With Thanksgiving now in the past, Bristol turns its attention to the next holiday, with its fourth annual Christmas Festival coming up this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7 and 8. The festival will be anchored in two locations about a block away from each other, with free trolleys rolling between those locations and other shopping, dining and entertainment destinations.

At Unity Park on Wood Street will be a “Culinary Market,” with at least 15 local vendors offering their own foods and goods. A block away, at First Congregational Church on High Street, will be a “Crafts & Gifts Vendor Market” featuring more than two dozen different booths. Both are open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Dave Scarpino, who is chairman of the Bristol Christmas Festival Committee, said the festival, which embodies a European marketplace, is a collaboration between the festival committee and the Bristol Merchants Association.

“It’s really trying to take all the folks who come into the town in those two days and spread them around so they not only go to Unity Park, but they go downtown, and they also go to the iconic sites,” Scarpino said.

The festival will have two trolleys that carry visitors from Unity Park on different routes around Bristol. Both will stop at First Congregational Church, while one will loop through the downtown and out to both Blithewold Mansion and Mount Hope Farm, and the other will roll to Thames Streets and State Street before returning to its Unity Park base.

Linda Baker of the merchants association is spearheading the collaboration with the businesses outside of Unity Park. She said the trolleys are a way to encourage more movement throughout town, especially in the event of unpredictable weather.

Over at Unity Park, there will be European-style Christmas food huts, which will feature a wide variety of foods, such as apple cakes and traditional German Christmas cookies. Also, there will be live entertainment from local entertainers, which will include a Grinch for the festivities, and a small train that runs on a tractor-like engine for the children, free of charge.

On display will be a wide variety of items, notable vintage Christmas decorations that Scarpino believes were on display in the Town Common more than half a century ago.

Local businesses, both in and out of Unity Park, are participating as well. At Unity Park, all businesses will be open during the festival for customers to come in. Outside, a wide variety of events will happen, which was orchestrated with the help of the BMA.

“Mount Hope Farm is going to have fire pits outside, and they’re going to be doing a holiday farmers’ market. Blithewold is going to be all decorated. So everyone is doing things,” Scarpino said.

Last year, the festival brought in an estimated 8,000 people over the two days. For more about the festival and schedule, visit: christmasbristolri.com/