PLEASE NOTE: Due to Hurricane Florence and the restorative efforts still in effect at the New Bern River Front Convention Center, this event has been relocated to Temple Baptists Church!
Join the North Carolina Symphony for this spectacular holiday celebration filled with joyful symphonic arrangement of holiday classics including Christmas at the Movies, White Christmas, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – plus our popular sing-a-long!
t’s that time of year again!
DECORATE THOSE BIKES!
There is no better way to experience Christmas lights than on a bike with friends!
This will be a fun, slow ride through the Canterbury Road area well known for those amazing lighted globes hanging from the trees.
There is a requested donation of $5 for Local Hurricane Relief to be distributed by the Bike Box Project (501c3 nonprofit) . Please pay at Flythe’s Bike Shop (2411 Trent Road) by Thursday December 13th, or pay at our tent before the Ride.
We will park on Canterbury Road in the spaces in front of Bangert School. Bangert’s address is 3712 Canterbury Road in Trent Woods.
Upon return we will have Hot Apple Cider and Cookies!
Cyclists must wear helmets and have a headlight and tail-light. Flythe’s has a wide selection. Younger children in baby seats or trailers are welcome. All Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian who is responsible for their actions.
Come to downtown New Bern to participate in the festivities at the local ArtWalk businesses. Downtown art galleries and restaurants stay open for extended hours and sponsor special events every second Friday of the month!
Join us for a time of fellowship and great food as we celebrate the season!
Looking for the perfect way to have a delicious pancake breakfast before visiting Santa in Bear Plaza, taking in some shopping, and enjoying the many activities happening during the holiday season in beautiful, historic downtown New Bern?
Join us for Pancakes for PIE at Morgan’s Tavern & Grill, 235 Craven Street. Breakfast will be served Saturday, December 15, from 7:00 – 10:00 am to benefit Partners In Education, the local education foundation for Craven County Schools. Morgan’s will be festively decorated for the holiday season and is the perfect setting to start your day with pancakes, bacon, sausage, fruit cup, orange juice, coffee, and water. All this for just $7 per adult, and $5 for children 12 and under. Reservations are not required as this is a pay at the door event. Debit, credit cards, checks, and cash are accepted. In order to expedite seating, please have checks or cash ready.
| Enjoy live music while you take in the sights and smells of the thousands of homemade cookies for sale. The Cookie Walk Café will offer sandwiches, savory snacks, and your favorite beverages. Come early to get the best selection. All proceeds from this event go to local charities. Helping our community, one cookie at a time. |
Grab those cozy jammies and head on over to the O’Marks Building in Downtown New Bern for the very first Bernie’s Pajama Dance & Laser Party! Music and a spectacular laser light show by Emerald Owl Production. And it’s free! Hold your spot by picking up your tickets anytime after December 1st at Mitchell Hardware or Bear City Fudge Company. Brought to you in partnership by Beary Merry Christmas and The New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce. Each party will be 1.5hrs long. Pick from 2 different party times, 5:30 or 7 o’clock Complimentary milk & cookies for kids in attendance.
SantaCon is simply a gathering of people dressed as Santa! This is an Unofficial Bar Crawl! You are responsible for yourself and yourself alone! Nobody else is responsible for you at this “event.”
SantaCon is free to attend.
Guidelines * IMPORTANT *
The following guidelines are to help you and everyone enjoy SantaCon. They are not rules. SantaCon has no rules except that you must dress like Santa but if you take heed of the friendly advice below it will help keep you safe, warm and on Santa’s Nice list.
For the purpose of SantaCon, “Christmas” is the name of a popular secular holiday and has no religious connotations (much like the word “holiday”). This doesn’t mean we don’t respect religious views. It simply means that taking part in SantaCon doesn’t imply you support any particular religion or doctrine. It’s just silly fun.
Dress up! A Santa hat alone is not enough. You don’t have to dress exactly like Santa but the theme is red. That having been said, unusual interpretations of Santa-ness are often appreciated and Christmas trees, elves, reindeer themes etc. are all good. Any December Holiday (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Lucia Day, Boxing Day, Omisoka, Yule, Saturnalia, etc) themed is great! Anything winter themed is great too!
