Holiday

2025 Marblehead Gingerbread Festival

The Marblehead Gingerbread Festival is part of the Marblehead Chamber of Commerce's Christmas Walk, and the proceeds will go to benefit the Marblehead Family Fund and the Marblehead Historical Society.

Come see over 100 locally and professionally made gingerbread creations on display at the historic Jeremiah Lee Mansion in Marblehead, MA during this year's Marblehead Christmas Walk. Community members, businesses, and families are building and donating dozens of gingerbread houses, boats and local buildings that will be on display and available for raffle throughout the weekend. Days and times vary so check the times!

When: 
Saturday, December 6, 2025 10am-4 pm
Sunday, December 7, 2025 11:00-3:00 PM
Entry Drop Off: Friday, December 5, 2025 8:30am-3:30pm

Marblehead Christmas Walk

The Marblehead Christmas Walk is several days of local Holiday events in Marblehead Massachusetts

The Marblehead Chamber of Commerce invites you to Marblehead to enjoy several days of holiday festivities, family events and activities!  Come for one or all days with highlights that include Santa's arrival by lobster boat,Festive shopping, Tree Lightings, a holiday parade, Artisan Markets, Gingerbread Festival, Entertainment & much more! There are all kinds of family events and activities sponsored by local merchants and organizations.

When: 
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - Sunday, December 7, 2025

DIY Holiday Centerpieces | Camp Kent

DIY Holiday Centerpiece Workshop at Camp Kent in Amesbury Massachusetts

Join us at Camp Kent for a DIY holiday centerpiece event! We will be collecting materials from our gardens and the forest, as we prepare for the festivities to come. Each family will receive a beautiful glass jar, as well as a chopped and stained, wooden disk to accent the arrangement. There will be a variety of greens, birch bark pieces, holly berries, pine clippings, ornamental grasses and dried flowers.

When: 
Sunday, November 23, 2025 Noon-3pm

CraneOutdoors: First Day Hike in the Dunes

Hiking the Dunes at the Crane Wildlife Refuge with the Trustees of Reservations.

Start the year off outside with some fresh air. You may be familiar with Crane Beach, but have you ever visited the dune trails? The dunes of Castle Neck are a much less explored world unto themselves. Offering one of the most accessible dune ecosystems north of Cape Cod, Castle Neck has over six miles of trails, traversing the dunes, maritime scrub forest, and beautiful beaches on both the Ipswich Bay and Essex/Castle Neck River estuary sides of the peninsula. These trails take you through Pitch Pine forests, up huge dunes offering stunning views of Choate Island, and by the varied landscapes of Castle Neck, including naturally occurring cranberry bogs.

When: 
Wednesday, January 1, 2026 1-3:30pm

CraneExplorer: Coastal Holiday Crafts

Make holiday gifts with beach treasures from the Crane Wildlife Refuge in Ipswich Massachusetts

This holiday season, give a gift from the sea! Beach treasures make beautiful holiday ornaments, jewelry, and keepsakes. Join this workshop to take a beach walk to collect coastal treasures and then make some coastal crafts with our educators. Bring your own shells and beach treasures and we will provide the craft supplies and inspiration!

When: 
Saturday, December 13, 2025 10AM-12:30PM
Saturday, December 20, 2025 10AM-12:30PM

The Nutcracker Panto - Matinee

Come enjoy a Nutcracker Panto performed by Theater in the Open at the Firehouse Center for the Arts!

The tree is lit up and the stockings are hung and Clara’s Christmas is perfect…except for her Uncle Drosselmeyer sitting up on that clock and the sudden rat infestation…sounds like panto time!Edward Speck and Joshua Shack return to direct another cracking holiday panto, this time seizing on Tchaikovsky’s classic holiday tale to do what panto does best: make a favorite old story new and particular to our place and time again. What does Clara’s magical journey have to teach us? How many nuts would a nutcracker crack if a nutcracker could crack nuts? Let’s find out! Come with us as panto and ballet collide in a delicious mix of sugar plums and pies-in-the-face, dance and comedy, fairies and snowballs, in A Nutcracker Panto!

