Holiday Wonderland at Historic Richmond Town
On a December afternoon at Historic Richmond Town, the smell of woodsmoke from the hearth-cooking demonstrations drifts between the restored houses, and the shops along the village lanes — the tinsmith, the carpenter, the general store — are open for browsing. The annual Holiday Wonderland event runs December 5–6, 2026. Living history demonstrations run throughout the day, and an old-fashioned horse-drawn carriage waits for a turn around the grounds. Santa visits, and local food is on offer. This is the weekend to plan your trip around if you want the fullest version of the village in its winter dress.
Candlelight Tours Through 300 Years of Yuletide
Return on December 11–12, 2026, for the candlelight evening tours. The interpreters walk you through 300+ years of Staten Island yuletide traditions, with multicultural foodways woven into the story. Evening tours mean the village after dark, lit by candle rather than daylight — a different pace and a different mood from the daytime weekend. Book these as the anchor of your evening plans; they are the most atmospheric thing on the calendar.
Wander the Living-History Village Between Events
Historic Richmond Town is a working museum village with historic houses, restored interiors, and costumed interpreters, and it holds a collection of more than 60,000 objects. Guided walking tours run, and group rates are available if you're travelling with a party. Arrive early on an event day and take a tour before the crowds build — the interpreters are the reason the place works, and a walk through the restored interiors gives context to everything you'll see at the holiday events.
Exhibitions Worth Building a Day Around
The site's exhibition schedule stretches well past the holidays, so a visit in 2026 or 2027 has more than the tree lighting to recommend it:
- Vintage postcards from the William McMillen Collection, on view April 26, 2025 – April 4, 2027.
- Footwear and fashion history, with more than 25 original pairs of shoes, August 16, 2025 – September 16, 2027.
- "Founding Principles: The Declaration of Independence, Civics, and Staten Island," opening June 2026 for the U.S. 250th anniversary and running June 27, 2026 – June 24, 2029.
Beyond the exhibitions, the 2026–27 programming includes 18th-century English social dance classes (September 16, 2026 – June 23, 2027), a talk on Loring McMillen's 1933 Revolutionary War map of Staten Island (September 12 – December 20, 2026), indigenous dance, storytelling and crafts, and hearth-cooking demonstrations using 18th- and 19th-century recipes. The hearth cooking is the one to catch on a cold day — the food is made the old way, in front of you.
When to Go and How to Plan the Day
The community Tree Lighting is a recurring annual celebration at Historic Richmond Town, though the site does not publish a specific 2026 date — check the Historic Richmond Town website as December approaches and build your visit around whichever evening it falls. If you want a fixed date to plan around, the December 5–6 Holiday Wonderland weekend and the December 11–12 candlelight tours are confirmed. The site is on Staten Island, so allow for the ferry crossing from Manhattan and treat the journey as part of the day rather than an obstacle. Pair a daytime walking tour with an evening event, and leave time for the shops and the food.
Start with the Historic Richmond Town website: confirm the tree-lighting date, reserve the candlelight tours before they fill, and set aside a full December day for the village, the shops, and the carriage ride. The calendar is already written for December 2026 — all that's left is choosing your weekend.