Performance

Gloucester Education Foundation's Power of Play Festival

Gloucester Education Foundation is proud to host Power of Play Festival, a day of play for Gloucester Massachusetts families and kids of all ages. Gloucester Education Foundation's Power of Play Festival

Gloucester Education Foundation hosts the annual Power of Play Festival in Gloucester Massachusetts. GEF’s annual “Day of Play” is back for an 8th year on Sunday, March 22! This FREE community event draws hundreds of Gloucester families to the GHS Field House to participate in dozens of fun activities, led by community volunteers and partners. Check out photos below from past years by community volunteer Marty Del Vecchio and GHS student photographers, and this video by 1623 Studios! Together, they will give you a taste for this beloved event.

When: 
Sunday, March 22, 2026 11am-2pm

Boston Children's Chorus at Shalin Liu

Boston Children's Chorus will perform live at the Shalin Liu Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport Massachusetts

This season, Boston Children’s Chorus honors the unheralded voices who shaped history from the shadows. Their courage fueled the fires of justice. Through powerful music and storytelling, our singers shine a light on local and national activists, who stood for dignity, equality, and hope. Their stories remind us that change often begins with small actions, grows through sacrifice, and sings in solidarity. Join our singers for an uplifting and inspiring season where they will learn the power of one small voice to make a meaningful impact in the world.

When: 
Sunday, March 15, 2026 3pm

Cape Ann Symphony | Moods of the Sea

Combining music, literature and poety, this concert is sure to please everyone. Moods of the Sea captures the stylistic choices of these works, with undercurrents and rippling chords. An superb program that hints at motifs from folk traditions that expand to create full movements of beautiful sounds. You won't want to miss this one!

When: 
Sunday, February 8, 2026 3pm

Lunar New Year Festival at PEM

Families can celebrate the Lunar New Year at Peabody Essex Museum in Salem Massachusetts!

Join PEM as they celebrate the Lunar New Year | The Year of the Horse!  Come welcome the Year of the Horse with a vibrant festival heralding new beginnings and the coming of spring! Enjoy a scavenger hunt, art making and guided tours of Yin Yu Tang.  Lunar New Year is celebrated in many Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. While some traditions are shared across countries, others are unique to one region, community or national cultural identity. Our programming this year focuses on Chinese cultural traditions.

When: 
Saturday, February 21, 2026 10am-5pm
Location: 

Symphony by the Sea | Winter Dreams

Symphony by the Sea: Winter Dreams at the Cabot Theater in Beverly Massachusetts!

Symphony by the Sea performs a special Winter Concert inspired by Slavic fairytales and the beauty of the Russian landscape, our program explores the rich synthesis of Western musical tradition and Russian folk melodies. Tchaikovsky’s energetic and tuneful Serenade, Arensky’s touching tribute to Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich’s deeply autobiographical Chamber Symphony combine for another not to be missed concert!

When: 
Sunday, March 22, 2026 3pm
Location: 

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. Go at your own pace and learn from interpreters stationed in rooms.

Enjoy freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate, try the Crane holiday eye spy, and shop in the Castle Hill Gift Shop during your visit.

When: 
Fridays, December 5-26, 2025 2024 4-8pm
Saturdays through December 6-27, 2025 10am-4pm
Sundays, December 7-28, 2025 10am-4pm

Gloucester's So Salty 2026

Celebrate Gloucester Massachusetts recognizably salty character with local cultural institutions in the heart of downtown.

Celebrate the fish city’s recognizably salty character with local cultural institutions and businesses during the 5th Annual Gloucester’s So Salty festival sponsored by the Cape Ann Museum in partnership with Discover Gloucester! This annual event brings over 2,000 people to the downtown area each January to shop at local stores, enjoy family friendly activities, visit the Museum Courtyard, and find each of the ice sculptures sponsored by local cultural institutions and businesses.

When: 
Saturday, January 24, 2026 10am-4pm
Sunday, January 25, 2026 10am-4pm

Rockport New Year's Eve 2025

Family Friendly New Year's Eve celebration for kids and families in Rockport Massachusetts.

Rockport New Year’s Eve (RNYE) is a family-friendly year-end celebration of the arts held in downtown Rockport, Massachusetts annually since 1996. Halls, churches, town offices, and some streets are taken over by happy revelers celebrating the New Year.

When: 
Wenesday, December 31, 2025 4pm-Midnight

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 Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol with a twist. Ride along with Scrooge on the Salem Trolley as the classic tale is brought to life in a completely unexpected way. Shows sell out quickly and seats are limited. Tour departs from Timeless Life Treasures, 68 Wharf Street, Salem. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to show time.  Please check in inside Timeless Life Treasures.

When: 
Daily, November 29-December 23, 2025 Times Vary
Location: 

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Appleton Farms offers great farm-based Vacation Week Programs for kids ages 5-11

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

Tuesday, April 14

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

Barnyard Story Hour at Appleton Farms

Kids can meet the barnyard animals and hear a story at Appleton Farms in Ipswich Massachusetts.
Bring your little ones to Appleton Farms for our farm-fresh story hour. We will read books about animals and nature, maybe sing a song or two, then head up to the carriage barn to visit our Nubian goats, Angora rabbits and see what other animals are out and about on the farm. We will engage in...
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Crane Beach Star Party

Join the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club in a to learn about Astronomy at the Crane Beach in Ipswich Massachusetts
Celebrate International Dark Sky Week, April 13-20, and join us for a star party with the North Shore Astronomy Club on Tuesday, April 14 (back-up weather date, April 16). Club members will bring telescopes and their expertise to help us explore and view the dark sky from the Crane Beach parking...
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Wednesday, April 15

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

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, April 16

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

Friday, April 17

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

Saturday, April 18

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

Salamander Meander

What kind of Salamanders will we find at Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary? Photo: Mass Audubon
Explore the sanctuary's vernal pools, ponds, and woodlands to search for amphibians active during this season. If we're fortunate, we might discover Wood Frog and Spotted Salamander eggs, and we may even catch a few adults to observe closely before releasing them.
10:00 am to 2:30 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
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