At the end of Return Day, after the parade has gone around The Circle and the Town Crier has read the official election results, the chairs of the Sussex County political parties bury a hatchet together in a box of sand. The sand comes from Lewes.
Lewes was the county seat until 1791, when Delaware moved it inland. Return Day exists because of that move, and the box of sand is how the coast still shows up at the ceremony, 235 years later. This year the event lands on Thursday, November 5, 2026, two days after Election Day, as it has for more than two centuries.
Why the count happens 16 miles from everywhere
The move started with a petition long before 1791. In 1775, 979 county residents asked the Delaware General Assembly to move the seat from Lewes to somewhere more central, according to a Cape Gazette history of The Circle. The site they settled on was James Pettyjohn's old field. The paper describes it as "about 16 miles from everywhere in the county." Georgetown, named for Commissioner George Mitchell, became the official county seat on October 26, 1791. Its town plan put a grid around a circle with a courthouse at the center.
That central location created the holiday. Under the 1791 act, every voter in the county cast a ballot in Georgetown. The Return Day committee's history page explains what happened next. Travel was hard, so most voters went home while the votes were counted and came back two days later for the results. The day they came back became Return Day.
The trip stopped being required, but the gathering continued. Voting districts were set up in the hundreds in 1811. After that, the Board of Canvassers, led by the Sheriff, still met in Georgetown two days after each election to announce the final count. The crowds kept coming, and the celebration has been held there since about 1812. Nobody knows the exact date of the first one. It could have been as early as 1792.
Each piece of the day goes back to that setup:
- The Town Crier reading the returns replaces the old public announcement of the count.
- Winning and losing candidates ride together in horse-drawn carriages and antique cars.
- The ox roast has been part of Return Day since the 1800s, and the sandwiches are free.
- The hatchet in Lewes sand ends the political season with a nod to the old county seat.
The Delaware Public Archives calls Return Day "the only event of its kind in the nation." It's on Delaware's official holiday calendar as a half day in Sussex County. The Town of Georgetown's calendar lists November 5 as "Return Day - Offices Closed."
Thursday, November 5, hour by hour
Here's what the committee has confirmed so far for 2026 on its Program of Events page:
- 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Vendors on The Circle.
- 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. The Lana Parker Youth Entertainment Stage.
- 1:30 p.m. The Return Day Parade steps off.
- After the parade. Ceremonies on the Circle, with the Town Crier's reading of the returns and the burying of the hatchet.
The event is free. There is no rain date for the parade. Times for the ceremonies, the ox roast and the rest of the entertainment haven't been posted yet. The committee says the full program will go up when it's released. Recent Return Days have included a cornhole tournament and a reception, and 2026 details for both will come with the program.
The route, block by block
The 2026 route follows the street grid laid out in 1791 and goes around the courthouse at its center. The committee's parade page gives the details:
- Staging: west of town, with bands lining up off Margaret Street.
- Route: up W. Market Street, around The Circle, out E. Market to S. King Street, then back by E. Pine and W. Pine.
- Finish: near Sussex Central Drive.
- The Circle: the ox roast, Main Stage and information booth, by the Sussex County Courthouse.
- Food vendors: on N. Bedford Street.
- Restrooms: portable units along the route, marked on the official map.
The parade has bands, floats, fire companies and community groups from across Sussex County. The committee has one firm safety rule: anyone caught throwing items such as candy from a vehicle will be removed from the lineup immediately.
The committee says street-closure details for 2026 will be announced with the program. We didn't find a public parking or shuttle plan in the official event information. Check returnday.com closer to the day before you plan where to park.
Who's on the mic in 2026
The committee has announced these roles:
| Role | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Master of Ceremonies | Hunter Landon |
| Parade announcers | Jimmy Weller and Colin Walls |
| Color announcer | Russ McCabe |
| Featured singer, Ceremonies on the Circle | Alexis Griess of DelmarvaLife |
The parade is also bringing in some Philadelphia sound. Bay to Bay News reported on September 11 that the South Philadelphia String Band will march in the November 5 parade. Jim Bowden, vice president of the organizing committee, shared the news.
The committee is also congratulating Madeleine "Maddie" Overturf, who won a regional Emmy Award for her short Return Day documentary.
The people at the hatchet box haven't been announced. The 2026 site doesn't yet name the party chairs, the Town Crier or the Sheriff for the ceremony. Those names depend on the county parties and on an election that happens two days earlier.
The 250th, and thirteen stars on The Circle
The committee says Return Day 2026 is also the closing event of Sussex County's 250th anniversary celebration. That 250th is America's 250 years of independence. Cape Gazette's coverage tied the local events to the nation's 250th birthday on July 4.
Georgetown kicked off its own America 250 year on The Circle. The Town painted 13 stars across the crosswalks there in Delaware blue and colonial yellow, one for each of the original colonies, using traffic-grade paint meant to last for years. Next came the Georgetown Spirit of 1776 Artisan & Craft Festival on June 13 and readings of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. The parade on November 5 goes right over those stars as it circles the courthouse.
The timing works out neatly. The petition that started the move from Lewes was presented in 1775, the year before independence. So the year marking 250 years of independence ends at the event that grew out of that petition.
For groups that want to be in it
Sussex County Return Day, Inc. is a volunteer 501(c)(3) that plans the parade, ceremonies, vendors and program every two years. If your fire company, scout troop, school band or civic group wants to take part, these are the dates:
- October 31, 2026: deadline for parade entries and the Lana Parker Youth Entertainment Stage. Parade entry is free. Categories are float, marching band, individual or group marching, costume character, scout troop, equestrian and antique marching.
- November 1, 2026: deadline for vendor applications and fees. Spaces cost $150 for concessions and $50 for arts and crafts, antiques and collectibles, information or entertainment. Food vendors need state health and Georgetown permits. Vendors bring their own insurance and tables, and no electricity is provided.
- Program book ads: a full-page color ad costs $300 and a half page costs $225. To place one, call Kelly Kruger at (302) 745-0120 or Dionne Baker at (302) 519-2678.
You can reach the committee at P.O. Box 55, Georgetown, DE 19947, at (302) 855-0722, or by email at [email protected].
At The Allwein Team, we love a local tradition built on centuries of county history. If you own on the coast and want to talk about Sussex County, or how Georgetown and the beach towns compare, book your free consultation. We're glad to share what we know, Return Day included.
