Carriage rides, Celtic music, themed food and drink, gift shopping and children’s entertainment on tap. Main Street Chestertown’s fifth annual Dickens of a Christmas weekend, December 2 & 3 in the historic downtown district, promises non-stop entertainment, authentic British foods, hand-crafted gifts, and a Victorian streetscape to transport visitors back to 1840’s London. The weekend kicks off December 2 at 5:00 p.m. with a fabulous First Friday celebration. Chestertown’s shops and businesses will stay open late to welcome visitors. Horse-drawn carriages will carry guests past 18th and 19th century homes, and fire pits will help keep everyone warm for a night of entertainment that includes North America’s Celtic Band the American Rogues, beer and mulled wine, and food from local vendors.
The festivities continue on Saturday morning with the “Run/Walk Like the Dickens” 5K race. Costumes are encouraged! Catch our new event “Bedlam” as competitors race through the streets on vintage beds, and do all of your holiday shopping at “London Row” with a wide variety of hand-crafted seasonal and Victorian themed gifts and treats. Food vendors will offer traditional and seasonal fare, from Figgy Pudding to oysters. In addition to festival headline act The American Rogues, the Music Stage will feature regional acts. Street performers include the Wheelmen Antique Bicycle Club, Phydeaux’s Flying Fleas, Big Whimsy Stilt Walkers, and Dickens inspired actors. Ticketed events return with the Holiday Tea and Historic House Tour. Kids will delight at the pony rides and petting zoo, and be able to talk to Santa.
Learn more and buy tickets at mainstreetchestertown.org/dickens. Dickens of a Christmas is a production of Main Street Chestertown, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, whose mission is to foster an inviting, diverse and prosperous downtown. Main Street’s vision for Chestertown is a welcoming and vibrant waterfront community where people of all ages and backgrounds are drawn to live, work, shop and enjoy recreational and cultural activities in a beautiful setting.
