Since its inception in 2021, the Bristol Christmas Festival has quickly become a popular tradition. This year, however, it will have a new home. Instead of being centered at the Burnside Memorial Building and filling up sections of Hope Street and the downtown, waterfront district, it will be moved a few blocks away so Unity Park is its base, with attractions in surrounding areas.

The heart of Bristol’s original holiday celebration, the beloved Grand Illumination, will remain in its traditional setting on Hope and State streets. The Christmas Festival, which will take place Dec. 7 and 8, will have trolleys to bring attendees around the downtown district.

Christmas Festival Committee chairman David Scarpino said there were always some concerns with holding the event on Hope Street. “This is a state road. When you close a state road, you have to get permission from the Rhode Island DOT, you have to re-route busses, it is an inconvenience,” Scarpino said, adding that there are also safety concerns with closing down a state road.

Scarpino said their vision for the festival is to make sure everyone has a good time, in addition to helping local businesses. He said that the first year they held the festival, in 2021, local businesses approached him and said they were able to make enough money during that weekend to survive through the entire winter season.

The move to Unity Park helps in multiple ways, he said. For one, it creates a place where they can really focus on the center of the festival. Also, it helps create inside areas for the businesses that take part in the festival, which can be challenging in harsh New England winters. Scarpino said that definitely affected previous festivals.

Unity Park is the home of several local businesses, ranging from coffee shop, to brewery, to restaurants. Scarpino sees the move there as beneficial for all involved. “We’re going to now go into that space, and then have everyone who wants to see them, see us too, and vice versa.”

At Unity Park, there will be a lot of different activities for attendees. There will be European-style food huts, craft vendors, and entertainment that focuses on local talent, according to Scarpino.

There will be additional attractions and vendors about a block away, at First Congregational Church, where vendors will be set up indoors. “You walk out of Unity Park, you walk a short distance, there’s our vendors,” Scarpino said.

In addition, there will still be events on High Street, which led festival organizers to put together a trolley package that will bring people around town. There will be two trolleys running on both Saturday and Sunday. Scarpino said they will be encouraging people to visit all of the restaurants and businesses around town.

The trolley will also stop at the James D. Reilly Foundation’s Santa Village. Michael Reilly, stressing that the village is separate from the festival, said their workshop will be open during the Christmas Festival, however it will be closed during the Grand Illumination, so they can be part of that event.