"I still can't believe we opened the doors," Long Bay Theatre founder Greg London told The Post and Courier after the company left Myrtle Beach Mall for its new building at 728 Main Street. The venue opened on Oct. 7 with Mary Poppins and sold out. That same paper reported that the crowds also filled every parking space around Broadway, Main and North Oak streets, in the heart of the Arts & Innovation District.
That opening changes December downtown. For years, a holiday night out in downtown Myrtle Beach meant one walk: Winter Wonderland at The Beach on the Boardwalk. The organizers sell it on being the same every year. "Same nights, same walk, every year. That's the point," reads the Winter Wonderland site. Long Bay's holiday show now runs on Main Street during the same weeks, so downtown's December happens in two places at once. A handful of nights pile both onto the same evening.
The Boardwalk Half Hasn't Changed
Winter Wonderland lights come on Wednesday, Nov. 25, the night before Thanksgiving. They stay on nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. through Jan. 2, and walking the display is free. Last season WMBF described it as a mile-long trail of lights from Plyler Park to the Second Avenue Pier, running through Jan. 4. This year the organizers call it six weeks.
The organizers have put these dates on the 2026 calendar:
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Tree Lighting at Plyler Park, with snow flurries, hot cocoa and Santa
- Nov. 28 and Dec. 5: Santa at Plyler Park
- Tuesday, Dec. 8, 6 p.m.: Twinkling Two-Miler, which you can walk or run
- Thursday, Dec. 10, 6 p.m.: Light Up the Night Bike Ride, with decorated bikes encouraged
- Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11–12: Merry Myrtle Festival, with snow on the Boulevard, a hot cocoa crawl Friday night and sled races Saturday
Visit Myrtle Beach's Oct. 30 holiday guide also lists Merry Myrtle as Dec. 11–12.
The Main Street Half Is Brand New
According to WPDE, Long Bay's building is the first theater to open in downtown's new arts district. It has a larger stage and 200 seats, double the audience of the company's previous location. Community donations paid for the construction through a Capital Campaign with a $1 million goal.
Mary Poppins closed Oct. 25. The holiday production, Single Bells, runs Dec. 2–20. Long Bay's season page lists these ticket prices:
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| VIP, first two rows | $46 |
| General admission | $36 |
| Senior 60+, military, veteran | $34 |
| Student | $28 |
| Children 12 and under | $22 |
Seating within each ticket category is first-come, first-served, and the theater doesn't admit toddlers or infants. The theater also notes that dates and titles are subject to change. Most of its productions play Wednesday through Saturday at 7 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. If Single Bells follows that usual pattern, its evening curtain goes up two hours after the Boardwalk lights come on.
Where the Two Calendars Land on the Same Night
Here the second address starts to matter. Lay the theater's run next to the Boardwalk schedule and the Downtown Alliance's F1rst Friday ArtWalk, and a few December evenings fill up fast:
| Date | Boardwalk and downtown | Main Street |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Lights 5–9 p.m.; ArtWalk 5–8 p.m. | Single Bells evening slot |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Lights 5–9 p.m.; Santa at Plyler Park | Single Bells matinee and evening slots |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Lights 5–9 p.m.; bike ride 6 p.m. | Single Bells matinee and evening slots |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Lights 5–9 p.m.; Merry Myrtle cocoa crawl | Single Bells evening slot |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Lights 5–9 p.m.; Merry Myrtle sled races | Single Bells matinee and evening slots |
Other dates are quieter. The Nov. 28 tree lighting falls before Single Bells opens. On Tuesday, Dec. 8, the Twinkling Two-Miler lands on a night outside the theater's usual performance pattern.
The ArtWalk comes first. The next one is this Friday, Nov. 6, from 5 to 8 p.m., and it falls in the stretch between Long Bay's two shows. The Dec. 4 ArtWalk is a different evening, with the lights, the art walk and a theater audience all downtown at the same hour.
