Every yearColumbia · Soda City

Every year in Columbia: month by month.

10 events in and around Columbia that come back every year, sorted by the month they usually start. Each one has its own page with the last dates we confirmed, and 9 already have their next dates posted. When an organizer announces new dates, they go on that page.

10 events · 9 with next dates posted

Last checked · Every listing links to its official page. How we choose

3 events

October

Oct19to 30

Boo at the Zoo

Riverbanks Zoo & Garden

Halloween2026 dates posted
Usually
October
Next
Oct 19–30, 2026
Price (2026)
Tickets online; children under 2 free
Ages (2026)
Ages 0–12
Event pageOfficial page ↗
Know one we missed?Send us the organizer’s page and we’ll check it.Suggest an event

4 events

November

3 events

December

Know one we missed?Send us the organizer’s page and we’ll check it.Suggest an event

Keep planning

More for little kids in Columbia

November: things to do in ColumbiaEvery dated listing for the month, by weekDecember: things to do in ColumbiaEvery dated listing for the month, by weekFree things to do in ColumbiaFree days, free events and places that never chargeIndoor play in ColumbiaIndoor playgrounds, toddler times, museums and classes, with pricesLibrary storytimes in ColumbiaBaby, toddler and preschool storytimes by day and branchThanksgiving weekend in ColumbiaParades, turkey trots and what’s open on ThursdayChristmas parades in ColumbiaParades and tree lightings with dates and start timesChristmas trains in ColumbiaPolar Express, Santa and lights trains with datesThe Nutcracker in ColumbiaBallet and touring shows, sensory-friendly flaggedChristmas markets in ColumbiaChristkindlmarkts and winter wonderlands with hoursChristmas break in ColumbiaWhat’s open on Dec 24, Dec 25 and Jan 1This week in ColumbiaDated outings for ages 0–6, checked every Thursday

Good questions

Every year in Columbia: the FAQ

Boo at the Zoo (Oct 19–30, 2026); HalloScream Laser Lights at the SC State Museum Planetarium (Oct 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31, 2026); Vista Lights Tree Lighting (Nov 19, 2026); Fireflies Holiday Lights (Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027); Wild Lights at Riverbanks (Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027), plus 4 more below.

It stays up at the same address. Once the dates pass, the page shows the last confirmed dates with that year’s price and ages, and we add the next dates when the official page lists them.

Each listing comes from the venue’s or organizer’s own page and links to it. We only list a date, time or price when that page shows it, and anything we can’t confirm stays off. These were last checked Oct 30, 2026, and we recheck them every Monday and Thursday. How we choose and check.

The checked list, every Thursday.

One short email every Thursday evening with the best things to do with little ones in Columbia that weekend.

Columbia skyline