When we stopped in at the Galveston, Texas, visitor center, the first thing the gal asked is, “Have you been to The Strand?” “Ah, no”, I said totally perplexed. From there the information started flowing from this enthusiastic gal along with accompanying brochures. For anyone visiting Galveston Island for the first time, I highly recommend the first stop be to the visitor center. There really is a lot to see and do on this island.
The Strand is the name of the main street in Galveston’s historic district. Situated on the east end of the island and along the bay side and harbor, the street is lined with quaint shops and beautifully restored turn of the century buildings.
Forty years ago, nearly all the Victorian-era buildings that lined the streets were vacant and run down. The area was shunned by residents and viewed as a place frequented by drunks and derelicts.
In an attempt to draw attention to the Victorian architecture and revitalize this part of Galveston, the Galveston Historical Foundation organized a call to action and Dickens on the Strand was founded.
Dickens on the Strand is an annual Christmas festival occurring the first weekend in December. Participants come to witness and relive the Charles Dickens era.
This 19th century Victorian London festival features parades, entertainment, strolling carolers, roving entertainers, and costumed food and shop vendors. In 1973 the first faux Queen Victoria and Prince Albert presided over Galveston’s first Dickens on the Strand festival and the faux royalty continue to make their presence.
Forty-one years later the festival is going strong. Al and I found ourselves in the midst of this years revelry. I’m not usually fond of large crowds, but this was a very enjoyable and entertaining event.
Attendees are encouraged to dress the part. For their efforts, they receive half off admittance. I did find it somewhat humorous watching the use of iPhones by the costumed attendees …. not exactly from the Dickens era, huh!
It was obvious, regular attendees look forward to this yearly event and some of the outfits were absolutely gorgeous.
The food and shop vendors were definitely different from what you’d find at your typical festival.
The Scotch Eggs came highly recommended and Al couldn’t wait to give one a try ….. hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage dipped in bread crumbs then deep-fried.
Al loved it and ended up eating a second one before leaving the festival.
As for the vendor shop tents; there were the usual vendors you’d find at other festival and then there were ones geared more towards the Dickens on The Strand festival…. dresses, hats, boots, and accessories. Some of the items seemed a little more modern or rather risqué for the Dickens era.Obviously Dickens on The Strand is a very successful festival that helped revitalize this historic downtown area. The Strand District is now a thriving commercial area filled with shops, restaurants, galleries, theaters, and museums. During our stay in Galveston, we found ourselves frequenting the area. I’m drawn to the beautiful buildings and their history. I admire the resilience of not only the structures but the people.
Our admittance ticket to Dickens on The Strand also included a tour of The Elissa. This majestic tall ship is moored at the Texas Seaport Museum located in the historic port of Galveston. Elissa is not a replica, but a survivor.
She was rescued from a scrap yard in Greece in 1975 by the Galveston Historical Foundation. This three-masted, iron-hulled ship was built in 1877 in Aberdeen, Scotland.
She carries nineteen sails covering over one-quarter of an acre in surface area. From her stern to the tip of her jibboom she measures 205 feet and her height is over 99 feet tall.
During her commercial history she carried a variety of cargos to ports around the world. Although retired and now a museum, she is a fully functional vessel that continues to sail annually.
More information including a video on Elissa’s dramatic rescue and meticulous restoration can be viewed at the Texas Seaport Museum.
We had a fabulous time spending our day at the festival. Young, old, white, black it just didn’t matter, folks engaged each other as if we were all neighbors or long time friends.
We saw absolutely nothing negative, only polite, respectful behavior even though alcohol flowed freely.
In the photo to the right, the guy at the window was ordering some adult beverages. No problem walking around with an open beer.
This delightful couple has attended Dickens on the Strand for the past 40 years. They eagerly shared these special turn of the century bicycle’s and their story with Al and me. Since it wasn’t lady like to ride a regular bike, this style was designed so gals could enjoy this new invention in a proper manner. A regular bicycle might have cost $75 and these would sell for around $200. Thus this style bicycle was ridden only by daughters of wealthy business men.
Al and I enjoyed Dickens on The Strand so much we would even consider a future trip planned around the date. And I assure you, we’ll be in costume next time.
