Torpedo Factory Art Center joins the fun on Alexandria’s most festive weekend of the year! Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by fire boat around 3:30 p.m. on the Waterfront. Music fills the halls and the Waterfront, beckoning people to browse three floors of open artists’ studios. Santa will even take a spin on the famous Torpedo Bike, made by Chris Erney (Studio 33).
Masks are required for all visitors over the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status.
Timed Tickets for Santa Visits
In order to prevent the spread of COVID 19, visits with Santa will be scheduled in ticketed time windows running every 15 minutes. Visitors interested in reserving a guaranteed time slot will need to collect a ticket at a designated ticketing booth on-site in Torpedo Factory Art Center.
Reservations open at 2 pm on Saturday, December 4. Tickets are FREE and will be provided at the time of reservation.
Visitors unable to reserve a time slot will be able to wait in a “standby” line operating on a first come first serve basis and subject to the availability of each reserved time window.
If you lose your ticket or miss your window, the standby line will be available to you.
Schedule:
- 10 am: Open Studios and Galleries
- 2 pm: Holiday Festival begins / Timed tickets for Santa visits become available
- 2 pm: Dawn & Dusk Coffee Co. pop-up coffee stand begins
- 2–5 pm: Alexandria Archaeology Museum Ship Biscuit Ornaments
- 3–3:30 pm: Live music by Silver 5 Brass Quintet at the Waterfront entrance
- 3:30 pm: Arrival of Santa Claus at Waterfront entrance
- 3:45 pm: Santa visits begin in 3rd Floor Santa Lounge (Studio 325)
- 4:30–5 pm: Performance by Alexandria City High School Symphony Students (Grand Hall by Spiral Staircase)
- 5:30 pm: Video projections by Monica Stroik begin on the Waterfront side of the Art Center
- 5:30 pm: Annual Boat Parade of Lights begins on the Waterfront side of the Art Center
- 6–8 pm: Alexandria City High School Symphony Students encore performance (Grand Hall by Spiral Staircase)
