An Insider’s Guide To The Taste Of Scotland And Scottish Christmas Walk
There are many changes that have come to Alexandria’s biggest holiday weekend. Are your calendars marked for December 2 and 3? Taste of Scotland will kick off on December 2, followed by the Scottish Christmas Walk and boat parade on December 3.
You might not know that the Taste of Scotland and Scottish Christmas Walk is a historic fundraiser put on by the Campagna Center, a nonprofit, to raise crucial funding for their programs. Christmas is a time when we think even more deeply about providing help to others in our community and across the world. The Campagna Center is a very worthy cause to support through volunteer work or a donation. Their mission is to deliver exceptional educational and social development programs for children, teens, and adults through early childhood education, health and nutrition awareness, before-school and after-school programs, tutoring and mentoring, career and college readiness planning, and classes for English language learners. I chair the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend for the Junior Friends of the Campagna Center and am so excited to see you all there!
So what’s new and how do you get in on the fun?
Taste of Scotland Details: This year the event is in a new venue that we are really excited to partner with – The Torpedo Factory! This great venue will provide an opportunity to see art made for the event and to speak with the artist, while enjoying festive ambiance and a toast from one of our great clan chiefs and CEO of the Campagna Center, all in the heart of the city. As always, there will be Scotch tastings, but this year we will also have holiday cider, a special Port City beer tasting, and other offerings for those non-Scotch drinkers and non-drinkers. While getting to try interesting lines of Scotch is a huge draw, the Taste of Scotland is about so much more than Scotch. For me, it’s the first, real holiday event of the Christmas season that puts me in a festive mood to celebrate the holidays with fellow Alexandrians. I usually don a cute, plaid cocktail dress since I have an array of plaid attire. You don’t need to share my plaid obsession, but I welcome you to dive in too! It’s a great time to see friends you haven’t seen in a while and have a fun evening out! Sponsorships are available here and ticket sales will open November 12 at the same link. Act fast, this event always sells out!
Insider Tips:
Get you tickets early, don’t wait.
Our local boutiques and consignment stores always have a little plaid in stock if you want to show a little extra spirit.
Gentlemen- yes, you can wear that kilt!
Ladies- don’t be afraid to go fancy if you want.
The event will start a little later this year at 7:30pm, so be ready when the doors open so you don’t miss the toast!
Also, beverages are flowing, so please be responsible and think about rideshare!
Scottish Walk Parade Details: The parade will be in Old Town on December 3, at 11am. It begins at the corner of St. Asaph Street and Wolfe Street. It then travels north to Queen Street and turns right. It turns right again on N. Fairfax Street and King Street before ending at the corner of King Street and N. Pitt Street. It is full of Scottish Clan, pipe and drum bands, Scottish dog groups, other entrants, and of course, Santa makes an appearance! The parade is fun for the whole family. This year it will be even bigger and better to watch because of our partnership with the city and Visit Alexandria!
Want to be more involved behind the scenes? We really need volunteers to help with the parade, and if you like to volunteer around the holidays, please consider lending us a hand. Parade volunteer sign-ups are here. There are volunteer opportunities for a host of different positions. (There also might be an after-parade spot just for volunteers to get some food and beverages!)
More Insider Tips:
Coffee or other warm beverages are a crucial must-have that morning.
This year, Market Square will also be open so you can grab a snack or some gifts while at the parade. While Market Square is a very crowded place to watch the parade, Queen Street tends to be much less busy.
Wear comfortable shoes since it’s a long day, but also wear a little plaid. You will see smiles everywhere you go during the day when you wear plaid attire!
Also wear layers – the weather really varies throughout the day.
Last tip – scan the QR code in the flyers, local paper, or around the parade to donate to the Campagna Center as a way to let them know you enjoyed the day. It’s a charitable, tax-deductible gift that provides funding to crucial services to our community!
