At 8:30 on the morning of Saturday, December 5, shuttle buses start running from a field at Mickie Gordon Park, a mile east of town off Route 50. A second set runs from Lost Barrel Brewing, a mile west. They keep going until 6 p.m., carrying parade visitors into Middleburg for the Middleburg Hunt's horses and hounds at 11 a.m. and the community parade at 2 p.m.
The parking system is also how Christmas in Middleburg pays its bills. Michelle Myers, who organizes the parade with her husband, Doug, told the Middleburg Eccentric that "80% of our incoming revenue is parking and VIP offers in town. Only 20% is raised by sponsorships." This year that split matters more than usual.
The weekend, in order
The 46th parade follows the same basic plan as recent years, and the Town adds a Friday night opener.
- Friday, December 4. The Town of Middleburg Tree Lighting at the Middleburg Museum's Pink Box, 8 North Madison Street.
- Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Shuttles begin running from both parking fields.
- Saturday, 11 a.m. The Middleburg Hunt's horses and hounds lead off down Washington Street.
- Midday. Carolers and a kids' zone at the Middleburg Community Center fill the time between the two parades.
- Saturday, 2 p.m. The community Christmas parade.
- Saturday, 6 p.m. The last shuttles leave town.
The Middleburg Police chief sets the parade route and has the final word on whether the parade goes on.
Why your car stays outside the village
After the event came back from its 2020 COVID cancellation, the Town closed in-town street parking to parade visitors. It has also asked organizers to cap parking at 1,000 cars. Those two rules made the buses essential, Myers told the Eccentric. They also made the parking fields the event's main source of income.
The official parking page lists three options for 2026:
| Lot | Location | Price per car | Shuttle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority | Mickie Gordon Park, 1 mile east of town on the north side of Route 50 | $60 | 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| VIP | Lost Barrel Brewing, 1 mile west of town on the north side of Route 50 | $150 | 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Accessible | Behind Middleburg United Methodist Church, 15 West Washington Street | Free with a valid DMV sticker or hang tag | Lot is in town |
To reach Mickie Gordon Park, turn north off Route 50 onto Oakham Road, continue to Carters Farm Lane, then turn left. The park entrance is on the right. The Aldie Ruritans help run parking at that field, and the nonprofit pays Loudoun County Sheriff's deputies to direct traffic off Route 50 and buses out of the park. The free accessible lot came out of a deal this fall. The organizers made a $3,000 donation to rent the Methodist church lot, and Town Council passed an ordinance allowing the church to rent it.
What a parade costs, line by line
Christmas in Middleburg is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Each year it files a budget and a statement of activity with Town Council, and the Eccentric pulled the numbers. The event costs about $150,000 to stage. In 2025 it took in $151,529 and spent roughly the same.
| 2025 money in | Amount | 2025 money out | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parking | $53,400 | Shuttle buses | $40,857 |
| VIP parking, seating and viewing | $33,025 | Barricades and portable toilets | about $15,000 |
| Sponsorships | $27,300 | Donations to local schools, churches and charities | $13,923 |
| Town of Middleburg grant | $10,000 | Insurance | about $6,000 |
The table explains the paid lots. The buses are the biggest single cost, and parking is the biggest single source of income, so the people riding the shuttle are paying for it. Together, parking and VIP sales brought in $86,425 of the $151,529 total in 2025. Sponsorships brought in $27,300. In 2016 the event had $78,000 in income. It has roughly doubled since then, and Myers told Council last October that costs rise "5 to 7% every year."
Sponsorships have also come in under budget. The 2025 budget expected $57,000 from sponsors, including $35,000 from a presenting sponsor. Sponsors actually gave $27,300, and individual donations and VIP sales covered most of the difference.
This year's gap
PenFed, the federal credit union, was the presenting sponsor in 2024 and 2025. When the organizers went to Town Council on September 24, the Eccentric's council report recorded Doug Myers' warning:
"Currently, we do not have a presenting sponsor. Which leaves us at an approximate $20,000 shortfall. For 46 years, this event has been a local tradition and without significant financial support, this event is in real risk of ending."
At that meeting, only about half the other sponsorships had sold. Visit Loudoun had given $6,000, and VIP seating was half sold. Mayor Bridge Littleton suggested the Middleburg Business and Professional Association ask each member for $200. Council members Pam Curran and Darlene Kirk pointed the organizers to the Middleburg Charitable Foundation. On October 28, Michelle Myers told the Eccentric in writing that she was "in active talks with a potential sponsor that will fill the gap." She said the organizers would go back to Council in November if needed.
The cash reserve is thinner than it looks. The nonprofit had $79,180 in the bank as of February 23, 2026, and no debts. About $66,000 of that is the operating account, and Myers said the event spends $40,000 to $60,000 of it on vendor deposits before parking sales begin in September. That leaves $6,000 to $26,000 to absorb a missing $20,000 sponsor. The organizers are cutting costs by leaving their office space at the end of 2026 and scaling back social outreach and admin support.
The Town is increasing its share. Under a memorandum of understanding Council approved unanimously in July 2025, the nonprofit carries all financial obligations, and the Town provides police and staff. For 2026, the Town has budgeted a $12,000 sponsorship, up from $10,000. It is also covering police overtime, officers from other jurisdictions and public works help.
Where the parade money goes after December 5
Part of the event's spending goes back into the community. In 2025, the nonprofit gave $13,923, nearly 10 percent of its spending, to local schools, churches and charities. Recipients included the Hill School, Foxcroft, Middleburg FISH and the Middleburg Hunt, whose review opens the day. The organization calls its giving the GIFTS program, short for "Giving Inspiration and Fostering Traditions thru Service." A separate donation account, about $11,900 as of February, pays for producing the event's ornament and for the charitable donations chosen each year.
The event has a long history to protect. Mayor Loyal McMillin suggested a town Christmas celebration in 1979. Dudley and Cissy Bunn and Tyler Gore put together the first modern parade in 1980. For years the Middleburg Business and Professional Association ran it, and Jim Herbert made it a nonprofit in 2011. The Myerses began volunteering in 2018 and became part-time co-organizers in 2022.
Other ways to spend parade day
Local institutions build their own events around the parade. The National Sporting Library & Museum is holding a Champagne Watch Party on December 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for members at the Guardian level or above. It includes parking, food, drinks and a view of the parade. Salamander Middleburg is hosting a Christmas in Middleburg BBQ from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day, with a bourbon mixology class on Friday, December 4, and gingerbread-house decorating on Sunday, December 6.
To help keep the parade itself going, sponsorship options are on the Christmas in Middleburg website. The organizers recently added family sponsorships and can be reached at [email protected]. "We can take sponsorship help all year round," Michelle Myers told the Eccentric. The presenting sponsorship is listed at $25,000. The simplest way to help is to buy a $60 parking pass at Mickie Gordon Park.
At The Local Group, we grew up with Hunt Country traditions like this one and care about keeping them going. If you're thinking about what your Middleburg-area home or land is worth this season, we'd be glad to walk through it with you, maybe even after the parade.
