Boston once banned Christmas. From 1659 to 1681, taking the day off or throwing a Christmas feast could cost you five shillings. Now the city’s holiday lightings start the Monday before Thanksgiving, and the plans pile up from there.
Every Secret Boston holiday guide is right here, plus our own shop, sorted into what to do, where to go and what to buy, with a line on what’s inside each one.
Start with the lightings if you have kids, the party spots if you’re planning the office party, and the gift guide if you’re shopping for someone who loves Boston.
9 Guides
Our Boston holiday lightings guide has all five, from Mon, Nov 23 through Thu, Dec 3, including the night Santa arrives by boat at Martin’s Park and the Boston Common tree that Nova Scotia sends every year.
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5 Boston holiday lightings in 2026, including one where Santa arrives by boat
Boston’s holiday lightings start Nov 23 and end with two on Dec 3. Two get Santa and Rudolph, one gets Santa by boat, and the big tree on the Common is a gift from Nova Scotia. Boston’s biggest Christmas tree is a thank-you note. Every year Nova Scotia sends the city a tree for the help Boston rushed north after the 1917 Halifax explosion, and this year’s tree lighting is Thursday, December 3. Before that night, the city’s Parks Department lights up a waterfront trellis, a playground ship and the newly renovated Copley Square. Here are all five, in order, with the times and what to expect at each. The season starts on the North End waterfront, where the Parks Department and the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park light the park’s 260 feet of trellis for the 24th annual trellis lighting. It runs from 5 to 6 p.m. at 110 Atlantic Avenue, next to the Marriott Long Wharf. Santa and Rudolph make an appearance, there’s live music, H.P. Hood pours eggnog, the Marriott brings hot chocolate and cookies, and Joe’s Waterfront serves clam chowder. Since it ends at 6, you have the whole evening left for dinner in the North End, a few blocks away. This one is built for kids. At 5 p.m. the Friends of Martin’s Park and the Parks Department host the fifth annual lighting of the ship at Martin’s Park, 64 Sleeper Street on the Fort Point waterfront. The park’s ship, the beach fencing around it and the pedestrian bridge get wrapped in more than 1,500 feet of blue and white tube lights, and Santa pulls up on the Harborwalk by boat with the Boston Police Harbor Unit. Berklee musicians play holiday songs, and kids can meet the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit, climb around a Boston Fire Department truck and make holiday crafts with a local artist. Hood and Caffè Nero bring the holiday drinks. It’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so if family is in town, bring them. Copley Square Park has been under renovation, and this year’s Copley Square Tree Lighting doubles as its grand reopening. It runs from 5 to 6 p.m. at 560 Boylston Street, with guided tours of the renovated square, arts and crafts, Santa and Rudolph, and performances by vocalist Joelle James, the Boston Children’s Chorus and the Symphonic of Emerson College. Once the tree is lit, walk across the street to the Fairmont Copley Plaza for cookies and photos with Santa at 6 p.m. This is the big one. The Boston Common Tree Lighting runs from 6 to 8 p.m. next to the Visitor Information Center at 139 Tremont Street, hosted by Mayor Michelle Wu and the Province of Nova Scotia, with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston joining her. The tree is the province’s yearly thanks for December 6, 1917, when a munitions ship exploded in Halifax Harbor and, within 24 hours, a train full of supplies and emergency crews left Boston to help. This is the 55th year Nova Scotia has sent Boston a tree. If you want to see it before it glows, it’s due to arrive on the Common by police escort at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 24. Park Street and Boylston are the closest T stops on lighting night. Don’t leave when the Common’s tree comes on. Right after, around 8 p.m., Mayor Wu walks over to the Back Bay with the Friends of the Public Garden to light the trees on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, from Arlington Street all the way to Charlesgate. Neighborhood volunteers ran this display for decades before joining forces with the Friends of the Public Garden in 2022. The walk from the Common through the Public Garden to the start of the Mall takes a few minutes, so you can catch both lightings in one night, then keep walking under the lit trees toward Mass Ave. All five are hosted by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and held outdoors in public parks, so dress for a cold night on the water or the Common. The two Monday events and the ship lighting each run about an hour, starting at 5 p.m., which makes them easy to fit in after work. December 3 is the crowded one, so get to the Common early if you want to see the stage. The Parks Department answers questions at 617-635-4505, and every event links to its city page above if a date changes for weather.
