It’s a Festivus miracle: Holiday celebration returns to Columbia’s Five Points
It’s almost time for the airing of grievances down in Five Points.
After a nine-year hiatus, Five Points Festivus! is set to return to the Columbia shopping-and-nightlife district just east of the University of South Carolina. The three-day event from Dec. 3-5 will include a bar crawl, retail and restaurant specials and other holiday-related activities.
Festivus is a holiday made famous in a 1997 episode in the long-running sitcom “Seinfeld.”
In the show, Frank Costanza (played with perfect comedic flair by the late Jerry Stiller), celebrates a holiday for those who are tired of the hubbub of the Christmas season, dubbing it a “Festivus for the rest of us.” In the show, participants celebrate around a bare aluminum pole rather than a Christmas tree, let others know how they feel with an airing of grievances, and show off their brawn with the feats of strength.
Five Points Festivus! will begin with the Airing of Grievances Bar Crawl from 6-11 p.m. Dec. 3. Per a posting on the Five Points Association Facebook page, there will be six bars participating in the crawl: Bar None, Bird Dog, CJ’s, Jakes, Pawley’s Front Porch and Pinch. At each of those locations, participants will be able to write down a list of their grievances and place them in a jar.
At the end of the night, head to “Santa’s Pub” (Publico), where there will be a reading of the grievances by WXRY radio’s Steve Varholy. The top three grievances will be chosen by the audience and will win a desktop Festivus Pole, a Festivus t-shirt, gift cards from Five Points merchants and more.
To register for the Festivus bar crawl, email info@fivepointscolumbia.com by noon Dec. 3.
On Dec. 4, there will be a number of holiday activities in Five Points, including pictures with Santa and his elves from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Five Points fountain plaza and a feats of strength gift-wrapping competition from 4-5 p.m. at the fountain. At 6 p.m. Dec. 4, there will be a holiday tree lighting at the end of Saluda Avenue across from the fountain.
For a full listing of events and participating merchants, visit the Five Points Association Facebook page at facebook.com/fivepointssc.
