An immersive walk-through chance to ‘visit the town of Bethlehem on the night of the first Christmas’ is planning its last hurrah this year, reports SF Gate. The elaborate event called Bethlehem A.D. has been in operation since 1992 with hundreds of volunteer actors playing merchants, Roman centurions on horseback in full armor, and of course Mary, Joseph, baby and shepherds and three wise men. The free experience takes about 20 minutes and carries on, rain or shine. It’s one of the largest living nativity scenes in the US and has in the past drawn more than 25,000 visitors to Redwood City in northern California over its three performances each year.
After parking, shuttles bring visitors closer to the walkways of the village, and wheelchair and mobility device users can take a golf cart tour. According to the event website, as you’re queued up to enter, you can choose to listen to an audiotape (English or Spanish) explaining the historic context of the Christmas story. Visitors then walk through the recreated village of Bethlehem, where actors cook over fires, create pottery, do metalsmithing, folk dance, sell goods in the marketplace and tell the census taker about themselves. The village has live sheep, camels, llamas, Brahma bulls, chickens and donkeys wandering around (and in fenced-in petting areas). And just like a Hollywood premiere, searchlights cross the sky, leading visitors to the manger, where angels do a choreographed dance. Afterwards, guests receive a certificate of pilgrimage and can go into the nearby church for carol singing and free hot cocoa, cider and homemade donuts.
A YouTube video embedded on the Bethlehem A.D. website shows actors in the driveway entertaining people in cars as they arrive and centurions marching in step with their spears and golden broom-topped helmets. Costuming on the volunteers is on point and the event actually looks really fun (who wouldn’t want to cuddle a baby goat in their arms?) and likely meaningful for those whose faith system includes it.
This popular event is closing down after 30 years because the land on which the village resides has been sold. Your last chance to see it is the evening of Dec. 21, 22 or 23.