Did You Spy the Traitor in the Crowd at Last Night’s Grand Illumination? We Sure Did!

That’s right! Owain Yeoman who plays Benedict Arnold on the hit AMC Drama, TURN: Washington’s Spies, enjoyed our official kickoff to the Christmas season with his wife Gigi and their baby girl. It was the family’s first Grand Illumination and Owain tells us they had a magical day and hope to return for next year’s festivities.

The family started at the Williamsburg Inn for a late lunch in the Terrace Room before heading out to explore the Historic Area. Executive Chef Travis Brust had a unique dessert sent up that included a quote from one of Yeoman’s recent interviews, describing what it’s like to play a character so many people despise–one of the most hated villains in U.S. history.

Seven-month-old Ever Belle also seemed pretty impressed—with the gingerbread house on display at the Inn.

As many of you know, the cast of TURN is in the process of filming its third season and chances are some of the scenes next year will look a little familiar. Owain tells us the upcoming episodes will “feature Colonial Williamsburg heavily as the most impressive backdrop to the fascinating American history that we are loving telling the story of.”

So where did the Yeomans watch the big show? Like many of you, they camped out in front of the Governor’s Palace and had the same view those of us who tuned in online shared. This year, we had almost a thousand people join us for our livestream. Huzzah!

In addition to the Palace, fireworks were also set off at the Magazine and down at the Capitol. Lucky for us, those who watched in person also had their cameras. Please enjoy some of our favorite pictures from last night’s festivities.

Photo Credit: Chuck Durfor

Photo Credit: Blake Ulmer

Photo Credit: Wayne Reynolds

Photo Credit: Brenda Delores Poole

Photo Credit: Shannon Schojan

Photo Credit: Janet Fetherbay Bird

Photo Credit: Sandy Cetin

Photo Credit: Donna Headlee

Photo Credit: Darnell Vennie

Did you miss the show or want to live the magic all over again? We captured it on video!