandmother while growing up on Daufuskie Island. tcl.edu

Redefining Taste

When: 6:30 p.m., Dec. 6

Where: Nunzio Restaurant + Bar

Details: The Prisoner Wine Dinner at Nunzio Restaurant + Bar combines a winter dinner menu and bold wines from The Prisoner Wine Co., featuring special guest Michael Potter from Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. nunziohhi.com

Pajama Party

When: 6 a.m.-noon, Dec. 31

Where: Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe

Details: Get your final Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe fix in your pajamas before they are closed from Jan. 1-16. But don’t fret, they’ll be back on the 17th. palmettobaysunrisecafe.com

Santa Visits and Gingerbread Trail

When: 1:45-4 p.m., Dec. 2, 9 & 16 

Where: Village at Wexford

Details: Celebrate the arrival of Santa and enjoy the gingerbread trail while doing some holiday shopping. villageatwexford.com 

Wine Down Wednesday

When: 5-7:30 p.m., Dec. 6

Where: Village at Wexford

Details: This Wine Down Wednesday, “Progressive Wine Tasting Through the Village,” benefits Second Helpings. villageatwexford.com 

SOBA Holiday Market

When: Gallery hours, Now-Dec. 23

Where: SOBA Gallery

Details: Artists of the Society of Bluffton Artists (SOBA) are creating original, one-of-a-kind handmade gifts for the holiday market, including wreaths, small paintings, holiday decor and more. sobagallery.com

December Solstice event

When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Dec. 13

Where: One Care Spa

Details: Join the One Care Spa in celebrating the holiday season with special event pricing on select treatments, door prizes and giveaways, a cooking class with Dr. Binamira and more. onecarespa.com

Farmers and Art Markets

Enjoy the local flavors of the Lowcountry with some of these regular farmers’ and art markets:

• Bluffton Farmers Market: Noon-5 p.m., Thursdays, 68 Boundary St.
• Hilton Head Island Farmers Market: 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Tuesdays, Coastal Discovery Museum
• Port Royal Farmers Market: 9 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, Naval Heritage Park
• Forsythe Farmers Market: 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturdays, Savannah
• The Root and Bloom Market: 3-7 p.m., Wednesdays, Martin Family Park in Bluffton
• Beaufort First Friday: 5-8 p.m., first Friday of each month, Downtown Beaufort
• Hilton Head Community Market: 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Saturdays, Shelter Cove Community Park
• Farmers & Makers Market: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesdays, The Shops at Sea Pines Center
• Bluffton Night Bazaar: 5-8 p.m., first Thursday of each month, Burnt Church Distillery
• Palmetto Bluff Holiday Farmers Market: 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Dec. 17, Village Green in Wilson Village

Music & Entertainment

Regular live music venues

Life is better with music, so why not enjoy live music every day of the week? These are some of our favorite local spots with regular live music this month. Check their websites and Facebook pages for details. 

DAILY LIVE MUSIC VENUES 

• Brother Shucker’s 
• Coast, Oceanfront Dining
• FISH Casual Coastal Seafood
• Frosty Frog
• Harbourside
• Kind of Blue 
• Quarterdeck
• Ruby Lee’s
• Scott’s Fish Market
• Skull Creek Boathouse
• The Boardroom
• The Jazz Corner
• The Salty Dog Cafe
• The Sandbar Beach Eats

OTHER MUSIC VENUES

• A Lowcountry Backyard Restaurant (weekdays)
• Big Bamboo Cafe (Mondays-Saturdays)
• Black Marlin Bayside Grill & Hurricane Bar (Wednesdays-Saturdays)
• Burnt Church Distillery (Thursdays-Saturdays)
• Captain Woody’s Bluffton (Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays)
• Captain Woody’s Hilton Head (Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays)
• Carolina Crab Company (Sundays)
• Celeste (Fridays & Saturdays)
• Cheap Seats Tavern 2 (Thursdays-Saturdays)
• Chophouse 119 (Tuesdays & Fridays)
• Deano’s Wood-Fired Grille (Fridays-Saturdays)
• Hilton Head Tavern (Mondays & Tuesdays)
• Jarvis Creek General Store (Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays)
• Local Pie (Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays)
• Lucky Beach Bar + Kitchen (Fridays)
• Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar (Fridays & Sundays)
• Nectar Farm Kitchen in Old Town Bluffton (Fridays-Sundays)
• Old Town Dispensary (Wednesdays-Sundays) 
• Red Fish (Tuesdays-Saturdays) 
• Reilley’s Grill & Bar (Wednesdays-Fridays)
• San Miguel’s Mexican Cafe (Thursdays-Saturdays)
• The Rooftop Bar at Poseidon (Wednesdays & Thursdays)
• Tio’s Latin American Kitchen Bluffton (Fridays & Sundays)
• UnCorked Wine, Bar, Food, and Music (Tuesdays-Saturdays)

Holiday Jazz

When: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 8

Where: SoundWaves at Coligny

Details: The Hilton Head International Piano Competition presents internationally renowned classical and jazz pianist Simon Mulligan in an evening of holiday-themed music for solo piano. hhipc.org

Light & Lighter Holiday Concert

When: 7 p.m., Dec. 15

Where: First Presbyterian Church

Details: The Hilton Head Choral Society presents a holiday concert featuring an inspiring illumination followed by some lighter, fun, and familiar Holiday songs to bring warm nostalgia to the season. hiltonheadchoralsociety.org 

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

When: 6 p.m., Dec. 14

Where: SoundWaves at Coligny

Details: Celebrating a new partnership with the renowned American Traditions Vocal Collection, this new high-energy, three-concert cabaret series pays homage to legendary vocal hits of Broadway and American musical styles. hhso.org

Days of Celebration: Kwanzaa and Watch Night

When: 6:30 p.m., Dec. 5

Where: SoundWaves at Coligny

Details: The Gullah concert event series, Gullah Cultural Series, continues its second year with a timely observation of two seasonal cultural traditions, a dinner and a concert. hhso.org 

Open mic nights

When: 6-9 p.m., Wednesdays

Where: Jarvis Creek General Store

Details: Discover local talent and get the chance to perform at Jarvis Creek General Store every Wednesday at its open mic nights. Enjoy craft beer, wine and food trucks. Check their Facebook page for more details.

Shore Notes hosting free Coastal Christmas concerts

Get in the holiday spirit with three free Christmas concerts by the Shore Notes A Capella Chorus. Find more details at ShoreNotes.com. 

• Dec. 3: Island Lutheran Church, Hilton Head Island, 3:30 p.m.
• Dec. 9: Lord of Life Lutheran, Bluffton, 3:30 p.m.
• Dec. 10: First Presbyterian Church, Beaufort, 4 p.m.