ChristmasVille runs Thursday, Dec. 3 through Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, in Old Town Rock Hill. This is the 21st festival. Its gnomes, its Santa and this year's theme all come from one illustrator, Vernon Grant, who lived in Rock Hill for more than 40 years. His work stays up within a few blocks of Main Street all year. On Friday of festival weekend, anyone who stops by the Arts Council at 121 E. Main St. can vote on which Grant illustration becomes the featured artwork for ChristmasVille 2027.
So a ChristmasVille weekend is really a walk through one artist's work, and this year the people walking it help pick the next chapter. Below is where his gnomes come from, where they sit the rest of the year, and how to follow them through the four days.
The Illustrator Who Settled on a Rock Hill Farm
The Culture & Heritage Museums biography traces the gnomes back to Grant's childhood on a South Dakota homestead. As a boy he made toys and figurines from riverbank clay, and those figures became the gnomes he later drew, often in oversized clothes and shoes like the ones he wore as a child. In 1933 he created Snap, Crackle and Pop, the three gnome mascots of Kellogg's Rice Krispies.
After entertaining troops with the USO in World War II, Grant moved to Rock Hill with his wife, Elizabeth "Libby" Fewell Grant, and their two children. For a few years he commuted to New York City for commercial work. In the 1950s he stepped back from it to raise grass and cattle on a farm called Pinetuck. He later worked for the City of Rock Hill's Housing Authority and Chamber of Commerce. In the 1970s he named the Museum of York County as the home for his artwork, and the museum began making annual holiday cards from his Santa Claus images, a tradition it still keeps up. Grant died in July 1990 at 88. In 2006 his collection was formally donated to Culture & Heritage Museums.
The detail about the clothes explains the 2026 theme, "Old Town, New Memories." The festival says the theme was inspired by a Grant illustration called Big Britches to Fill. On its About page, the festival connects that image to the idea that "we all step into something bigger when we choose to carry tradition forward." The oversized britches go back to the boy on the homestead wearing clothes he hadn't grown into yet.
Where the Gnomes Stay the Rest of the Year
Culture & Heritage Museums names ChristmasVille as one of two annual Rock Hill festivals that feature Grant's art. The Come-See-Me Festival is the other. Outside those festivals, his work stays up in three places downtown.
| Where | What's there | Since |
|---|---|---|
| York County Library in Rock Hill | A large mural of Grant's gnomes and other characters, which Visit York County described as meant to be seen year-round | Completed October 2022 |
| Lowenstein Building, White Street | The Vernon Grant Commemorative Exhibit: a permanent timeline of his career by decade, plus a small curated selection that changes every year | Permanent display, current selection for 2026 |
| Main Street Children's Museum | A play space that Culture & Heritage Museums modeled on Grant's illustrations | Opened by CHM in 2010 |
This year's selection at the Lowenstein Building focuses on Grant's technology advertising. The 2026 display features his original advertisements and reproduction prints for technology brands, which CHM connects to the history of the building itself. Over his career Grant drew ads for Packard Automobile, Eveready Batteries, General Electric and RCA Victor, along with the nursery rhymes and magazine covers he is better known for. The library mural is listed on the City's Mural Mile, so festival-goers can fold it into a walk between events.
Following the Gnomes Through Four Days
The festival advertises nearly 70 events and activities. The ones built around Grant's characters are concentrated on the weekend, and most are free.
| Day | Event | Time and place | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Opening Ceremony + Santa's Arrival | 6–6:45 p.m., Fountain Park, 300 E. Main St. | Free |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Vernon Grant Exhibit + People's Choice | 9 a.m.–2 p.m., The Arts Council, 121 E. Main St. | Free |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Gingerbread, LEGO and Ornament Displays and Voting | 9 a.m.–2 p.m., Center for the Arts, 121 E. Main St. | Listed on the festival calendar |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Grant the Gnome's Grand Playland | 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Old Town near Fountain Park | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Gnome on the Roam | 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Main Street | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Gnome Home | 9 a.m.–4 p.m., East Main Street | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Playland, Gnome on the Roam and Gnome Home | Noon–4 p.m. | Free |
The Saturday listing also includes Santa's Main Street Workshop, a Coloring Wall, food vendors and stage entertainment. Sunday adds Sensory Sensitive Santa and a Beer Garden. Families planning around a single day will find the gnome events concentrated on Saturday, with the longest hours.
