Fairytale or nightmare? Hilton Head lantern parade spawns ‘parking chaos’
Hilton Head’s annual lantern parade drew thousands of attendees this year, transforming the beach into a scene from a fairytale.
But some residents are calling what happened on the roads and parking lots a “nightmare.”
“Pope Avenue — normally busy, but manageable — turning into a glowing, unmoving river of brake lights,” wrote Bluffton resident Alex Weber in a social media post.
By 4 p.m., cars could be seen hopelessly circling from parking lot to parking lot looking for spot.
Their efforts were futile. Public and private parking lots on Pope Avenue were completely full. People waited at traffic lights and watched crowds of paradegoers who had arrived earlier pass by happily on their way to the beach.
The annual parade started in 2019 as a way to celebrate Hilton Head’s history, natural beauty and community spirit. The popular event draws crowds from near and far, testing the capacity of Hilton Head’s roads, parking lots and transportation systems.
“It’s a victim of its own success,” said Brian Sullivan, executive director of Palmetto Breeze, which operates a shuttle during the parade.
Council receives reserved parking
Residents took to social media to express their frustration with how the town handled parking for the major event.
Port Royal Plantation resident Jack Kelleher criticized town council members for receiving multiple reserved parking spaces close to Lowcountry Celebration Park while residents were left to deal with the chaos.
“If Islanders have to figure it out to find a parking spot for big Hilton Head events, so should council members,” Kelleher wrote in a social media post.
Hilton Head Plantation resident Katie Henderson called the practice of saving parking spots for council members at large events “incredibly thoughtless.”
“If they experienced the same parking chaos residents deal with, maybe they’d finally understand the urgent need for more public parking, meaningful municipal transportation options, and a real mobility plan for this island,” Henderson wrote.
How did council members respond?
In response to Kelleher’s post, Ward 4 council member Tamara Becker revealed that she decided not to attend the lantern parade over traffic and safety concerns.
“HHI hosts amazing events and [we] are honored to have such enthusiastic attendance,” Becker wrote. “But year after year my comments afterwards are about the safety of events. One way in and one way out and thousands of cars and people is an obvious concern ... And again this year I’ll report that something must improve for next year.”
Ward 3 council member Steve DeSimone said he did attend the parade, but that he walked to the park and did not park in one the reserved spaces.
“I wasn’t aware of that until someone sent me a photograph,” DeSimone said.
He suggested that the town could change the parade route in future years. The town has adjusted the parade route before; last year, the parade exited the beach at Avocet Road and crossed North Forest Beach Drive, which created a traffic lock-up at Coligny Circle. This year, the parade exited at the Beach House and Tiki Hut.
Hilton Head Mayor Alan Perry told the Island Packet that he did not attend the parade, and that the reserved parking spaces “wasn’t set up by council,” but likely by the event’s organizers.
Perry acknowledged residents’ complaints about traffic. “We’ll take a look at it and find ways to improve it,” he said.
When asked about ways to reduce parking and traffic stress in future years, Perry said, “Public transportation exists ... we need to probably look at that and make certain that it’s fulfilling the needs of the community properly.”
Hilton Head has limited public transportation options, especially in the off-season. During peak tourist season, The Breeze operates a free trolley on Hilton Head with two routes that span from the Westin to Coligny Circle; that service ended Sep. 1. Year-round, the Palmetto Breeze operates commuter routes that bring workers from far-off island to Hilton Head in the morning and transport them back in the evening.
Asked if he would consider expanding public transportation options, Perry said, “If we start to see the ridership increase, that would be something for consideration.”
Were there other options?
Some people walked, biked or parked elsewhere on the island and walked over to the parade. Public parking was also available at First Baptist Church, St. Luke’s Anglican Church and University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Hilton Head Island Campus.
For those that parked at USCB, The Breeze operated a free shuttle to transport people to and from Lowcountry Celebration park.
By 6 p.m. the USCB lot had completely filled up, according to Sullivan. He estimated that The Breeze transported about 700 people to the park.
After the parade, some people were left waiting for more than 30 minutes for a shuttle back to their car, with many opting to walk back instead.
Still, Sullivan said most eventgoers still left happy and excited to come back next year.
“The vast majority of the people waiting were very, very patient,” Sullivan said. “The folks that were really appreciative and had a great time far outweighed the folks that were frustrated.”
This story was originally published November 25, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
