Quaint community-wide celebrations and ongoing seasonal events are in abundance, many of which are located right in the heart of Historic Main Street. Family and friends gather to enjoy wonderful wintertime displays, festive holiday markets, shopping, and more. Does this sound like the perfect setup for a family Christmas movie? Maybe so, but this is the scenario that plays out every year when you visit historic Bel Air, Maryland at Christmastime.
For years residents and visitors alike have been rightfully embracing the Christmas scene that encompasses the surrounding Harford County community. Some of this season’s events and offerings are traditional mainstays you can always count. Others, however, are premiering for the first time. So, what can you expect at this year’s Christmas in Bel Air? Here’s a sampling of the prospective lineup.
Bel Air Lions Club Christmas Tree Sales
For more than 25 years the Bel Air Lions Club has been faithfully holding Christmas Tree sales as their primary fundraising event. Getting trees from the Lions specifically has become such a community tradition for so many families that over $850,000 have been raised since they first started. Proceeds from the sales benefit several Bel Air and Central Maryland causes.
Bel Air Lions Club Christmas Tree Sales begin November 18 and will be held at the usual location at Heavenly Waters Park, across Route 24 from the Harford Mall. Click here for more information including prices and hours of operation.
Holiday Happenings at Harford Artists Gallery
The Harford Artists Gallery on Main Street makes for a great stop this holiday season, especially with all the ongoing offerings, like their current Gifts of the Season Exhibition, which is running through January 8. Given how they play host to numerous activities and workshops regularly, it’s worth mentioning that several Christmas-themed events will be taking place as part of the Christmas in Bel Air lineup. An Angel Ornament Workshop will be held on November 19, for instance, followed by a Holiday Heart Tree Sculpting Workshop on November 29. Then, on December 3, there’s going to be an Acrylic Tree Painting Workshop. This will be followed by a Holiday Paint Party Event on December 8 and a Snowflake Ornament Workshop on December 9. A follow-up Paint Your Pet Event as a holiday gift will be held on December 10.
In addition to all the activity workshops, there will also be various holiday open houses hosted at the Harford Artists Gallery throughout December. To learn more about all holiday happenings and events at the Harford Artists Gallery or about the nonprofit Harford Artists Association specifically, click the link to their website.
Spirits of Christmas Past: Candlelight Christmas Tour
New this year, the Historical Society of Harford County will be offering unique candlelight Christmas tours every Friday and Saturday evening starting November 24 and running through December 16. These walking tours through downtown span an hour and a half and begin and end at the Historical Society’s main building at 143 N. Main Street. It’s your chance to learn more about nostalgic bygone Harford County Christmases and traditions from long ago—the next best thing to actually traveling back in time!
Group tours are limited to 20 people, and all prospective participants must register in advance. Visit the Historical Society of Harford County website to learn more about this event and others, including their Holiday Greens Sale, which begins November 29.
Winter Wonderland
The most encompassing feature in all of downtown Bel Air this season is of course the wonderful Winter Wonderland setup. Buildings and businesses all along Main Street will be adorned with lighted displays, including the Bel Air Armory, the Harford County Courthouse, and several others. The official first lighting will kick off on the evening of November 25, continuing nightly from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. through January 1, 2024.
While lights will be lit nightly, some Winter Wonderland events will be limited to certain dates and times. The Train Garden Display at the Armory Marketplace, for instance, will be open every Friday evening from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and then every Saturday between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. (with a special Sunday, December 3 operation between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.).
Every Saturday evening starting at 5 p.m. you can expect to enjoy live musical performances at the Frederick Ward Armory, horse-drawn carriage rides through town, and visits with Santa Claus in front of the Harford County Courthouse.
On Saturday, December 9, the Bel Air Armory will play host to a special Winter Wonderland Market event. The market will run between noon and 9 p.m. on this date.
Click here to learn even more about all the ongoing events and activities to be featured at this year’s Winter Wonderland.
