Winter Wonderland In Bel Air: Lineup Of 2020 Events

Elizabeth Janney
Updated ·3 min read

BEL AIR, MD — The town of Bel Air will flip the switch on its Winter Wonderland display after Thanksgiving. Main Street will be illuminated Nov. 28 to ring in the holidays.

Over the past week, volunteers strung more than 60,000 lights from the Bel Air Armory to the courthouse for the occasion.

"We are trying to work on ways where we can still get this to happen," Commissioner Erin Hughes said, in an update on the Winter Wonderland campaign at this week's town hall meeting.

Winter Wonderland is put together by the town of Bel Air, the Bel Air Downtown Alliance and the Greater Bel Air Community Foundation. Carriage rides and outdoor movie nights are among the offerings.

To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Hughes said the Winter Wonderland committee planned to "spread things out around town a little more for social distance."

Statewide guidelines call for limiting indoor and outdoor gatherings to slow the spread of the coronavirus; the Maryland Department of Health issued an advisory cautioning against having more than 25 individuals in one location.

"We need guests to not cluster in large groups, wear their masks and be patient and kind to each other," Bel Air town spokesperson Patti Parker said.

Santa will arrive by carriage at 5 p.m. each Saturday once the lights are on, Parker said. Due to the coronavirus, she said: "Santa visits will be a bit different this year. Santa will be accepting letters."

Complimentary carriage rides will be provided from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, according to Parker.

Two carriages have been booked for the event, and each carriage has two horses pulling it, she said.

"If a line begins, we will start a list and assign times for people to come back to avoid gatherings," Parker said. This will "allow guests to circulate through the area, enjoy extended shopping hours and generally soak up some holiday cheer."

Traditionally, complimentary hot chocolate and cookies have been provided at Bel Air's Winter Wonderland events. However, this year the food and drink components have been canceled so people keep their masks on, Parker said.

The Bel Air Christmas Parade was canceled already.

"This is not a perfect science; we are learning as we go in many ways," Parker said of holding Winter Wonderland during the coronavirus pandemic. "But our town needs some holiday spirit. We need something to distract us, if only for an hour."

Here is the lineup of Winter Wonderland events in Bel Air for 2020:

  • Lights will be on downtown from 5 to 10 p.m. from Nov. 28 to Jan. 1.

  • Carriage rides will be 5 to 9 p.m. Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

  • "Elf" will be the feature at a drive-in movie night at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5. Tickets are $20 for the movie, which will be shown in the parking lot of Black Eyed Suzie's.

  • "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" will be shown at a drive-in movie night at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19. Tickets are $20 for the movie, which will be shown in the parking lot of Black Eyed Suzie's.

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This article originally appeared on the Bel Air Patch