Monday, November 4, 2024

Here’s when Colonial Williamsburg will light that giant Christmas tree. And it’s not on the 24th

(Courtesy Colonial Williamsburg)

Colonial Williamsburg’s 59th-annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony is back again this year, and for the second time, it will not be on Christmas Eve.

On Monday, Colonial Williamsburg announced the tree lighting ceremony will be at 5 p.m. Dec. 20 in Market Square.

The event is free and open to the public.

Last year, the tree lighting ceremony was also held a few days before Christmas, on winter solstice Dec. 21.

The change was made based on community feedback from previous years, a Colonial Williamsburg spokeswoman said last year. A Christmas Eve ceremony conflicted with plans of both guests and ceremony volunteers, meaning some people had to choose between their other plans and attending the ceremony.

RELATED STORY: Colonial Williamsburg’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony moved from Christmas Eve

This year, the event, co-hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg since 1959, will feature a 40-foot spruce tree, nearly 7,500 lights, holiday stories, songs and candles, according to a news release from Colonial Williamsburg.

Father Christmas will also make an appearance, as well as Mayor Paul Freiling and the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums will help close the ceremony.

The tree will be lit nightly through Jan. 6. Colonial Williamsburg’s Christmas guns will also be fired on Market Square at 5 p.m. Christmas Eve.

“This special holiday kick-off is a cherished event for our community,” said Missy Zimmerman, president of the Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg. “We are excited to partner with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation again and fulfill Kiwanis’ mission to make the world brighter one community at a time.”

Sarah Fearing
Sarah Fearing
Sarah Fearing is the Assistant Editor at WYDaily. Sarah was born in the state of Maine, grew up along the coast, and attended college at the University of Maine at Orono. Sarah left Maine in October 2015 when she was offered a job at a newspaper in West Point, Va. Courts, crime, public safety and civil rights are among Sarah’s favorite topics to cover. She currently covers those topics in Williamsburg, James City County and York County. Sarah has been recognized by other news organizations, state agencies and civic groups for her coverage of a failing fire-rescue system, an aging agriculture industry and lack of oversight in horse rescue groups. In her free time, Sarah enjoys lazing around with her two cats, Salazar and Ruth, drinking copious amounts of coffee and driving places in her white truck.

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