Bluebird Gap Farm's free festival is now scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14–15. It runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and has a harvest theme and a tribute to military veterans. The City of Hampton postponed the October date because of forecast bad weather and then announced the new weekend on Oct. 21. The farm at 60 Pine Chapel Road sits about 1¼ miles northeast of the West Hampton Community Center on Briarfield Road. That puts this year's festival close to home, at a different time of year than usual.
The new date changes more than the calendar square. It gives the festival shorter hours, a different focus and a spot in a month when the Hampton Coliseum area already has something scheduled every weekend.
The Festival Usually Belongs to October
For at least the past three years, the festival has been held in mid-to-late October with a 10 a.m. start.
| Year | Date | Hours | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Sat.–Sun., Oct. 21–22 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | City of Hampton |
| 2024 | Sat., Oct. 26 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | The Virginian-Pilot calendar |
| 2025 | Sat.–Sun., Oct. 18–19 | Two-day event | Visit Hampton |
| 2026 | Sat.–Sun., Nov. 14–15 | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | City of Hampton |
Those October weekends had a familiar autumn program. In 2023, the city listed children's activities, hayrides, master gardening, pumpkin chunking, storytelling and live entertainment, with free entry and activities and food and pumpkins for sale. Visit Hampton's 2025 listing added ax throwing, live bands, games, photo ops, seasonal food and a pumpkin patch.
What November Changes
The 2026 notice says the theme changed because of the later date. "With the new date later in the season, the festival will take on a harvest theme and a tribute to military veterans," the city wrote in its Oct. 21 announcement. The festival now falls on the weekend after Veterans Day, which is Wednesday, Nov. 11. That's why the tribute fits this year in a way it wouldn't have in mid-October.
The program in the announcement is shorter than in past years' write-ups. It lists a fall marketplace, live music from the Storyweavers and "lots of fun activities for all ages," and admission stays free. The city's notice doesn't say whether hayrides or the pumpkin patch from earlier years will return. Anyone planning around a particular activity should check with the farm before going.
The hours are shorter too. The 2023 festival ran 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven hours a day. This year's runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., five hours a day. An afternoon that once lasted until 5 now ends by 4, so plan on arriving earlier.
A Four-Day Break in the Farm's Usual Week
Bluebird Gap Farm usually keeps a simple schedule. Visit Hampton lists it as open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free admission and animal feed for sale. The city describes 60 acres with about 150 domestic and wild animals, including horses, cows, pigs, goats, chickens, birds of prey, whitetail deer, llamas, alpacas, tortoises, peacocks, rabbits and waterfowl. Other features on the grounds include the Azalea Trail, a nature path that looks out over Newmarket Creek, plus a large duck pond, a kayak and canoe launch, the antique display barn and the Hampton Master Gardeners' Display Garden and Arboretum. The feed machines take quarters, according to the city.
The festival interrupts that routine for four days:
- Friday, Nov. 13: Farm closed for setup.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Festival, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 15: Festival, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 16: Farm closed for breakdown.
The Friday setup closure has happened before. Coliseum Central's listing for the 2025 festival said the farm closed the Friday before the event. This year adds a Monday closure for breakdown as well. If you want a quiet weekday walk on the Azalea Trail around that weekend, the Thursday before or the Tuesday after is your next open day.
The Festival Joins a Busy November Near the Coliseum
Mapcarta places Hampton Coliseum about 1,800 feet east of the farm. This year the farm's festival shares the month with the Coliseum's own events and the Coliseum Central district's holiday programming. For West Hampton, all of it falls in the same short stretch of town. Here's the November calendar from this week on:
- Nov. 6–8: Monster Jam, Hampton Coliseum. Shows are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at noon and 6 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m., per the Hampton Coliseum event page.
- Nov. 7: 5th Annual Veterans Day Celebration, Fort Monroe. It runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Continental Park, 20 Ingalls Road. The program includes exhibits, food trucks, living-history interpreters, entertainment and a veterans recognition ceremony, according to Fort Monroe. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Artmobile will be there with its exhibit "Virginia as America: Navigating Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness," and the Joint Base Langley-Eustis Honor Guard is part of the ceremony.
- Nov. 11: 14th Annual Jazz Legacy Gala Wednesday Special Edition, Hampton Roads Convention Center, 5:30 p.m., per Visit Hampton.
- Nov. 14–15: Bluebird Gap Farm Festival, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
- Nov. 21: 5th Annual Whimsical Winter Wonderland, Hampton Roads Convention Center, noon to 5 p.m., free.
- Nov. 28: Legends on the Block, The Comedy & Music Experience, Hampton Coliseum. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m., per the Coliseum listing.
So the Veterans Day events form a pair this year. Fort Monroe's celebration opens the stretch on Nov. 7, and the farm's tribute closes it the weekend after Nov. 11. Both are free and both are on the Peninsula, a week apart, so you can attend both.
Confirm the Winter Wonderland Date Before You Go
Two listings give different details for the Whimsical Winter Wonderland. Coliseum Central, which presents the event, lists Saturday, Nov. 21, noon to 5 p.m., at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. It describes performers, storytellers, inflatables, face painting, photo booths and holiday displays, free for all ages. Visit Hampton's calendar lists Sunday, Nov. 22, at Hampton Coliseum, with the same noon to 5 p.m. hours.
Go with the organizer's date: Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Convention Center. If you're bringing children or visiting relatives, check Coliseum Central's page again that week. It's the kind of detail that can change before the event.
Closer to Briarfield Road
If you'd rather stay near home on the farm's closed Friday or Monday, Briarfield Park is the closer option. The city describes it as a 49-acre regional athletic park with four lighted softball fields, five lighted tennis courts, a fitness trail, a large playground and four reservable picnic shelters named Azalea, Boxwood, Dogwood and Magnolia. According to the Briarfield Park page, you can reserve and pay for shelters at the West Hampton Community Center, 1638 Briarfield Road, 757-896-4687.
If you'd rather not drive on festival weekend, Hampton Roads Transit's Route 105 has stops named Briarfield & Chestnut, Pine Chapel & Barrack, and Coliseum & Pine Chapel.
At Debbie Childs, we keep track of the dates that shape weekends across Hampton Roads, including the ones that move. If you have family visiting for the Nov. 14–15 festival, or you're new to the Peninsula and want to know what happens near your street, Let's Connect.
