I must confess I can be cynical or maybe have some aversion to the holidays, particularly Christmas. Where the expectation is to be merry or to have faith in your fellow (wo)man. In life people aren't always on the ground making snow angels. Nor are Christmas Carollers going to come to your door to bid you good tidings. However, I'm slowly learning if you let your guard down ever so slightly, a beam of light can peek through. "Dickens on Main" in Boerne understands that the Christmas we celebrated as children is the same one we carry with us into adulthood. Me and my partner have been wanting to do it for years, but it's only available once a year. And at that, for two days. I will tell you the basics of it. It is a morning celebration that segues into a huge night extravaganza. It opens at 12pm but Main Street closes its streets from passage by vehicle at 4pm. We opted to go early before the streets were closed. When we arrived almost all parking was nonexistent. Businesses do offer a park and pay option but every lot was full. By sheer luck we were able to find free parking. Main Street is a succession of small local businesses. But during "Dickens on Main" it turns into an idyllic, winter wonderland. If you've ever watched a Hallmark Christmas movie and wished it could become a reality, this would be that opportunity. Garland is hanging everywhere. In every nook and cranny Christmas Spirit is prominent. They even have a snow machine that blows artificial snow onto festival-goers. The sidewalks are overflowing with people going into stores to shop. For example there are antique shops. Places that sell beauty products. A super expensive meat market. Jarred pickles. And of course my favorite shopping: three watering holes all within walking range. By in large the Main Courtyard is the piece de resistance. All things eventually converge here. It is decorated much like Main Street with: ornaments, candy canes and giant Nutcracker figurines. There are Dickensonian Carollers dressed in traditional Victorian fashion walking the grounds. Followed by the litany of vendors selling crafts, food or last minute gift ideas. All my senses the whole time were engaged and overwhelmed. It is alot to take in. While I enjoyed it I do have two critiques. Since the sidewalks are extremely narrow there was not a time where either I was in someone's space. Or vice versa. My suggestion would be to close Main Street to traffic all day and allow the overflow onto the streets. Secondly, they need to do what Wustfest does and offer shuttle bus service. Festival goers could pay a fee to park and be shuttled to the event. When we left at 4pm I saw people parking far and wide just to walk into the event. I definitely would recommend it to the person who wants to share a unique Christmas experience with family, friends or loved ones. Even "The Grinch" cannot escape its charms. "Dickens on Main" is a very special festival if Christmas is your thing. Me, I'm still waiting for a holiday created with craft beer in mind. Santa, I hope you're listening! I've been nice-kinda- sorta- most of the year. read more

Dickens on Main - Just in case the adults need it for the afternoon or night! - Festivals Near Me - Boerne, Texas

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My family and I visited Boerne 1-2 years ago and were told about Dickens on Main. The way it was described to us was .... An event that will make you feel like you're in a hallmark movie. After hearing that, I was sold and knew I had to attend. This year, I made it a point to get my family together for it and off we went. The weather wasn't ideal but the event itself was perfect and as expected! Main Street was shut down at 4PM so people could walk in the street, enjoy the fun and vendors (and also enjoy an adult beverage while shopping). The vendors were dressed up an in character, there were Carolers and tons of fun little food stands in the different "villages". We enjoyed food from some of the restaurants on the street (like a giant cinnamon roll from Richter Bakhaus) as well as vendor foods like the puffy funnel cakes. This is a fun family-friendly event that is great for a couple or for a family with kids! I will definitely be returning next year! read more

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Living in a semi-small town offers the experience of old time holiday fun with a snipet of the times during Charles Dickens's recollection of the era. The streets are flooded with families looking to experience old English merchants, horse pulled carriages and falling snow catching the holiday light as it floats to the ground. Partaking on street vendor food fair, pictures with reindeer, snow slide, and musicians on almost every corner playing the traditional Christmas songs takes you back to a more wholesome time in our amazing history. There is no shortage of spirits and memory making as you walk the few blocks of Main Street. read more

Dickens on Main - Festivals Near Me - Boerne, Texas

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The folks running this place (along with many of the support staff I came across) were absolutely nice and very helpful! I enjoyed the fake snow (it's south Texas, come on now... seriously?), the various entertainment, the blacksmith who I thought was faking creating stuff (he was serious!), the decorations, and just the general overall feeling of Dickens on Main. They also offered horse & buggy rides although the line was super long. Someone was overheard saying, "Let's go on the horse & buggy!" and the response was, "Are you kidding? Did you see the LINE?" The guys who spit fire (I have no clue as to what to call them... firestarters?? eh..) were pretty cool too. Parking wasn't too horrible since I had gotten there a little early on and even though Main Street was blocked off, traffic moved faster than L.A. at rush hour. read more