Why Those Nights Come Down to Parking
The Post and Courier's account of opening weekend explains why the overlap matters. A nearby restaurant owner told city council at its Oct. 13 meeting that the 200-seat theater brought at least 100 extra vehicles into the blocks of the historic district. Her 40-seat restaurant shares the street with 10 businesses, and she said all of them felt the pinch.
Mayor Mark Kruea answered plainly in that same report:
"There are solutions in the long-term (Community Improvement Plan) but they're two, three, four, five years away unfortunately, and they're not funded at this point either."
Plans for two parking garages are still waiting on approval. In the meantime, the ideas under discussion include a shuttle for theatergoers, dinner-and-a-show promotions with downtown restaurants, and rotating evening performances between Long Bay and the next theater coming to the block. That next theater is Coastal Carolina University's 300-seat venue across the street, which is projected to be finished by December 2026 and to open formally in early 2027. This December is the last holiday season downtown with one theater on the block.
London told the paper he slips out during shows to walk the neighborhood. He noticed pockets of empty spaces nearby that theatergoers could use instead of the spots right outside the door. Long Bay's own directions mention street parking and a limited lot at Mt. Atlanticus Minotaur Golf.
The Street Map Shifted Last Week
One piece of good news arrived on Oct. 23. WBTW reported that Oak Street between Mr. Joe White Avenue and the Nance Plaza parking lot reopened after nine months of work to replace underground infrastructure dating to the 1930s. The finished stretch has wider sidewalks, new street parking, paver bike lanes and fresh pavement. Crews move next to the area around City Hall, then to Broadway Street between City Hall and Ninth Avenue North. The City Services drive-thru stays closed for now. In a Sept. 14 road project update, the city said Ninth Avenue North work is postponed until fall 2027 to limit the impact on area businesses.
The off-season meter rule also applies here. The city's parking page says city-metered spaces are free from Oct. 1 through Feb. 28 in the area from Sixth Avenue South to 21st Avenue North, west to Kings Highway. Meters outside that zone stay paid year-round. The Pavilion Parking Garage at 914 North Kings Highway houses the city's parking office. The same page notes that South Carolina lets vehicles with a valid handicap placard, Purple Heart, Disabled American Veterans or Medal of Honor tag park free at public meters. The free parking also covers military plates issued since May 6, 2022. Please treat this as general information, not legal advice, and check the city's page for your own plate or placard.
Making the Busy Nights Work
The theater's opening also points to a fix for the crowded nights. A car parked once can cover dinner, a show and the lights. London cited Tasting Room on 9th for running a Mary Poppins-themed menu during opening weekend. The Downtown Alliance's ArtWalk listing names these downtown hosts and dinner stops:
- Fresh Brewed Coffee House, 933 Broadway St.
- Grand Strand Brewing, 819 N. Kings Hwy.
- William H. Miller Studios, 702 8th Ave. N., which hosts a public art-show reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on ArtWalk nights
- Boteco VIP and Tasting Room on 9th, 503 and 505 9th Ave. N.
- Winna's Kitchen, 507 9th Ave. N.
- Swig & Swine, 523 Broadway St.
- The Tavrne, 531 Broadway St.
- Island Vibez, 533 Broadway St.
According to the Alliance, downtown restaurants run dining specials on ArtWalk nights. On Dec. 4, that could mean dinner on Ninth Avenue at 5, Single Bells at 7, and the Boardwalk lights until 9, all on one parking spot. On the Merry Myrtle weekend, a Saturday 2 p.m. matinee lets you see the show in daylight and still be on the Boulevard for the sled races.
I spent 20 years in the Army planning around the busiest hours, and downtown's December rewards the same habit. If you'd like help planning around the overlap nights, or want to talk through what the new Main Street theater block means for downtown Myrtle Beach, the team at Trenette Tucker is ready. Schedule Your Personalized Consultation.
