Epicure
obligated to stay at the Ahwahnee
Hotel during the Bracebridge dinner.
There are other properties within
Yosemite Park like the Wawona
Hotel, Yosemite Lodge, and Camp
Curry. But the Ahwahnee Hotel,
listed on the National Historic
Register of Historic Places, is a
fitting backdrop for the Bracebridge
and they offer package deals. What
Bracebridge does not offer is
photography of any kind, so your
memories will remain only with you.
Ultimately fewer than 3,000 people
get the chance to attend the event
each year, which is part of its allure.
The sheer pageantry is also due in
part to the Ahwahnee dining hall,
with its 45-foot ceiling, massive
sugar pine timbers flanking the
capacious room, and square cut rocks
flanking the stage, heightening the
drama of the evening. The pageant
concludes with the traditional
melody of Silent Night, sung en
masse, which is surprisingly moving.
Bracebridge is not exactly a once in
a lifetime experience; in fact, many
guests makes this an annual holiday
event. But considering its price tag,
$389 per person, it is a vaulted
bucket-list addition. You are not
63
Bracebridge Hall,” book from 1822.
And he captured so perfectly what
makes the Bracebridge Dinner so
special; an authentic sense of
camaraderie and hospitality,
goodwill, graceful moments, great
food and wine and a celebratory
spirit. If you’re looking for a unique
event to heighten the holidays,
this just might be it.
www.bracebridgedinners.com,
or (801) 559-5000
Yosemite in winter is a stunning
visual display, as snow and ice
highlight the granite faces of Half
Done, El Capitan and flood multiple
meadows with virgin white snow.
There are fewer people in the park
during the winter and there is skiing
at Badger Pass, ice-skating, and
snowshoeing to complement the
Bracebridge. “There is an emanation
in the heart of genuine hospitality
which cannot be described, but is
immediately felt and puts the
stranger at ease,” Washington
Irving wrote in his “A Christmas at
a few years back. Interspersed with
the show are times for table
conversation before the next short
act of the pageant gets underway.
The seven-course meal includes fish,
duck and beef, all of which play an
integral part in the show itself, and
the dinner ends traditionally with
wassail and plum pudding.
(yields ½ gal, 64oz)
Bracebridge Wassail Punch
1qt apple juice
1qt cranberry juice
5oz port wine
4 whole cloves
1 star anise
1tbsp dried Hibiscus
dried orange rind from ½ an orange
1 cinnamon stick
½ oz ginger, grated
Place all ingredients into a
saucepot and simmer for 30mins,
strain, serve.