It’s that time of year again! Amid the Thanksgiving and Black Friday hubbub, Fayetteville celebrates the season a little differently than most. On Friday, Nov. 28, from 12 p.m.-9 p.m., downtown Fayetteville will time-travel to the Victorian era for A Dickens Holiday.
Put on by the Downtown Alliance, this free event has been a beloved Fayetteville tradition for 26 years. Its return this year brings with it new events and the same old-fashioned Christmas ambiance A Dickens Holiday is known for. Costumed actors will roam the streets, carriage rides will guide visitors throughout and onstage presentations will create a packed schedule of events and activities.

“Our mission is to bring what is traditionally a shopping holiday, to a family event and share it together,” said Elaine Kelley, chair of A Dickens Holiday. “I think people are attracted to authenticity so we stay true to our roots and people come.”
The event started in 2000 on a much smaller scale, and grew in popularity every subsequent year into the celebration locals know today.
Inspired by Charles Dickens’ classic book, ‘A Christmas Carol,’ A Dickens Holiday transforms the downtown area into a wintry, Victorian idyll.

The Cameo Theater will be playing Christmas movies all day, with a free screening from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. of the silent film adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol.’ Other scheduled events include a gingerbread house contest, vendors with artisan goods, food trucks, carolers and the annual costume contest for best Victorian apparel.
The evening will wind down with the traditional candlelight processional and illumination ceremony when everyone can pick up candles at the designated spots around downtown and light up Person to Hay Street.

“It’s just awe inspiring to feel that oneness with everyone, it’s like sharing joy out loud,” said Kelley. “It’s a very humbling thing that we all gather together and we’re all part of the same thing.”

After the processional, the festivities still continue with a modern twist. On two different stages throughout the event’s footprint, DJs will be keeping the Christmas party going. A Dickens Holiday is a free event to attend, but there are multiple ticketed opportunities happening as well.
The Royal Tea and Tour is a standout experience where guests will arrive at the Victorian houses by Heritage Square chauffeured by trolley, and engage in a carefully curated high tea and then touring of the historic sites, including the Oval Ballroom, with photo opportunities and goodie bags at the end. Tickets can be booked ahead of time online for a specific time slot.
At Hay Street Methodist Church from 1 p.m.-2 p.m., Dr. Elliot Engel will host a talk on Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ book and the impact it has made throughout history.

A nationally recognized expert on the works of Charles Dickens, Dr. Engel and his entertaining and informative seminars will give premium insights into the inspiration behind A Dickens Holiday.
New to 2025 is the Fezziwig Ball, based on the characters in the Charles Dickens novel. The Ball is held at SkyView on Hay Street from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. and will offer refreshments, photo opportunities and announced dances taught and hosted by nationally acclaimed dancemaster, Jeremy Gershman and the Cape Fear Heritage Dance Club.

This long time Fayetteville tradition is made possible thanks to the great efforts of everyone at the Downtown Alliance, associated partners and volunteers. Planning for next year's event is already underway. 
“Every Dickens Holiday is like a piece of everybody that’s gone before it,” said Kelley. “And then you add onto it with somebody else’s new idea and it gets absorbed into that, and watching that happen, that sense of community is why I still do it. We enjoy a great deal of support from our business community and we cannot be grateful enough. It takes the commitment from local businesses to keep this going.”

A Dickens Holiday invites attendees to slow down, immerse themselves and remember what the season is all about. “[The best part is] just watching the joy on people’s faces as they walk down the street and look around,” said Kelley. “[You] see people dressed up, everybody’s got a kind word to say, everybody’s happy.”

Tickets for all added experiences as well as sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are available on A Dickens Holiday website: www.adickensholiday.com.