Have fun.
Don’t get drunk.
Address your fellow Santa as “Santa.”
Watch out for elves. Elves work hard for Santa all year and especially hard during the holiday season. Santa loves his elves except when they show up to his red-themed event dressed in green. Traditionally, elves are abused at SantaCon.
Not all these guidelines should be taken seriously.
Some of these guidelines should be taken very seriously. If you can’t work out which ones they are then you are not intelligent enough to take part in SantaCon.
Don’t get drunk in public. Being drunk &/or disorderly in public will tarnish Santa’s reputation. One bad Santa can ruin things for an entire location because we’re all dressed the same, duh. Also, it’s an offense and will get you arrested. Remember that there is no “bail fund” for incarcerated Santas and if you cross the line you’ll be on your own. Don’t be that Santa.
Santa does not make children cry. Does this really need to be said? Seriously, if you see kids, don’t do anything to freak them out. Give them a nice smile and possibly a gift of some kind…
Optionally, bring gifts: Nice things to give children; nice or naughty things for adults.
Do not throw your gifts at anyone, especially if those gifts are raw Brussels sprouts.
Santa dresses for all occasions. If it’s cold outside, wear multiple costume layers. Dress to maximize merriment whether singing carols in the snow or swinging from a stripper pole in a hot nightclub.
Santa doesn’t whine! Some SantaCons are supremely well organized and others fall apart within the first 5 minutes. Some involve a lot of walking. Sometimes Santa has been turned away. It’s all good fun if you choose to have a positive attitude.
Santa does not mess with security. This includes the police. Security staff are there to ensure everyone’s safety – it’s an important & necessary job. Most venues welcome Santa but some security staff will see you as a potentially dangerous mob wearing disguises (which, let’s face it, is probably true). If you are turned away, don’t argue – just move on to somewhere Santa is more welcome and can have fun.
Make sure you always tip the good people who are serving you. We want to be able to do this again next year so be polite and cultivate the goodwill of the local community.
Please pay for your refreshments as you go. Santa gets tired of waiting on other Santas to clear their tab before being able to move on. Ideally, this entire adventure should be cash only.
No Santa left behind! Don’t think only of yourself – Santa cares about his fellow Santas. Pick a few people you know and keep an eye out for them especially when it’s time to move to another venue. If you don’t see them, speak up so other Santas know to wait a moment. Every Santa should have at least 2-3 other Santas they look out for and 2-3 that look out for them in turn.
Stay with the group. It’s not just a case of “the more, the merrier” – Santa is safer with large numbers of fellow Santas and what one Santa can’t achieve (or get away with) is a possibility for a posse.
Santa doesn’t drink & drive. If you’re going to drink you must make sure that you can get safely home without driving yourself. Check public transport, carpool with a designated sober driver, make arrangements to sleep over at someone’s place etc. Organizers sometimes try to coordinate transportation for Santa – check the event details to find out if this is being done in your area.
Santa doesn’t talk to the press. Even “ho, ho, ho” is controversial these days. Seriously, no-one speaks for Santa – not you, not me, not even Santa. You can express your opinion but, since you’re dressed as Santa, the media might treat it as Santa’s opinion.
Read these guidelines one more time.
If you have reached this rule, it means you didn’t get locked into a loop reading the guidelines over and over again as per the previous rule. You are therefore probably intelligent enough to take part in SantaCon!
Have a very merry Christmas!
Christ Church invites you to join them as they celebrate A Special Musical Service of Nine Lessons & Carols. The service will include scripture readings, lovely choir music, and traditional carols.
This event is free of charge
Enjoy a one hour tour aboard the New Bern Trolley filled with caroling, Christmas lights and a visit with the Conductor and Santa’s Elves. Plus a Believe sleigh bell for each guest. Advance ticket purchase is required. Seating is limited.
Departure Dates and Times:
December 7 & 8 at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm
December 21, 22, 23 at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 pm.
