Two days, two products
Southern Living Illumination Charleston runs December 4 and 5, 2026. The registration page lists two products. The $225 Signature Experience Pass covers Friday and Saturday. The $125 Standard Pass covers Saturday alone.
Both Friday sessions read Sold Out on the registration form. The $125 pass is the product on sale.
The $225 pass covers both days
Friday is the Southern Living Signature Experience, titled Sweet Holiday Creations with Courtney Dial Whitmore. The class runs at 28 Ann Street.
Whitmore teaches a hands-on gingerbread house class. Guests pipe, decorate and style a house of their own, and the session includes bubbly. She works from her book, The Gingerbread Party: Recipes and Traditions for Christmas Entertaining.
Two sessions run, at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and the guest picks one at registration. The pass includes a Saturday Holiday Market ticket.
The registration form closes the Friday tier
The form carries the two session options with the label Sold Out beneath each. A guest who wants the gingerbread class has no open slot to buy.
The pass and the session are one purchase. Friday carries no separate ticket.
The $125 pass covers Saturday
The Standard Pass admits one guest to the Southern Living Holiday Market and Festive Demonstrations at the Charleston Visitor Center, 375 Meeting Street.
The market runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on December 5 under a tent outdoors. Southern Living editors, chefs, authors and Southern personalities run live demonstrations and seminars through those hours. Pop-up booths sell gifts and seasonal food.
Refreshments are included, with light bites, beer and wine. The event admits guests 21 and older.
The talent page lists Courtney Dial Whitmore, James Farmer, Terrence Hayes, Katie Lee, Ivy Odom and Michelle Wallace. The page notes that talent is subject to change.
Five hours shape the stay
A five-hour Saturday window sets the travel plan. A guest holding the $125 pass arrives Saturday morning and books one night in Charleston, with checkout on Sunday.
A guest holding the $225 pass needs two nights, Friday December 4 and Saturday December 5, for a Sunday checkout. Every Friday session starts at or after noon.
The two venues sit 0.15 miles apart in the 29403 ZIP, so one room serves either schedule.
The market closes at 3 p.m. A Saturday-only guest keeps the evening in the city before a Sunday drive.
Five rooms near the Visitor Center
Our directory lists these Charleston properties with street addresses and road distance to the center.
The Dewberry, 334 Meeting Street, 0.38 miles. Hotel Bennett, 404 King Street, 0.40 miles. Francis Marion Hotel, 387 King Street, 0.57 miles. Belmond Charleston Place, 205 Meeting Street, 0.91 miles. Emeline, 181 Church Street, 0.95 miles.
Four of the five sit inside a mile. Ask each property for the all-in nightly figure, with state and local accommodation taxes included.
All sales are final
The organiser states that all ticket sales are final and non-refundable. The event runs rain or shine inside a tented outdoor space.
The 21-and-over rule applies to both days. The terms bar anyone under 21. Infants and small children in carriers fall inside that rule.
Parking details are unpublished. The organiser states that event parking information will come closer to the event date. A guest booking a non-refundable room confirms the parking plan before paying for it.
Tickets arrive by email at the address given at checkout.
Check four things before you pay
Accessibility details arrive in advance. A guest with a specific need emails southernlivingeventteam@people.inc, the address the organiser lists for registration questions.
The organiser cannot guarantee that participating chefs avoid nuts, dairy or gluten, and it states that not every dish has a vegetarian option. Ask the chef or vendor at the booth.
Photography and video are welcome, with the hashtag #SLIllumination. Animals are barred, and service animals sit outside that rule. Smoking and vaping are banned.
The organiser hosts the market outdoors under a tent. Rain does not move it indoors.
Set the order
Open the registration page and read the two session lines first. A Sold Out label on both closes the $225 product for this cycle. Buy the $125 pass, book one Saturday night, and confirm the parking plan with the organiser before the room becomes non-refundable.