34th Annual Dickens on the Strand
December 1st & 2nd, 2007

Her Majesty Queen Victoria's Knighting Ceremony

11am Saturday,
Westminister Abby Stage
23rd Street and Strand

The Queen's Parades

2pm Saturday & 3pm Sunday

Her Majesty Queen Victoria, escorted by a colorful guard of Beefeaters in her own royal parade, greets her subjects both festival days from an elegant horse-drawn carriage draped with garlands.

Pickwick's Lanternlight Parade

7pm Saturday

Royal festivities move into the evening hours as the soft glow of gas light and holiday melodies from carolers and bagpipe bands fill the streets for a gala afterdark parade that includes musical groups, horse-drawn carriages and wagons, Victorian costumed passengers and lantern-carrying escorts.

Dickens Costume Contests

4:30 pm Saturday for Ladies & Gentlemen;
1:00 pm Sunday for Families & Dickens Characters

It's a majestic sight when costumed festival participants showcase their finest Victorian attire or portray a colorful character from Dickens' novels at the Dickens Costume Contest.

Children's Activities

All day Saturday & Sunday

From Her Majesty's rare collection of exotic creatures at the Royal Menagerie petting zoo and pony rides to Scrooge's Scavenger Hunt (Sponsored by HomeTown Bank of Galveston) elephant rides and puppet shows, children of all ages will enjoy the activities in the Piccadilly Circus. Victorian craft activities will be available and children will be encouraged to express their creativity.

Royal Victorian Wedding Ceremony

12 noon Saturday
Westminster Abbey Stage

Victorian wedding bells will ring at noon on Saturday for brides and grooms in a special group ceremony conducted by a licensed minister. Whether it is your first time or you are renewing your vows, don't miss this magical opportunity to make your wedding day an historical event.

London Wharf and the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA

10am to 9pm Saturday
10am to 6pm Sunday
Pier 22 (21st Street at Harborside Drive)
 

(INCLUDED WITH PURCHASE OF A DICKENS ON THE STRAND FESTIVAL TICKET)

Reflecting Back on times when the sun never set on the British Empire, London Wharf presents the jaunty tunes of a concertina as “old salts” share tall tales of life at sea.

Continuous Entertainment & Holiday Shopping

All day Saturday & Sunday on five stages

Stage Locations:

Crystal Palace Stage,
2100 Block of Mechanic St.

Windsor Castle Stage,
22nd Street and The Strand

Westminster Abbey Stage,
23rd Street and The Strand

Piccadilly Circus,
21st St. and The Strand

Marble Arch Stage,
2200 Block of Mechanic Street

Strand Theatre,
2317 Mechanic, across from The Tremont Hotel

Where the Dickens is That?

All day Saturday & Sunday

Enter the architectural treasure hunt contest at Dickens on The Strand! Pick up your contest entry form at the designated booth near Piccadilly Circus during the festival. Win a day sail aboard the 1877 tall ship ELISSA and many other great prizes. Sponsored by American Institute of Architects/Houston.

Snow on The Strand

10am 'til it melts

A corner of tropical Galveston Island takes on the magic of a real winter wonderland as children 10 and younger frolic in a frosty "snow yard." Get there early, however, since there's only one guaranteed weekend of snow a year in Galveston!

Book Signings By Henry Dickens Hawsley

Henry Dickens Hawsley, great-great-grandson of the legendary author Charles Dickens will be available to sign Dickens’ literary works (which may be purchased on-site) at the GHF Members Club on Saturday, December 1, from 3:30-4:00 and at the Tremont Hotel from 4:30-5:15.

Galveston Historical Foundation members may purchase advance discount tickets for $7 by calling GHF headquarters at 409-765-7834.

Non-GHF members may purchase advance tickets on or before November 30 for $9 for adults and $4 for children ages 7 to 12. On the days of the event, tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children ages 7 to 12. Children under age 7 are admitted for free. Visitors to the festival dressed in Victorian-era costumes will be admitted for half-price at the gate.