By: If you’re eager to people the holidays this twelvemonth pinch a Danish flair but Copenhagen seems a tad excessively acold away, you mightiness find the reply successful Solvang. An reply that includes gnomes and a troll.
That city, founded successful 1911 by Danish immigrants, celebrates its Julefest — the wintertime holidays — pinch an accent connected visitor-friendly Old World traditions. This year’s schedule includes a bid of events and activities from Nov. 28 done Jan. 4 — roaming carolers, European-style nighttime markets, candlelight tours and shops transformed into micro wintertime wonderlands.
If you’re readying a wintertime roadworthy trip, present are immoderate things to know.
The about quaint hotels successful municipality are tiny, truthful book early
Solvang, about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles, has about 20 hotels and about are smallish and independent. The largest is the Corque Hotel (122 rooms), which is affiliated pinch Marriott but owned by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
The about friendly and affordable hotels — often successful a vintage motel benignant of measurement — see the Atterdag Inn (8 rooms), New Haven Inn (10 rooms), Hamlet Inn (13 rooms), Mirabelle Inn (13 rooms), the Viking Inn (13 rooms) and the Winston (14 rooms).
The about luxurious is the Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort, whose 73 rooms and cottages routinely rent for $1,500 nightly aliases much (the spot includes a reservoir and 2 play courses).
A character will rise, amid carols, trade markets and more
Solvang’s vacation celebrations see a character lighting, for illustration this 1 successful 2023.
(SolvangUSA)
Tree lighting will hap astatine 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, successful Solvang Park, followed by a Julefest Parade the adjacent greeting astatine 11 a.m.
Caroling is scheduled connected respective Saturdays, Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13 and 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. successful Solvang Park (weather permitting). Art and trade markets will materialize connected Wednesdays, Dec. 3, 10 and 17, from 3 to 7 p.m.
There will beryllium European-style markets to peruse.
(SolvangUSA)
Solvang Park will connection hourlong ray and euphony shows nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. Nov. 28 done Jan. 4. There are besides evening trolley rides done the San Ynez Valley and meet-and-greet opportunities pinch Santa (in Solvang Park) are group for noon to 4 p.m. connected Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 29 and 30, past Dec. 6, 7, 13,14, 20 and 21.
On Dec. 31, attraction shifts to Julefest’s Copenhagen Countdown successful Solvang Park, ringing successful the Danish caller twelvemonth astatine 3 p.m., Pacific Standard Time. This event, from 2 to 4 p.m., will characteristic unrecorded euphony from an ’80s tribute set known arsenic the Molly Ringwald Project.
Gnomes and a troll are expected
The seasonal offerings besides see candlelight tours (featuring LED candles and hosts successful costume), Christmas ray tours and regular hunting for nisser (gnomes) passim downtown Solvang.
The troll — nicknamed Lulu Hyggelig — isn’t really a seasonal addition. It (or she, if you prefer) is simply a imperishable resident of the city’s California Nature Art Museum, added successful February. Lulu, made of recycled pallets and vino barrels, is 1 of galore trolls created worldwide by Danish creator and recycling activistic Thomas Dambo and his squad of seasoned builders and volunteers.
Christmas trees will pain — and that’s portion of the celebration
Solvang’s vacation Julefest play often ends pinch a Christmas character burn. This 1 happened successful 2023.
(Randy De La Pena/SolvangUSA)
The play ends pinch a Christmas character burn, billed arsenic a information demonstration, supervised by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, upwind permitting.
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