Breakfast with the Elves starts at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Wooden Pickle Cafe, 280 Virginia Street. The 30th Urbanna Hometown Christmas Parade closes the day after dark. Between them, Urbanna fits in a Christmas market, alpacas, a sweets sale, wine tasting, ornament classes, a museum open house, a six-home holiday tour, a pet parade, a fried-oyster dinner and the lighting of 16 decorated trees.
Kilmarnock and Irvington spread their holidays across several weeks. The Urbanna Business Association calls its day "an all-day family event," and nearly all of it happens on one stretch of Virginia Street. Everything is within walking distance, but several events run at the same hours. That makes the order you pick more important than any single stop.
The Day, Address by Address
The Urbanna Business Association's parade-day schedule puts nearly everything within a few blocks, and the Middlesex County Economic Development Authority's Nov. 4 holiday roundup lists the same lineup.
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. | Breakfast with the Elves | Wooden Pickle Cafe, 280 Virginia St. |
| 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Urbanna Christmas Market | Throughout town |
| 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Red Barn Farms alpacas; Yuletide Sweets sale | Middlesex Woman's Club, 202 Virginia St., and the green beside it |
| 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Open house, wine tasting, ornament classes | Alma Bella Academy, 290 Virginia St. |
| 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Open house with refreshments | James Mills Scottish Factor Store, 140 Virginia St. |
| 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Urbanna Holiday Home Tour, six homes | Check-in at 202 Virginia St. |
| Noon to 2 p.m. | Christmas Pet Parade and Fun Pet Show | Taber Park |
| 3 p.m. | Festival of Trees voting closes | Historic Lansdowne, 271 Virginia St. |
| 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. | Fried oysters and oyster stew for sale | Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department, 335 Virginia St. |
| 4:30 p.m. | Lighting of the trees | Historic Lansdowne, 271 Virginia St. |
| Evening | 30th Urbanna Hometown Christmas Parade | Town streets |
The organizers list every item as "subject to change." Questions about the business association's events go to [email protected]. The events page asks people not to call Town Hall.
202 Virginia Street Is the Day's Center
Most of the table runs through one address. The Middlesex Woman's Club at 202 Virginia Street hosts three things at once. Inside, the historic building gets fresh greens and a twelve-foot Christmas tree. It also hosts the Yuletide Sweets sale, with cakes, candy, cookies and candied nuts. The club says the proceeds go toward maintaining the historic colonial courthouse, community support and scholarships for Middlesex County students.
On the green next to the club, Red Barn Farms brings alpacas you can pet and feed. They'll also have merchandise for sale.
The same building is also the headquarters and check-in for the Urbanna Holiday Home Tour. Urbanna Main Street hosts the tour, which runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with six decorated homes. Tickets start at $55.20 on Eventbrite, and all proceeds benefit Urbanna Main Street, the nonprofit that works on tourism, economic development and revitalization in town. Urbanna Main Street reveals the homes on its Facebook and Instagram accounts, @UrbannaMainStreet. The listing also says the tour is not handicap friendly, because the homes are historic and access can't be guaranteed.
So if you need to meet someone, find a ticket holder or pick up a box of sweets, 202 Virginia Street is the likeliest place to do all three.
Noon to 2 Is the Tight Window
The middle of the day is where the schedule gets crowded. The home tour runs from 11 to 4. The pet parade runs only from noon to 2 at Taber Park. If you plan to do both, the pet parade sets your timing. Tour the homes before noon or after 2, and leave the parade's two hours alone.
The pet parade has rules, and you'll need some paperwork before you get to Taber Park. The business association's schedule lists:
- A current dog license number or proof of a current rabies vaccination to sign up
- A dog that is non-aggressive, on a leash and under your control the whole time
- No retractable leashes
- Children accompanied by an adult
- Pet food and treats to donate to the Middlesex Animal Shelter
There are a lot of prize categories, so a plain, uncostumed dog can still win something. The costume categories are Most Beautiful, Most Creative, Funniest and Cutest. Other awards go to the largest and smallest pets, the largest group entry, an adopted shelter dog and the youngest handler. The fun dog show adds Most Wagging Tail, Best Vocalization, Best Trick, Best Ears, Down-Stays and Musical Sits. Owners are legally responsible for their pets' behavior during the event.
