Holiday

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: 

Lowell's Boat Shop Holiday Open House

Visit Lowell's Boat Shop in Amesbury Massachusetts for their annual holiday open house!

Visit Lowell’s Boat Shop during their Annual Holiday Open House is a two day family event during the first weekend in December. See the shop transformed with beautiful trees, an art show, silent auction, Nautical Gift Shop, Lowell’s gear to wear, books, glassware, and more. Make it a day! Live music, and lots of other treats in every part of the shop. Don’t miss this beautiful shindig, and be sure to tell your friends.

When: 
December 7 & 8, 2024 11am-4pm
Santa Visits 12-1

Greet Santa at the Hawthorne Hotel

Salem Main Streets, SalemMainStreets.org, Visit Salem MA for the holidays

Join Salem Main Streets and the City of Salem as we celebrate two of our most beloved annual traditions – Santa’s Arrival and the lighting of Salem’s Holiday Tree – all in 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, Nov. 28, with assistance from the Salem Fire Department, of course. Organizers recommend arriving to the Salem Common by 5:45 p.m. to catch the arrival. Bring the whole family out for brass carols with Coventry Brass, festivities, and fun!

When: 
Friday, November 28, 2025 5:45-8pm

Wild Turkey 5 Mile Road Race

Run like a turkey through downtown Salem MA on Thanksgiving Day! Proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem.

Join the fun for the annual Wild Turkey 5 Mile Run in downtown Salem Massachusetts Thanksgiving morning and raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem! This is the largest race on the North Shore, now in its 22nd year, with 2,000 anticipated participants. The first 1600 entries will receive long sleeve shirts. We give out awards in 5-year age groups. The pre and post-race meeting place will be in the Peabody Essex Museum Atrium. The race benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem.

When: 
Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2025 8am

Turkey Trot at Breakheart Reservation

Come to Breakheart Reservation for a pre-Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in Saugus Massachusetts!

Breakheart Reservation invites you to a Thanksgiving run/walk! Join us for the annual Breakheart Turkey Trot, a fun-filled event for runners and walkers of all ages! Lace up your sneakers and get ready to hit the scenic trails of Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, Massachusetts. Whether you're a seasoned runner or just looking for a leisurely stroll, this event has something for everyone.

When: 
Sunday, November 23, 2025 9:30am-Noon

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Summerquest Camp for kids aed 5-14 at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts

ECGA Mutt Strut

Hike Thompson Street Reservation in Gloucester Massachusetts with your dog and the ECGA!
An adventurous outing for you and your pup! Tompson Street has a little of everything: wooded trails, bridges across the swamp, rocky outcroppings…! The dogs and humans have a blast!
1:00 am to 3:00 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

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Take a hike along the Saugus River Estuary ande explore the Saugus Iron Works Park grounds in Massachusetts
Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

Learn about the true reality of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials Salem Massachusetts on a self guided walking tour with Essex Heritage
This self-guided walking tour is designed to help explain the true history behind the Salem Witch Trials. After more than three centuries of storytelling through countless books, movies, and television shows, the line between historical fact and dramatic fiction has become increasingly blurred....
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Christmas at Castle Hill | A Nod to Nature

Christmas at Castle Hill | A Nod to Nature is a weekend of festivities hosted by the Trustees of Reservations at Castle Hill in Ipswich Massachusetts
Visiting Castle Hill at Christmas is a time-honored tradition. Don’t miss this year’s event celebrating the beauty of the natural world. You’ll see birds, flowers, snowflakes, and more as you view 18 spaces decorated for the holidays.
10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

A holiday themed tour of Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts
Travel back in time to a castle filled with lush, opulent textures inspired by the great medieval and Renaissance castles of Europe. Wander through rooms adorned with White Birch and Christmas trees, sparkling fairy lights, hydrangea-lace garlands, and elegant bows, each space transformed with its...
10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Santa's Workshop

Santa's Workshop in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Visit Newburyport MA during the holidays
Newburyport is a favorite local town to shop - especially during the holidays. Bring the family to Newburyport to visit Santa in his traditional workshop, share your wish list, and snap a photo with Mr. Claus!
11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Take a Trolley Ride with Scrooge!

Salem Trolley Christmas Carol, Fun Holiday Events north of Boston, Trolley Ride with Scrooge
Join Scrooge on the Salem Trolley as you ride through Salem Massachusetts in this rolling production performed by the Griffen Theater . Now entering into it's 39th Season, this humorous & whimsical interactive performance reanimates Dickens’ timeless seasonal holiday classic. Experience...
2:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Sunday STEAM Club at North Shore Children's Museum

Visit Peabody MA, NorthShore, North Shore Children's Museum
Join in on Sundays at 2:30 for STEAM Club for ages 5-11. Each week participants will explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math with our NSCM staff! Every STEAM club session will see your kids participating in hands-on activities while exploring a new topic. Space is limited, please...
2:30 pm to 4:00 pm

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...
3:00 pm

Friday, December 19

The Nutcracker Panto

Come enjoy a Nutcracker Panto performed by Theater in the Open at the Firehouse Center for the Arts!
Theater in the Open is happy to be back at the Firehouse for our production of A Nutcracker Panto, written by Edward F. Speck and adapted from the classic holiday ballet. Presented in the traditional British panto style, this holiday send-up is a family friendly romp through Clara’s adventure with...
7:00 pm

Saturday, December 20

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Take a hike along the Saugus River Estuary ande explore the Saugus Iron Works Park grounds in Massachusetts
Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.
7:00 am to 7:00 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

Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

Learn about the true reality of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials Salem Massachusetts on a self guided walking tour with Essex Heritage
This self-guided walking tour is designed to help explain the true history behind the Salem Witch Trials. After more than three centuries of storytelling through countless books, movies, and television shows, the line between historical fact and dramatic fiction has become increasingly blurred....
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Christmas at Castle Hill | A Nod to Nature

Christmas at Castle Hill | A Nod to Nature is a weekend of festivities hosted by the Trustees of Reservations at Castle Hill in Ipswich Massachusetts
Visiting Castle Hill at Christmas is a time-honored tradition. Don’t miss this year’s event celebrating the beauty of the natural world. You’ll see birds, flowers, snowflakes, and more as you view 18 spaces decorated for the holidays.
10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

A holiday themed tour of Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts
Travel back in time to a castle filled with lush, opulent textures inspired by the great medieval and Renaissance castles of Europe. Wander through rooms adorned with White Birch and Christmas trees, sparkling fairy lights, hydrangea-lace garlands, and elegant bows, each space transformed with its...
10:00 am to 8:00 pm

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...
10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Santa's Workshop

Santa's Workshop in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Visit Newburyport MA during the holidays
Newburyport is a favorite local town to shop - especially during the holidays. Bring the family to Newburyport to visit Santa in his traditional workshop, share your wish list, and snap a photo with Mr. Claus!
11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Take a Trolley Ride with Scrooge!

Salem Trolley Christmas Carol, Fun Holiday Events north of Boston, Trolley Ride with Scrooge
Join Scrooge on the Salem Trolley as you ride through Salem Massachusetts in this rolling production performed by the Griffen Theater . Now entering into it's 39th Season, this humorous & whimsical interactive performance reanimates Dickens’ timeless seasonal holiday classic. Experience...
2:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Low-Sensory Play at North Shore Children's Museum

Low-Sensory Play at NorthShore Children's Museum in Peabody Massachusetts
Join us for a low-sensory play session. For some children, visiting places like NSCM can be over-stimulating. This special play session will have reduced noise, crowds, and stimulation. While medical diagnosis is not required, we encourage that these limited tickets be used for families with a...
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
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