CW Planner

DIY Craft: Jane Austen

Explore objects on exhibit through the works of Jane Austen, then make an inspired bookmark to take home.

DIY Craft: Quilting

Discover the story of Emma Russell, quilter, and enjoy a mini-quilting project.

Decorating the Private Homes

Join us for our 32nd annual, fun-filled celebration of the decorating skills of the employees who live in Colonial Williamsburg's restored private residences.

Explore the Declaration of Independence

Join this guided tour and explore the Declaration of Independence through objects on exhibit.

Hands-On: Create Art!

Drop by the Goode Education Studio and create art inspired by an object on exhibit.

Hands-On: Stories on Stage

In this interactive family program, tell the tale of brave St. George and the Dragon! Learn about items in the Art Museums collection connected to the story & then take the stage.

Hands-On: The Art-full Tree

Explore the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg and discover the Folk Art Christmas Tree, then make your way to the Goode Education Studio and create an ornament to take home.

Museum Discoveries: Pop-Up Archaeology!

Stop by the Art Museums for a special pop-up exhibition of recent finds from Custis Square, along with artifacts from some of Colonial Williamsburg’s most iconic sites.

Museum Discoveries: The Public Hospital of 1773

Explore the Public Hospital of 1773 for a discussion about 18th-century mental health and the history of the reconstructed mental hospital.

Music: A Charles Dickens Christmas

Gabe Stone, Mark Nixon, and David Gardner present a holiday show featuring readings from various Charles Dickens writings paired with Victorian Christmas carols.

Music: A Christmas Peaceable Kingdom

Doves, donkeys, cattle, sheep and more. Join Kelly Kennedy for the joyous songs, tunes and stories of the animal kingdom from all over the world that mark the season.

Music: A Fiddler's 75th Christmas

Part of the Hennage Holiday Concert Series, join master fiddler John Turner for an hour of holiday-related melodies gleaned from a lifetime of listening, performing, and composing.

Music: A Very Virginia Christmas

A concert of songs through the centuries interwoven with stories about Virginia from Wilford Kale’s book “A Very Virginia Christmas."

Music: All Hail to the Days

Join Lynn, Barry, and Lee to enjoy music for the winter season from the late 16th through the 17th centuries on lute, cittern, viols, hurdy gurdy, violin, percussion, and voice.

Music: Breaking Up Christmas

Dance tunes and songs that create a musical portrait of Virginia from the days of English country dances to the rise of country music in the Appalachian hills and hollows.

Music: Christmastide with Governor's Musick

Join members of the Governor’s Musick for musical entertainments enjoyed during Christmastide in the 18th century.

Music: Domestic Diversions

Celebrate the holidays with seasonal tunes enjoyed by Nancy Geddy and other 18th-century citizens of Williamsburg at home.

Music: Eastern Virginia Brass

Celebrate the holidays with the festive music of the Eastern Virginia Brass. Enjoy familiar music, new pieces and always great music.

Music: Five Centuries of Holiday Music in Virginia

As part of the Hennage Holiday Concert Series, join Henley Fork for a celebration of music of the Christmas season from the time of Jamestown through the twentieth century.

Music: Folk Hymns for Thanksgiving

Join John and Turner and Kelly Kennedy as they play Harvest Home anthems, American hymns of Gratitude, and other lively tunes and songs to observe the Thanksgiving holiday.

Music: Governor's Musick at the Art Museums

Learn how the evolving and bombastic battle sonata helped shape an American musical identity separate from Britain.

Music: Holiday Celebration of Dulcimers

With musicality and seasonal joy, join Timothy Seaman for distinctive American melodies and festive holiday music showcased on a magnificent array of dulcimers.

Music: How to Play the (18th-Century) Violin

The violin was played by all classes and in all settings in 18th-century Virginia. Come hear how this instrument was played; it is easier said than done.

Music: Jolly Old St. Nicholas

Celebrate that jolly old elf and discover worldwide traditions with Gabe Stone and David Gardner through tunes and stories about the star of the Christmas gift-giving season.

Music: Keeping the Home Fires Burning

Singer, actor, and folklorist Kelly Kennedy shares the music, recipes, tales, and lore from women through the centuries as they continue to keep the home fires burning.

Music: Nowell Sing We Clear

Join Lynn and Barry Trott in this concert to sing along with favorite English and American carols from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

Music: One Street Over

Join One Street Over, a four-piece traditional Irish band that combines the sounds of flute, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, cello, banjo, and bodhran into foot-tapping melodies.

Music: Profound Joy

In this concert, Timothy Seaman celebrates the wonder of the holiday season with early American and worldwide melodies and new compositions.

Performance: A Holiday Medley

A Holiday Medley brings the warmth and joy of holiday traditions, telling the tale of winter in Williamsburg over 250 years.

Performance: A Posture of Defense at Christmas

Christmas 1774, George Washington is caught in the middle of growing fears of civil war with England. Where does he stand?

Performance: A Soldier's Christmas

Colonel James Innes returns home from the war filled with the haunting voices of his fallen comrades. Will he be able to recover from the war and find peace this Christmas?

