DICKENS OF A CHRISTMAS

The 36th Annual Dickens of a Christmas Franklin presented by First Citizens National Bank is free and open to the public. The Heritage Foundation has extended Saturday’s times into the evening to encourage visitors to shop and eat in downtown Franklin and enjoy the beautiful holiday lights.

The festival will recreate the time of Charles Dickens using historic downtown Franklin’s Victorian architecture as the backdrop. Some 200 musicians, dancers and characters will fill the streets, including several from Charles Dickens’s stories. Expect to see and interact with the nefarious Fagin from Oliver Twist; Jacob Marley, Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim Cratchit with his parents from A Christmas Carol; and of course, a Victorian Father and Mother Christmas with treats for children.

The festival is a rain or shine event. If there is dangerous inclement weather, the Foundation will communicate with vendors and attendees on delayed openings or closings.

Festival Highlights and Features:

• NEW Victorian VillageCharles Dickens’ characters
• Roaming carolers and street musicians
• Vintage and Victorian craft demonstrations
• Victorian-era holiday foods such as sugar plums
• Free photos with Father Christmas
• Vintage truck holiday photo area
• NEW downtown Franklin holiday window display contest
• Family activities produced by the Heritage Foundation Classroom, such as ornament and holiday card-making and other vintage crafts
• Snow photo area on the steps of the historic Williamson County courthouse
• Peddler’s Row East & South, featuring 100+ arts and crafts vendors and community organizations
• Food Court area, featuring fan-favorite food trucks and street food vendors
• Live entertainment on the GSRM Stage
• Town Sing at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday (Public Square) and 4:30 p.m. on Sunday (Historic Franklin Presbyterian Church)
• NEW theatrical experience at The Franklin Theatre, “A Christmas Carol with Jason Woods” | 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14.Actor Jason Woods transforms into over 25 characters as he describes every shadowy phantom, mouth-watering morsel of Christmas dinner and tear of joy from the beloved Charles Dickens tale. Tickets are on sale now at FranklinTheatre.com.

Source: Heritage Foundation Williamson County