CALENDAR: Free downtown garage parking until Jan. 1

Staff reports  |  Charleston city and county governments have partnered to offer two-hour parking vouchers valid at select garages, now through Wed. Jan. 1.  Print the voucher.  It  can be used at these garages:

• Visitor Center, 73 Mary St.
• Concord/Cumberland, 1 Cumberland St.
• S.C. Aquarium, 24 Calhoun St.
• Majestic Square, 211 King St.
• St. Philip St., 34 St. Philip St.
• East Bay/Prioleau, 25 Prioleau St.
• Midtown, 553 King St.
• Queen Street, 93 Queen St.

Also on the calendar:

Surgeon General to speak:  Doors open at 11:30 a.m., Dec. 19, Hall’s Chophouse, 434 King St., Charleston.  U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams, a board-certified anesthesiologist, will give a talk on how the health of Americans is not as good as it could be, despite large expenditures on healthcare. Adams will outline an initiative to improve health. Tickets are $32 for a three-course meal.  More: www.BrownPaperTickets.com.

Elf the Musical:  Seventeen shows through Dec. 22, Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church St., Charleston.  Based on the beloved and hilarious 2003 Will Ferrell film, Elf The Musical by Charleston Stage tells the story of Buddy who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole.  Tickets are $29 to $71. Learn more.

Holiday Festival of Lights:  Opens 5:30 p.m., through Dec. 31, 2019, James Island County Park.  Now in its 30th year, the Holiday Festival of Lights is open every evening, rain or shine, with closing set for 10 p.m., except Fridays and Saturdays, which close at 11 p.m.  The show returns to make merry magical memories with its vibrant light show is one of Charleston’s most cherished holiday events, featuring an estimated two million dazzling lights.  More.

Black America: Resilient:  Through Jan. 25, 2020, Redux Contemporary Art Center, 1056 King St., Charleston.  The center offers this solo show that highlights the work of Dontré Major, a College of Charleston art graduate whose work takes a look at Black/African Americans in the United States during different periods throughout time. Each photograph is meant to emulate the feelings individuals had during these specific times, and touch on the struggle they went through to be seen as equals.  

North Charleston art shows:  Open daily through Jan. 31, North Charleston City Gallery, Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston.  On display are paintings by Pinopolis artist Katherine Hester in an exhibit titled Ebb and Flow and photographs by North Charleston photographer Jenion Tyson in A Bug’s Eye View: Macro Photograph in the Garden.  Admission is free.  

Lights of Magnolia: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., through March 15, 2020, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, West Ashley.  Enjoy nine acres of Chinese lanterns, dragons and more at the venerable garden’s new evening attraction.  The lantern festival includes custom-designed installations of large-scale thematically unified lanterns, a fusion of historic Chinese cultural symbols and images that represent the flora and fauna of Magnolia. Learn more online.  Tickets are $11-$26.  On-site parking is limited, but shuttles are available.  For more information and frequently asked questions, click here.

Early morning bird walks at Caw Caw:  8:30 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel.  You can learn about habitats and birds, butterflies and other organisms in this two-hour session.  Registration is not required, but participants are to be 15 and up. $10 per person or free to Gold Pass holders.  More:  http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.

AREA MARKETS

Click here to read where you can find 20 area holiday markets so you can buy local and be local.  More: Charleston City Paper.  In other regular markets:

• FRIDAYS/SATURDAYS:  Night Market.  Every Friday and Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for the rest of the year, you can shop with 108 vendors, including artists and craftsmen, at the night market on Market Street between East Bay and Church streets.  It’s more than four blocks of local shopping and fun. Free.
• SATURDAYS:  Johns Island Farmers Market operates each Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. year-round with more than 50 local farmers and vendors, food trucks, music and more.  The market is located on the campus of Charleston Collegiate School, 2024 Academy Road, Johns Island

• If you have an event to list on our calendar, please send it to feedback@charlestoncurrents.com for consideration. The calendar is updated weekly on Mondays.