Christmas By Candlelight at Sturbridge Village
*The event has already taken place on this date: Fri, 12/30/2022
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
Pre-registration is required and tickets sell fast! Click here to purchase tickets.
Coming a distance? Consider booking an Overnight Package, complete with a one-night stay at the Old Sturbridge Inn & Reeder Family Lodges, 2 adult tickets, hot cocoa, and more! Learn more about Overnight Packages here.
Highlights Include
Take in the Sights of Christmas
Enjoy the sights of Christmas throughout the Village as you explore our 200-acre campus decorated for the season. Wander down the Christmas Tree Trail and through the Christmas Wish Bridge. Take a ride on the horse-drawn carry-all. Enjoy a nightly lighting ceremony at 4:30 pm. View an intricate 500+ piece miniature nativity scene and a model train display. Warm up by the bonfire. Visit with Santa Claus. You can even see recreated Christmas decor from the 1830s, 1850s, and 1870s in the Salem Towne House!
See Holiday Traditions Recreated
Learn about the origins of many now cherished holiday traditions and watch demonstrations of classic Christmas projects like baking gingerbread, mulling cider, knitting Christmas stockings, making marzipan, punching tin, and more. Several simple take-home craft kits will be available to pick up during the program and directions for some other DIY projects and recipes will be posted online at a later date.
Enjoy Stories and Live Music
Every night of Christmas by Candlelight, listen to live festive music by both costumed interpreters and outside guests. More details will be available at a later date.
You can also catch a magic show with family-favorite Magician Bob Olson or enjoy readings of classic Christmas stories. There will also be readings of “The Nativity Gospel of Saint Luke” and “The Nativity Gospel of Saint Matthew.”
Gingerbread House Contest
The Gingerbread House Contest is an annual tradition at Christmas by Candlelight! Create and register your own gingerbread house in one of several categories or simply view the creative handiwork of others when you visit the Village during Christmas by Candlelight. Judges pick the category winners and visitors vote for the “Best in Show.”
Enter this year’s contest and be entered to win one of three family memberships to the Village (a $105 value)!* Entry deadline is November 18th – click here to learn more and enter.
*Active members who win can either extend their membership for a free year or gift a one-year family membership to a family of their choice.
Holiday Shopping
Find unique souvenirs, gifts, and more at the Village during Christmas by Candlelight! Be sure to stop by the Miner Grant Store or Ox & Yoke Mercantile for an assortment of Village-made redware pottery and tin products, Christmas decor, craft kits, books, and so much more. Plus, save the date for the following special shopping events:
- December 9th: Vendor Showcase: Hot Dates Kitchen – Learn more here.
Food & Drink
A variety of snacks, sweet treats, meals, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase throughout the Village campus. Please check back at a later date for menus.
Please note, we check IDs for ALL guests who wish to purchase alcoholic beverages, so please bring a valid, government-issued photo ID with you!
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.