Tryon Palace invites you to the Governor’s Palace to experience the beauty, joy, and magic of the season at North Carolina’s first State Capitol. Tickets are on sale now for Tryon Palace’s Candlelight Holiday Celebration on two consecutive Saturdays in December, the 11th and 18th, beginning at 4:30 pm, and ending each night at 9:30 pm with a black-powder fireworks display from the Palace’s South Lawn.
Candlelight is one of the most anticipated events of the year, a holiday family tradition for many New Bernians. This heartwarming holiday event has gained statewide notoriety as well. This year, Candlelight was named by Southeast Tourism Society to be one of their Top 20 event choices for the Holiday Season.
When purchasing your ticket, be prepared to select a reserved time for touring the decorated Palace. To not miss your tour, please be on time and in line, on or before your reservation. In addition to the Palace tour, there are many activities and events to enjoy. There will be maps of the grounds available with performance schedules.
Dependent on your reserved tour time, your evening may begin with a tour through the adorned Palace where historic colonial characters in period dress will perform short holiday vignettes. Afterwards, explore the decorated Stanly and Dixon historic homes or enjoy entertainment in the Performance Tent.
Check the schedule for Tryon Palace’s Fife and Drum Corps and Jonkonnu performances. Under the big tent on the North Lawn, circus acts, fire eating, sword swallowing, acrobatics, and 18th-century magic tricks can be enjoyed.
Throughout the event, delicious fare can be purchased from favorite local food trucks outside the Palace gates on Pollock Street. Inside the Palace gates, at the King’s Arms Tavern, beer or wine can be purchased, or warm up on the hot cocoa and sweets from Mistletoe Corner.
Candlelight tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for youth, and can be purchased at the North Carolina History Center, 529 S. Front Street, New Bern, or at TryonPalace.org/events/candlelight. Candlelight is a rain or shine event, and fireworks may be cancelled during extreme weather conditions.
In addition to Candlelight, during the weeks prior, the Palace gardens will be offering Holiday Décor and Traditions of Christmas tours. Call the ticket desk at 252 639-3525 for more information on these informative and festive tours.
Submitted by Nancy Figiel, Public Affairs Director, Tryon Palace