Boston has 6 Nutcrackers this December, with ballet, burlesque, big band jazz and one in French, and every show runs between Fri, Nov 27 and Thu, Dec 31.
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Boston has 6 Nutcrackers this season, and one is in French
The Nutcracker that Boston knows by heart owes its gentle story to France. As the French Library explains, E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original tale was dark and complicated, and Alexandre Dumas, the author of The Three Musketeers, retold it in 1844 as the fairy tale that became Tchaikovsky’s ballet in St. Petersburg in 1892. This December that story shows up all over Greater Boston in six very different versions. One is a full classical ballet with a live orchestra, one moves the party to present-day downtown Boston, one is narrated in French for kids, one swings to Duke Ellington, and one comes to town for a single night with acrobats and giant puppets. Here’s when and where each one plays, what tickets cost where the venue lists a price, and which ones are made for kids. The big one runs Friday, Nov. 27 through Thursday, Dec. 31 at the Citizens Opera House. Mikko Nissinen’s production premiered in 2012 with hand-painted sets and more than 350 costumes made in Massachusetts and designed by Robert Perdziola. The Boston Ballet Orchestra plays Tchaikovsky’s score at every performance, and 83 students from Boston Ballet School dance alongside the company. Plan on about two hours with one intermission, and dress in layers, because the company keeps the theater warmer than usual for the dancers. Boston Ballet says it is the only official seller of tickets, so buy from its site. Groups of 10 or more can save up to 35%, and there is a sensory friendly performance designed for neurodiverse guests and anyone with sensory sensitivities. José Mateo Ballet Theatre brings its 38th annual Nutcracker to the Strand Theatre from Saturday, Dec. 5 through Sunday, Dec. 20. More than 100 kids ages 6 to 18 dance with professional guest artists every year, and Boston Magazine named it Best Family-Friendly Show in Best of Boston 2020. Mateo choreographed this version to Tchaikovsky’s score in 1988, and the company bills it as affordable. Anthony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker sets its winter scenes in present-day downtown Boston and blends Duke Ellington with Tchaikovsky. Classical ballet is the base, with tap, hip hop, flamenco and jazz mixed in. It plays the Boch Center’s Shubert Theatre from Saturday, Dec. 12 through Sunday, Dec. 20, with 10 performances including weekend matinees, and tickets start at $29 at the box office. The touring Nutcracker! production is in town for exactly one show, Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 PM at the Boch Center’s Wang Theatre. Now on its 33rd annual tour, it adds acrobatics and larger-than-life puppets to the ballet. Tickets start at $66 at the box office. On Wednesday, Dec. 9, the Arpeggione Ensemble plays a miniature Nutcracker at the French Library on Marlborough Street. Thomas Carroll’s arrangement fits Tchaikovsky’s full orchestral score into five musicians playing many more than five instruments, with narration in French from Dumas’s version, English subtitles and projected illustrations, so kids can follow along even if they don’t speak a word of French. Doors open at 5:30 PM for a holiday craft atelier for kids and families, the concert starts at 6 PM, and light refreshments follow. Tickets are $30, or $24 for members and French Library students, and kids under 14 get in at no charge with an adult. Berklee’s Holiday Spectacular on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 8 PM is a two-part night at the Berklee Performance Center on Massachusetts Avenue. The Gen-Next All-Stars open with arrangements of holiday songs, then the Diamond Cut Big Band plays Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite, his big band take on Tchaikovsky’s music. The box office at 136 Massachusetts Ave. is open noon to 6 PM Tuesday through Friday, plus two hours before the show.
Our A Christmas Carol guide starts at the hotel where Dickens first read it to Americans, then sends you to the Muppets singing it and a 1795 tavern for a toast to Scrooge.