The rest of the late morning and early afternoon is open time. The Christmas Market runs "throughout town" from 10 to 4. Vendors sign up for free, so expect a mix of sellers rather than a fixed lineup. Alma Bella Academy at 290 Virginia Street holds an open house with wine tasting, door prizes and Christmas ornament classes for adults and children. Down the street, the James Mills Scottish Factor Store, the town's museum and visitor center at 140 Virginia Street, holds an open house with refreshments.
Around the corner at 55 Cross Street, the Southside Sentinel reported that Ben Rennolds bought the building and announced a soft grand opening of his Rappanna Clothing Company and seafood market for Oyster Festival weekend. His clothing brand, "Choice of the Chesapeake," draws on the legacy of Virginia watermen. The Sentinel quoted him: "Being born and raised in Urbanna and being able to come back home was so important to me."
The 3 p.m. Deadline Before the 4:30 Lighting
The Festival of Trees has its own schedule inside the day. Local businesses, nonprofits and schools decorate 16 trees at Historic Lansdowne, 271 Virginia Street. Anyone can vote, either at the ballot box on Lansdowne's front fence or on the Urbanna Facebook page. Voting opens at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, and closes at 3 p.m. Saturday.
That means your vote has to happen in the busiest part of the afternoon, while the home tour and market are still going. If you want a say, walking past the Lansdowne fence Friday evening is the easier time to do it.
Winners are announced at the lighting at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Middlesex High School Choir opens the lighting, weather permitting. If you want to help pay for the trees, Sandra Rudy handles sponsorships at 804-837-1108.
From the Lighting to the Parade
The fire department serves food from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department, 335 Virginia Street. The menu has fried oyster baskets with fries, chicken tender baskets with fries, oyster stew and drinks. The serving window covers the lighting, so if you leave Lansdowne after the trees light up, you can get to the firehouse for an oyster basket before the line closes at 6:30.
The 30th Urbanna Hometown Christmas Parade follows in the evening. Before you set out, confirm the start time with the Urbanna Business Association at [email protected]. Last year, the Southside Sentinel reported that the parade ran along Virginia and Cross streets.
The award categories show what's coming down the street: commercial and non-commercial floats, walking units, bands, EMS, antique vehicles, tractor trailers, golf carts and a specialty class, each with first- and second-place awards. The awards are handed out at the fire station right after the parade. Santa and Mrs. Claus wait there for children with snacks and photos. The day ends where dinner was served. If you want to enter something, the business association takes float and unit sign-ups on its parade page.
The Friday Before and the Weekend After
The holiday season extends past Saturday on both sides. On Friday, Dec. 4, the Holiday Fashion Show & Luncheon runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Historic Lansdowne, where local models show clothes from Urbanna's boutiques. Tickets are sold online or at ReSail Boutique. The tree ballot box opens at 5 p.m. that evening, so Friday is a good time to vote early.
The next weekend, the business association lists the Urbanna Polar Express for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11 and 12, with six runs each night. Riders wear pajamas, bring a Golden Ticket and ride to a "North Pole" where Santa and Mrs. Claus are waiting. The business association says preorder tickets are not available, and its email list is how it sends Polar Express updates.
Counting those two weekends, Urbanna's season covers about eight days. Most of it happens in one Saturday on a few blocks of Virginia Street.
If you go on the home tour and want to know more about the historic houses, I'm happy to talk through how older Urbanna homes were built and how owners keep them up. Beth Groner spent more than 30 years in homebuilding before moving into real estate. Schedule a personalized market consultation with Beth.
