Nevada City Victorian Christmas 2014

Last Sunday we traveled to Nevada City high in the Sierra Nevada ranges to attend the Victorian Christmas Festival.

Every year Nevada City plays hosts to thousands of visitors who flock to the beautiful little gold rush town for the festival. The town's many Victorian era buildings and the surrounding pine forests, make the perfect backdrop for the event.



Being high in the Sierra Nevada it gets rather chilly in Nevada City. Last year when we attended the festival (which you can see here) there was snow on the ground in many places left over from a snowfall a few days earlier. This year there had been no snow however it was still rather chilly. We had all just come down with colds (which are still holding on strong a week later) so unfortunately we were not able to spend as much time outside in the cold mountain air as we had hoped.

We strolled along the main street with its many market stalls taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the entertainment along the way. There were many carolers, people in Victorian dress handing out candy canes, buskers, and of course, Santa and Mrs Claus. The girls were excited to meet Santa and Mrs Claus but it was only after I had taken their photo that I realised just how much candy cane Ava and Lola had around their mouths!

Ava and Lola were excited when we came across a bouncy castle with a big slide and spent a good fifteen minutes jumping, bouncing and sliding. While they bounced Mathilde watched a busker with a double bass - and became the focus of many visitor's photos as she bounced along standing against the curb.

Unfortunately all of that bouncing in the bouncy castle combined with the cold air was too much for Ava and she spent quite some time coughing and feeling sick. This coincided with Lola having a meltdown over a lost candy cane (exacerbated by her also feeling sick) and the temperature dropping substantially as the sun started to set. Time to head home.

The Victorian Christmas Fair in Nevada City is a great event to visit, just maybe not with sick kids as we discovered this year.

The festival is held on selected Wednesdays and Sundays throughout December and finishes up today. You can find more information here.