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You know that feeling when you experience something cool for the first time and you turn into Buddy the Elf and you just want to tell everybody how great it is? That's me with Dickens on Main. How I had no idea of this festival before this year is beyond me. I love all things holiday oriented included but not limited to, Santa, reindeer, elves, snow (fake or real, don't matta), big coats, pretty scarves, A Christmas Carol, hot apple cider, s'mores around a fire, tamales with chili and cheese, watching Love Actually for the first time. The list really could go on and on, and Dickens on Main pretty much has it all. Over the course of two weekends in November and December, DOM brings the ruckus on all-things holiday and Christmas. There's a Dickens Village which transports you back to A Christmas Carol era, there's horse-drawn carriage rides along a bustling Main Street while "snow" falls around you, local bars and restaurants sell mulled wine, hot cocoa, and other delightful treats, street vendors and artisans sell their wares and put on shows - like the blacksmith, and there's an entire area dedicated to kids. I believe that's where you'll find Santa himself. I think next year I'll plan an entire weekend in Boerne to enjoy DOM to the fullest. Not that the drive to and from San Antonio is long or painful, it'd just be nice to get away and enjoy an entire weekend of holiday festivities. read more

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Dickens on Main is an annual event held on Main St in Boerne, TX during the last week of November and the first week of December. This is the first year I've ever done Dickens on Main and I highly recommend it to everyone! I'm hoping that people will see this review prior to visiting next week as reassurance that it is definitely worth doing! We went for opening night and had an absolute blast. I wasn't really sure what to expect. When we were driving into Boerne as soon as we were about to hit Main St, we saw that the roads were completely blocked off forcing us to go in the opposite direction. Thankfully there was quite a few cars in front of us, so we were able to find parking just fine. We got there before it opened and it was already pretty busy to find a spot to park. I would assume as it gets later, it may be more difficult to find parking, so keep that in mind. Thankfully, Boerne is pretty small, so once you've found parking - it won't take you long to get to the Main St. Once we entered, we weren't really sure where to go. We didn't know where anything was being held or at what times. We ended up finding a brochure with a map and with the schedule of events on it, I'm not sure where you got the brochures from, but I wish they would've been more available so that we could've known where we were going. Lots of things to do though. There was a Santa Claus (for free, you take your own photograph), there was a petting zoo ($3 fee per person), and lots of other great photo opportunities. The Main St was blocked off which was fantastic. Lots of people walking around enjoying the event. They had hourly snow falls from 6:30PM, 7:30PM, 8:30PM, and 9:30PM. It was really cute. Vendors on the street with hot chocolate, cookies, and beignets. There was also a few food trucks. Overall, totally worth it. Keep your eye out for a brochure w/ the map and events (not sure where they are kept) and try to get there early to get good parking! read more

We arrived a bit late (9:20 pm) on Saturday this year. Despite the event being scheduled until after 11 pm, most folks were leaving and things were winding down. Not nearly as crowded as 2014. Fortunately, Boerne Wine Company was open and packed. We sauntered in and I picked up a nice stogie. We enjoyed the cool nights and strolled around listening to live bands and windowshopping. The artificial snow was fun. Finished with a yummy cup of hot chocolate from a food truck. read more

I really expected things to be a bit more quaint and Dickensesque but this definitely was not that. Still a very nice event overall. Streets were crowded but not unmanageable. Liked that there were a lot of musicians playing outside of some businesses. Plenty of food vendors and variety although lines were long everywhere. Food was not too expensive and portions overall were good. Many of the local shops were still open for business so that was nice as well. If you live in the area would suggest doing it at least once. read more

I've found a new Christmas tradition - DIckens on Main in Boerne. Here's why: Parking: arrive before 4pm to get good parking. We arrived at 1pm to shop before dark, and parking was available everywhere. Main St closes at 4, so your car is trapped in if you parked there. Fair Booths: some booths are great, others are so-so. My personal favorite was the metal-works station, where an old man makes sculptures out of scrap metal. There was a blacksmith, an organic body product stand, specialty foods and condiments, silver jewelry, tamales, gorditas, sausage, funnel cake, fries, etc. Christmas Vibe: this was fantastic! There were children playing the violin and tuba, many elderly carolers, a few Santa Clauses, fake snow, twinkling lights, horse-drawn carriages, decorations, and more. I wasn't in the spirit before Boerne, and I left psyched for Christmas. Food & Beverage: Did you know Boerne is an open-carry booze-town? Now you do! I like a place where, even though open drinking is allowed, no one is drunk and disorderly. I like a place where I can shop with a beer in hand at 3pm and get no judgment. I also like a place called Soda Pops in Boerne, where a Magnum Burger, Foot-Long hot dog, and a bucket of Shiner costs $25. Displays: The shows weren't my cup of tea (one-man Christmas carol, carolers, and ice sculpting), but I think that is mostly because I had been in Boerne for five hours at that point. Everyone was talented, especially the man who performed a Christmas Carol. Now I want to go read some Dickens literature. Overall: This is a good festival to get Texans in the Christmas spirit. It's worth catching! read more

Horrible parking situation. The event does not offer adequate parking, it is dark and dangerous with all of the crowds and dimly lit streets. Not really much to it except for food vendors and stores. Disappointed read more