"Please note that this is a change from previous years." That line comes from the Friends of Washington Crossing Park, which runs the Pennsylvania reenactments across the river from Titusville. It refers to a short rule. Because the group expects much higher attendance for the 250th anniversary, both of its 2026 crossing reenactments require advance registration, including the Christmas Day Crossing, which is still free.
For years, the Christmas crossing has been something you could decide to attend that morning. This year it has an attendance cap. The same weekend schedule also gives Hopewell Township its own date. On Sunday, December 13, the boats that leave Pennsylvania come ashore at Washington Crossing State Park in Titusville. That is where the 1776 army actually landed, and it is the December date to put on the calendar first.
Pennsylvania Now Requires Tickets
The Friends list two chances to see the crossing in 2026, and both require registration.
First Crossing, Sunday, December 13. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the boats cross at about 1:00 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for children ages 5 to 11, and free for children under 5. A family rate of $30 covers two adults and two children under 18. Attendance is capped, and the Friends say tickets may sell out in advance. Sergeant Major of the Army Michael R. Weimer is scheduled to narrate.
Christmas Day Crossing, Friday, December 25. This is the 74th annual reenactment. It runs from noon to 3:00 p.m., with the river crossing at about 1:00 p.m. Admission is free. The Friends say advance registration is required in 2026 because of the larger crowds expected for the anniversary.
Tickets will be sold at the door only if an event has not sold out. The Friends are working with a professional parking company and local emergency services on parking, traffic and shuttle arrangements. Their event page is where those details are posted, and registered visitors receive updates through the ticketing platform.
The boats only cross if the weather and the river allow it. If conditions rule out a crossing, the Friends will post an update on the event page by 8:00 a.m. that day. If the boats stay on shore, the speeches, demonstrations, music and living history still go on.
December 13 Is the Day the Boats Land in Titusville
In 1776, the army crossed toward Johnson's Ferry, on the land that is now Washington Crossing State Park. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection describes nearly ten hours of boats and ferries carrying men, horses and cannon to the Jersey side. A storm brought sleet, hail and snow by midnight, and the army then marched nine miles to Trenton.
The 2026 landing takes place on the same day as the First Crossing. NJDEP lists Washington's Landing in New Jersey for December 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the park, 355 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road. The program shows 18th-century military and civilian life. It includes an "Evacuation" of civilians across the Delaware, escaping the occupation of New Jersey by Crown Forces. Those scenes build toward the "Continental Army" crossing from Pennsylvania in replica Durham boats.
Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania sponsors the event. NJDEP describes it as a chance to meet New Jersey civilians affected by the war and the soldiers getting ready to attack the Hessian outpost in Trenton.
So the boats you would buy a ticket to watch leave Pennsylvania on December 13 come ashore in Hopewell Township that same afternoon. Pennsylvania puts the crossing at about 1:00 p.m.
The New Museum and Its 1921 Mural
The new museum stands up the hill from the river. NJDEP's park page says the old Visitor Center Museum is closed until the new building opens in 2026. Its advisory asks visitors to stay out of the construction area, and the main entrance on Washington Crossing-Pennington Road stays open.
MercerMe reported on July 3 that George Matthews Harding's 1921 mural of Washington's Christmas night crossing now hangs inside the new Washington Crossing State Park Museum & Visitor Center. The mural had been in storage for nearly 60 years, since Trenton's Taylor Opera House was torn down. A preview ceremony planned for that week was called off because of extreme heat. MercerMe quoted the DEP's explanation:
"New Jersey State Parks decided to postpone the ribbon cutting for the Washington Crossing State Park Museum & Visitor Center until the fall, when all exhibits will be complete, in place and the building will be ready to welcome visitors with its full range of features."
The same MercerMe article says state officials hoped to welcome visitors before December 25. NJDEP's improvement projects page describes the planned building. Its centerpiece is the "Crossing Theater," where visitors stand on a ferry boat while video of the crossing plays on the walls. The building also includes a 125-seat multipurpose theater, a flex gallery for temporary exhibits, a welcome lobby and a covered outdoor terrace. The old museum housed the Swan Historical Foundation's collection of more than 500 Revolutionary War artifacts, in galleries covering New Jersey's role in the Revolution and the Ten Crucial Days. If the new building is open by December 13, the landing and the museum fit into one visit.
The Ten Crucial Days, Mapped to the 2026 Calendar
The Ten Crucial Days 250 schedule lists three historic dates in a row that touch this stretch of the river: a skirmish at Johnson's Ferry on December 24, the crossing on December 25, and the march to Trenton on December 26. In 2026, the public events fall on these days:
| Date in 2026 | Event | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | Washington's Landing in New Jersey | Washington Crossing State Park, Titusville | 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | See NJDEP listing |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | First Crossing | Washington Crossing Historic Park, PA | 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., crossing about 1:00 p.m. | $10 adults, $6 ages 5 to 11, $30 family; registration required |
| Friday, Dec. 25 | 74th Christmas Day Crossing | Washington Crossing Historic Park, PA | Noon to 3:00 p.m., crossing about 1:00 p.m. | Free; registration required |
| Saturday, Dec. 26 | Battles of Trenton reenactments | Battle Monument, then Mill Hill Park, Trenton | 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. | Free, rain or shine |
The Ten Crucial Days listing for the Battles of Trenton puts the first reenactment at Battle Monument at 11:00 a.m. and the second at Mill Hill Park at 3:00 p.m., with a family puppet show in between. All of it is free. The Old Barracks Museum confirms December 26 for its 2026 reenactment, with the same 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. battle times.
Hopewell Township residents can see the full sequence without crossing a state line. The Titusville landing is on December 13 and Trenton is on December 26, and both are in New Jersey. The Pennsylvania registration covers only the two events at Washington Crossing Historic Park.
Johnson Ferry House and Nearby Food
The oldest building at the landing site is the Johnson Ferry House, a gambrel-roof farmhouse and tavern from around 1740. Garret Johnson built it on his 490-acre tract, and James Slack ran the ferry in 1776. NJDEP says Washington and his officers probably used the house on the night of the crossing. The keeping room, parlor, pantry and bedchambers are furnished with period pieces and reproductions, and there is an 18th-century kitchen garden.
The house's listed hours are Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. December 13 is a Sunday, so the house falls outside its regular schedule on landing day. A Thursday, Friday or Saturday visit fits those hours. The Washington Crossing Park Association lists the Nature Center, the Johnson Ferry House, the trails and some restrooms as open during construction. Restrooms in the Washington Grove Day Use Area are closed for repairs, and portable toilets are in place.
For food on the New Jersey side:
- Patriots Crossing Tavern and Wine Shop is a short drive from the park in Titusville. Its site lists a menu and live entertainment, and its expanded liquor store keeps the restaurant's hours.
- The Blue Bottle Cafe, at 101 East Broad Street in Hopewell, lists dinner Wednesday through Saturday. That covers Saturday, December 26, but not Sunday, December 13.
- PrimoHoagies held its grand opening at Pennington Center on July 16, 2026, according to MercerMe.
The crossing reenactments are a big part of what December looks like in Hopewell Township. If you're thinking about what this anniversary year means for a home near the river or anywhere in the Hopewell Valley, Maura Mills brings more than 30 years of local experience to that conversation. Request a Personalized Consultation.
