Highlands’ Christmas events will go on in 2020, albeit with a very different format than in previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Festivities begin on Saturday, Nov. 28 with the annual Highlands Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, which will be shown on Facebook live via the chamber of commerce’s page.
The Highlands Performing Arts Center will be screening the movie “Elf” on its outdoor drive-in screen beginning at 7 p.m. The movie is free, but guests need to reserve a parking space due to limited availability. To reserve a spot, visit highlandspac.net.
The town’s ice skating rink at Founder’s Park will also be open, but is limited to 30 skaters at a time. For skating reservations, visit highlandsnc.org.
The highlight of the Christmas events, the annual Highlands Christmas Parade, will take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5. Unlike traditional parades where large crowds gather to watch the parade pass, this year’s parade will be done the opposite way with floats and displays set up in the center of Main Street so families can drive through and maintain social distance.
“We decided to do the parade at night so it would be after most Main Street retail businesses close,” Highlands Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kaye McHan told the town board of commissioners on Thursday. “All of the floats and displays have been encouraged to incorporate lights into what they are doing, and Main Street has pretty good lighting after dark, so we think it’s going to work great.”
After travelling down Main Street, vehicles will be directed back through Founder’s Park to see the town Christmas tree. WHLC will play a holiday program on the radio for guests to enjoy and Santa Claus will be stationed on a fire truck in the park to greet passersby.
McHan noted that the parade, which will necessitate the closure of Main Street to through traffic, would allow restaurants to remain open and many are preparing for a big night.
“What better way to get in the holiday spirit than to come up, do the drive-thru parade and then have a great meal at one of our restaurants,” McHan said. “There will be no parking on Main Street from 5–9 p.m. but the sidewalks will be open and parking on the side streets will be available.”
Along with the Christmas parade and tree lighting, the Chamber is also sponsoring a “Trim our Town” contest for businesses that choose to decorate for the holiday. Prizes will be awarded to the top three businesses with the best displays, as determined by public vote.
Santa’s hut will be set up in Founders Park for youngsters to drop off their wish lists and letters to old St. Nick from Nov. 28 to Jan.1.