The Craftsmen’s Christmas Classic is setting up shop at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia this weekend, with hundreds of artists and craftsmen filling the Cantey and Goodman Buildings with pottery, jewelry, clothing, woodwork, glass, fine art and more. The holiday shopping event runs Friday, Nov. 13, through Sunday, Nov. 15.
According to ABC Columbia, the festival will be open Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For Sunday’s closing day, accounts differ on the hours: ABC Columbia lists 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., while Lake Murray Country lists Sunday hours as 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shoppers planning a Sunday visit may want to confirm the exact schedule before heading out.
Lake Murray Country describes the event as filling the Cantey and Goodman Buildings with aisles of talented artists and craftsmen showcasing handmade creations, fine art, jewelry, home décor, specialty gifts and more — a lineup that tracks with the pottery, clothing, woodwork and glass pieces organizers have highlighted for the Columbia show.
One Ticket Covers the Whole Weekend
Festival organizer Gilmore Shows notes that admission is good all three days with a free return pass, meaning a single ticket purchase gets shoppers back through the doors Friday, Saturday and Sunday without paying again. For those who only want to catch the final day, Gilmore Shows also lists Sunday-only tickets available online for $7.
Tickets for the Columbia event are available through Gilmore Shows, which also runs a sister event under the same name. The Craftsmen’s Christmas Classic in Richmond, Virginia, is scheduled for Nov. 6-8, 2026, and Gilmore Shows describes that edition as its 47th annual installment, calling it part of an award-winning series of indoor fine art and craft festivals featuring hundreds of artists and craftsmen from more than 20 states, juried and selected for originality and creative excellence.
A Festival With a Track Record
The Columbia event has built a reputation over the years. A 2024 report from ABC Columbia described that year’s festival as its 49th annual edition and noted that organizers said it had been voted the best show of its kind in South Carolina, ranking in the top five shows nationwide in Sunshine Artist Magazine. It is not established how the 2026 Columbia event is numbered within that annual run.
For shoppers looking to knock out holiday gift lists early, the mix of handmade pottery, jewelry, clothing, woodwork, glass and fine art on offer gives plenty of options under one roof at the fairgrounds this weekend.
