Last year's Gingerbread Extravaganza was held at the Jacksonville History Center, with dozens of creations on display. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on July 24, 2026 at 1:51 pm
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The Gingerbread Extravaganza, a 23-year-old Christmas holiday tradition in Jacksonville, will have a new place to showcase dozens of sweet creations this winter.
The Historic Springfield Society has taken over the event from the Jacksonville History Center for its 24th annual version. The gingerbread display will move to the society’s headquarters — a 118-year-old former Presbyterian church at 210 W. 7th St. at Silver Street.
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The event had been held from 2007 to 2024 at the history center’s 139-year-old Old St. Andrew’s Church museum site on A. Philip Randolph Boulevard, then moved last year to the History Center’s new museum headquarters and conservation facility on Palmetto Street.
“Our board of directors unanimously support taking on this time-honored holiday event,” society board president Jeff Gardner said in a news release.
History center CEO Alan Bliss said: “As the Jacksonville History Center allocates its energies and resources to the upcoming museum on its Palmetto Street campus, it made sense to turn this annual holiday event over to another history-minded nonprofit. We couldn’t think of a better fit in the Historic Springfield Society.”
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The Rotary Club of South Jacksonville started the Gingerbread Extravaganza in 2003 as a fundraiser to benefit other nonprofits, including the Historical Society.
In 2010, the History Center began hosting it, with ticket sales and donations benefiting its educational programs and archival repository.
Historic Springfield Society was originally formed over 120 years ago to enhance the quality of life in the community through beautification projects, preservation and community education.
The society has scheduled a “Christmas in July” event this Saturday, when it plans to announce that it’s taking over the Gingerbread Extravaganza.
Final dates for the 24th Gingerbread Extravaganza have not been set, but organizers said they plan to hold it over 15 dates in December.