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Where to catch A Christmas Carol in Boston, starting at the hotel where Dickens first read it in America
Boston banned Christmas from 1659 to 1681. Less than two centuries later, it was the first American city to hear Charles Dickens read A Christmas Carol. According to the Omni Parker House’s history, Dickens gave his first American reading of the story privately at the Parker House in 1867, then read it publicly at the Tremont Theatre, and WBUR dates the start of that reading tour to Dec. 2, 1867, in Boston. The hotel still has the mirror he used to practice his reading, and the original door to his suite came back in 2015 and is on display in its History Gallery. This year you can hear the story in that hotel, see it on stage with the voice of PBS’s Frontline as Scrooge, watch the Muppets do it with the Boston Pops, and finish with a toast at taverns that were pouring before Dickens was born. The hotel’s historic Press Room hosts A Christmas Carol readings on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 7 PM and Sunday, Dec. 20 at 2 PM and 5:30 PM. Veteran actor Johnny Kinsman reads the story while vocalist Ann Moss and multi-instrumentalist Justin Ouellet weave in carol tunes and foley sound effects, and Parker House historian Susan Wilson opens with the story of Dickens and the hotel. The show is for ages 6 and up, and refunds are available up to seven days before. That Press Room has its own history, too. The hotel’s timeline says a six-year-old John F. Kennedy gave his “first public speech” there in 1923, and he held his bachelor party in the same room in 1953. The Omni Parker House is running two holiday pop-up bars this season, according to the reading’s event page. Ebenezer’s Bar at Parker’s Bar leans into the darker, Dickens side of the season, and Blitzen’s at The Last Hurrah goes merry and bright. Blitzen’s opens Friday, Nov. 27 and pours daily from 4 PM to midnight, with cocktail recipes from Julie Reiner, a co-founder of New York’s Clover Club and a judge on Netflix’s Drink Masters. The Last Hurrah takes its name from the 1956 novel inspired by James Michael Curley, who was a Parker House regular. Parker’s Restaurant has its own claims to fame. The hotel says the Boston cream pie and Parker House rolls came out of Parker’s after French chef Augustine Anezin was hired to open it in 1865, and JFK proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier at table 40 in Parker’s Restaurant in 1953. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol runs Friday, Dec. 11 through Sunday, Dec. 20 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, with Will Lyman, the longtime narrator of PBS’s Frontline, as Scrooge. Steve Wargo’s adaptation is full of 19th-century carols arranged by Dianne Adams McDowell, the vocal arranger for Broadway’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, and Steven Maler directs. Every performance is open captioned. The Saturday, Dec. 19 evening show and the Sunday, Dec. 20 matinee are ASL-interpreted, and the show runs about two hours with one intermission. Students can get $25 rush tickets in person at the box office starting two hours before curtain, and groups of 10 or more save 10%. WBUR has hosted a reading of A Christmas Carol every year since 2002. This year’s is Thursday, Dec. 17 at 7 PM at CitySpace, 890 Commonwealth Ave., with doors at 6 PM. Steve Brown, Meghna Chakrabarti, Tiziana Dearing, Ben Brock Johnson and Robin Young read, The Mistletones sing, and there are cookies and hot cocoa at intermission. Ticket sales support Rosie’s Place, which opened in 1974 as the first women’s shelter in the United States. Disney’s The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert plays Symphony Hall on Sunday, Dec. 27 and Monday, Dec. 28, both at 2 PM, with the Boston Pops and conductor Lawrence Loh. Michael Caine is Scrooge, Kermit is Bob Cratchit, and Gonzo narrates as Dickens with help from Rizzo the Rat. The songs are by Paul Williams, who also wrote “Rainbow Connection.” For a spookier night, Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson reads two Victorian Christmas ghost stories at Old North Church on Saturday, Dec. 12 from 7:30 to 8:30 PM. One is Dickens’s The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton, which the church calls a sinister precursor to A Christmas Carol. The other is A.M. Burrage’s Smee, where a Christmas Eve game of hide-and-seek in a dark mansion goes very wrong. Josiah Reibstein leads an ensemble playing a live original score. Everyone sits in the church’s box pews. A single ticket is $36, and private pews are $100 for three, $130 for four or $160 for five. For $12 more, a 20-minute crypt tour at 6:30 PM takes you beneath the floorboards to 37 brick tombs holding the remains of 1,100 early Bostonians. Three of the city’s oldest drinking and dining spots sit within a block of each other near Creek Square, according to the Historical Marker Database, a short walk from the Parker House. The Bell in Hand was founded in 1795 by Jimmy Wilson, the city’s last known town crier, and its marker says the only time it ever closed was Prohibition, from 1920 to 1933. Women were not allowed in until the late 1960s, and in the early days last call was 9 PM and the last round was on the house. Union Oyster House has served food since 1826 and calls itself America’s oldest restaurant. Daniel Webster was a constant customer at its oyster bar. Around the corner, The Green Dragon Tavern carries the name of the tavern established in 1654 where, its site says, plans for the march on Lexington and Concord were overheard. Across the river in Charlestown, Warren Tavern dates to 1780, calls itself the oldest tavern in Massachusetts and says it once welcomed George Washington and Paul Revere.
