The holiday season is upon us and the Chipley Christmas Fest is excited to be able to
offer two full days of holiday fun this year. This year’s event is presented by Tobacco Free
Florida, Community South Credit Union, Believe Martial Arts, The Ugly Mug Cafe, Florida
Power & Light, Northwest Title Group and Orange Hill Express and will be held on Friday,
December 2, 2022 from 4-8pm and Saturday, December 3, 2022 from 9-2pm at the
Washington County Farmers Market Complex & Train Depot on 7th Street in Downtown Chipley.
Friday night will kick off with a Free Sensory Santa Photo Shoot inside the Washington County
Historical Society from 3:30-4:30pm sponsored by Spedale Jr Photography and Sand Hills
Santa.
From 4-8pm there will be children’s arts and crafts and games under the Farmer’s Market
Complex courtesy of the Chipley Garden Club, Chipley Woman’s Club and Community
South Credit Union, free bounce houses, carnival slide and obstacle course, free petting zoo,
pony rides for $7, mechanical bull rides for $5, free cotton candy courtesy of Believe Martial
Arts and a holiday photo booth courtesy of the Washington County Public Library.
Free Carriage Rides around the festival block are sponsored by Tobacco Free Florida and will
run from 4-8pm. Line-up for the carriage rides will be in the Taylor Chiropractic parking lot. Enjoy
some free popcorn courtesy of Washington County SWAT while you are waiting.
The Washington County Historical Society will also hold their open house during festival
hours that night. Stop in and check out the holiday decor along with Washington County history.
We will have a box to collect new toys, still in original packaging, and new backpacks for the
Gulf Coast Advocacy Center at the museum entrance. Please consider donating to benefit a
child in need.
Our Annual Christmas Parade will begin at 5:30 pm (line-up is at 4:30 pm at the old CHS
Track on North Railroad Avenue). This year’s parade will be judged for cash prizes and
bragging rights! Remember: NO throwing of candy is permitted! Please have parade monitors
walking alongside the float and handing out the candy. Parade applications may be obtained at
the Washington County Chamber of Commerce (672 5 th Street) or on their Facebook Page.
Free Santa Photos will be offered under the pavilion courtesy of Spedale Jr Photography and
Sand Hills Santa from 7-8pm. Parents will register their child at the registration table located in
front of the Bill Lee Station.
The Holiday Stroll will also be back again this year and we encourage you to stop in
participating merchants shops. We will kick off this celebration of shopping local on Friday night
with downtown businesses staying open late and kicking off their holiday specials and gift card
programs. The stroll will continue during festival hours on Saturday. We will continue to
showcase all of our wonderful downtown businesses and what they will be offering for the
holiday shopping season on our Facebook page so you won’t miss a single great deal!
On Saturday, December 3rd, from 9-2pm at the Farmer’s Market Complex, The Kiwanis
Club will offer a Breakfast from 9-11am. There will be a Christmas Marketplace full of arts and
craft vendors, free bounce houses, carnival slide and obstacle course for the kids. A Snow
Treasure Hunt will be set up on the green, so let your kids stop by and dig out a toy, and yard
games to play courtesy of Metric Engineering. New this year, the Chipley Christmas Fest is
proud to add a Free Artificial Ice Skating Rink sponsored by Chipley Physical & Aquatic
Therapy, Community South Credit Union and Rogers Insurance/Auto-Owners Insurance.
The rink will be open from 9-2pm.
In partnership with the Washington County Council on Aging, we invite you to also stop
in at the Festival on the Boulevard from 9-2pm at their location at 1348 South
Blvd., which will include an arts and craft bazaar, food, and an antique car show.
We will continue our tradition of the Kate M. Smith Elementary School 5th Grade
Christmas Card Contest. Each 5th grade classroom will receive a half sheet of
plywood, courtesy of Surplus & Salvage Supply, to design a holiday card of their
choosing. The cards will be critiqued by our chosen panel of judges on the morning of
December 2nd and a winning classroom will be decided. First place will receive a trophy
and a pizza party for their classroom courtesy of Hungry Howie’s. Second and third
place winners will receive trophies. The Christmas Cards will be auctioned off for local
charities beginning on festival day, December 2nd on the Christmas Fest Facebook page.
All cards will be displayed at the Washington County Farmers Market Complex during
the festival and then moved to KMS for display until the Christmas Card Contest Auction
is complete on December 16th. The winning class will pick a local charity (or several) to donate
the proceeds of the auction. Last year’s proceeds benefited the Chipley Animal Shelter, the
Washington County Council on Aging, The Washington County Historical Society and the
Washington/Holmes ARC.
Come join the fun!