The largest holiday light show the Sandhills has ever staged opens Friday, Nov. 27, inside the Sandhills Horticultural Gardens on the Sandhills Community College campus. More than one million lights will run Wednesdays through Sundays, 5 to 10 p.m., through Jan. 9, 2027. For years the holiday evening calendar in Pinehurst has centered on the Village Green and The Carolina Hotel. This season it adds a six-week run at 3245 Airport Rd.
The two nights that take the most planning are both Fridays. Opening night shares Nov. 27 with Pinehurst Resort's drone show at The Cradle. On Dec. 4, the Village Christmas Tree Lighting and one of Santa's scheduled nights at the Gardens start at the same minute, 6:30 p.m.
From a brick path to half of a 34-acre garden
Last winter's lights at the college were modest by comparison. The Pilot reported on a display of light tunnels and more than 15 themed trees along the brick pathway between the Boyd Library and the Dempsey Student Center. It stayed up through Jan. 5, 2026, from 4:30 p.m. to midnight, and the college's facilities team and its faculty, staff and students set it up and decorated it.
This year's show is a different scale. According to the Sandhills Community College announcement dated June 3, 2026, the display covers about half of the Horticultural Gardens' 34 acres. It is produced by Mosca Design of Youngsville, N.C., the company behind holiday displays at the Greensboro Science Center, the Cape Fear Botanical Garden in Fayetteville and Illuminights in Roanoke, Va.
The college's partner is Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, the area tourism agency. In the same announcement, the agency's president and CEO, Phil Werz, said, "We approached the college with the idea and they loved it." College President Alexander "Sandy" Stewart said, "We are a college for the community, and nothing brings community togetherness like the holidays." Pinehurst Resort lists the event on its calendar, but the partnership is between the tourism agency and the college.
How the walk works
The Garden of Lights is a one-way walk-through, so how you arrive matters more than at a park event where people drift in and out. Here is what the college's event page spells out:
- Park on campus for free. Shuttles run between the parking areas and the event. The lot beside the Ball Visitor Center is reserved for guests with disabilities and mobility needs.
- Start at the Ball Visitor Center and finish near Steed Hall. The route is about 0.4 mile.
- Bring your own mobility device if you need one. Personal wheelchairs and mobility scooters are welcome, golf carts are not, and the college has no devices to rent or loan.
- Leave the cash at home. The event is cashless, and tickets will be sold online in advance. The page lists tickets as coming soon, with pricing to be posted there. Groups of 10 or more can call 910-695-3884.
- Expect it to run in the rain. If the college closes the Gardens for dangerous weather such as freezing rain, high winds or lightning, tickets are honored on another date, and the primary ticket holder is notified by email.
Along the route you'll find interactive illuminated orbs and photo spots. At the end, the finale has a giant walk-through mushroom, oversized flowers and a rainbow caterpillar. Concessions include hot chocolate and hot and cold adult drinks.
Opening night shares a Friday with the drone show
Nov. 27 is the day after Thanksgiving, and it is the busiest evening on the holiday calendar. The Garden of Lights opens at 5 p.m. The same night, Pinehurst Resort holds its 3rd annual Festive in Flight above The Cradle. The event opens at 5 p.m., and the 500-drone show starts promptly at 7 and ends by 7:15.
The drone show needs its own ticket. Children 2 and under get in free, ages 3 to 11 need a child ticket, and everyone 12 and older needs an adult ticket. Seating is limited, so the resort suggests bringing lawn chairs. It runs rain or shine, with DJ Saxy, a Moore County local, playing music and the Maniac Grill food truck on site.
The two schedules fit together. The drones finish by 7:15 and the Gardens stay open until 10, so both are possible on the same night with separate tickets. Santa is at the Garden of Lights from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on opening night. If you're going to both, see him at The Cradle, where the resort also lists a Santa visit, and walk the Gardens afterward.
The Santa nights, and the nights the Gardens go dark
Santa's schedule changes through the season. Some visits start at 5:30 p.m. and others at 6:30, so check the date before you go.
| Dates | Santa's hours |
|---|---|
| Nov. 27–29 | 5:30–8:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 2, Dec. 4 | 6:30–9:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 5–6 | 5:30–8:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 9–10 | 6:30–9:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 12–13 | 5:30–8:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 18 | 6:30–9:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 19 | 5:30–8:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 26–27 | 5:30–8:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 30 | 6:30–9:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 2–3 | 5:30–8:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 6–8 | 6:30–9:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 9 | 5:30–8:30 p.m. |
The show is closed every Monday and Tuesday. A seasonal staffing notice from the college also lists closures on Dec. 24, Dec. 25, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Those four dates fall on Thursdays and Fridays, so the last two weeks of December have fewer open nights than the calendar might suggest. Check the event page before a holiday-week visit.
The college's June announcement said the run would end Jan. 10. The current event page and the resort's listing both say Saturday, Jan. 9.
Dec. 4 is the night with two places to be at 6:30
The Village of Pinehurst's Christmas Tree Lighting runs Friday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at James W. Tufts Memorial Park, 1 Village Green Rd. West. The tree is lit at 6:30. Santa's shift at the Garden of Lights starts at 6:30 that night too and runs until 9:30. That leaves room for both. The Village event ends at 7:30, and the Gardens are open until 10 with Santa there for two more hours.
Here is how the stretch leading up to Dec. 4 lays out:
- Nov. 18–21: The 30th annual Festival of Trees at The Carolina Hotel, 80 Carolina Vista Drive, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is a monetary donation, and the event benefits Sandhills Children's Center.
- Nov. 21: The Village Turkey Trot at the Village Arboretum, 375 Magnolia Rd.
- Nov. 23–28: The Village's Shop Small This Season and Small Business Saturday promotion. Bring proof of an eligible Village purchase to the Welcome Center and each receipt earns an entry in a drawing for local-business gift baskets.
- Nov. 25: Glow Golf at The Cradle, with tee times from 6:10 to 9:30 p.m.
- Nov. 27: Garden of Lights opening night and Festive in Flight.
- Dec. 4: Village Christmas Tree Lighting and a Santa night at the Gardens.
Before this year, the evening holiday events on this list all happened in or around the Village and the resort. Starting Nov. 27, every Wednesday through Sunday evening also has a stop on Airport Road.
The same ground by daylight
The lights cover about half the Gardens. The rest of the site is worth knowing on its own terms, because outside the event it is free. The college lists free admission and winter hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Nov. 1 through March 31. On light-show nights, the Gardens close at 5 under those hours and the show opens at 5.
The Gardens include 16 separate gardens built around plant collections. A few to look for in daylight:
- Margaret Ambrose Japanese Garden: three acres with a dry creek, a stone basin and drip fountain, an upper pond, a viewing shelter and a Zen garden.
- Sir Walter Raleigh Garden: a formal English-style garden with a Holly Maze, Fountain Courtyard, Sunken Garden, Ceremonial Courtyard and Herb Garden.
- Desmond Native Wetland Trail Garden: a boardwalk through native wetland plants, with a deck overlooking the lake.
- Ebersole Holly Garden: the first garden established here, which historically held 28 holly species and about 350 cultivars. It is now being renovated and restored.
A holly maze in December and a lit walk the same evening make a full day on one campus.
If you want help fitting the Garden of Lights, the drone show and the tree lighting into one holiday week, or you'd just like a local's take on which Friday to pick, I'm happy to talk it through. I live this calendar every season, and nothing makes me happier than seeing neighbors get the most out of it. Kelly Ward is always one call away. Let's Connect.
