Yes, There Will Be Waistcoats.
Christmas does not tiptoe into Myrtle Beach. On November 12, it arrives wearing a waistcoat, accompanied by Victorian musicians, period-costumed shopkeepers and enough holiday merchandise to make December suddenly feel much closer.
The Dickens Christmas Show & Festivals returns to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center November 12 through 15 for its 45th year, turning a 100,800-square-foot exhibit hall into something resembling a Victorian holiday marketplace with considerably better indoor plumbing.
What has kept people coming back for four and a half decades is bigger than Christmas shopping. The show commits fully to the premise.
Shopping With a Supporting Cast
According to the event’s 2026 vendor brochure, more than 300 vendors take part, many dressed for the period while selling art, handmade goods, jewelry, clothing, toys, collectibles, specialty foods and holiday décor.
The show experience includes strolling Victorian musicians, Punch & Judy shows, street performers, a historic Santa exhibit and other bits of theatrical business scattered through the marketplace. Elaborate displays of decorated trees, tables, wreaths and stockings add another layer, with the displays sold through silent auction and all proceeds going to their sponsoring nonprofits.
Forty-Five Years of Playing Along
The longevity starts to make sense once you consider the alternative. Holiday shopping is usually an errand. Dickens turns it into a reason to stay awhile.
Visitors can browse, watch performers, inspect over-the-top Christmas displays and encounter enough bonnets, top hats and waistcoats to briefly forget there is a beach a few blocks away.
The 2026 show runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Current advance tickets are available in single-day and multi-day options.
After 45 years, the formula remains cheerfully committed to spectacle. The presents matter, certainly. But plenty of places can sell you a Christmas gift.
Far fewer are willing to dress like Charles Dickens might stop by to inspect it.
For more South Carolina celebrations worth circling on the calendar, browse the Guide to South Carolina festival directory at https://guidetosouthcarolina.com/festivals.