The Ballot at 121 East Main
The People's Choice vote shows how much the festival depends on Grant. The event page describes him as "the artist who inspired ChristmasVille." The illustration with the most votes becomes the featured artwork for the 2027 festival and will be unveiled at this year's Closing Ceremony. The exhibit is free and is on display at the Center for the Arts.
The Arts Council and the Center for the Arts share the same address, 121 E. Main St. That makes Friday morning a single stop: you can see the Grant exhibit, cast a People's Choice vote and vote on the gingerbread, LEGO and ornament displays, all between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The gingerbread contest series has run since Nov. 1, so the entries will have been building for a month by festival week. The Vernon Grant Exhibit also appears on the Saturday and Sunday listings for anyone who can't make it Friday.
The festival also has a new structure behind it. ChristmasVille now operates as an independent 501(c)(3). Its 2026 board includes representatives of the City of Rock Hill, the Arts Council of York County, Visit York County, Winthrop University and Culture & Heritage Museums. Faith Hill is Festival Chair and Gracie Waldrop is Executive Director.
What Moved Since the 20th Anniversary
The Herald reported that the 2025 festival, its 20th anniversary, had nearly 100 events and several debuts. Some of those debuts are back in 2026, and some have new times or locations.
- 20th & Main returns, and its event page calls it "back by popular demand." It's a ticketed evening on Thursday, Dec. 3, 7–11 p.m., held across The Gathering Space at 135 E. Main St., Elsie's and Kounter. The Herald's 2025 preview introduced it as a formal-wear anniversary event.
- Jingle Shells Oyster Roast moves from a Sunday afternoon on Caldwell Street in 2025 to Saturday, Dec. 5, 5–7 p.m., on the patio at McFadden's Men Shop.
- Joyful Noise was a 2 p.m. caroling stroll in 2025. In 2026 it's a Sing-A-Long on Saturday, noon–12:30 p.m., at the Main Street Stage.
- North Pole Nights, the adults-only evening that debuted in 2025, is back on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Several events need registration or tickets in advance. The Historic Tour is a paid 45-minute guided tour on Dec. 4 and 5, departing from The Thread at 220 W. White St. The Whimsical Character Breakfast at The Gathering Space on Saturday morning costs $45. Horse-drawn carriage rides run Dec. 5 and 6 from the corner of Main Street and Elizabeth Lane, and advance tickets are recommended. Thursday's glow-in-the-dark ChristmasVille Classic disc golf and Sunday's Merry Mulligans indoor golf both require paid registration. Preschool Day runs Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon, at the Freedom Center, 215 E. Main St. It requires free registration. The registration page lists everything that needs a sign-up.
Friday Night and Where to Park
Friday has the busiest evening. Food vendors run 4–9 p.m., Taste of ChristmasVille runs 5–11 p.m., and the Rock Hill Christmas Parade steps off at 6:30 p.m. According to the City's parade page, the lineup filled after applications opened Sept. 23. This year the parade adds awards in four entry categories, and each winner gets free entry to next year's parade.
The festival's visit guide points drivers to the City's downtown parking. The City's parking page lists the Black Street Deck at 121 E. Black St. and the Elizabeth Lane Deck at 116 S. Elizabeth Ln. as public parking structures. The Elizabeth Lane deck is the closer one to the carriage pickup at Main Street and Elizabeth Lane.
Kim Hamrick has spent more than 20 years helping families settle into York County, and Old Town traditions like this one are part of what we talk through with buyers and sellers. If you're wondering what your home is worth this season, reach out to The Kim Hamrick Team and get your instant home valuation.
