VIENNA, Va. -- "The President's Own" United States Marine Band invites you to bring your friends and family to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts to be served up a hearty dose of holiday cheer during Wolf Trap's Holiday Sing-A-Long!
For the first time since 2019, this treasured family tradition will return in person, and families can once again gather together under a blanket, enjoy a warm cup of hot chocolate and sing along while the Marine Band plays a variety of timeless holiday tunes.
"The last two sing-alongs we've done in partnership with Wolf Trap have been virtual - this year we get to be back together, as a community, to ring in the season with each other," Assistant Director Major Ryan J. Nowlin said. "And to me, nothing touches the heart more than shared song, holiday spirit, and that sense of communal support and thanksgiving."
A holiday tradition now spanning over half a century, the Holiday Sing-A-Long first began as a group of small, local choirs singing Christmas carols in the farmhouse of Wolf Trap's founder, Catherine Filene Shouse. By 1972, the concert took on its current form: an audience gathered under the massive canopy of the Filene Center with the Marine Band in full-force entertaining guests with a litany of classic, winter-time numbers, most of which are still used in the current program.
This event is truly a special one for the Marine Band. Not only does it allow the band to step outside of its ceremonial duties, but it also allows the band to directly connect musically with the audience by giving them the opportunity to add an instrument of their own - their collective voice - to the songs being played.
"I just hope the audience leaves the show feeling lighter than they did before they came, and that they leave having laughed and spent quality time with family and friends," Baritone Vocalist Master Gunnery Sgt. Kevin Bennear said. "I hope this show truly puts them in the holiday spirit!
Guests are encouraged to bring a candle and join the tradition of exiting the Filene Center with a candlelight processional during the last verse of "Silent Night." There will also be a 'Jing-A-Long' during the singing of Jingle Bells, so remember to bring a bell with your holiday cheer!
Wolf Trap's annual Holiday Sing-A-Long is free and tickets are not required. It will take place at 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Va. Gates to the Filene Center will open at 3 p.m., and free parking is available. The Metro shuttle bus will not run for this event. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early.
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