Hanukkah in Boston runs Fri, Dec 4 to Sat, Dec 12, with a Hanukkah day at the MFA, menorahs on Hummer limos in Brighton and where to get your latkes.
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Boston’s Hanukkah 2026 has menorahs on Hummer limos and a deli that will fry 50 latkes in your kitchen
Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Fri, Dec 4 and ends at nightfall on Sat, Dec 12, according to Hebcal. Because it starts on a Friday, the first candles go up early, at 3:53 PM in Boston, per The Boston Report. That’s eight nights and two weekends of latkes, jelly doughnuts and candle lightings. The MFA gives Hanukkah a whole Sunday, Shaloh House in Brighton puts menorahs on the roofs of Hummer limos, and the Vilna Shul pairs an a cappella concert with homemade sufganiyot. Here’s what’s on, when, and where to get your latkes. The Boston Report lists these times: 3:53 PM on Fri, Dec 4, 4:58 PM on Sat, Dec 5, 4:36 PM every night from Sun, Dec 6 through Thu, Dec 10, and 3:53 PM again on Fri, Dec 11. The MFA gives Hanukkah a whole Sunday, from 10 AM to 5 PM on Sun, Dec 6, with the Vilna Shul and Combined Jewish Philanthropies. It’s included with general admission, visitors 18 and under get in at no charge, and the community candle lighting is at 3:30 PM. Register through the Vilna Shul and it sends ticket codes ahead of time. The MFA garage is $20 for non-members. Shaloh House in Brighton throws a Chanukah Kids Party from 1 to 3 PM for $5 per child, with latke making, doughnut decorating, a LEGO menorah contest and a gelt drop. Later that day, Temple Beth Zion at 1566 Beacon St. in Brookline hosts a third-night party from 4 to 6 PM with latkes, sufganiyot and a community hanukkiah lighting. Bring your own hanukkiah and four candles, plus a donation for the food pantry. The Grand Chanukah Hummer Parade starts at Shaloh House, 29 Chestnut Hill Ave., with a reception at 5 PM, a public menorah lighting at 5:30 and the car parade from 6 to 7. Kids can ride in Hummer limos with menorahs on the roof if you reserve a seat, and drivers who show up by 4:30 PM can get a menorah mounted on their own car. Sign up at shaloh.org/hummer. The Vilna Shul at 18 Phillips St. on Beacon Hill holds its annual Hanukkah a cappella concert from 7 to 9 PM on Wed, Dec 9, and tickets are $25. BerKalit headlines, Gann Academy’s ShenaniGanns open, and SlapShtick’s Ari Goldberg hosts. Doors open at 6:30 PM so you can see the exhibit American Chutzpah, the concert and candle lighting start at 7, and Israeli-style homemade sufganiyot come out at 8:15. Mamaleh’s sells Hot Potato Latkes, three to an order with sour cream and applesauce, for $9.50, and the recipe is gluten-friendly. It has delis at 15 Hampshire St. in Kendall Square and 1659 Beacon St. in Brookline. Hosting? The Latke Party for 8 is $2,000, and the Mamaleh’s team comes to your kitchen, fries 50 latkes and brings the applesauce and sour cream. You need to be within 15 miles of Boston. For a smaller night at home, the $99.50 Deli Classics for the Whole Family package includes six frozen latkes along with matzah ball soup, noodle kugel, knishes, bagels and rugelach. Zaftigs at 335 Harvard St. serves potato pancakes with applesauce and sour cream for $14, and Loaded Latkes, two stacked pancakes with your choice of toppings. The Latke Piccata is $22, and the Empire Eggs put two poached eggs, spinach and smoked salmon on potato pancakes with Hollandaise for $21. Lehrhaus at 425 Washington St. is KVH-certified dairy kosher. It’s open Sunday through Thursday from 4:30 to 9:30 PM and closed Friday and Saturday, so plan it for a night between Sun, Dec 6 and Thu, Dec 10. Walk-ins are welcome, and reservations go up to eight people.
Where to go
Mariah Carey’s holiday bar makes its Boston debut in the Seaport on Thu, Nov 19, and our pop-up guide has six more Christmas bars, with which ones take walk-ins and which are 21+.
