WILLIAMSBURG — The City of Williamsburg is inviting the public to the One Williamsburg Holiday Reception, which will feature the State of the City Address, at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 at the Stryker Center.
The holiday reception offers hors d’oeuvres, wine, and beer, and the pre-taped State of the City address will begin at 6:10 p.m. The event is open to the public.
Residents who recently moved to the City of Williamsburg as well as Future Festival attendees will receive mailed invitations to encourage them to meet fellow engaged members of their community, the city said.
The State of the City Address will also stream online at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 12 on the city’s Facebook and YouTube pages, as well as air on Cox Cable’s WMSBGTV-48.
“We are excited to once again host the One Williamsburg Holiday Reception, a new tradition to bring the community together for a night of fellowship, and camaraderie,” Mayor Douglas G. Pons said. “This year, the reception features our biennial State of the City, an address residents helped shape with their thoughtful input on how we can progress toward our collective vision for the Williamsburg of 2040.”
The city noted the address follows months of work on the city’s 2025-2026 Goals, Initiatives, and Outcomes (GIOs), its two-year strategic plan that the city council approved at its November meeting.
The plan is the end result of the city’s efforts in gathering public input through two surveys and six Future Festival events — interactive sessions where attendees played games designed to gather input.
All the resident feedback, along with outgoing GIOs, city council priorities, and city staff input inform the development of the GIOs, the city added.
During the address, members of City Council will discuss the roadmap for the next two years.
The video also features remarks from Colonial Williamsburg President Cliff Fleet and William & Mary President Katherine Rowe.
This is the 10th State of the City event; the first was held in 2006.
