JANUARY
First Night, New Year's Eve. The arrival of the new year is celebrated with festivities in Boston MA, Burlington VT, and 16 other New England cities and towns. More...

Stowe Winter Carnival, Stowe VT, with ski races, parties and other festivities, many of them outdoors.

FEBRUARY
Dartmouth Winter Carnival, Hanover NH, Dartmouth College's annual snow celebration.

MARCH
Maine Maple Sunday, third Sunday, when maple sugarhouses throughout the state open their doors to visitors.

APRIL
Boothbay Harbor Fishermen's Festival, Boothbay Harbor ME, second weekend, with seafood feasts, exhibits and games.

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
Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, and the weekend preceding it, are the unofficial beginning of New England's summer tourism season.

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
Yale-Harvard Regatta, early June, is held on the Thames River in New London CT.

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
Independence Day, the Fourth of July, is the big national patriotic holiday.

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
Newport Folk Festival & Jazz Festival draw thousands of music-lovers to Fort Adams State Park in Newport RI, on alternate weekends in August. Performers include big names. (See also Newport Music Festival in July.)

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
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, and the weekend preceding it, mark the unofficial end of New England's tourism season: everyone goes to the beach!

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
Festival of Vermont Crafts, Montpelier VT, late October, features crafts both traditional and modern.

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
Veterans Day, November 11th (or the nearest Friday or Monday), commemorating members of the US armed forces and their service to their country. More...

Thanksgiving Celebration, Plymouth MA, fourth Thursday, with authentic colonial food, dress and festivities in town, at Plymouth Rock, and at nearby Plimoth Plantation.

DECEMBER
Christmas Eve (December 24th) and Christmas Day (December 25th) are celebrated with special festivities throughout New England. More...

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Tom's New England Almanac

New England's Climate

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Foliage Season

Indian Summer

Winter

Mid-Winter Thaw

Mount Washington Weather

 

Christmas at The Breakers, Newport RI.