The quaint village of Yorktown is bracing for an invasion by thousands of Revolutionary War re-enactors for the 225th anniversary of the battle that secured American independence.

The town also is expecting that tens of thousands of tourists will participate in four days of pageantry and patriotism that run from the actual Battle of Yorktown surrender anniversary on Oct. 19 through Oct. 22.

“We’ve taken a one-day [annual] event and turned it into a four-day weekend full of events,“ said Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the National Park Service.

Not only is this year’s anniversary a numerical landmark, it has been designated a signature event in the 18-month commemoration of Jamestown’s 400th anniversary as the first permanent English colony in America.

If Jamestown’s founding in 1607 planted the seeds of the modern United States, the British surrender to George Washington at Yorktown in 1781 is a similarly important milestone for the nation.

Yorktown is only 15 miles away from Jamestown, so the annual patriotic ceremonies and re-enactments have been augmented by a gala concert, performances that will be reprised at several Jamestown commemorative events, and fireworks.

“I think it’s going to be spectacular, and that’s what we’re shooting for,“ said Ken Ashby, the producer of the show “We Salute You - An American Symphony,“ that will conclude with a fireworks display at the end of the opening day.

On a large stage at the Yorktown Victory Monument, the show will combine an original, narrated orchestral work with a live spectacle featuring musicians, actors, a chorus and images projected on large screens.

Ashby, who has produced Super Bowl halftime shows, described the show as a concert combined with “production elements to make it shine and sparkle and be a dignified event.“

Much of the battlefield site is in federally run Colonial National Historical Park, which includes the Yorktown Battlefield, Jamestown and the Colonial Parkway that connects them. But the event is being organized cooperatively by a half-dozen agencies and organizations and by York County.

The events will unfold on the battlefield, at Riverwalk Landing on the village’s waterfront and at the state-run Yorktown Victory Center history museum.

Litterst predicted that crowds may present a challenge or even prompt the county sheriff’s department at some points to declare the town full and turn away traffic. That has happened on occasion during the town’s popular July Fourth celebration.

“When the town’s full, the town’s full,“ he said.

Litterst said organizers expect 40,000 to 50,000 people to show up during the four days, with peak crowds of 10,000 to 12,000 on the evening of first day for the concert and fireworks.

All traffic will be routed to parking lots at the battlefield, and visitors will travel to event sites on shuttle buses provided by Colonial Williamsburg, organizers said. Litterst said the maximum capacity of the parking lots is about 2,500 cars.

Other parking spaces in the village are being reserved for use by residents, business and participants.

Among the attractions will be a parade on the first day, followed by commemorative ceremonies and a wreath-laying at the Yorktown Victory Monument. The keynote speaker will be Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne. Other speakers will include U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va.; U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-1st; former Secretary of the Army John Marsh; and Michele Alliot-Marie, the French minister of defense.

Military battle re-enactments will take place Oct. 20-21 at nearby Endview Plantation in Newport News and culminate on the final day with a re-enactment of the British surrender at the original Surrender Field at Yorktown Battlefield.

Litterst said approximately 2,500 re-enactors have registered to take part in the commemoration.

“We got Americans. We’ve got French,“ he said. “We’ve got British coming.“

Andrew Petkofsky is a staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He can be contacted at or (757) 229-1512.