The Belle Aire Holiday Market
Saturday, November 25, marks Small Business Saturday for retail locations along Main Street, many of which will be extending sales and promos in light of the coming holiday season. But this date also marks the start of the weekly Belle Aire Holiday Market, which will continue every Saturday until December 16 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. As an extension of the usual Belle Aire Market setup, different artisan vendors will be setting up shop with plenty of goods and items that make perfect holiday gifts this season.
Both Small Business Saturday and the Belle Aire Holiday Market are made possible by the Bel Air Downtown Alliance. Click their calendar website link to learn more about these and other holiday happenings.
Rockfield Manor Annual Tree Lighting
On December 1, Rockfield Manor is continuing the tradition of its Annual Christmas Tree Lighting event, benefiting Toys for Tots of Harford County. Taking place between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., the all-out festivities taking place onsite here will also include local crafts vendors, food trucks, and visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus in addition to the obvious. There will also be loads of featured sweet treats, including Sweet Cloud 9 Cotton Candy and Rockfield’s famed 12-foot s’mores bar.
Admission is free with one unwrapped gift per person. Learn more about this exciting holiday happening here.
Holiday Open House at Liriodendron Mansion
Every year the historic Liriodendron Mansion faithfully plays host to a special holiday open-house event. And this year things are going to be twice as nice given how the mansion is also celebrating its 125th anniversary.
Come out on December 2, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. for a festive day in this stately decorated mansion, laden with live music, local arts and crafts vendors, raffles, sales in holiday décor and greenery, and so much more. Children can participate in fun activities and even visit with Santa Claus. The fan-favorite Waffle’n Joe Food Truck will also return to this year’s event.
Visitors are encouraged to make a suggested donation is $5, as proceeds benefit the nonprofit Liriodendron Foundation directly. Visit the website to learn more.
Christmas Parade
A community-wide tradition spanning 33 years in the making, this year’s Annual Bel Air Christmas Parade will take place on Sunday, December 3 at 3:30 p.m. The procession will head down Main Street at Churchville Road to Lee Street, ending at Hickory Avenue. Comprising the lineup will be various community businesses, clubs, and organizations, acrobats and stilt walkers, dancers, school and rec bands, sports teams, and more, with Santa and Mrs. Claus leading in the grand finale.
Following the parade’s conclusion, there will be a community bonfire and singalong in Shamrock Park. Various food trucks will be vending goods, as well as cookies, and hot chocolate beginning at 4:15 p.m. The famed Tree Lighting at Town Hall will follow at approximately 4:45 p.m. Click here for more information.
The Holiday Village at the Bel Air Farmers’ Market
The Bel Air Farmers’ Market is presenting a first-ever Holiday Village event on December 9, between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Taking place on location of the Mary Risteau Parking Lot, this event will be packed with artisan and vendor setups as well as plenty of hands-on workshops for all ages. Some of the activities to enjoy here will include wreath-making, cookie decorating for children, and mixology classes for the over-21 crowd. And of course, live music by Kimmestree will mark the event as well.
To learn more about this first-ever premier event click the Bel Air Farmers’ Market site link here.
There are plenty of other ongoing events taking place throughout Bel Air this holiday season. Various musical performances and concert events, for instance, will be hosted at many different venues throughout December. Some of this season’s most anticipated offerings include: Our Jazzy Holiday Spirit with Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra (December 2 at Bel Air High School), Harford Choral Presents Glory of the Season(December 9 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church), The Eric Byrd Trio Plays A Charlie Brown Christmas(December 9 at Liriodendron Mansion), Bel Air Community Band Holiday Concert (December 10 at Bel Air High School), Rejoice! A Community Choral Celebration (December 10 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church), and Nutcracker Sweets by Ballet Chesapeake (December 15 at Bel Air Armory).
Be sure to make your rounds throughout the greater Bel Air and Harford County communities to discover even more holiday happenings. But to learn more about Christmas in Bel Air specifically, visit www.christmasinbelair.com.