The Spotsylvania Courthouse Village is a set of storefronts along Old Battlefield Boulevard and Heths Salient Street. This Saturday a 40-foot tree goes up there, and two weeks later the county's Christmas parade comes through the Historic Courthouse District nearby. The two biggest holiday gatherings on the county calendar share a ZIP code, 22553, and they fall exactly fourteen days apart.
Most of the other events on the county's holiday calendar carry a Fredericksburg mailing address. These include a craft market on Gordon Road, a chorus in the Spotsylvania Towne Centre food court, concerts at Riverbend High School and cocktail demonstrations at A. Smith Bowman Distillery. The Courthouse handles the season's opening ceremonies, and the rest of the county fills in the weeks between. If you plan around those two Saturdays first, the rest of the schedule is easier to fit in.
This Saturday, a 40-foot tree on Old Battlefield Boulevard
Christmas Comes to the Village runs Saturday, November 21, from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at 9015 Old Battlefield Blvd. Good Steward Farm and Spotsylvania Courthouse Village are putting it on together. The county's listing promises:
- A ceremonial lighting of a 40-foot holiday tree at about 5:30 p.m.
- A visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus
- A Holiday Market Faire with local vendors, makers and producers
- Operation Blue Christmas, a toy drive with a Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office cruiser parked onsite to collect donations for local kids
The 5:30 lighting falls about two hours into the event, so you can come early to shop the market and still be there when the tree lights up. If you're bringing a toy for the cruiser, you can drop it off whenever you arrive.
Good Steward Farm is a small family farm that clears brush with goats. It also sells freeze-dried pet treats and farm goods such as goat-milk soap and lotion, eggs and goat milk. A farm like that as co-host fits an evening built around a market of local makers.
Dinner without leaving the Village
The Village has places to eat within walking distance of the tree. The Village tenant directory lists El Patron at 9112 Old Battlefield Boulevard and Subway at 9110 Old Battlefield Boulevard. It also lists Itavie ~ New York Grill & Bakery around the corner at 7610 Heths Salient Street. Earlier this year the Fredericksburg Free Press wrote about Biscuit Batch, a restaurant in Spotsylvania Courthouse Village that also runs a mobile food truck serving biscuits, jams and savory specials. Call ahead on Saturday for hours, since the market will draw a crowd to the same few blocks.
The directory also lists Walker's Flowers & More at 7501 Graham Street, Suite 121. If the tree lighting is your start to holiday decorating, that's a close stop for greenery or an arrangement before the 5:30 lighting.
The weeks between: Gordon Road, the Towne Centre and Bowman Drive
Once the tree is lit, the next Courthouse gathering is two weeks away, and the in-between events happen elsewhere in the county. Here is the stretch from Thanksgiving weekend to mid-December, from the county's own listings:
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Spotsylvania Farmers Market Holiday Craft Market | VDOT Commuter Lot, 12150 Gordon Road | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Holiday Sing-Along with Spotsylvanians Chorus | Food Court, Spotsylvania Towne Centre | 7 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Christmas with Elvis, starring Matt Lewis & Long Live the King Orchestra | Dominion Raceway, 6501 Dominion Raceway, Woodford | 7 to 11 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Holiday Cocktail Series | A. Smith Bowman Distillery, 1 Bowman Drive | Noon to 1 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | The Spotsylvanians Present: A Jazzy Christmas | Riverbend High School, 12301 Spotswood Furnace Road | 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Holiday Cocktail Series | A. Smith Bowman Distillery, 1 Bowman Drive | Noon to 1 p.m. |
The craft market falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, a week after the Village market. The two make a good pair because they cover different ground. The Village market is a single evening built around the tree lighting. The Farmers Market version is a morning event at the commuter lot on Gordon Road, which the county describes as showcasing "the creativity of the local community" for the gift-giving season. If you missed a gift on November 21, you get a second chance with a different set of local sellers.
One chorus, two December dates
The Spotsylvanians are a multigenerational community chorus. The group is organized as a nonprofit, The Spotsylvanians, Inc., working in partnership with Spotsylvania County Parks and Recreation. Their two December dates are linked. According to the county listing, the Wednesday, December 2 sing-along in the Spotsylvania Towne Centre food court includes a preview of the group's holiday concert along with other seasonal favorites.
