Bluemont's Holiday Season Opens in a Single Weekend. Here's How to Catch All of It.

November on the mountain moves slowly. Each weekend from Halloween to the Saturday before Thanksgiving has about one main event, and most of them are a short drive apart on Foggy Bottom Road. Then Thanksgiving passes, and in three days the tree farm opens, two maker markets set up, and Bluemont Vineyard lights its vines for the first time this season.

That timing changes how you plan. After Thanksgiving the problem is fitting everything into one Friday-to-Sunday stretch. Most of December runs on repeating evenings and weekend afternoons, which leaves room. The Friday through Sunday after Thanksgiving is the only time this year when everything overlaps, and the easiest way to plan it is by hour, not by venue.

Four Saturdays, One Event Each

The run-up takes its time. Each of these has the weekend largely to itself:

• Saturday, October 31. Henway Hard Cider hosts the Henway Hounds: Howl at the Cider Moon Bash from noon to 4 p.m. at the Henway Hard Cider Barn, 18780 Foggy Bottom Road. Admission is free.
• Saturday, November 7. Bluemont Vineyard's Harvest Party runs 6 to 8 p.m. at 18755 Foggy Bottom Road, with tickets listed at $125 per person.
• Saturday, November 14. LoCo Cider Fest takes over Great Country Farms from noon to 5 p.m. Henway's listing describes it as the event that kicks off Virginia Cider Week. Virginia Wine says the week was set by House Joint Resolution 105 and defines it as "the full week before Thanksgiving." The ticket page shows November 14, 2026, but Great Country Farms' own event page also gives November 15 further down, so confirm the day before you go.
• Saturday, November 21. Henway's Ciders & Sides Friendsgiving Dinner runs 6 to 9 p.m. at $65 per guest, plus tax and gratuity.

There is one address detail to know before November 14. Henway's listing puts the cider fest at 18780 Foggy Bottom Road, which Great Country Farms' contact page gives as its mailing address. The farm gives 34355 Snickersville Turnpike as the physical address for GPS.

Then Three Days Carry Everything

Between Friday, November 27 and Sunday, November 29, here is how the weekend lines up:

Laid out this way, the weekend has a clear order. Mornings go to the tree farm and evenings to the vineyard. Saturday midday is the one window where two markets run at once.

Friday Morning Belongs to the Tree Farm

Snickers Gap Tree Farm opens for 2026 tree sales on Friday, November 27 at 9 a.m. The family-owned choose-and-cut farm has been growing fir and spruce for 46 years on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge, shaping the trees only with hand tools. It also sells mixed-green wreaths made on the farm.

Some practical details before you load the car:

1. The address reads Round Hill. The farm is at 34350 Williams Gap Road, Round Hill, VA 20141. From Route 7, take Route 711, Williams Gap Road, and the driveway is half a mile north of Route 7.
2. There are two trees to choose from. The farm grows Mountain Slow Grown Douglas Fir and Colorado Blue Spruce. Trees up to seven feet share one price, and taller trees are priced at the sales barn. The prices page had not posted 2026 figures at last check.
3. Bring your own tie-downs. The farm supplies a saw and rope and will shake and bale your tree, but staff do not tie trees onto cars.
4. Payment. Cash, Apple Pay, Google Pay and major credit cards are accepted.
5. Leave the dog home. The farm does not allow pets.

Thanksgiving weekend hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. After that the farm moves to weekday hours of 1 to 5 p.m. and keeps 9 to 5 on weekends. That makes Friday the only weekday morning the farm is open all season, which is a good reason to put it first.

Saturday Midday Is Where the Overlap Lands

The pet rule matters most on Saturday. The Old World Christmas Market at Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, welcomes both dogs and families. A morning at the tree farm followed by the market means either two trips or a dog waiting at home until lunch.

This is the market's sixth year. Visit Loudoun's listing describes 30 local makers selling only handmade holiday gifts, with beer and food available, fire pits for warming up, and mountain views. It runs outdoors from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 28, Small Business Saturday.

Dirt Farm Brewing's Christmas Market is in its eighth year and runs November 28 and 29, with local artisans and holiday drinks. Sunday's session is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The brewery's general Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. It is also an outdoor event, and the brewery's own advice is to bring warm layers and "a blanket or two."

Both markets run on Saturday, but only Dirt Farm's runs again on Sunday. If you want both, the simplest order is Bear Chase on Saturday and Dirt Farm on Sunday, which leaves Saturday free to end at the vineyard.

The Lights Run on a Ticket and a Parking Pass

Bluemont Vineyard's Lighting of the Vines Launch Party Weekend is Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. at 18755 Foggy Bottom Road. The vines are set to light at 5:30 p.m.

Parking is the main logistics issue. Each ticket comes with one parking pass per guest, and extra passes cost $5. The vineyard notes that parking is limited and asks guests to carpool. On launch nights the 951 Tasting Room reopens at 3 p.m. for launch-party guests, patio seating is first-come, first-served, and the property closes at 7 p.m.

If you need a table rather than a patio seat on any other visit, the 951 Tasting Room requires a credit card for reservations and charges a $10-per-person no-show fee. Walk-in patio seating is first-come, first-served for groups under eight.

Henway Hard Cider, just down the road, generally opens 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday and closes Tuesday through Thursday. It had not posted special hours for the holiday weekend, so call ahead if your plans depend on it.

December Spreads Back Out

After that weekend the mountain goes back to one or two events at a time, set to a weekly schedule:

• Lighting of the Vines continues December 3 through 27, with the vines lit at 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The tasting room stays open until 7 p.m. December 21 through 23 and is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
• Great Country Christmas runs 5 to 8 p.m. on December 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23, at $16 per person. It includes a light stroll, storytime, caroling hayrides, Santa letters, crafts, reindeer-food making and indoor play.
• Christmas Market on the Mountain at Bluemont Vineyard runs Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19, from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is free, and the Bavarian Dance Group performs on December 12 and 19.
• Christmas Farmers Market on the Mountain runs at the same address on Sundays, December 6 and 13, from 1 to 4 p.m., also free.
• Breakfast With Santa at Henway runs Saturdays and Sundays, December 5 through 20, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, with a buffet and a visit from Santa.

The Bluemont Community Center at 33846 Snickersville Turnpike also has evening gatherings on its calendar for November 4 and December 2, from 7 to 8 p.m. The village calendar lists them.

Every one of these repeats. Miss a Saturday market and there is another the next week, and the vines stay lit four nights a week until the 27th. The three days after Thanksgiving are the only stretch on this year's Bluemont calendar where the tree farm's opening, two maker markets and the first lighting of the vines fall on the same weekend, and none of those openings repeats.

If your holiday plans this year include a longer look at life on the mountain, maybe a place with room for your own tree rows or a barn worth lighting, I would be glad to talk it through. Kristin Dillon-Johnson knows these back roads in every season. Schedule a free consultation, and we can start with a walk out Foggy Bottom Road.