Candlelight 2022

December 17, 4:30 – 9:30 PM

This famed North Carolina tradition returns to Tryon Palace with beautiful decorations inspired by the four seasons. Come see the Governor’s Palace, royally decorated under the magical glow of candlelight, and discover the tale of a mysterious princess who once visited there.

Our Candlelight holiday event includes tours of the Governor’s Palace, Stanly House, Dixon House, and lots of holiday festivities and activities on the historic site grounds. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. on both nights of Candlelight, and be sure to plan your visit with enough time to enjoy all the festivities before and after your tour the Palace. You will want to spend time exploring the historic homes, participating in various activities, watching Jonkonnu and Fife and Drum performances, and being entertained in the Performance Tent with magic and circus performers. At the end of your enchanted evening enjoy a show of black powder fireworks that bring cascading color to the skies above the Palace!

Food will be available to purchase from food trucks located outside the Palace gates. And don’t forget to stop by the King’s Arms Tavern for adult libations. At Mistletoe Corner, you can enjoy drinks and delicious snacks in a festive holiday setting. Don’t forget to end your enchanted evening with a show of black powder fireworks!

Gates open to all ticket holders at 4:30 p.m. and please feel free to come early before your Palace tour and stay after. Your Palace tour time is indicated on the ticket. Please be in line to enter the Palace prior to that time.

Tickets can be purchased online, at the ticket desk, or by calling 252-639-3524.

Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Candlelight is a rain or shine event, but fireworks may be cancelled during extreme weather conditions.

To ensure a more historically accurate experience and fully immerse you in the joy, mystery, and magic of Candlelight, we request no photography or videography within the historic buildings. Tripods, lights, and drones are not allowed on Tryon Palace grounds at any time.

Gates open to all ticket holders at 4:30 p.m., and ticket times indicate Palace tour times only, so please

Candlelight 2022 Social Narrative

In a continuing effort to make Tryon Palace and its programs accessible and welcoming to everyone, we are pleased to announce new accessibility additions for Candlelight 2022. A social narrative has been created to help anyone, regardless of age, prepare for Candlelight’s sights, sounds, and programming. This tool is not only designed to help children who have sensory processing issues, but also any individual who is neurodivergent, or has intellectual and developmental disabilities. It serves to make them familiar with the details and happenings at Candlelight, so that they can prepare for specific areas and times that might be of concern. Find the Candlelight Social Story HERE.

Tryon Palace realizes that events like Candlelight involve many people near each other, and many things happening at once. This can be overwhelming to individuals who are sensitive to sensory stimuli. For those attendees who may need a place to get away, Tryon Palace will also offer a calming room – quiet space with calming elements. If a family needs to use the calming room, they simply need to inform a member of the Palace staff. Palace staff can always be found by the Palace front gates.

These new initiatives are part of Tryon Palace’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. We have the honor and responsibility to tell all the stories that make up New Bern and Eastern North Carolina’s history, and we want every guest on our site to be able to have access to that history and feel a sense of belonging.

If you are planning to attend Candlelight at Tryon Palace and need accessibility accommodations, please reach out to Matt Arthur, matthew.arthur@ncdcr.gov, 252-639-3587