It is officially the holiday season, which means the Symphony of Lights event at Merriweather Post Pavilion is back and ready to be enjoyed by all. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some features of the event have changed to ensure the safety of guests and friends.

On November 29, Festive Families, the costume portion of the event, took place as the first walkthrough celebration of the season. On account of Covid-19, some of the procedures that are normally taken have been upgraded to follow CDC guidelines. Caroline Habiger, an attendee of the Festive Families event, stated, “…there was an effort to make the route a single lane so that people were not passing in opposite directions, which let us be more socially distant.” Masks are also required for all participants during the walkthrough events.

There are two more walkthrough events set to take place this year. Tail lights, where attendees can bring their fur babies, is on December 7 from 5:30- 7:30pm. The Midnight on the Hour event will commence at 5:00pm on December 31 as a New Year’s Eve Celebration.  For Midnight on the Hour, the Symphony of Lights team asks that everyone bring their own chair to make for proper social distancing amongst guests. There will also be no food trucks or extra family activities for this year to limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

When tickets are bought for each event, an arrival time slot is given with them. This time slot allows for participants to get to the entrance of the light show ten minutes before their reservation. If the time slot is missed, the reservation will be canceled. According to the official Symphony of Lights website,  “For your chosen time slot, you are only allowed to enter in that 10 minute window. For example, your 5:30-7:30PM ticket allows you entry until 5:10PM only.”  

Even amidst the pandemic, there are still ways to find joy this holiday season. Seeing the Symphony of Lights, visiting Santa at the Mall in Columbia and new, virtual Santa visits, are all ways to find a lasting memory during the pandemic.

Note that all drive-through events at the Symphony of Lights are still occurring. The times are weekdays from 6:00-10:00pm and weekends from 5:00-10:00pm until January 2, 2021. The drive-through show is closed, November 29 and December 7 and 31 for walkthroughs.

Check here for more information on the events and activities that go along with them.

https://www.merriweatherlights.com

https://www.themallincolumbia.com/en/events/virtual-visits-with-santa-34894.html 

https://www.themallincolumbia.com/en/events/photos-with-santa-35027.html