Long-running Easter service at Historic Jamestown to return for 2024

JAMESTOWN – One of the longest continually-running Easter sunrise services in the nation is set to return in 2024 after it was abruptly canceled last year.

The Easter Service at Historic Jamestown, which originated in 1957, is coordinated by a group of volunteers from multiple area churches. To make the ongoing tradition a reality every year, organizers work in cooperation with the National Park Service and Preservation Virginia.

“Everyone is very excited that the Easter service will occur this year,” a coordinator of the event, who did not wish to be identified by name, told The Triangle. Dedicated volunteers have spent months working to bring the service back for the holiday, they said.

The Jamestown location is one of great historical significance. The first Christian services in America were held beneath a sailcloth that was attached to trees within Jamestown Fort, according to the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation. 

By 1608, settlers started worshipping in a large post-in-ground building. The site of that original English church was discovered by archaeologists in 2010 and was named one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in the world by Archaeology Magazine that year. 

The church was also where Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas, married John Rolfe in 1614. Smith described it as “a homely thing like a barn set on crachetts, covered with rafts, sedge and earth.”

Organizers said the outdoor service at Historic Jamestown is an important part of the Easter holiday for many local residents and tourists alike.

“This service is an annual tradition among local families, now bringing their children and grandchildren,” they said. “Many visitors also attend, commenting that it was a highlight of their vacation.”

The Easter sunrise service was unexpectedly canceled in 2023, just months after the National Park Service (NPS) started enforcing a new policy requiring anyone visiting Colonial National Historical Park for “recreational purposes” to pay a $15 entrance fee or purchase a $45 annual pass. 

Last year, organizers announced the cancellation of the sunrise service less than a week before Easter Sunday, saying that there is “a long list of details including permissions and coordination with multiple entities” that must take place in order for the event to happen.

“Unfortunately, this year things did not line up as they have in years past… We are truly saddened by the event being canceled, since it is our Easter tradition, too,” they said at the time.

Acting Deputy Superintendent Phil Akers told The Triangle the new fee policy at Colonial National Historical Park was implemented after an audit showed that the park was generating less revenue than expected. Akers declined to answer when asked if that policy was the reason behind the cancellation of the long-running Easter service last year.

While organizers did not go into detail about what factors made it possible for the service to commence this year, they confirmed that guests will be able to attend free of charge. However, anyone who chooses to stay in the park for recreational reasons afterward will need to pay the fee or purchase a pass, they said.

The service, which will be held on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024, will not take place right at sunrise as was the case in years past. Instead, it will begin at 9 a.m., with the park opening to the public for access at 8:30 a.m. 

Additionally, this year’s service will be held at a new location adjacent to the parking lot. The site is easily accessible to all, according to organizers. Restrooms will be available inside the Visitor Center starting at 9 a.m.

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Visitors should only park in approved parking spaces, and carpooling is recommended.

The GPS address for Historic Jamestown is 1368 Colonial Parkway, Williamsburg, Virginia, 23185. A map showing the service’s specific new location can be found here. For additional information or to view the event flyer, visit the Easter Service at Historic Jamestown’s official Facebook page.