Holiday decorations can bring people together and contribute to the local economy, but they also give a glimpse into a city’s need to plan, strategize, budget and flex its creative muscle.
The City of Conway garnered some attention when the Hallmark movie “Christmas in Conway” debuted in 2013. There was just one problem — it was filmed in Wilmington, NC. That spurred Conway to up its Christmas decor, with a drive-through light show and more decorations added to the city. By 2020, city leaders felt their Christmas town belonged in Southern Living, and visited other cities featured in the magazine to see what it took to be considered.
“At some point, we realized that every city that is pretty successful celebrates Christmas big, so it's very hard to stand out,” said Adam Emrick, the city administrator. “So, we decided to pivot to Halloween, and we try to raise the bar on every holiday.”
Each October, hundreds of plastic pumpkins hang from trees in downtown Conway, while a haunted pirate ship, skeletons and other decor fill the city’s downtown. The Riverwalk becomes the “Shiverwalk.” This year, the building department is carving an 8-foot-tall jack-o’-lantern out of plastic foam and using a computerized device to render a 4-foot-high face of the mayor as the Wizard of Oz. Movie scenes are being depicted around the city, and a 12-foot skeleton is being covered with tiny mirror tiles for a skeleton disco park that will bring in a DJ to play music for a party.
Also, the city ceremonially changes its name to the “City of Halloween, South Carolina,” by a proclamation each year.
“It’s just grown and grown and grown and grown. And we started celebrating other holidays, too. Last year, we did Valentine's Day, and we had free gondola rides. We had signs all over town that say, ‘kiss me,’ ‘hug me,’ best friends,’ ‘single and looking.’ And we did Easter, too,” Emrick said. “We're now known for something other than being near Myrtle Beach. And we just love it like crazy.”
The decorations appeal to families and tourists — even teenagers — who are spending time downtown taking photos, enjoying the holiday spirit and sharing their experiences through social media posts.
“I think one of my favorite ones is, ‘We just can't wait to see what Conway does next.’ That's cool to have people anticipate what your next move is going to be,” Emrick said.
The city stores its holiday decorations in 15 shipping containers, while the bay for the Grounds & Maintenance Department is occupied by skeletons, gondolas and trains. There are now three employees who do holiday construction, building arches and pirate ships and snowmen, along with a holiday coordinator at city hall.
“Those positions didn't exist before this year,” Emrick said, adding that many decorations are purchased used or damaged, and city staff repairs them.
“A new, 30-foot tree for Christmas is like $100,000. We have trees and a 20-foot walk-through ornament, a 20-foot snowman. We buy these things when they're pretty beat up, and then we rehab them in-house,” Emrick said. “If we did not have a talented staff, we would not be able to do a fraction what we do.”
The funding for holiday decor comes from the hospitality tax earned by Conway, but Emrick said the city returns more than it spends every year. And the events have paid dividends for downtown businesses, with October sales now topping December. Halloween activities bring people downtown from the third week in September through the first of November, with 235,000 visitors in October 2024 — 60,000 more than in December.
“Yesterday, I got two calls. People were making plane reservations for their relatives, and they wanted to make sure that all the decorations and everything would be ready by October 2,” said Hillary Howard, executive director of Conway Downtown Alive.
For Emrick, the secret to the success has been identifying the city’s goal, and no longer scheduling its fall festival around nearby small towns or events at Myrtle Beach.
“We said, ‘We're not doing that anymore. We're not doing what everybody does. We're doing something completely different.’ And that's how we ended up with Halloween. I really think now that we're trying to compete with Disney and we're trying to compete with Carowinds. And if you identify who you're actually competing with, you can elevate your game. Don't compete with those cities that are smaller than you. Don't compete with the cities that are next to you. Compete with the place that you want to be, whether they know it or not.”
The City of Camden is another spot in South Carolina that goes all out for the holidays.
“Christmas in Camden is truly a big deal for our community. This special season brings together families, neighbors, and visitors from across the region to celebrate our rich holiday traditions,” Mayor Vincent Sheheen said. “It's a time when Camden's historic charm shines brightest, reminding us all why this season holds such a cherished place in our hearts and our community's identity."
Katharine Spadacenta, Camden’s community development coordinator, noted that the city “is often described as such a ‘Hallmark Channel town,’ and Christmas is when we really take that concept over the top. The decorations are part of creating that charming, picturesque atmosphere that draws visitors.”
Camden changed its Christmas tree in 2024, opting for a 34-foot artificial tree to replace the live tree damaged by Hurricane Helene, and moving it from the front of city hall to the heart of downtown. Camden also decorates with streamers that run from the city’s iconic King Haigler clock tower and rooftop lights, and the lamp posts throughout downtown and the commercial districts are adorned with seasonal wreaths and banners.
The city also added whimsical elements, such as little knit scarves for all 12 bronze Boykin Spaniel statues around town, which became a hit on social media.
This year, Camden plans to make it snow downtown — by artificial means — every Friday in December, and downtown merchants are planning storefront window decorations, creating a coordinated, community-wide effort that enhances the visitor experience, she said.
The city has spent considerably more in the past two years to refresh its inventory and make major purchases, but expects to spend less over the next 5-10 years.
"Take your time, because holiday decorations are expensive and there is a large staff requirement. You can't go from zero to 100 in one year,” Spadacenta said. “Build little by little — make one big purchase each year rather than trying to do everything at once. This allows you to gradually build your inventory while managing both budget and staff resources effectively.
Camden’s holiday decorating begins November 1 and requires hundreds of hours of staff time, with public works crews working every day for three weeks and the electric crew working overnight shifts to minimize traffic disruption. All of the lights and decorations are installed and ready before Camden “flips the switch” the day after Thanksgiving, she said.
When Alicia Griffith started as the Main Street director in Clover more than two years ago, responsibility for the town’s Christmas decorations fell to her. The stock of decorations at that time was generally made up of items needing to be replaced or repaired, she said.
She decided to start with a master plan for decorations, and vetted the list through community stakeholders, asking what people would like to see. The overall goal was a new tree, new ornaments, poles and lights. These were big ideas – with a big price tag.
“I knew we needed to break it down into phases, because we're going to be spending a lot of money on Christmas decorations, so when these need to be replaced or things start breaking, we will then be replacing them in phases and not all at once.”
The town started with a little splash in several parts of downtown, with an overhang of snowflakes over the square and a new tree. The 16-foot artificial tree purchased the first year will grow a foot or two this year as the town adds to its base, with plans to make it even larger. The plan also calls for downtown buildings to be outlined in lights, with poles decorated to connect the north and south ends of town. It also calls for Centennial Park, at the main intersection, to be revamped for the holidays.
She suggested towns looking to improve or add to their holiday decorations think about a master plan.
“Take away the cost factor and just say, ‘What would you like to have in your town or in your city?’ After you figure out everything that you want, break it down into reasonable sections to where you can one day master that master plan,” Griffith said. “It’s not just saying, ‘Okay, I have $50,000 this year. What can you do with that?’ because then you start trying to spread the money instead of thinking about what you can do in a five-year plan. Treat it like a business would look at it and formulate a business plan.”