Colonial Williamsburg welcomes the Yuletide like no other, as candles shine through historic windows, decorative wreaths adorn doorways, and wassailers fill the streets with 18th-century melodies. With one-of-a-kind holiday programs, festive decorations, world-class dining experiences, and more, the holiday season is not to be missed at Colonial Williamsburg. Come experience a holiday you’ll want to unwrap again and again.
Below you’ll find a complete list of our holiday programs and a printer-friendly schedule to help plan your holiday visit to remember. We’ll keep the cressets lit!
Special note: 2025 Holiday events open to the public for reservations on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Please note that programming is subject to change. Call 1-844-434-3243 for reservations and tickets after September 30, 2025.
You’ll find enduring traditions, charming decorations, and a season that still warms the heart.
We offer admissions options & special offers to customize your visit.
Your admission ticket agrants you access to multiple programs throughout the day on the Charlton and Play House stages as well as the expanded and Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Check out the Events Calendar to see what's happening each day, with interest filters to customize your visit.
Receive up to two complimentary length-of-stay admission tickets when you book your stay directly through Colonial Williamsburg Resorts!
Join the Colonial Williamsburg community as we celebrate the holiday season with three Grand Illumination weekends, December 6, 13, and 20 2025. Yuletide entertainment will include favorite holiday traditions, as well as heartwarming new additions to the festivities.
Get into the holiday state-of-mind and enjoy the historic ambiance of twelve different fires around Colonial Williamsburg.
Fireworks shows could be elaborate events. Some featured a central structure with painted illuminations, which might convey political meaning. The show might include pyrotechnics on a stage as well as fireworks launched into the air. Some were simple, others elaborate. Most fireworks did not have color additives and exploded in a golden orange.
Christmas stirs warm nostalgia on cold nights. Envisioning a simple, sentimental past, Americans have developed many misconceptions about the holiday’s beginnings in North America. Explore a dozen of the most common myths.
The Pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower searching for religious freedom. The Native people they encountered welcomed them and helped them survive. To celebrate their friendship, they sat down together to a Thanksgiving feast. Explore the traditional tale of the First Thanksgiving.
As you plan for the holiday season with gifts, travel and merriment, we hope you will consider a special gift to Colonial Williamsburg to help us continue our mission.