Amazon.com Gift Card with Greeting Card – $50 (Classic)
Major Works of Charles Dickens (Great Expectations / Hard Times / Oliver Twist / A Christmas Carol / Bleak House / A Tale of Two Cities)
Beautiful virtual tour! Thanks for taking me there 🙂 Bye. Kamila
LikeLike
Glad you enjoyed the tour. Galveston is a fun place 🙂
LikeLike
What a fabulous and fun event, Ingrid, and so lucky that you happened to be there to witness it. Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos. I love Scotch eggs. Haven’t made them in ages, but I just might have to make a few soon.:)
LikeLike
We had never heard of Scotch eggs. Hubby loved them. I know, we couldn’t have planned our stay any better for all the fun events. We had a wonderful stay 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh this is crazy, I didn’t even know about this event and I live 45 minutes from it. sigh!!! Thanks for sharing. It is on my calendar for next year. Glad you took part in the fun festivities.
LikeLike
Get your friends together, dress up, and snap away…. a fun ladies outing for sure. We had a great time. The next day they were racing beds down the Strand, but the weather turned nasty and thus we sadly didn’t go. Next time I attend, I will be properly attired 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You should have modeled that dress Ingrid, not just stood next to it. Next year! I’ll be watching for you.
LikeLike
I would so have worn that dress when I was younger…. loved it. Alas, there comes a point in life when one needs to acknowledge ones age and best to leave the flirty frock to the youngens 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a great event Ingrid. Galveston has much more to offer than I would have ever guessed.
LikeLike
I know it surprised us and pleasantly I might add. I was never at a loss of things to see or do.
LikeLike
We brought the weather with us so you can have more fun in Galveston. I know we missed a lot of activities so glad you were still there to share with them with us. But I was expecting you to be in one of those costumes 🙂
LikeLike
My closet isn’t big enough to house one of these beautiful ensembles or I definitely would ‘ve dressed the part. Fun event .I wish you guys could’ve joined us.
LikeLike
I was looking through these photos Ingrid, yet again! It must have been amazing walking up to this festival. With so many costumed participants, I imagine it would be hard not to feel transported back in time…
LikeLike
It was fabulous, but then again I’ve always been drawn to the Victorian era. At one point, Al and I found a street side little table and chairs to sit and relax. We people watched for over an hour 🙂
LikeLike
You had a great day and lots of fun, I’d love to be there. Funfantastic post!
LikeLike
Thank you. It was an original event that we thoroughly enjoyed 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Dickens you say! 😉 Great shots. Love the guy in the kilt.
LikeLike
Ha ha ….. there were bunches of guys in Kilts. Where’s the wind when ya need it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
A month on the island…. That really did you guys a while to thoroughly check out what Galveston has to offer. Your photos of the beautiful costumes are wonderful. I would love to arrive for this festival sometime!
LikeLike
Thank you Holly. I think this is an event you would really enjoy and yes the costumes were great. A month allowed us to really settle in and enjoy the island with plenty of down time. And we needed the month because half the time the weather was yucky.
LikeLike
This was so fun to read! During part of my childhood mu grandparents lived on the strand. It was always so fun going for a visit and we especially looked forward to Dickens! This post brought back so many lovely memories. Thank you for sharing!
LikeLike
I’m sure that had to be tons of fun visiting your grandparents. I love all the Victorian homes around the area and the festival was more enjoyable than we imagined. Glad I could share 🙂
LikeLike
Loved seeing all of your great photos, and glad you enjoyed it. I had a friend there in costume, and I saw her pictures on Facebook. Looks like so much fun!
LikeLike
It really was very enjoyable and we lucked out with perfect weather on Saturday. Some of the costumes were fabulous and folks go all out for this event. I would put this on a ‘must do’ at least once list 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
How lucky you are to be in Galveston for the Dickens festival. I just love how so many people participate. The costumes are gorgeous & the festival unique. We too saw Elissa while visiting there. She’s still as lovely as ever.
LikeLike
Yes, she is a beautiful ship and we lucked out on our timing being here for the festival. We couldn’t have planned it any better 🙂
LikeLike
What a great festival! Isn’t it good to see a community that cherishes its past, rather than bulldoze it down. 40 years ago, Galveston made their choice and look at how everyone benefitted.
LikeLike
It was such a joy to visit and see the community renovated. There’s still signs of devastation here and there from Ike but in time it’ll continue to improve. I do love the fact they cherish their history 🙂
LikeLike
What a great looking festival, will have to make notes for another time when we down here. See you soon…
LikeLike
It’s a really fun event especially if you’re in the area anyway. We’d go back in a heart beat. Yep, see you soon 🙂
LikeLike
What beautiful costumes … but the ship is to me the winner… would love a tour of that…
LikeLike
The ship indeed was pretty special. Very interesting history and she is a beauty 🙂
LikeLike
What a fun and interesting festival—the costumes are so authentic! Makes me want to try to fit it in our way to Florida next winter. I’d love to see the Elissa, too—what a beautiful ship! I love when we come across festivals in our travels. It adds so much to the experience of a place. You’ve been finding some good ones!
