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Festivals & Special Events-New England |
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Parades, processions, parties and pow-wows: here are the big events of a New England year. |
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JANUARY Stowe Winter Carnival, Stowe VT, with ski races, parties and other festivities, many of them outdoors. FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL Patriots Day (April 19th), is a public holiday in Massachusetts, with re-enactment of the battles between Minutemen and Redcoats at Lexington Green and Concord North Bridge in Massachusetts, with real musket fire (but no bullets). To do it right, be at Lexington Green before dawn (5 am) for the Lexington battle, then walk along Battle Road to Concord North Bridge (eight miles) for the Concord fight. The world-famous Boston Marathon is run on Patriots Day as well. MAY Lobster Weekend at Mystic Seaport in Mystic CT; lobster feasts and live entertainment in late May. Brimfield Antiques Fair, Brimfield MA, near Old Sturbridge Village; up to 2000 dealers fill several fields near this central-Massachusetts town in mid-May, with similar fairs in early or mid-July and mid-September. JUNE New Haven Jazz Festival, on the green in New Haven CT, begins in late June and stretches into July. Blessing of the Fleet, Provincetown MA, with festivities, seafood feasts, dancing and exhibits; near the end of June. Block Island Race Week, Block Island RI, late June, with boat races and parties. JULY Bar Harbor Music Festival, Bar Harbor ME, features both classical and popular concerts, through August. Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Lee MA, July and August, the region's premier summer dance festival. Tanglewood Music Festival, the summer season of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, brings symphony and chamber concerts and solo recitals to the Berkshire hills near Lenox MA in July and August. Harborfest A week of concerts, exhibits and special events culminates in the famous Boston Pops Fourth of July concert at the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade in Boston: after Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (with real cannons), a mammoth fireworks display goes off over the Charles River. Newport Music Festival Chamber music concerts are held in the great mansions in Newport RI. Boothbay Harbor Windjammer Days, Boothbay Harbor ME, second week, with boat races and cruises. Marlboro Music Festival, Marlboro VT, among New England's oldest and most renowned, continues through August. Historic Homes Tour, Litchfield CT, one day in mid-July is your only opportunity to tour this beautiful town's historic houses. AUGUST Maine Lobster Festival, Rockland ME, first weekend, with lobsters on the table everywhere. League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair, second week in August, Mount Sunapee State Park, near Newbury NH, has crafts displays and demonstrations amid other festivities. Bennington Battle Days, Bennington VT, commemorates the Battle of Bennington (August 11, 1777) with exhibits, speeches and celebrations. SEPTEMBER Vermont State Fair, Rutland VT, on Labor Day weekend, with agricultural exhibits, games, rides, and entertainment. Blue Hill Fair, Blue Hill ME, a country fair with rides, games, and lots to eat. Eastern States Exposition, "The Big E," near Springfield MA, is New England's largest agricultural fair, with a midway, games, rides, agricultural judgings, lots of eats, and general fun. Northeast Kingdom Fall Foliage Festival, late September or early October, home-town church breakfasts, crafts sales and open-house tours in several towns. National Traditional Old-Time Fiddler's Contest, Barre, VT, with lots of good music, in late September. OCTOBER Columbus Day, the mid-month three-day weekend in the middle of fall foliage season when everyone enjoys the blazing colors of the leaves. Hallowe'en, the American version of the vigil for All Saints Day, has its roots in old Celtic customs, and its locus in Salem MA, home of the 1692 Salem witch trials. More... NOVEMBER Thanksgiving Celebration, Plymouth MA, fourth Thursday, with authentic colonial food, dress and festivities in town, at Plymouth Rock, and at nearby Plimoth Plantation. DECEMBER |
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Above, Independence
Day (July 4th)
parade in Concord MA.
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