The Christmas Revels: An American Winter Solstice Celebration

For our 39th annual Christmas Revels, travel back to December 1870 and the elegant DC parlor of Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels, the first African American to serve in the U.S. Congress. The holidays have arrived in Washington and the household is preparing for a party!

With joyous carols, heartfelt spirituals and toe-tapping dances, colleagues, friends, and guests from all walks of life meet under the Revels family roof to celebrate the season. Together, they share the hope that long years of national struggle are in the past, take joy in reunions with loved ones, and look forward to a new year.

After our own months apart, Washington Revels invites you to ring in the holidays with a Christmas Revels featuring local folk musicians, the Washington Revels Jubilee Voices, and the cheerful tones of the Washington Revels Brass. Experience the stories, music and traditions that bring us closer as we celebrate the Winter Solstice in a uniquely American way — Welcome Yule!