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Mariah Carey’s holiday bar opens in the Seaport Thu, Nov 19, plus 6 more Boston Christmas pop-ups
Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar is coming to Boston for the first time, and it opens at Tuscan Kitchen in the Seaport on Thu, Nov 19, according to the Boston Globe. Time Out says Boston is part of an eight-city expansion in the bar's third year. The regulars are back too. Miracle returns to the Kimpton Marlowe in Cambridge for its ninth year, Shore Leave in the South End is on Sippin' Santa's 2026 list, and the Omni Parker House is running two pop-ups at once. Here's when each bar opens, what it pours, and if you need a reservation. Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar, Seaport: opens Thu, Nov 19. Waitlist and reservations. Miracle, Cambridge: Fri, Nov 20 to Thu, Dec 31. Walk-in only, 21+. The Greatest Bar, West End: holiday pop-up open for the Holiday Passport on Sat, Nov 21. Blitzen's, Downtown: opens Fri, Nov 27. Daily, 4 PM to midnight. Ebenezer's Bar, Downtown: open this season, dates to come. Sippin' Santa, South End: on the 2026 list, dates to come. Jingle Bar: December, secret location. Family sessions on weekends, 21+ otherwise. The bar takes over Tuscan Kitchen at 64 Seaport Blvd. starting Thu, Nov 19, per Boston.com. The Globe says reservations last 90 minutes, weekend brunch reservations are available, and general admission is standing room with seats on a first-come basis, so get on the waitlist now. The cocktails are made with Black Irish, Mariah's own Irish cream liqueur, and Boston.com notes the drink names change from city to city. The bar's site promises a life-size Christmas window for photos, a spot to send your wish list to Mariah, and a merch shop. BucketListers runs it, and it takes private events too. Miracle runs Fri, Nov 20 through Thu, Dec 31 at the Kimpton Marlowe, 25 Edwin H. Land Blvd., and closes on Thanksgiving, Thu, Nov 26. It takes no reservations and is 21+. Hours are 5 to 10 PM Sunday through Wednesday, 5 to 11 PM Thursday and Friday, and 4 to 11 PM Saturday. New drinks this year include the Sugarplum Stampede, Christmas Cricket, Sleigh-Saurus and Merry Mouse-Tail, and the Christmapolitan, Snowball Old-Fashioned and Jingle Balls Nog are back. Ginger Bell Rock and Tinsel & Tart are the zero-proof picks. The collectible mugs are for sale, including Santa's Head, SanTaRex, a unicorn and a mouse, and the food comes from the hotel's Bambara Kitchen and Bar. Staying over? The hotel's Miracle package comes with a $50 Bambara credit, two Miracle cocktails and self-parking. Two more Miracle bars are on the 2026 locations list, at Mystic Station in Malden and The Goat in Newburyport. Blitzen's opens Fri, Nov 27 at The Last Hurrah, the bar inside the Omni Parker House, and runs daily from 4 PM to midnight. The cocktails are by Julie Reiner. Same hotel, darker mood. Ebenezer's Bar is the Dickens-inspired pop-up at Parker's Bar, and both Parker House pop-ups serve holiday cocktails and bites all season, according to the hotel's A Christmas Carol page. Pair it with one of the hotel's A Christmas Carol readings on Sat, Dec 19 or Sun, Dec 20. Shore Leave at 11 William E. Mullins Way is on Sippin' Santa's 2026 locations list. The opening date isn't posted yet, so check the list before you go. The Greatest Bar at 262 Friend St. puts its holiday pop-up inside The Nutcracker Suite, and it's the first stop on the Holiday Passport Experience on Sat, Nov 21, from noon to 4 PM. The $40 pass hits bars around the North and West Ends, including Banners Kitchen & Tap, and ends at West End Johnnie's. Jingle Bar is coming to Boston in December at a location it hasn't revealed yet, with a new team running it this year. Regular sessions are 21+, family sessions run Saturdays and Sundays at 1 and 3 PM, and tickets are non-refundable. Dates and prices aren't out yet.
These 9 holiday party spots build the office party around a game, with axe throwing, skeeball, darts and dueling pianos, and room for 10 people or a few hundred.
