Join us for the 2nd Annual Gingerbread Bake-Off 2025!
Displayed at The Abingdon Commons, show off your Gingerbread skills and turn-up the holiday spirit with the Virginia Highlands Festival.
FREE TO ENTER!
Check out our workshop with Julie Andreacola, WINNER of the National Gingerbread competition at the Omni Grove Park Inn. Be sure to S-C-R-O-L-L to snag your seat with this unparalleled artist and engineer!
Open to ALL....kids, adults, and even teams and families! Display your creativity and Gingerbread House building skills in this new event presented by the Virginia Highlands Festival and hosted by The Abingdon Commons.
Three Categories Offered:
Youth (11-17 years) -- kits OR scratch (bonus points for scratch)
Adult (18 & up) -- scratch only
Teams & Families -- kits or scratch (bonus points for scratch)
Entries accepted at The Abingdon Commons
Monday - Thursday, 12/1 to 12/4, 10am-6pm
~ Public Exhibit opens Saturday, 12/6 through Friday, 1/2 subject to The Commons public hours.
~ All submissions subject to Rules & Guidelines as outlined in provided document.
~ Pre-Registration suggested to ensure your spot in the competition.
Gingerbread Workshop with Julie Andreacola
Don’t miss the fantastic workshop with Julie Andreacola!
WHEN: November 22, 2-4pm
WHERE: SWVA Higher Education Center, Executive Auditorium
COST: FREE
Julie and Michael Andreacola are a self-taught, award-winning husband-and-wife team based in Indian Trail, North Carolina. Their gingerbread journey began in 2010 when they built their first house together for the Ballantyne Hotel’s Gingerbread Lane competition—and won!
Julie leads the creative vision for each piece, designing the structures, sculpting the figures, and baking more than ten batches of gingerbread each year to construct their elaborate creations. Michael brings an inventive, technical approach—developing a laser-cutting technique for gingerbread that enables intricate architectural details and precision fit.
In 2018, the couple introduced this innovation at the National Gingerbread Competition at the Grove Park Inn, winning the Grand Prize. They’ve continued to compete and place among the Top Ten Adult category, earning recognition for their balance of artistry and engineering.
Our inaugural Gingerbread Bake-Off 2024 was a resounding success. Check out the winners from 2024.
BEST IN SHOW & FIRST PLACE ADULT CATEGORY (scratch only):
Connie Kurki from Wytheville, VA: “A Traditional Chistmas”
FIRST PLACE TEAM/FAMILY CATEGORY
(bonus points were given for scratch):
Full Bloom Farmhouse, Abingdon, VA: "Alvarado Strong”
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Dawn Williams Team, Abingdon, VA: “Did you try icing it?”
