Fredericksburg, VA

Local Events

Reenactments, heritage festivals, and living history programs — experience the Revolution where it happened.

Upcoming This Year

May

Guided Tour

Mary Washington's Garden Party & Colonial Life Day

Mary Washington House, 1200 Charles Street, Fredericksburg, VA

Held at the Mary Washington House — the home George Washington purchased for his mother in 1772, where he famously bade her farewell before departing for the Yorktown Campaign — this spring event features colonial garden tours, 18th-century domestic life demonstrations, period refreshments, and discussions of Mary Ball Washington's life and influence during the Revolutionary era.

Admission fee charged; check website for current pricesTypically held on a weekend in late spring; contact Washington Heritage Museums to confirm dates and programming.More info →

Jul

Ceremony

Independence Day Celebration at Kenmore Plantation

Kenmore Plantation, 1201 Washington Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA

Kenmore Plantation, the elegant home of George Washington's sister Betty and her husband Fielding Lewis — who bankrupted himself financing the Fredericksburg Gunnery Manufactory during the Revolution — hosts a Fourth of July program featuring readings of the Declaration of Independence, 18th-century craft and cooking demonstrations, period music, and discussions of the Lewis family's sacrifices for independence.

Standard museum admission; some outdoor programming may be freeHeld on or near July 4; contact Kenmore & George Washington's Ferry Farm to confirm exact programming each year.More info →

Oct

Festival

Fredericksburg Heritage Festival / Revolution on the Rappahannock

Historic Downtown Fredericksburg & various historic sites

A fall heritage festival in historic downtown Fredericksburg celebrating the town's colonial and Revolutionary War heritage. Activities typically include guided walking tours of Revolutionary-era sites, 18th-century military demonstrations, talks on Fredericksburg's role as a supply hub and gunnery manufactory site during the war, and family-friendly colonial crafts and games.

Some events free; museum entry fees may applyTypically held on a Saturday in October; exact date and format may vary. Contact the Fredericksburg Visitor Center or Washington Heritage Museums to confirm.

Earlier This Year

Feb

– 17

FestivalFeatured

George Washington's Birthday Celebration

Historic Downtown Fredericksburg & Washington Heritage Museums

A weekend-long celebration honoring Fredericksburg's most famous former resident, George Washington, who grew up just across the Rappahannock River at Ferry Farm. Events include a parade through historic downtown, living history demonstrations, free admission to Washington-related historic sites such as Kenmore Plantation, the Mary Washington House, and the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop, along with period music, colonial crafts, and a ceremonial wreath-laying.

Parade free; some museum events may have admission feesPresidents' Day weekend (third Monday in February); exact dates shift each year. The parade typically takes place on Saturday.More info →

Jan

Guided Tour

Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop Living History Programs

Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop, 1020 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA

Throughout the year — and with special emphasis during spring and summer — costumed interpreters at the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop bring to life the world of 18th-century medicine and Dr. Hugh Mercer's journey from Scottish physician to Virginia patriot. Seasonal programs highlight Mercer's role in organizing the local militia and his heroic death at the Battle of Princeton in January 1777.

Admission fee charged; check website for current pricesLiving history programs run throughout the year; special programming often occurs in January near the anniversary of the Battle of Princeton (January 3, 1777). Contact the museum to confirm seasonal schedules.More info →