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9 Boston holiday party spots with axe throwing, skeeball, darts and more
An office holiday party goes better when people have something to do with their hands besides hold a drink. These nine Boston venues build the whole night around a game, and every one of them has a package or a planner for groups. December books up early. Puttshack is already asking anyone planning a December event to send an inquiry instead of booking online, and PKL lets groups lock in a date before its regular seven-day booking window opens. Here's what each spot plays, how many people it holds, and how to book. Flight Club Boston books spaces for 13 to 300 people. The semi-private Main Room holds 200 guests and lets 12 players compete at once, and the Harbor Room fits 75 to 80. Crews of 2 to 12 can book online, and groups of 13 or more plan through the events team, which has its own holiday party brochure. Puttshack's Seaport location hosts corporate outings, team building and holiday parties built around mini golf, food and drinks. Groups of 13 to 18 can book online starting at $36 per guest, bigger groups can inquire about parties of up to 500, and anyone planning a December date is asked to submit an inquiry. PKL takes group bookings further out than its regular seven-day public window. A two-hour rental of its Faded Monkey Lounge party space is $250 plus a food and drink minimum of $25 per person and fits about 35 guests. Add cornhole and it's $350 for about 50. Shuffleboard is a $100 add-on, and the booking is confirmed once you sign the contract and pay the space rental invoice. The Greatest Bar calls itself a restaurant, bar, event venue, museum and nightclub, with separate spaces spread over four floors, and it runs a skeeball league. It also stays open until 2 AM Thursday through Saturday, which it calls the latest last call in the city. skeeBOSTON, the league that plays there, will turn your company party into a skeeball party if you email info@skeeboston.com. Roxy's Arcade at 292 Mass. Ave. in Cambridge holds up to 180 people for private events, with a full beer, wine and cocktail list, food and a game menu. Its own motto sums it up: eat, drink, play, nerd out. Urban Axes at 2 Union Square in Somerville pitches itself for team building and holiday office parties, takes online bookings for groups of four or more, and lets you add knife throwing to an axe throwing event. Five Iron Golf's Seaport location at 311 Summer St. has Trackman golf simulators that fit up to six people each. It also has two duckpin bowling lanes that each take up to six bowlers, no bowling shoes needed, and events can combine duckpin, the simulators and more. Kings does holiday parties with bowling, billiards and arcade games, a special holiday menu and bar packages with seasonal cocktails. An event manager helps plan the night, down to Kings-themed invitations for your guests. Boston has two locations, in Back Bay and the Seaport. Howl at the Moon runs a dueling pianos show built on today's hits, party classics and audience requests. Its holiday party package scales with your group: reserved seating for 10 to 20, the semi-private area for 25 to 50, special arrangements for 50 to 99 and the whole venue for 100 or more. Groups of 300 to 500 can add Down Boston, the nightclub attached to it. Drinks can be an open bar, a hosted tab, drink tickets or a cash bar, and food runs from passed hors d'oeuvres to a full dinner buffet, a chef's carving station or interactive food stations.
Our Snowport guide explains how the Seaport’s holiday market works, plus the curling, Betty the pink yeti and what to check before you go.
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Snowport brings holiday shopping and winter games to the Seaport
Snowport turns a Seaport shopping trip into a winter outing, with an outdoor holiday market, games and seasonal events around the neighborhood. The market is the main draw if you have presents to buy. Curling and a photograph with a large pink yeti are separate decisions. The Holiday Market at Snowport runs Fri, Nov 6 through Sun, Dec 27, 2026 at 100 Seaport Boulevard. General admission is free. It is closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, and it closes at 6pm on Christmas Eve. From Fri, Nov 6 through Sun, Dec 6, hours are 3 to 8pm Monday through Thursday, 11am to 9pm Friday, 10am to 9pm Saturday and 10am to 8pm Sunday. From Mon, Dec 7, Monday through Thursday opens at 11am and stays at 8pm. The organizer lists more than 130 independent businesses. The Holiday Market is the shopping part of Snowport. The organizer’s last-season overview describes more than 120 makers, food vendors, cocktail bars and a crafting area. The appeal is being able to browse several small businesses in one visit, rather than moving between department-store floors. Read the new vendor list when it appears if you are coming for something specific. A seller from last winter may not return, and