Christmas in Middleburg

By Scott S. Bateman

Stored in Events and tagged

All year round, Middleburg’s 18th century village is unique — a hunt country capital, anchor of Virginia’s premier wine region, retail haven for antiques, fashion, center of fine dining, and lodging – all of which make it a travel destination.

On the first Saturday of December the community becomes a holiday experience with its annual Christmas in Middleburg.

The events begin with lighting of the Christmas tree and caroling at 5 p.m. Friday evening before the parade day.

Saturday is a full day of family festival activities. Breakfast with Santa is at 8 a.m. is followed by the Middleburg Hunt Review at 11 a.m. with riders on horseback and packs of hounds coming down the main street.

After lunch, the hour-long Christmas Parade begins at 2 p.m., featuring foot beagle hunt clubs, polo clubs, animal affinity groups (corgi owners, Great Pyrenees owners, llama and alpaca owners, etc.), community groups (VFDs, schools, scouts, churches, clubs), enthusiasts groups (MG cars, old fire trucks, Mini Coopers, muscle cars), business floats, reenactment bands (Civil War, Revolutionary War, Scots highlands), and high school bands, with Santa on his coach drawn by matched Ayrshires closing the parade.

Special events throughout the day include:

– Breakfast with Santa and a silent auction at Middleburg Elementary
– A craft fair at the Community Center
– A greens show at Emmanuel Episcopal Church parish hall
– Children’s activities throughout town
– Parade, including the Middleburg hunt and hounds
– Food and drink indoors and on the sidewalk
– A progressive wine crawl, and more

In the past, more than 10,000 visitors attended the many activities and events, lining our closed streets in pleasant pedestrian anarchy. They come from throughout our local area and from the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area for some “Holiday Seasoning” in the countryside.

Middleburg is only 45 minutes from Washington D.C. and close to the Dulles International Airport. To get there take I-66 West to Route 50 West (toward Winchester) via Exit 57B. From there, Middleburg is just a 25-minute drive.