The weather was ridiculously fantastic. Hands up — who ended the day with some sunburn? What a fabulous day we had. Thank you to everyone who came to support the event and join in the fun! A huge thanks to everyone involved — volunteers, vendors, artisans, parade participants, Drew & Avon Hall, the town of Washington residents, the bus drivers, the sheriff’s department, everyone who played a part in making this all happen.
And what about that awesome snow-making machine!
Did You Snap Photos?
Anyone get any good photos of it? Post them to our Facebook page with the hashtag #CILW24.
Click this to find us on Facebook.
The 2024 parade winners are…
We had a fabulous parade of more than 40 participants who did a great job with the theme “Joy to the World and Rappahannock”. It was great to see everyone enjoying all the delicious food and drink, doing some early holiday shopping at our artisan market, and having fun with all the free kids activities. Our judges had a tough decision to make to select the top three:
In first place:
Thornton Hill Float & Hounds
In second place:
Rose Hill Veterinary Practice
In third place:
Moe Moe James, aka the Mayor of Flatwood
A huge thank to everyone involved in making this such a great day for the Community.
Tell Us How We Did
Please take a moment and click this link to complete our survey and share with us things you enjoyed and where we have room for improvement. We are grateful that you joined us for the event. The survey will help us make it better!
Sunday, December 8 was the date for the 2024 Christmas in Little Washington, Virginia, celebration that included a Christmas Market, food court, kids activities, entertainment, the parade and a visit from Santa (and Mrs. Claus).
Click this to see the full schedule of events for the day.
Every year the celebration is held to support the Rappahannock County Food Pantry. This year you can see the all-new food pantry right next door to Avon Hall.
Christmas in Little Washington is free to attend!
Click this to see the sponsors that made this possible.
For 2024 the activities begin at 11am with any early birds welcomed to grab breakfast treats at the food court on Gay Street. Events and activities wrapped-up at 4pm and some folks opted to stick-around as there are many fun places to eat, drink and visit in Rappahannock County, Virginia.
New for 2024: All parking, including handicapped parking, was at Rappahannock County High School with frequent shuttle buses to get everyone safely to-and-from the event.
Click here to find all the details about parking and shuttle buses.
Tickets
There were no tickets! This was a FREE event and anyone and everyone is invited to join us. After all, wouldn’t paying for parking put a dent in your Christmas spirit? Christmas in Little Washington is our celebration of community and the holiday season while raising money for the Rappahannock Food Pantry.
Things To Do at Christmas in Little Washington
The Parade
Dozens of Rappahannock area residents, organizations, schools and non-profits march in the parade each year. This year you can expect to see the high school marching band, horses, antique cars, local dignitaries and many things that may surprise you! Line-up along the streets of Washington, Virginia to cheer-on your favorite marchers. Click this to see the LONG list of folks marching in the parade this year.
Kids Activities
Games, crafting, visiting Santa and even a treasure hunt will be available for all kids and at no charge! Remember the pony rides, too, so kids can saddle-up right on the front lawn of Avon Hall.
Christmas Market
With the big gift-giving holiday just days away, our Christmas Market is sure to help you find unique gifts and plenty of stocking-stuffers. Click here for all the extensive details!
Food and Beverage Court
UPDATE: We have menu details! Click this to see what each vendor is serving-up for your visit to Little Washington.
You will need to re-fuel during your visit and we have food trucks ready to satisfy whatever you may be craving. All sorts of yummy things made from fresh, local ingredients so you will certainly find something to manage that hankering for tasty victuals. Then, to wash it down, we have some of the best wineries, breweries and distillery in Virginia pouring adult beverages in TWO locations: the Food Court on Gay Street and snuggled-up next to Avon Hall. Find something you like and you can even purchase bottles to carry home for later! Click this to digest all the details of the Food Court.
Christmas in Little Washington is proud to have earned the Virginia Green Festival Certification. As a key part of our mission, we want to have a positive impact on our natural environment. Click this to learn all the details of our Green Certification.
Schedule for the Day
Hours:
9.30am – Food & Libations Court Open off Gay St, Washington) & BBQ At Avon Hall
10am – Buses & Handicapped Van start running from RCHS to town
11am – Christmas Market officially opens (Artisans, Hot Drinks, Treats, & Non Profits)
11 am – 3 pm Food Pantry Raffle (Washington)
11 am – 4 pm Poetry & Music (Washington)
11am – 3.30pm – Cookie Decorating and Treasure Hunt
11am – 4pm – Face Painting and Pony Rides
11:30 am – Old Mill closed to all through traffic.
11am – 12.30pm & 2pm – 3.30pm – Story Telling
12pm – Roads closed per Sheriff
1pm – Parade starts – parade will take approximately 1-1.5 hr. Roads will reopen once the Sheriff approves. Click to see the list of everyone marching in the parade.
1.45pm – Santa & Mrs. Santa at Avon Hall until ~3.30pm, or their toes get too cold!
4pm – Event closes
4.30pm – last bus departs town to Rappahannock County High School
All times are subject to change, and weather-dependent
All Parking Will Be At Rappahannock County High School
This year all parking, including handicapped parking, will be at Rappahannock County High School. Frequent shuttle buses will ferry everyone safely on a quick 5-minute ride to-and-from the event. This includes a handicap/wheelchair accessible bus. Remember the last bus returns to the high school at 4:30pm!
Click this to see all the details about the location and parking.
Pets?
Nope. Please, no. Pets are NOT encouraged to attend and, if they do join you, pets MUST be on a leash. A leash is optional for children. The concern for pets is the quantity and close proximity of a variety of animals including horses… and some really huge horses.
Sponsors
FINANCIAL SPONSORS
The Akre Family
Bean Hollow Grassfed
Brian Loch – Permabuild
Caroline Anstey
Cliff Miller
Dark Horse Irish Pub
Eddie & Terri Sutton
Fairlea Bed & Break fast
The Greve Foundation
Harris Hollow Foods, LLC
Jay Ward Brown
John Fox Sullivan
Judy DeSarno
Northern Piedmont Community Foundation
Oak View Bank
R. H. Ballard Shop & Gallery
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Rick & Dot Lessard
Seth Turner
Town of Little Washington
Jan Makela for Elf Costumes
White Moose Inn
IN-KIND SPONSORS & DONATIONS
CFC Farm & Home (the Co-op) in Rappahannock County
David Albee for the use of his absolutely beautiful vintage cars.
Rapp News for helping us get the word out to everyone.
Rapp@Home for the Handicapped Buses.
Drew Mitchell for everything he contributes, not least of which is the use of Avon Hall.
Sharon and Peter Luke for the dining area.
Matt Neiswenger for bringing his gorgeous horses and sleigh to transport everyone’s favorite Christmas Couple!
Lisa Schneiderman for space for music.
The Toles for the Christmas Trees.
Volunteers for help with everything.
Lions Club for help with parking.
Cheri Woodard for advertising.
Inn at Little Washington for the Parade Leader cart.
Kay and Rick Kohler, Mike Brown and Jeff Lunglhofer for WiFi.
Sperryville Fire Department for the use of the tables and chairs.
Christmas Past
Click this to see a collection of links to past Christmas Parade reports at the Rappahannock News website.
