Holidays are Happening on the Mississippi Gulf Coast There is always something group-friendly happening on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the holiday season is no different. Festivals, activities, plays, and more are offered Coast-wide from east to west (and everywhere in between), so no matter what you are coming from something is sure to be close by to help you celebrate the season! Start your group tour off right and get ready to experience “Sounds of the Holidays” at IP Casino Resort & Spa on December 1. This Christmas musical extravaganza will have you ready for a vacation of great holiday memories. Also in Biloxi, Christmas at Beauvoir takes place December 2-4 in Biloxi and gives you the chance to tour the exquisite decorated home of Jefferson Davis, view a miniature Victorian Christmas Village, visit with Santa Claus, and admire the decorated grounds!  This tour definitely takes you back to Christmas past.  www.soundsoftheholidays.com - www.beauvoir.org   The 26th Annual “Christmas in the Pass” is a free event on December 2 that has received STS & ABA awards in the past. Start your holiday off right with fun - Pass Christian style! Enjoy the lighting of the Christmas tree, a holiday parade, vendors, & shops featuring businesses and artisans from Pass Christian, along with a special visit from Santa and a fireworks show! www.christmasinthepass.com Spend the morning of December 3 in Ocean Springs, at the Saturday Art Market at The Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center. From 10am to 4pm, the open-air market is a great place to shop for holiday gifts from artists along the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast. After you’ve worked up an appetite, head to McElroy’s on the Bayou to enjoy delicious Southern-style cuisine, such a shrimp poboys, seafood platters, and crab cakes. www.themaryc.org   Awarded STS Top 20 Fall Event in both 2008 and 2011, Christmas on the Bayou, is another don’t miss event on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This lighted boat parade can be seen from Gulfport Lake and at the mouth of the Cowan-Lorraine Bridge, with seating available, on December 10. After the parade, stop by Half Shell Oyster House in downtown Gulfport for delicious charbroiled oysters, fried crab claws, and bananas foster cheesecake. www.christmasonthebayou.org - www.halfshelloysterhouse.com If you are ready to enter a world of timeless Yuletide fantasy and let it draw you under its spell, look no further than the Saenger Theater on December 17 and 18 and see “The Nutcracker”. Nestled in downtown Biloxi, the location of the theater makes a meal before or after the show easy to arrange. For night time ambience, Snowflakes in the Bay is your chance for beautiful holiday photos among the glorious live oaks in downtown Bay St. Louis. Your group can walk the pedestrian-friendly Depot District, landscaped with a quaint duck pond and surrounded by art sculptures created by local artists. The town will be lit up November 25 – December 31. www.mswestcoast.org And that’s not all; our calendar of events is full of more holiday happenings and can be seen at www.gulfcoast.org/events. Call the Mississippi Gulf Coast CVB for help in finding group-friendly restaurants and other sightseeing activities along the Gulf Coast. 888-4MS-GULF Wishing you a safe & happy holiday season!