Dickens on THE STRAND
Returns Dec. 4-6 to historic Galveston Island
This year’s festival begins Friday, Dec. 4 with free admission from 5-9 p.m. and continues Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 6, noon to 6 p.m. Tickets purchased before Dec. 4 are $13 for adults and $7 for youth ages 7-12. Tickets purchased at the gate are $15 for adults and $9 for youth. Discounted tickets for GHF members are available for $10 in advance or $12 at the gate. Tickets are available online at www.dickensonthestrand.org, by calling 409765-7834 or at all area Randalls stores, which began Nov. 1. Attendees in Victorian costume are admitted for $8.
“Dickens on The Strand continues to be one of the nation’s great holiday festivals,” said GHF executive director Dwayne Jones. “There is something about the entertainment, the costumes and the feel of Dickens that starts the holiday season off right. You will not want to miss this year’s special focus on Dickens’ enduring children’s characters.”
The annual holiday street festival, based on 19th-century Victorian London, features parades, non-stop entertainment on six stages, strolling carolers, roving musicians, bagpipers, jugglers and a host of other entertainers. Costumed vendors peddle their wares from street stalls and rolling carts laden with holiday food and drink, Victorian-inspired crafts, clothing, jewelry, holiday decorations, and gift items.
Two descendants of Charles Dickens once again will grace the festival as GHF welcomes Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, great-great-greatgranddaughter of Dickens, and Jane Dickens Monk, great-great-granddaughter. Both women will be at numerous events throughout the weekend.
“I always enjoy Dickens on the Strand, and this year we’ll be doing even more events,” Dickens Hawksley said. “I’m happy that we’ll be placing greater emphasis on including children at the festival in 2015 and encouraging them to write. I’m looking forward to seeing if my great-great-great-grandfather is able to inspire any budding Texan writers of the future.”
Dickens Monk said, “I’m thrilled to be part of Dickens on The Strand this year, with
“Dickens on The Strand continues to be one of the nation’s great holiday festivals,” said GHF executive director Dwayne Jones.
more emphasis on children, which my great-great-grandfather would have approved of. I’m also looking forward to seeing old and new faces at the brilliant breakfast and to kick-start the weekend at Fezziwig’s Friday night.”
NEW IN 2015
• Complimentary book to attendees: Christmas will come early for youth attending this year’s festival with a special gift to those ticket holders. Through a special grant by the Alice Taylor Gray Foundation, the first 3,000 youth that enter the festival grounds will receive a special print edition of Charles Dickens’ 1843 masterpiece “A Christmas Carol.”
• Dickens Children’s Writing Contest: Could you be the next Dickens? This year’s festival will give you the chance to ride in a carriage with both of Dickens’ descendants if your story is the winning selection. Dickens Hawksley will personally select two stories, one from a 7-9 age range and one from a 10-12 range, for the winner to accompany them as their special guest during a Dickens parade. Stories are limited to 100 words and can be on one of three topics. Details and submissions at www.
dickensonthestrand.org.
• Oliver’s Alley Children’s Area: Children by the thousands come each year for the parades, petting zoo, history encampments and more. This year’s event will feature an expanded Oliver’s Alley children’s area, presented by the Galveston Children’s Museum, where specialty programs and events will be scheduled all weekend long. Lucinda Dickens Hawksley will also lead a special writing workshop at Oliver’s Alley for participating youth.
• Trafalgar Square Stage in Hendley Green: Galveston Historical Foundation’s new downtown green space, Hendley Green, will offer attendees an amazing new location to take in the festival’s best entertainment, food and fun. Located on the corner of 21st and Strand, Hendley Green will feature special programming on its Trafalgar Square stage while also offering special food and drink vendors.
EXPANDED OFFERINGS
• Fezziwig’s Friday Night: Mr. Fezziwig was everything Ebenezer wasn’t, and we pay tribute to his jovial personality at the new Fezziwig’s Beer Hall. Visit Friday, Dec. 4 from 5-9 p.m. for specialty acts, hearty brews and new friends all hosted by Dickens’ descendant, Dickens Monk. There will also be a specialty cocktail chosen from Cedric Dickens’ book Drinking With Dickens. Admission is free for this
lively start to the 42nd anniversary.
• Dinner With Dickens at the 1880 Garten Verein: It’s a renewed take on a Dickens classic as the annual dinner returns to the breathtaking German dancing pavilion. Held for one night only on Friday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m., “Dinner with Dickens” will treat guests to an evening of specially crafted food, grand storytelling and royal company as the festival’s Queen Victoria makes her annual entrance. Held at the 1880 Garten Verein, it’s a holiday dinner not to be missed. Tickets are $85 per person. Reservations are required.
• Breakfast with Dickens: The great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, Dickens Monk, isn’t just coming to this year’s event to take in the sights and share in her heritage, she’s also there to cook up a traditional English breakfast. Held on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 8 a.m., join her and a celebrity chef as they prepare a one-of-a-kind experience in one of Galveston’s most beloved historic homes, the 1859 Ashton Villa. Tickets are $60. Reservations are required.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
The festival weekend also hosts a multitude of spirited fun with events such as the crowd favorite Whimsical Whisker Revue, a facial hair contest for the bearded and the
dandy; the Dickens Victorian Bed Races; Victorian Costume Contest; Civil War living history encampments; and daily parades through Galveston’s National Historic Landmark Strand District. In addition, special events are planned for all days of the event, including:
• Salute To Sunset aboard the 1877 Tall Ship Elissa: The Texas Seaport Museum transforms to a London wharf for this toast to the end of the day and beginning of the evening. The Tall Ship Elissa welcomes you aboard Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4:30 p.m. for heavy appetizers, cocktails, cannon fire and special guests leading up to Saturday night’s Pickwicks’ Lanternlight Parade. Tickets are $50 per person. Reservations are required.
• Holiday Handbell Concerts: The 1859 St. Joseph’s Church, one of the state’s first wooden-built churches and well known for its exceptional acoustics, hosts three holiday hand bell concert on Friday, Dec. 4 at 5:30, 7 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person. Reservations are required.
• Saint Arnold’s Strand Walking Tours: Learn about the history of The Strand and enjoy some of Saint Arnold Brewing Co.’s signature ales during this new tour. Held twice, both days of Dickens on The Strand, you’ll visit three festival pubs as you walk through the National Historic Landmark district with your guide. Tickets are $35 per person and include three complimentary beers. Advance registrations are encouraged.
• Basement to Attic Tour of the 1892 Bishop’s Palace: The Bishop’s Palace (a.k.a. Gresham House) is a contributing building in the East End Historic District, a National Historic Landmark. The house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places at the national level of significance in the area of architecture. The Basement to Attic tour of the 1892 Bishop’s Palace offers you a rare look to areas of the home normally off limits. The tour will be held Saturday, Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. Tickets are $40 per person. Reservations are required. •