Ticket Prices:
First Rider: $25
Additional Riders: $15
Children: $10
Purchase tickets at www.NewBernTours.com
Enjoy a one hour tour aboard the New Bern Trolley filled with caroling, Christmas lights and a visit with the Conductor and Santa’s Elves. Plus a Believe sleigh bell for each guest. Advance ticket purchase is required. Seating is limited.
Departure Dates and Times:
December 7 & 8 at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm
December 21, 22, 23 at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 pm.
Ticket Prices:
First Rider: $25
Additional Riders: $15
Children: $10
Purchase tickets at www.NewBernTours.com
Enjoy a one hour tour aboard the New Bern Trolley filled with caroling, Christmas lights and a visit with the Conductor and Santa’s Elves. Plus a Believe sleigh bell for each guest. Advance ticket purchase is required. Seating is limited.
Departure Dates and Times:
December 7 & 8 at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm
December 21, 22, 23 at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 pm.
Ticket Prices:
First Rider: $25
Additional Riders: $15
Children: $10
Purchase tickets at www.NewBernTours.com
Dueling Pianos is at City Stage!
Join Tony Basford and friends as they make you laugh, sing and dance the night away.
Premium seats fill up fast for this amazing show so come early!
Doors open at 5pm and food and drinks will be available as always throughout the night.
General Admission Tickets – $5.00
Reserved Seating Tickets – $7.00
Tickets available at www.citystagenewbern.com
Downtown stores open their doors with awesome holiday sales and SEASON EXCLUSIVE HOURS while our snow machines work to keep the sledding lounges going for hours. Sledding will be on the corner of Craven and S. Front Street as soon as you arrive over the drawbridge! Other activities like bounce houses, crafts and fun are available too. Be sure to bring your coats, gloves, and holiday spirit for this fun event!
Enjoy a one hour tour aboard the New Bern Trolley filled with caroling, Christmas lights and a visit with the Conductor and Santa’s Elves. Plus a Believe sleigh bell for each guest. Advance ticket purchase is required. Seating is limited.
Departure Dates and Times:
December 7 & 8 at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm
December 21, 22, 23 at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 pm.
Ticket Prices:
First Rider: $25
Additional Riders: $15
Children: $10
Purchase tickets at www.NewBernTours.com
Enjoy a one hour tour aboard the New Bern Trolley filled with caroling, Christmas lights and a visit with the Conductor and Santa’s Elves. Plus a Believe sleigh bell for each guest. Advance ticket purchase is required. Seating is limited.
Departure Dates and Times:
December 7 & 8 at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm
December 21, 22, 23 at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 pm.
Ticket Prices:
First Rider: $25
Additional Riders: $15
Children: $10
Purchase tickets at www.NewBernTours.com
Enjoy a one hour tour aboard the New Bern Trolley filled with caroling, Christmas lights and a visit with the Conductor and Santa’s Elves. Plus a Believe sleigh bell for each guest. Advance ticket purchase is required. Seating is limited.
Departure Dates and Times:
December 7 & 8 at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm
December 21, 22, 23 at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 pm.
Ticket Prices:
First Rider: $25
Additional Riders: $15
Children: $10
Purchase tickets at www.NewBernTours.com
Enjoy a one hour tour aboard the New Bern Trolley filled with caroling, Christmas lights and a visit with the Conductor and Santa’s Elves. Plus a Believe sleigh bell for each guest. Advance ticket purchase is required. Seating is limited.
Departure Dates and Times:
December 7 & 8 at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm
December 21, 22, 23 at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 pm.
Ticket Prices:
First Rider: $25
Additional Riders: $15
Children: $10
Purchase tickets at www.NewBernTours.com
Enjoy a one hour tour aboard the New Bern Trolley filled with caroling, Christmas lights and a visit with the Conductor and Santa’s Elves. Plus a Believe sleigh bell for each guest. Advance ticket purchase is required. Seating is limited.
Departure Dates and Times:
December 7 & 8 at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm
December 21, 22, 23 at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 pm.
Ticket Prices:
First Rider: $25
Additional Riders: $15
Children: $10
Purchase tickets at www.NewBernTours.com
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