When: 
Saturdays & Sundays, December 13-21, 2025 3 pm

Newburyport Santa Parade & Tree Lighting

Come celebrate Santa's arriival in Newburyport and stay for the Tree Lighting.

As the holiday season approaches, Santa & Mrs. Claus arrive in the most fitting way for this seaport town... by US Coast Guard boat! Welcome Santa on the Sunday after Thanksgiving as he and Mrs. Claus dock at the boardwalk and begin to parade through downtown Newburyport, then gather in Market Square for the annual Christmas tree lighting and carols.

When: 
Sunday, November 30, 2025 3-5pm

Salem Holiday Tree Lighting

Come to the Holiday Tree Lighting in Salem to kick off the holiday season!

Join Salem Main Streets and the City of Salem as we combine two of our most beloved annual traditions – Greet Santa at the Hawthorne Hotel and the lighting of Salem’s Holiday Tree – into one evening. Santa Claus will arrive at the top of the Hawthorne Hotel (18 Washington Square W) promptly at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 28, 2025, with assistance from the Salem Fire Department, of course. Bring the whole family out for carols, festivities, and fun!

When: 
Friday, November 28, 2025 6:30pm
Location: 

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Brookwood School Summer Program for kids Pre-K through 9 in Manchester Massachusetts

Valentine's Day

12:00 am to 11:59 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Boston Bruins Annual Pajama Drive

Drop off new pajama donations at libraries across the North Shore of Massachusetts as part of the Boston Bruins PJ Drive.
The Boston Bruins will be hosting their 19th annual PJ Drive with the goal of collecting 10,000 pairs of pajamas from February 1st - March 15th, 2026. The drive will benefit Cradles to Crayons and Wonderfund MA, two non-profits that ensure positive living conditions for children. Local businesses...
7:00 am to 9:00 pm

LEGO World: Wonderealms

Drop in at LEGO World: Wonderrealms at Wenham Museum in Wenham Massachusetts
This all-new experience invites visitors to explore an extraordinary LEGO world where creativity knows no bounds. From enchanted forests and futuristic skylines to pirate coves and steam-powered frontiers, each realm is packed with intricate details, playful surprises, and clever touches you won’t...
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

The Merrimack River Eagle Festival

Come celebrate the return of the Eagles to the Merrimack Estuary! Photo: Eagle on Ice by Bill O'Connor
When winter returns to the lower Merrimack Valley, so do Bald Eagles and Snowy Owls and other exciting winter wildlife. Every year Mass Audubon hosts a grand event marking their return.  Come to Newburyport on Saturday, February 14, 2026, for a full day of fun indoor and outdoor activities that...
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

February Vacation at MIT Museum

Kids will have a blast at the MIT Museum in Cambridge Massachusetts during February Vacation Week!
Come on your own, with friends, or bring the whole family to the museum for a special week of programming. The museum has a number of activities planned for the week of February 14-22, including extended Maker Hub and Learning Lab hours, tours, gallery cart demos and family workshops. With the...
Where: MIT Museum
10:00 am to 5:00 pm

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts
Come explore the lesser-visited corners of Castle Hill and its surroundings with us this season. This hike is a CraneOutdoors guide favorite because it’s got a little bit of all the things that make the Crane Estate such a special place…
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Quarry Quest Treasure Hunt

Kids will enjoy this treasure hunt at the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry in Rockport Massachusetts
Enjoy an outdoor treasure hunt at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations during February Vacation! Halibut Point State Park invites kids and families to follow clues then unscramble to find a treasure box!
10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Discover Saturdays at Cape Ann Museum

Discover Saturdays for Families at Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts
Enjoy a FREE guided activity (ages 4+) in the gallery. Learn about Cape Ann’s Granite Industry, try a fun art making activity, and join in gallery tour designed for kids and their caregivers, led by a CAM Educator. Afterwards grab a scavenger hunt to explore the property and enjoy the lawn.
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

StoryWalk at Halibut Point

StoryWalk®! Nest Robin Built, by Denise Fleming - a self guided reading tour at Halibut Point in Rockport Massachusetts
Enjoy this pre-school StoryWalk® at your leisure with the younger set and combine reading and time in nature! StoryWalk®! Nest Robin Built, by Denise Fleming. Self-guided reading pages posted along a lovely Park trail near the visitor center. Connect with nature and each other while enjoying the...
10:00 am to 2:00 pm

