Arts Council in Fayetteville Changes Name of ‘A Dickens Holiday’ Event
“A Dickens Holiday” is no more in Fayetteville, as the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County announced it is retiring the name, and changing it to a more inclusive one.
The annual event held the day after Thanksgiving in Downtown Fayetteville, will now be known as “Holidays on Hay…A Season of Light,” the Arts Council said in a release Tuesday.
“‘Holidays on Hay…A Season of Light’ maintains the original mission of creating an event that is an economic engine to downtown,” Interim Arts Council President Bob Pinson said, “while expanding on the unique aspects of arts, culture, and history that comprise the many distinct populations of Fayetteville and Cumberland County.”
The Arts Council said in changing the name from A Dickens Holiday, it wants the event to be “a more inclusive, engaging, and memorable experience for all to enjoy,” in Fayetteville. The event is a traditional street festival, including vendors, downtown businesses, fireworks, and a candlelight processional down Hay Street. Locals have dressed as Dickensian-style characters in the past, and posed for photos, all while “making way for the Queen” to arrive at the Market House to kick off the holiday season.
“‘Holidays on Hay…A Season of Light’ will continue to mark the beginning of the holiday season attracting patrons to merchants and restaurants in the Historic Downtown Fayetteville area to celebrate their holidays with friends, food, fun, and fellowship,” the release said. “The marketplace will be filled with artisans selling their unique handcrafted holiday arts & crafts trinkets, treats, and treasures.”
This year’s Holidays on Hay… A Season of Light event is scheduled for Friday, November 25, 2022 on Hay Street in Downtown Fayetteville.