Revels North proudly presents
The Christmas Revels Festival
December 17-19, 2021
Lebanon, New Hampshire
The Christmas Revels, one of the region’s most unique and popular holiday traditions since 1975, returns like you have never seen it before. Each day of The Christmas Revels Festival will include "Lighted Candles in the Winter Trees," a free outdoor production in the heart of Lebanon at Colburn Park, that will include many of the songs, dances, and themes audiences have come to expect from The Christmas Revels year after year. Along with the outdoor event, that weekend we will offer five reduced-capacity ticketed performances inside Lebanon Opera House by three different musical acts sure to delight our audiences. The Christmas Revels Festival will be both familiar and surprising, safe and entertaining, and a long-awaited opportunity to gather the community in celebration of the winter solstice. We invite you to join us!
Featured Performer: Eden MacAdam-Somer
Hailed by the New York Times as reflecting "astonishing virtuosity and raw expression," the music of composer/performer/improviser Eden MacAdam-Somer, a recent guest on The Folk Show on NHPR (click here to listen), transcends genre through soaring violin, vocals, and percussive dance, weaving in and out of the many cultures that have formed her experience, ranging from Appalachia to Afghanistan. Learn more...
Friday, December 17, 2021
7:30pm
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Featured Performer: Richard Antoine White
With over three decades of performing on the world’s classical music stages, tubist Dr. Richard Antoine White has matured into a musician known for his clear sound and stylistic flexibility. Dr. White, a recent guest on Fresh Air and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, will share his music and remarkable life story in a performance that will include a screening of the short documentary, “Hi I’m Richard Antoine White.” Learn more...
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Saturday, December 18, 2021
1:30* & 7:30pm
*all youth tickets for Saturday matinee only $8
Featured Performer: Còig
Hailing from Cape Breton, Còig is one of Atlantic Canada’s premier traditional groups. With fiery Celtic rhythms at its musical core, Còig easily shifts between centuries-old tunes and contemporary compositions. With driving tunes, haunting ballads and infectious energy, Còig is an unparalleled musical force returning to LOH for the fourth time since 2017. Learn more...
Sunday, December 19, 2021
1:30 & 7:30pm
"Lighted Candles in the Winter Trees"
~ a celebration of the winter solstice ~
Come dance with daffodils, play with puppets, and lend your voice to our chorus as Revels North presents "Lighted Candles in the Winter Trees" at Colburn Park in Lebanon, NH, a free performance that is at the heart of The Christmas Revels Festival. Our mainstage event will be at 3:30pm and 5:30pm each day and approximately 30 minutes long, preceded by sideshows that include a band of roving singers, jugglers, vendors, storytellers, mummers and dancers.
"Lighted Candles in the Winter Trees" is a collaboration between Revels North and No Strings Marionette Company. This show brings to life some familiar ("Dona Nobis Pacem," "Lord of the Dance") and new ("Bells of Norwich") music of the Revels canon through images and puppets created by No Strings Marionette Company, including the Jack Langstaff puppet from last year’s film version of The Christmas Revels, All Shall Be Well Again. As always, a multigenerational chorus of local singers will be at the heart of the performance. We’ll pass the wassail bowl, ring out the bells, dance Lord of the Dance, and harness the power of the dragon to fight for the good of all.
Additional artists performing outdoors include percussionist Jane Boxall, storyteller Jools Skeet, and Antoinette Jacobson, who will be playing her unforgettable Fire Organ.
Friday, December 17, 2021
3:30 & 5:30pm
Saturday, December 18, 2021
3:30 & 5:30pm
Sunday, December 19, 2021
3:30 & 5:30pm
The outdoor performances and events at
The Christmas Revels Festival
are free to all thanks to the generous support of
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation,
The Lane and Elizabeth C. Dwinell Charitable Trust
Tax-deductible donations of $35 or more allow supporters to reserve seats at an outdoor performance.
If you have made a donation to Revels North in 2021, click here to contact us to reserve your seats.
Click here to make a new donation and reserve your seats before December 11.
Why "Lighted Candles in the Winter Trees"?
A highlight of The Christmas Revels year after year is the recitation of Susan Cooper's iconic poem, "The Shortest Day." The phrase "Lighted Candles in the Winter Trees" is part of this poem, and felt like the ideal name for our outdoor performance, where you will hear the poem among the winter trees. In 2019, "The Shortest Day" was turned into a lovely picture book, published by Candlewick Press with illustrations by Carson Ellis.
