Free Holiday Music in Williamsburg, Virginia's Colonial Capital

In Virginia's colonial capital city, the holiday season was filled with festive entertainment, including traditional carols and contemporary hymns sung in the company of friends and family. On Christmas Eve in 1775, Philip Fithian, wrote in his diary that, "I sung for an Hour, at the good Peoples Desire, Mr. Watts admirable Hymns ... I felt myself improvd; so much Love to Jesus is set forth." The hymns of English Congregationalist minister Isaac Watts (1674-1748) were and are a favorite of many. His most famous hymn is "Joy to the World." Other favorite Christmas hymns sung then and now include "The First Noel," "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen," "The Holly and the Ivy," "I Saw Three Ships," and "Lully Lullay" ("The Coventry Carol").

During the holidays, Merchants Square resounds with these tunes and many more. The shopping district at Duke of Gloucester Street's western terminus near the College of William and Mary offers an outdoor venue for strolling musicians, both planned and impromptu, from the College of William & Mary and greater Williamsburg. In addition, a 15-minute street theater version of Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" is another free holiday entertain that will delight shoppers.

Limited free parking is available on streets and lots near Merchants Square. Paid parking is available in two clearly marked lots one block from the Duke of Gloucester Street. A free parking building is located three blocks away near the post office, library, and city offices. For more information about Merchants Square, visit www.merchantssquare.org.

No ticket is required to listen to Colonial Williamsburg's Fifes and Drums as they play eighteenth-century military music and holiday tunes. They march along Duke of Gloucester Street between the Capitol and the Governors' Palace at 1 p.m. on November 29; December 6, 13, 20, and 27; and January 3. The corps also marches at 6:30 p.m. on November 28; December 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 26, and 31; and January 2.

Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums continue to celebrate the season with special performances during Grand Illumination, Sunday, December 7. Grand Illumination is Colonial Williamsburg's signature holiday event. It is free, as are many musical performances by historians of eighteenth-century music and local talent who perform on stages and around bonfires throughout the historic area. The entertainment begins at 4:45 and lasts formally and informally until well after the fireworks, set to ignite the evening at 6:15.

If you can't make it to Colonial Williamsburg on December 7, the museum has smaller illumination celebrations all month long, usually preferred by those who like a little less crowd with their Christmas. Besides the crowds and parking inconveniences, the only thing you will miss by going to one of the smaller illuminations is the fireworks. The beautiful live evergreen wreaths, the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums, the apple cider, and the smell of wood fires are all part of the small illumination programs.

Palace Illuminations are "mini" illuminations of houses, shops, and public buildings on Palace Green. As a narrator tells the history of each house, canons are fired, candles in the houses are lit, and the Fifes and Drums march from one to the next while playing appropriate tunes. Illuminations of Palace Green will be held on December 20, 23, and 27 at 6:30.

At Tavern Illuminations, to be held at the same time on December 13, 22, and 28, the Fifes and Drums lead visitors from Tavern to Tavern while the narrator tells a story about each of them and some of the surrounding buildings.

On December 18, 21, and 30, the Market Square Illumination takes place around the Courthouse of 1770 and the Powder Magazine. The narrator talks about the role of nearby buildings and homes, including the Peyton Randolph House.

During the Capitol Illuminations on December 9, 15, and 29, the Fifes and Drums play and march between Christiana Campbell's Tavern and the Capitol while the surrounding buildings and related events are described.

The Palace, Tavern, Market Square, and Capitol illuminations last about an hour. The baskets of fuel-soaked wood called cressets are the eighteenth-century equivalent of street lights or lanterns. The sparks of fire and smell of pine lend a wonderful holiday flavor to the air. The cressets are carried from place to place as their carriers march alongside the Fifes and Drums.

The Palace and Market Square Illuminations are best for those with mobility problems since the crowd has room to spread out and does not have to move far. The Tavern Illumination requires a bit more walking. There are crowds at these "mini" Illuminations too, and the Capitol Illumination is usually the most crowded, but these evenings are more manageable that the primary Grand Illumination event. Children can see more and get closer to the Fifes and Drums.

Colonial Williamsburg invites you to carol at the Robert Carter House on December 12, 19, 20, and 23 (near the Governor's Palace, park in Merchants Square); at the Palmer House on December 13 (near the Capitol, park in the King's Arms Tavern parking lot); at Wetherburn's Tavern on December 15 (also near the Capitol, park in the King's Arms Tavern parking lot); and at the Courthouse on December 18 (centrally located on Duke of Gloucester Street, park at the Williamsburg Lodge or Merchants Square).

To find out more about the illuminations and other events at Colonial Williamsburg, call 1-800-HISTORY or visit www.colonialwilliamsburg.com.

Free holiday performances by Flute Frenzy, a group of talented middle and high school aged instrumentalists, will be performed on Tuesday, December 9, at 7:00 at the Barnes and Noble in New Town; on Saturday, December 13, at 4:00 p.m. at Williamsburg United Methodists Church on Jamestown Road across from the College of William and Mary's Phi Beta Kappa Hall; and on Sunday, December 14, at 6:00 p.m. at the Great Wolf Lodge in Lightfoot. For more information about Flute Frenzy concerts, contact Fran Lane at lanez@verizon.net or 757-508-1248.

The Williamsburg Choral Guild presents a free concert of holiday music accompanied by a brass ensemble on Sunday, December 14, at 4:00 p.m. at the King of Glory Lutheran Church on Longhill Road. For more information, contact Gary Hammer at 757-229-1938 or Susan Neely at 757-565-0888.

Nothing lifts the spirits quite like a touch of Williamsburg at Christmastime. Enjoying holiday music free of charge gives us something extra to cheer about this season.