That full concert is A Jazzy Christmas on Saturday, December 12, with shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Riverbend High School, and the county calendar lists admission as free. A weeknight stop at the mall on December 2 gives you a sample of the program before the concert. You can find details on the Spotsylvanians Chorus website.
Sunday noon at the distillery
A. Smith Bowman Distillery's Holiday Cocktail Series has two dates on the county calendar after Thanksgiving, December 6 and December 20, each from noon to 1 p.m. at 1 Bowman Drive. The first one falls the day after the parade. That makes a full weekend: parade on Saturday, an hour at the distillery on Sunday.
December 5: the county seat again
The 49th annual Spotsylvania Christmas Parade starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, in the Historic Courthouse District, and the county calendar lists 9101 Courthouse Road as the event address. This year's theme is "Red, White and Merry Christmas," and the entry form adds the line "Celebrating 250 Years of American Spirit Through the Magic of Christmas." Parks and Recreation describes dance troupes, cartoon characters, horses and bands, with Santa at the end.
The 2026 entry form shows who will be marching. Judges award prizes in nine categories: junior and senior performance groups, civic groups and churches, antique vehicles and car clubs, scout troops, first responders, marching bands, equestrian units and businesses. Entries are scored on originality, presentation, enthusiasm, coordination, appearance and how well they reflect the theme. Santa is kept out of the individual entries on purpose. The rules tell participants not to include him, because he appears at the end of the parade. If you have kids with you, plan to stay until the last unit goes by.
When the rain date lands on concert day
The parade's rain date is Saturday, December 12. That's also the day of A Jazzy Christmas. If weather pushes the parade back a week, a 1 p.m. parade in the Courthouse District and a 3 p.m. concert at Riverbend High School end up on the same afternoon. The 7 p.m. show leaves more room if you want both.
For questions about parade day, including where to park and which streets to use, Spotsylvania County Parks and Recreation takes calls at 540-507-7529.
Before or after the parade, the battlefield
The county's own parade listing suggests pairing the day with the area's historic battlefields. The closest is the Spotsylvania Battlefield Exhibit Shelter, which the National Park Service lists at 9550 Grant Drive West. Its open-air exhibits cover the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, the same battle that gives the Courthouse District its name in the history books. The Park Service lists the grounds as open sunrise to sunset, with staff on a seasonal schedule. Early December days are short, so a morning walk before the 1 p.m. start leaves more daylight than a visit after the parade.
Putting the two Saturdays on the fridge
Here is the season laid out in order, with the two Courthouse Saturdays as anchors:
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 3:30 to 7 p.m. Christmas Comes to the Village at 9015 Old Battlefield Blvd. Bring a toy for the Operation Blue Christmas cruiser and stay for the tree lighting at about 5:30.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Holiday Craft Market at the VDOT Commuter Lot, 12150 Gordon Road, for a second round of local gifts.
- Wednesday, Dec. 2, 7 p.m. The Spotsylvanians' sing-along in the Spotsylvania Towne Centre food court, with a preview of their concert.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 1 p.m. The Red, White and Merry Christmas Parade in the Historic Courthouse District. Visit the battlefield exhibit shelter that morning if you want to make a day of it.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, noon. The Holiday Cocktail Series at A. Smith Bowman Distillery.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, 3 or 7 p.m. A Jazzy Christmas at Riverbend High School, free per the county listing. Keep the 7 p.m. show in mind if the parade moves to its rain date.
If you're expecting family for the holidays, the November 21 lighting and the December 5 parade are two of the easiest outings to plan around, since both are free to attend and both happen in the same few blocks of the county seat. For a rainy-day option with guests, our earlier post covers what Spotsylvania locals can do at Kalahari without booking a room. For more about the county itself, see the Spotsylvania community page.
Over the years, the Courthouse District and the Route 3 side of the county have come to feel like two different parts of the same place to me, and the holidays are one of the best times to see both. If you're new to Spotsylvania and wondering which corner of the county matches the way you like to spend a December Saturday, I'm always glad to talk it through. Ask Kathy at Kathy Deal.