CAM Kids: Be Mine Valentine

CAM Valentine Workshop for kids at Sawyer Free Library  in Gloucester Massachusetts
Drop into the Teen Room at the Sawyer Free Library for a Valentine’s Day card-making activity inspired by the Folly Cove Designers.
10:30 am to 1:00 pm

Maple Stroll at Appleton Farms

Appleton Farms has their own sugar maple syrup production facilities to service their abundant suplly from their many sugar maples
Visit the historic maple stand and sugar shack at Appleton Farms and learn all about maple sugaring, its history at the farm and in New England, and how you can try your hand at it at home!
11:00 am to 2:15 pm

Wednesday, February 18

Quarry Quest Treasure Hunt

Kids will enjoy this treasure hunt at the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry in Rockport Massachusetts
Enjoy an outdoor treasure hunt at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations during February Vacation! Halibut Point State Park invites kids and families to follow clues then unscramble to find a treasure box!
10:00 am to 2:00 pm

StoryWalk at Halibut Point

StoryWalk®! Nest Robin Built, by Denise Fleming - a self guided reading tour at Halibut Point in Rockport Massachusetts
Enjoy this pre-school StoryWalk® at your leisure with the younger set and combine reading and time in nature! StoryWalk®! Nest Robin Built, by Denise Fleming. Self-guided reading pages posted along a lovely Park trail near the visitor center. Connect with nature and each other while enjoying the...
10:00 am to 2:00 pm

February Vacation at MIT Museum

Kids will have a blast at the MIT Museum in Cambridge Massachusetts during February Vacation Week!
Come on your own, with friends, or bring the whole family to the museum for a special week of programming. The museum has a number of activities planned for the week of February 14-22, including extended Maker Hub and Learning Lab hours, tours, gallery cart demos and family workshops. With the...
Where: MIT Museum
10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Giant Candy Land at IPL

Ipswich Massachusetts public library hosts a giant Candyland suring February Vacation Week.
Ipswich Public Library invites kids and families toto take part in some February Vacation Fun!  Play a Giant Candy Land game throughout the library! Work your way with your group of family and friends throughout the library on the giant gameboard. Hopefully you won’t spin and land on the black dots...
2:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Dungeons & Dragons at the G.A.R. Library

Dungeons and Dragons at the GAR Memorial Library in West Newbury Massachusetts
Come to this ongoing campaign using The Dragon of IceSpire Peak. Bring your own character, play one of ours,  or we can help you create one. All are welcome.
4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Stargazing at Mendel Observatory

Mendel Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night
The Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night (weather permitting) starting at dusk or 7:30 pm, whichever is later.  When special astronomical events of interest occur (total lunar eclipses, etc.) the Obs
7:00 pm

Thursday, February 19

Boston Bruins Annual Pajama Drive

Drop off new pajama donations at libraries across the North Shore of Massachusetts as part of the Boston Bruins PJ Drive.
The Boston Bruins will be hosting their 19th annual PJ Drive with the goal of collecting 10,000 pairs of pajamas from February 1st - March 15th, 2026. The drive will benefit Cradles to Crayons and Wonderfund MA, two non-profits that ensure positive living conditions for children. Local businesses...
7:00 am to 9:00 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

February Vacation Programs for Kids at Danvers YMCA

February vacation week programs at the Danvers YMCA in Massachusetts
Looking for fun plans during February vacation week? The Danvers YMCA is hosting Vacation Break Adventures from February 16–20, offering a full week of engaging, hands-on activities for kids. There are themed days full of arts & crafts, science fun, gym games, swimming, and more. Highlights...
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

February Vacation Week at Appleton Farms

Appleton Farm's February Vacation Week Program is perfect for kids who want to explore the winterscapes of our extensive property!
In the winter, many people hunker down to stay indoors, but at Appleton Farms, we make the most of the cold, quiet season. There is no better place to spend winter farm days than in exploring in the snow and learning to love the outdoors in all seasons! This program is for kids who are looking to...
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
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