Sumter Hosts South Carolina’s Largest Free Christmas Light Display

SUMTER, S.C. (December 1, 2020) – City of Sumter’s world-famous Swan Lake Iris Gardens is hosting the annual Fantasy of Lights event from Dec. 1 – 31, 2020, located at 822 W. Liberty St. in Sumter, to celebrate the holiday season.

The lights will be along the main parking lot area of the gardens, along Liberty Street and Garden Street (enter at Liberty Street and exit onto Oakland Avenue). The light display will be open nightly from Sunday to Thursday until 9 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m. Admission to enter the gardens to view the light display is free to the public.

Drive through gates at Swan Lake Iris Gardens will open to the public at 6PM on Tuesday, December 1, 2020. The Mayor and City Council will host a live, online opening ceremony via the City's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SumterSC/), starting at 5:45 PM Tuesday.

“The annual Fantasy of Lights event is unique to the Sumter community and we invite visitors from surrounding communities to join us as we partake in this holiday tradition,” stated David Merchant, mayor of Sumter. “This is an event that can be enjoyed from the safety of your family vehicle as we must be mindful of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”

This event is designed to be a drive through, but visitors can park to take pictures with the lights. Visitors are reminded to remain physically distant and wear a facial covering when exiting vehicles to take pictures with the lights. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Santa's Village on Friday and Saturday nights at the Heath Pavilion will not take place in 2020.

For more information on Swan Lake Iris Gardens and the Fantasy of Lights, please visit https://www.sumtersc.gov/FantasyOfLights.

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