As Woodstock gears up for its annual Wassail Weekend, scheduled for Dec. 12-14, event organizers are promising beloved decades-old standbys, a continuation of new traditions begun just last year, and a couple of twists for 2025 — including a wreath-making workshop at King Farm, and a holiday-ornament-making workshop at Artistree Community Arts Center in South Pomfret.
Woodstock Chamber executive director Beth Finlayson said that this year’s parade will begin Saturday, Dec. 13, at noon. It will be accompanied by a handbell choir from the Upper Valley, who will perform at the North Chapel, according to Finlayson. Per tradition, the parade will circle The Green twice. Horse-and-carriage rides will be available all weekend and can be accessed in front of M&T Bank. At Billings Farm & Museum, revelers can find a Victorian-era Christmas celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Shoppers looking for homemade goods can browse local wares at an open-air market under the Woodstock Middle Bridge on Saturday, and at the Masonic Hall craft fair on Sunday.
Pentangle Arts executive director Deborah Greene told the Standard, “One of the things that I was really happy to start last year was the Wassail Walk, which is now the kind of opening event and opening ceremony to Wassail Weekend, Friday afternoon.” Last year’s Wassail Walk began with a bagpiper, who, due to the extremely cold weather, wasn’t able to play, recounted Greene. “We had over 100 people start at East End Park. It [was] a short walk from [the] park through the town and into The Green, and everybody had candles and bells. And then at The Green, Pentangle hosted hot cider for everybody,” she said. “And this year, [Pentangle] will also [have] more spirited drinks for adults, so we’ll have some sparkling cider and things like that.”
Friday evening, Pentangle will also host the Harvard Krokodiloes — the college’s premier a cappella group — at the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre. Then on Saturday, Frisson — a touring symphonic orchestra of younger artists and established professionals, who have performed at venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center — will perform for a traditional Christmas show. The Frisson show will be preceded by a popcorn-garland-making event for families and children, according to Greene.
Another local institution taking part in the weekend festivities is the Norman William Public Library, which will host several activities, including their third year of the library-fundraising event, Enchanted Wassail Evening. Also on Saturday, local author Ham Gillett will read Dylan Thomas’s “A Christmas in Wales”.
This year, for those worried about crowded parking, Finlayson advises people to take the shuttle, if possible. “We do encourage people to park at the high school and not to walk, but to wait for the shuttle, because we don’t really want people walking on Route 4 [and] clogging River Street.”
The full itinerary for Wassail Weekend can be found at woodstockvt.com.
For our full story on this, please see the Nov. 6 edition of the Vermont Standard