Please Support The Christmas Revels Festival
While COVID-19 has made our usual staged production impossible this year, thanks to our generous supporters Revels North will bring the annual Christmas Revels tradition to life this year with this year's festival, a surprising, entertaining, and safe alternative for our community.
Vendors
The Christmas Revels Festival will include vendors whose products align with Revels North's interest in promoting traditional arts:
Beachcombings Studio
Black OWLL Studio
HeyMissMargie Art and Illustration
Business Supporters
Thank you to Mascoma Bank for underwriting
The Christmas Revels Festival
Revels North thanks the following businesses for supporting The Christmas Revels Festival.
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The Christmas Revels Festival/Revels North
COVID-19 Safety Protocols
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In addition to the Lebanon Opera House COVID-19 safety protocols (which include proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within three days of performance, as well as mask wearing inside the building… see below), all of The Christmas Revels Festival performances at Lebanon Opera House will be reduced capacity to better allow for social distancing and ample spacing between groups.
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All performers, vendors, and volunteers who are part of The Christmas Revels Festival have provided proof of vaccination to Revels North.
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While proof of vaccination for entry to Lebanon Opera House can be in the form of your physical vaccine card or a photo/scan of your card, LOH recommends patrons use the safe and secure Bindle app. Download “My Bindle” via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
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The members of the chorus will be masked while singing during the outdoor performances.
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Be advised that the City of Lebanon requires mask wearing in all businesses, including Lebanon Opera House.
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Thank you for observing social distancing while attending the outdoor performances.
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For the outdoor performances, Revels North requests that anyone in the audience who is not vaccinated please choose to wear a mask. Revels North encourages mask wearing for those who would like to sing along with the performers or participate in “Lord of the Dance.”
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Although it is common for the audience members to hold hands during “Lord of the Dance,” Revels North recommends that audience members interested in dancing not hold hands this year, although we do encourage dancing together.
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If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 (including, but not limited to, cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, fatigue, chills, muscle aches, change in taste or smell or nausea), Revels North requests that you please not attend the festival. Thank you for your understanding.
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Thank you for being respectful and compassionate as we come together.
Lebanon Opera House COVID-19 Safety Protocol Highlights
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For entrance to all indoor Lebanon Opera House events, all patrons, staff, and volunteers must show proof of full vaccination – 14 days past their final vaccination shot – or proof of a negative COVID-19 test within three days of the event. Children under 12 years of age are exempt from this policy until February 1, 2022 at which time, only children under 5 years of age will be exempt.
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Face coverings will be required for everyone, regardless of age or vaccination/testing status, at all times while inside the building per City of Lebanon requirements. Masks will be provided to any guests that request them.
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Proof of vaccination can be in the form of your physical vaccine card or a photo/scan of your card. We do, however, recommend patrons use the safe and secure Bindle app that’s being adopted by other arts organizations throughout the region. Download “My Bindle” via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Click here to view complete Lebanon Opera House COVID-19 safety protocols
updated December 10, 2021
Tell Me More!
We will continue to update our website with information about The Christmas Revels Festival throughout the remainder of the year, including information about the Festival's remarkable guest performers who will appear onstage in Lebanon Opera House and the range of vendors, activities, and artists available to all in Colburn Park.
To receive updates by email, we invite you to sign up for email list.
About The Christmas Revels
The Christmas Revels, a beloved Upper Valley tradition for the whole family since 1975, is presented annually by Revels North. We celebrate the holiday season and the turning of the year with singing, dancing, and traditions that span the centuries and the globe. Recent performances have featured the stories, music and traditions of the Northlands, Québec, Ireland, Appalachia, England, and Venice. After over forty years of performances at the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College, Revels North brought The Christmas Revels to historic Lebanon Opera House in 2019, and in 2020 created the animated short film The Christmas Revels: All Shall Be Well Again as the season's alternative to a live production due to COVID-19.
The Christmas Revels would not be possible without the participation of dozens of children, teens, and adults who take on acting roles, join the chorus, and volunteer with costuming, makeup and hair styling. In typical years, auditions for The Christmas Revels take place in late spring, with rehearsals beginning in September.