Performance: All Things Are Possible

On September 5, 1791, Robert Carter III recorded an extraordinary document. Why did the largest slaveholder in Virginia do what most of his peers consider impossible?

Performance: Beyond The Walls

The scholars of the Bray school have a lot that they can learn from the tiny creatures within its walls.

Performance: Finding Jane Vobe

A sneak peek behind the scenes into the research behind Colonial Williamsburg's newest Nation Builder Jane Vobe.

Performance: Forgotten Hero: General Rochambeau

Join French General Rochambeau as he discusses his role in the American Revolution, specifically during the Yorktown campaign.

Performance: God is My Rock

Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man and popular local preacher, offers his perspective on slavery, religion, and freedom.

Performance: Good Progress

Meet Mrs. Wager, teacher of the Williamsburg Bray School, as she debates the nature of her school with Elizabeth DeRosario, a free Black woman.

Performance: Is Our Love Enough

Join Sarah and Lewis Hallam as they step through the trials of marriage, family, and the theatre in the 1770s

Performance: Judith and Daniel

Judith and Daniel, an enslaved couple, anxiously await their reunion after a year apart. Learn the tragic story resulting in their separation.

Performance: Measure of a Man's Worth

While conversing with Major James Innes, Benjamin, an enslaved carriage driver, gradually learns what the revolution has in store for enslaved men and women in Williamsburg.

Performance: Merriment and Measles

Join the Washingtons on the eve of Twelfth Night in 1760 as they reflect on the past year and their hopes for the future in the midst of a measles outbreak at Mount Vernon.

Performance: My Dear Madam

Mrs. Washington reflects on her life in the public eye and how her friendship with Mrs. Adams has shaped the role of the president’s lady.

Performance: Pursuing Happiness

Witness imagined conversations between Thomas Jefferson, John Locke, and King George III to discover the ghosts behind Jefferson’s drafts of the Declaration of Independence.

Performance: Sing and Merry Be!

Come celebrate the holidays as the families of 18th century Virginia did, with merriment and the music of the season!

Performance: Winter Revels at Pemberley

The halls of Pemberley have witnessed years of winter revelry and today, preparations for yet another ball are underway!

Presentation: Good Stories about Great Stuff

Join a curator, conservator, educator, archaeologist, or historian to discover who created an object, who owned it, and how it ended up in the Colonial Williamsburg Collection.

Presentation: History of the Holidays Series

In this presentation series, learn about a variety of topics highlighting the history of the holidays in Virginia.

Presentation: The Shawnee and Dunmore at War, 1774

Discover how Indigenous alliances, the Proclamation of 1763, and settlers’ quest for land contributed to the 1774 Shawnee-Dunmore War and why choosing a winner isn't always clear.

Presentation: To Decorate a Christmas Tree

Discover the history of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Christmas Tree with Christina Westenberger, co-author of The Art-Full Tree.

Special Event Hands-On: The Art-full Tree

Explore the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg and discover the Folk Art Christmas Tree, then make your way to the Goode Education Studio and create an ornament to take home.

Special Event: Artful Winter Evenings

Celebrate the holidays in this magical after-hours event at the Art Museums.

Special Event: Holiday Handbell Concert

Enjoy the ethereal sounds of holiday music played by combined Handbell ensembles from Bruton Parish and First Baptist Church.

Special Event: The Gonzales Sisters

Usher in the holiday season with the musical stylings of the Gonzales Sisters, classical cellist and violinist.

Special Event: The Three Tenors

Enjoy the celebration of the Christmas holidays with the sounds of traditional, spirituals, gospel, and contemporary music.

Special Event: The Williamsburg Symphony

The Williamsburg Symphony's brass quintet heralds the spirit of the season.

Special Event: We are Everywhere

Join Professor Greg Smithers to open new insights into histories of gender diversity and sexual fluidity in Native America.

Tour: An Art-FULL Winter Evening

Discover objects and stories of wintertime past and present on a guided tour.

Tour: Art Museums Overview

Join us on a 20-minute guided tour and enjoy some Museum favorites.

Tour: Art Museums Overview Tour-Holiday Edition

Celebrate the holiday season at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg on a 30-minute guided tour.

Tour: Black Artists and Artisans

Enjoy a guided tour of the exhibit “'I made this': Works by Black Artists and Artisans."

Tour: Favorite Family Pets

Join us on a family-friendly tour as we explore the galleries for animals of all shapes and sizes.

Tour: Good Stories about Great Stuff

Explore the galleries with a curator, conservator, educator, archaeologist, or a historian on this guided tour.

Tour: Museum Highlights

Discover highlights from Colonial Williamsburg’s diverse collections during a guided tour.

Tour: Poetry & Art

Join us on a family-friendly tour. We will explore the galleries, connecting objects on exhibit to favorite poems, and then enjoy a poetry-writing activity.

Williamsburg's Twilight at the Square Piano

Journey through the final years of Williamsburg as Virginia’s capital, when piano music was discovered in the evanescent city.