Christmas cheer is back! Here’s when and where holiday celebrations will take place this weekend

Christmas cheer is returning this year! While many events had to be moved online last year due to the pandemic, real-life Christmas parades in Rock Hill, Fort Mill Lancaster and Chester are returning.

It’s time to kick off the holiday season and celebrate! Here are the details.

• Rock Hill’s parade will kick off Friday night in Old Town. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Oakland Avenue and end at Fountain Park on Main Street. You can expect a similar spectacle to year’s past -- music, floats decked with elves, lights and locals dressed in their Christmas best. And of course, Santa will be there.

• In Fort Mill, festivities will begin Saturday at 11 a.m. Attendees will see a collection of bands, floats, dancing, go carts, singing and more, according to the parade’s event page.

• The city of Lancaster’s parade will begin Saturday at 5 p.m., with a tree lighting at 7 p.m. The parade will begin on the corner of Main Street and Springs Street and walk through historic downtown. This year’s theme is “Winter Wonderland.” City officials have requested that all floats and all people wear some sort of lighting or reflective material. Previous parades have featured musical performances, visits from Santa Claus, a marching band and more.

• The city of Chester will hold its Christmas festival of Lights Parade on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. Participants should gather at the Joe Collins Stadium between 3:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. All units are required to have lights, according to a press release, to create a “lighted parade.” The parade route is as follows: York Street to Hudson Street, then to Gadsden Street, ending at Columbia Street. There will be a tree lighting ceremony from 7:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. in downtown Chester. The ceremony will offer caroling, food vendors, ornament decorating, family pictures, free hot chocolate, and a visit from Santa.