Festivals & Events

Celebrate the Holidays this year in Downtown Charlottesville. Kick off the holidays with the Virginia Gingerbread Christmas, December 1-4, and stroll through the Winter Wonderland, view gingerbread house contest entries, visit with Santa and more. Enjoy the Wells Fargo Holiday Heritage Parade on December 3. Enjoy unique gifts and decorations at the Charlottesville Holiday Market, open Saturdays through December 24. Take a ride through the city December 9 & 10 and 16 & 17 on the Gingerbread Express to see neighborhood holiday lights. Finally, ring in the New Year with the whole family at First Night Virginia on December 31!

First Night Virginia, now in its 29th year, is one of Charlottesville's favorite celebrations. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of people have attended this fun-filled celebration of the arts on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall. From fire dancers to rock n' roll, ballet to jugglers, there's something for everybody! This much-heralded night of revelry goes on rain or shine, and all of the performances take place indoors. First Night Virginia 2011 is expected to draw more than 8,000 attendees for music, dancing and much merriment - the possibilities are myriad!

Dec. 9-10th & 16-17th The Gingerbread Express (formerly Holly Trolley) will be located at the Gingerbread Express Station. Mrs Claus and the elves will be there to sing songs and serve refreshments while you wait for the Express to take you on a magical tour of the Christmas lights. Tickets on sale now, but hurry because they sell out every year!

The Green Valley Book Fair is not your typical bookstore. Our 25,000 square foot store features a huge selection of new books in all categories -from children's to fiction to history to self-help to travel - all priced at 60%-90% below publishers' retail prices. We open our doors just six times a year - for about 2 weeks each time - and thousands of book lovers from across Virginia and the mid-Atlantic region attend each opening in search of great titles at unbeatable prices. Check our website for our current schedule, driving directions and a preview of our next opening.

Charlottesville's best variety of fresh produce, garden plants, grass-fed meats, crafts, delicious baked goods and much, much more… Every Saturday, April-December, (April-October, 7am-12pm; November-December, 8am-2pm). Located in Downtown Charlottesville, this charming market has been attracting the best in vendors for more than 25 years who delight market-goers with local fresh foods to enjoy while strolling the aisles as well as gifts and tasty foods to take home to enjoy.