LikeLike
I think you’d enjoy staying at the Galveston Island State Park and from there exploring the rest of the island including historic downtown Galveston. Kayaking around here is also popular with several mapped out water trails.
LikeLike
Thanks for the great tip, Ingrid. Kayaking trails make Galveston even more appealing to us!
LikeLike
Ingrid, that looks like such a fun and interesting festival! Makes me want to plan to be there next year on our way to Florida. I’d love to see the Elissa, too. What a beautiful ship!
LikeLike
We found Galveston in general very enjoyable with a little something for everyone. So if you’re passing through the Houston area anyway, I’d recommend a stop. I know we’ll return 🙂
LikeLike
What fabulous costumes and your street photography photos are wonderful Ingrid! you are looking quite mischievous I must say.
LikeLike
Oh, thank you so much Sue. I was so engrossed in the festival, I basically just pointed and clicked without much thought to composition or what I was photographing. So I’m glad at least some of the photos turned out blog acceptable. Me mischievous? Never….. wink, wink!
LikeLike
You my friend are a girl after my own heart. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
How great that you were there to see all the activity. What a wonderful idea! Love all the costumes! So glad the ship was rescued. What a beauty! So glad you shared:)
LikeLike
I had been looking forward to this festival from the moment I heard about it. I love all things “Victorian” so this was right up my alley. Beautiful dresses, hats, horses, carriages, and a ship…. perfect 🙂
LikeLike
What a great festival! That is a fun city to visit. Love these photos, Ingrid.
LikeLike
If you get a chance to visit Galveston in early December, I highly recommend attending the festival. It just seemed to top off my week filled with Victorian architecture 🙂
LikeLike
Sounds like a brilliant festival, hopefully we will make it down to Galveston one of these winters. Loved the bit about Scotch Eggs, a favourite snack, but difficult to find good ones in US & Canada. Best washed down with a good ale or single Malt Whisky.
LikeLike
Hubby loved the Scotch Eggs. This particular vendor only makes them once a year at this festival and hubby is already talking about returning next year LOL. And the ale was flowing feely 🙂
LikeLike
This city just keeps sounding better and better!
LikeLike
We really enjoyed our month on the island. I felt like there was enough for me to see and do including just hanging at the RV.
LikeLike
What a great time to be in Galveston. I want to pedal one of those bikes around! Getting funny mental images of John and me all dressed up – that would NEVER happen! Great post. Thanks.
LikeLike
That couple are 80 years old and they had to switch to this style trike 5 years ago as they were no longer comfortable with their balance on the large two wheel turn of the century bike. He personally restored these and insisted on sit on the one. Lovely people 🙂
LikeLike
What a unique and fun looking festival! Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
The people watching was the best. Some of the folks really got into character 🙂
LikeLike
Totally would love to see that!.I love dressing up, so the Dickens period would be really fun. I think you and Al s should definitely plan on it next year!!!! Dennis and I planned one of our Texas trips around Oysterfest in Fulton…We didn’t have to dress up like an oyster, but we ate lots..and had a few beers at the beer tent!
LikeLike
I’m already designing my outfit LOL. However, I’m at odds with myself with a great desire to explore the west next winter but at the same time wanting to return to the Gulf Coast. Ah, for now I’ll focus on enjoying my time here and making summer plans 🙂
LikeLike
What a great festival!! You have really piqued my interest to visit there!! Thanks for sharing pics of such an interesting city!!
LikeLike
I was surprised how much there is to see and do in Galveston plus the beaches are pretty darn nice as well 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, Ingrid! That looks fantastic! What fun! Looks like great weather, too.
LikeLike
We lucked out the day of the festival with perfect weather making it a very fun and entertaining day. If we were to go again, I’d definitely dress up 🙂
LikeLike
Wow great post great pics. Thank you!
LikeLike
Thank you. It was such a fun event.
LikeLike
Looks like you had a wonderful time something to put in my Diary for next year
Thanks for a great report
Peter
LikeLike
By spending a month on the island, we were able to take in a lot of the sights in a leisurely manner. I’m so glad we allowed ourselves ample time and weren’t rushed 🙂
LikeLike