The community of Dillard, Georgia, marks the season with a new festival, Dickens in Dillard, built on the recognition that rural families hold the same regard for elegance, story, and Christmas magic as any big city.
It is an ambitious endeavor, grounded in the belief that communities in the North Georgia mountains welcome events built with intention and cultural depth. Organizers understand that local families expect quality, craft, and authenticity. The festival meets those expectations while staying true to the character and pride of Dillard.
Sophisticated fun in an Appalachian setting
The old farming valley lies between the Blue Ridge Front Range and the steep folds of the scenic foothills of Rabun County. In short, the perfect backdrop to live out your ideal Victorian Christmas fantasy, with or without, a hoop skirt and bonnet.
Dickens in Dillard assumes the intelligence of its audience, including children.
There are no cartoon characters, no laugh tracks, no neon lights. Instead, the village draws from the world of Dickens and the quiet coziness readers recognize in Little Women. Every detail responds to that vision. Families walk through a Victorian-inspired setting without mascots or flashing signs. The colors stay natural. The textures come from wool, fir, candlelight, ribbon, and wood.
Families gather at Cratchit’s Corner for stories and performances presented with panache. They watch a hand-crafted puppet show. They meet Santa without long lines or grumpy elves chivvying the kids along. They roast s’mores, handcrafted by the organizer, beside the fire pits, and listen to live music. They move through an environment that invites curiosity, family intimacy, and imagination.
An authentic Victorian carriage stands at the forefront of the grounds, restored for the festival with the help of Steven Webster of the North Georgia Community Players. He scrubbed the wood, cleaned the fittings, and prepared the piece with the same care he brings to the Playhouse’s stage work.
The restored carriage sits at one edge of the village, where actors from across Rabun County and beyond move through scenes drawn from Dickens and the Victorian era. The North Georgia Community Players walk the grounds for photographs, caroling, and character work. Voices of Truth brings choral music to the field and leads the procession that closes the night. Students from Rabun Gap–Nacoochee School contribute a performance that links the festival to the county’s broader arts community, and the Dillard Family offers storytelling that connects the day to the town’s history. Their presence gives the field a sense of story rather than spectacle, and the restored carriage offers a physical link to the period that inspires the festival.
The live music line-up includes regional favorites who perform throughout the day. Breeze Cable, Eric Thurmond, Mueller/Webb/Willson, and Steven Bryson each bring their own sound to the event, giving the festival a broad musical presence.
Built through sheer determination
Eliana Swanson stands at the center of this effort, guiding the festival with resolve, a clear plan, and the willingness to carry a project that leaves no room for excuses. With focus and organization worthy of a masterclass, she manages vendors, staging, logistics, and the hundred small decisions that determine whether a rural festival can rise beyond its rustic setting. The work demands long hours, steady coordination, and a willingness to take a real risk in a small city with a big vision.
The organizers, including the City of Dillard and the iconic Dillard House, built this festival with a level of care that stands out in a crowded event landscape. Families in many towns pay high prices for small activities held in community rooms with plastic tablecloths, or they attend markets promoted as full events but offering little more than outdoor shopping, a food truck, and a bouncy house. In contrast, Dickens in Dillard genuinely respects its visitors.
The booths and vendors follow a shared plan that treats the grounds as a unified setting rather than a row of stalls. Decorations carry the same visual language, and the layout encourages people to move through the village at an even pace. The festival aims for connection instead of stimulation. A child who walks toward the puppet stage finds hand-built figures instead of television characters dressed in nylon.
World-class food and wine — No, really
The elegance and quality extend to the food. Blue Hound Barbecue, known across the region for competition-level craft and national recognition for its smoked meats, brings its pit team to Dillard for the day. The menu stands beside a lineup of vineyards that elevate the event even further. Stonewall Creek, Tiger Mountain, and Terra Incognita pour award-winning wines into attractive goblets. Their presence signals that this festival belongs not only to the season but also to the geography of Rabun County and its growing farm-to-fork identity.
The festival reaches its heights of elegance in the Ebenezer VIP Lounge, where the interior space shifts into a Victorian winter parlor. Rabun Hospitality Group curates a full meal with the precision expected of its restaurants, including Stekoa Creek Steakhouse and Fortify. Wines accompany each course under the guidance of Highroad’s Tasting Room’s Matt Price, a Level III Sommelier whose pairings reflect the regional vineyards and the seasonal menu. The room functions as a holiday table rather than a formal service, and guests settle into it with a sense of belonging. The lounge overlooks the grounds, offering a view of the mountains as the light changes and the winter sky settles behind them.
Charity & Details
The festival directs part of its proceeds to Mountain Learning Enrichment and the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, two organizations that support families across the region. Their work gives the event a sense of responsibility beyond the holiday setting. Sponsors include: Gallery 441 North in the Heart of Dillard, Rabun Hospitality Group, RAIN Pure Mountain Spring Water, United Community Bank, Clayton Motor-Vault Luxury Toy Garages, The Home Depot, Clayton Shady Creek Expeditions, Rabun County Bank
The festival takes place on Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. on the grounds of Dillard City Hall, located at 892 Franklin Street in Dillard, Georgia. To make attendance easier for everyone, the organizers run a free shuttle throughout the day from Downtown Clayton and the old Piggly Wiggly parking lot in Dillard. The service reduces traffic near the field and brings visitors into the center of town without the strain of limited parking.
Conclusion
So, check out the links below and make sure to book your ticket in advance. In the words of Tiny Tim, God bless us, everyone.
