NEVADA CITY, Calif. — In the 1800s, Nevada City, California was a bustling gold rush town full of Victorian-style homes and businesses. It was said that back then 10,000 people moved to the foothill city to profit off the gold-rich waters that ran the middle of town.
Today the gold is mostly gone but the buildings are still there. Every December tens of thousands of people fill the streets during the annual Victorian Christmas Celebration.
“We have carolers, we have chestnuts and folks all dressed up in Victorian attire,” says Nevada City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Stuart Baker.
Dressing up is a big part of Victorian Christmas. It is not uncommon to see all sorts of historical characters roaming the streets.
Characters like Lillie LaCroix, played by actress Jessica Brugnon, can be found in a fancy feather hat near the theater house promoting her play, Gold Can’t Love You Back.
“My character is Lillie LaCroix, a songstress who came to Gold Country to find a rich husband," Brugnon says.
Other than dressing up, the five-day event involves shutting down Broad Street, exploring the many shopping opportunities and embracing the holiday spirit however you see fit. One spectacle you don’t want to miss is the dance of the Icelandic Elves. According to legend, they are normally invisible to humans.
“We come back a couple times a year, here at Victorian Christmas, to make sure you humans are behaving yourselves — taking care and cleaning water and being good to the environment which is a big subject,” says one of the performing Icelandic Elves.
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Another fan favorite is the chestnut roaster. Never had a chestnut before? Well, here is your chance. The holiday nuts are free!
“When cooked right they should be tender and taste like a sweet potato,” says Chestnut Roaster Andrew Brandon.
Music is a big part of Victorian Christmas. Throughout town, you will see musical street performances of all kinds. Like Christmas Ariel from "Little Mermaid" who walks around handing out candy. There’s even music inside many buildings. For example, there is a working Nickelodeon music machine inside Mountain Pastimes, which has been a family-run toy store for 35 years.
“It plays 35 instruments, got a couple of thousand songs and it's the only one in town,” says owner Steve Hillis.
Attracting business is the whole point of the celebration. When gold mining became less profitable, many people left. Then in the 1970s, artists and hippies bought up the buildings of Nevada City and created Victorian Christmas to draw tourists to town.
It is tough to know how the gold miners in the 19th century celebrated the holiday season, but if you walk down the streets of Nevada City during Victorian Christmas, you might get an idea.
MORE HOLIDAY FUN FROM THE BACKROADS: Experience the million light holiday display at Redding's Sundial Bridge.
