The Louisville Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival is a Kentucky Christmas tradition.
December 29 and 30
5:30pm and 8:00pm
2024 marks the 45th Anniversary of the St. Paul UMC Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival, an event that brings nearly 2,000 people to our church to share in a unique depiction of the gift of Christ to the world.
Festival Schedule:
December 29, 5:30 pm in the Sanctuary
December 29, 8:00 pm in the Sanctuary
December 30, 5:30 pm in the Sanctuary
December 30, 8:00 pm in the Sanctuary
A reception follows each performance in McAdams Hall, Room 120
Get your tickets here.
The Festival
The Louisville Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival is a celebration of the triumph of Christ over evil. It features the St. Paul Chancel Choir, as well as costumed characters from all walks of life, from king to shepherd, journeying to bring gifts to the Christ child.
The Festival begins with a selection of Christmas favorites, performed by the wonderful St. Paul Chancel Choir. Then, the pageantry begins as the Louisville Pipe Band processes in playing the festive Highland Cathedral. Read more about the performance and the story is tells here.
St. Paul’s Festival was created by a core group of visionary staff and volunteers. It takes over a hundred volunteers in our cast and behind the scenes to put on our performances. Many cast members and crew return year after year, including some who travel a great distance to participate. Several adults have shared stories of when they first participated as children.
If you have never been to the Festival, please make plans to attend and to bring a friend! Tickets are free and can be picked up at church during ticket office hours, requested by phone at 502-459-1595 or email at genie@stpaulchurchky.org, or obtained online. Tickets will be available beginning Thursday, December 12. Ticket office will be open Monday-Thursday, 10:00am-2:00pm.
(10am-2pm) December 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 26, 30
Sundays (December 15,22,29) from 10-10:50am, and 12-12:30pm.
Reception: Wassail and desserts will be served in McAdams Hall after each performance. There will be opportunities to mingle and meet members of the cast, as well as have your picture taken with the Boar and cast members!
A list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.
Volunteers are needed on Dec. 26 when we transform the sanctuary by setting up theatre lighting and building the staging for the show. If you can spare an hour or two that day, drop by and get some exercise. There are other ways to help, like ushering, volunteering to be part of the festival performance, and inviting your friends and family.
Follow the Boar’s Head Facebook Page and other church news for the latest on the St. Paul UMC Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival.
The Performance
A tiny gold sprite brings a lighted candle into the darkened church, symbolizing the coming of the light into the darkened world. Representing the church, a minister receives the light. From this flame rises the lights of the altar and then, the lights of the church itself. A brass fanfare announces the entrance of the Boar’s Head Celebrants. Those from many walks of life, from the greatest to the humblest, process to the altar. All bring gifts, suggesting the fullness of Gods gifts to us, to lay at the feet of Christ.
Next come the waits: medieval carolers sharing gifts of gladness. King Wenceslas and his page enter and share their journey of caring for fellow humans. Woodsmen and yule log sprites search for a suitable log to take home to the fireplace. The yule log is lit from last year’s embers. It represents the warmth of the family fireside and the continuance of human life and concern. Additionally, the Yule Log symbolizes the rekindling of love. Finally the shepherds come, their simple adoration joined by the greatest of Wise Men, also humbled by this newborn Child.
When all have assembled, the haunting hymn In the Bleak Midwinter is sung by both cast and congregation. All kneel and adore the Lord of lords to the music of the Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence. The church is darkened and the Epiphany Star shines. The Festival ends with a majestic brass fanfare and a rendition of O Come, All Ye Faithful, sung by cast and congregation.
The History
The history of the Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival reaches back into the days of the Roman Empire. The boar was the first dish served at great Roman feasts. In Norman England, the boar was the sovereign of the great forests, a menace to man and a symbol of evil. The serving of the boar’s head represents the triumph of Christ over evil.
The Festival has its roots in centuries of tradition, having been first presented at least as early as 1340 at Queen’s college, Oxford, England. In time it became part of Christmas celebrations in the great Manor Houses of England. The festival came to America in 1888 to Hoosac School, Hoosac, New York. The Louisville Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival is a descendant of that early festival.
Read more about the history of the festival.
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