Van Cortlandt Manor Candlelight gets Raucous with "Twelfth Night" Celebration

Visitors to Van Cortlandt Manor this weekend and next can experience the site as those who lived there did in the 18th century—by candlelight. In addition, visitors can take part in a raucous “Twelfth Night” celebration, where the Lord of Misrule reigns.

Van Cortlandt Manor candlelight tours take place Friday and Saturday, Dec. 22-23, and 29-30. Tours are offered from 4-8 each evening, and reservations are a must. Tickets may be purchased online at www.hudsonvalley.org or by calling 914-631-8200, Ext. 618.

After a tour of the Manor House, all decorated for Christmas and featuring a harpist in the formal parlor, a guide carrying a candlelit lantern brings visitors to the site’s Ferry House, where a first-person account of Twelfth Night takes place, featuring the Lord of Misrule who leads the festivities. At the Ferry House, visitors are encouraged to dance to fiddle music and toast the season with cider and cookies near the warmth of a bonfire.

Tickets for Candlelight tours are $12 for adults, and $6 for children 5-17. Children under five are admitted free. For members of Historic Hudson Valley, tickets are $6 for adults. Van Cortlandt Manor is a property of Historic Hudson Valley, a non-profit consortium of six historic site.

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