HILLSBOROUGH – The Town of Hillsborough kicks off its holiday season Friday night with the lighting of the town tree at 7:00 p.m. on the lawn of the Old Orange County Courthouse, and the festivities continue through the weekend.

Executive director of the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce, Margaret Cannell says it continues Saturday morning with the Hillsborough Holiday Parade.

“Hillsborough is a beautiful town,” Cannell says. “A parade down Churton Street showcases the beauty of the town and the wonderful businesses and restaurants that we have here. We hope that lots of people will come out and watch out parade and stay for a few hours afterwards to take part in the festivities that are continuing after the parade.”

The parade begins at 10:00 a.m. After the parade, Cannell says there will be things for your eyes, ears, and of course your bellies.

“The Burwell School Historic Site is hosting cocoa and caroling on the lawn afterwards, and there will also be some storytelling and a lot of the shops are open for different events and specials,” Cannell says. “So, it’s a wonderful opportunity to be in Hillsborough.”

Sunday, Cannell says, is your chance to go inside a few of the homes you may have driven by wondering if the inside is just as beautiful. It’s the 27th Annual Hillsborough Holiday Home Tour.

“We have seven private homes and 11 public buildings participating in the tour this year,” Cannell says. “The homes range in age from the late 1700s to the early 2000s, and they’ll all be festively decorated.”

All of these events are part of the annual Holiday Happenings in Hillsborough.

For a complete list of the events, click here.

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