a photograph of an old stall does not confirm current stock. Treat the published market dates as its own season; other Snowport activities can have different opening and closing dates. The Snowport visitor page includes information about timed market entry and the Seaport Insider app. Before paying for a reservation, read exactly what it provides and whether walk-in admission is also offered. A ticket for a particular entrance time is different from a booking for an activity elsewhere in the neighborhood. Do not assume the previous season’s prices or entry arrangements still apply. Check the date printed on the booking page, the number of people covered and the cancellation terms. If you are bringing children, look for the age rules on the actual ticket rather than applying an adult price to everyone. Snowport has offered outdoor iceless curling on Harbor Way, next to Taiyaki NYC, with reservations encouraged through the Seaport Insider app. Last season’s program also included beginner lessons. Curling is its own activity, so a market visit does not reserve you a lane. Wait for this season’s booking page before promising a group an afternoon on the lanes. Confirm the session length, group size and weather arrangements there. Iceless curling also should not be confused with an ice-skating rink: you are booking a game with stones and a target, not a skating session. Betty is Snowport’s pink yeti character, with scheduled appearances listed separately from the market. The broader winter program has also included a tree lighting, a menorah lighting and a holiday shopping stroll. Those events happen on particular dates, so they are reasons to check a calendar rather than extras to expect on every visit. If a character appearance is the main attraction for your children, confirm the location as well as the time. Snowport spans several spaces, including Harbor Way and the Superette Courtyard; arriving in the neighborhood is not the same as arriving at the event. The Current is Seaport’s pop-up shopping area, separate from the holiday-market stalls. Its shops change, so check the current businesses before building a shopping list around them. The wider neighborhood also has year-round restaurants and shops, useful when someone in the group is finished with outdoor browsing. For a longer winter outing elsewhere in the city, our Boston winter guide includes indoor plans as well as outdoor ones. You can enjoy the market without scheduling every seasonal activity on the same afternoon. Getting to Snowport The organizer’s Seaport directions identify Courthouse on the Silver Line for public transportation and paid garages including One Seaport on Sleeper Street and Harbor Way. Compare parking costs before driving, especially if your plan is a short market visit rather than a full evening. Wear shoes you can stand in and bring gloves you can remove easily when shopping. The market is outdoors; a hot drink only warms one hand at a time. If dinner is part of the outing, reserve it with enough space after any timed activity that a queue does not cost you the table.
What to buy
Our Boston gift guide has 15 gifts we designed ourselves, starting at $16, plus a gift membership we email on the day you choose.
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Boston Gift Guide 2026
This is our Boston gift guide, and every single thing on it is an original Secret Boston design. You'll find $16 ornaments for the T rider and the weather nerd, hoodies for Dot, Chahlestown and anyone who speaks fluent Boston, and the Dorchester Swash Hoodie that's been our best seller all year. Everything is made to order when you buy it, which cuts waste, and shipping's on us when your order is over $50. Want to see what other Boston makers are up to? Our Boston craft fairs guide has every holiday market through Christmas, and these 10 shops selling stuff you totally don't need are perfect for the hard-to-shop-for. And if anyone at the party says Boston has always loved Christmas, you can tell them about the time Boston once banned Christmas. The gift that doesn't ship Shopping late, or for the person who already owns every Boston hoodie? Give them a Secret Boston membership. It's paid once and nothing renews: one month is $9.99, three months is $25 and a full year is $99. You tell us who it's for, pick the day, and we'll email them on exactly that day, so you can have it land on Christmas morning with nothing to wrap and nothing to ship. Secret Boston gift membership $99 A full year of Members. Paid once, and it arrives by email on the day you choose. Give a membership Under $25 These are the easy wins, the stocking stuffers and the "I saw this and thought of you" gifts. Our metal ornaments are $16 each and printed on both sides, and the weather beacon one takes its name from the last line of the old rhyme: steady blue, clear view, flashing blue, clouds are due, steady red, rain ahead, flashing red, snow instead. Pair any of them with a roll of Boston B wrapping paper and the whole gift is from Boston, inside and out. Flashing Red, Snow Instead Weather Beacon Ornament $16 For anyone who checks the Berkeley Building before they check their phone. Round or bell, printed on both sides, red ribbon included. Shop it Salt & Peppah Longfellow Bridge Ornament $16 The Longfellow’s salt and pepper shaker towers, with a Red Line train crossing in the snow. Shop it A Tree From Nova Scotia Ornament $16 The story behind the Common's tree, on your tree. The back tells the 1917 Halifax explosion thank-you story. Shop it See You Out There Secret Boston Ornament $16 For the friend who always says yes to plans. Our logo on one side, our sign-off on the other. Shop it Boston B Wooden Christmas Ornament $18 Six shapes, from a star to a stocking. Natural Hinoki wood, two-sided print and a magnetic back. Shop it Boston B Christmas Wrapping Paper From $19 Wrap every gift in Boston, even the ones that aren't from us. Three roll sizes, from 30″ × 36″ up to 30″ × 180″. Shop it For the neighborhood loyalist The Dorchester Swash Hoodie, with the gas tank's rainbow swash, is our number one seller, and this year it has company: a Chahlestown hoodie with a wreath on the Bunker Hill Monument and an ornament for Eastie. Nine more neighborhoods have their own $16 ornament too, including Southie, the North End, Beacon Hill, JP and Allston. Dorchester Swash Hoodie From $52 Our number one seller, with the gas tank every Dot kid grew up driving past. In Ash, sizes S to 5XL. Shop it Chahlestown Townie Christmas Hoodie From $52 Townies only. Everyone else, buy it for one. The Bunker Hill Monument gets a wreath for the holidays. Shop it Eastie Christmas Ornament $16 For the East Boston pride that never takes a day off. EASTIE with a red airplane, printed on both sides. Shop it For cozy nights in For the friend whose favorite winter plan is staying in. The Snow Day candle is natural soy wax with a 50 to 60 hour burn time, and you can pick Christmas Warmth, Cinnamon Vanilla or unscented. Add the It's Brick Out beanie for the walk to the T, and the CITGO sign pajamas for Christmas morning. Smells Like a Boston Snow Day Candle $26 The second-best part of a snow day, after the parking space you dug out. Soy wax, 50 to 60 hours of burn time. Christmas Warmth, Cinnamon Vanilla or unscented. Shop it It's Brick Out Cuffed Beanie $33 Says exactly what everyone's thinking in January. Embroidered on the cuff, in heather grey or white. Shop it CITGO Sign Christmas Pajama Top From $54 Kenmore's most famous sign, made for Christmas morning. Silky-feel top. The matching pants are sold separately, from $56. Shop it For the friend who speaks fluent Boston If they've ever told you to pahk somewhere, these are for them. All three hoodies start at $52, and they're heavyweight and warm. Wicked Merry comes in red, which feels right, since Bostonians say wicked about everything. Pahk the Sleigh Christmas Hoodie From $52 Santa learned the accent eventually. Red lettering on a heavyweight hoodie, light grey or white. Shop it Park Street, Change Here for Christmas Hoodie From $52 If you've heard that announcement a thousand times, this one's yours. Station-sign lettering, light grey or white. Shop it Wicked Merry Christmas Hoodie From $52 In red, the only way to say Merry Christmas around here. Festive lettering and a Santa hat on red fleece. Shop it Happy Fan-Yule Faneuil Hall T-Shirt From $28 Faneuil Hall in a wreath, spelled the way Boston says it. A red tee for the office party. Shop it
Our shop’s Boston Ugly Christmas Collection starts with the Boston Ugly Christmas hoodie, from $52 in red, navy or Irish green, with knit-style snowflakes and trees, BOSTON across the chest and the CITGO sign worked into the pattern. The same design comes on a crewneck, a tee, a beanie, a pom-pom hat, an ornament, a candle and wrapping paper.
Our Wicked Good Christmas Collection puts “Have yourself a Wicked Good Christmas” on a hoodie, a tee, a beanie, a pom-pom hat and an ornament. Free shipping on orders over $50, and free shipping over $25 from Friday, Nov 27 to Thursday, Dec 10. Order by Saturday, Dec 5 to get it in time for Christmas.
The Boston craft fairs guide has 22 markets, Snowport, SoWa and Harvard Square included, in date order through Christmas.
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Boston craft fairs: 22 markets before Christmas
Last updated: Sunday, October 25, 2026. We refresh this guide every season, so check back before you head out. Boston craft fairs start this weekend, and they don't let up until Christmas Eve. The Affordable Art Fair fills the SoWa Power Station in the South End through Sunday, Oct 25, with work from more than 55 galleries and a whole wall of art under $1,000. General admission is $20 for one day (Fri noon to 9 PM, Sat 10 AM to 7 PM, Sun 10 AM to 6 PM). If handmade is more your speed, the Castleberry Fall Craft Festival is indoors at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington on Sat, Oct 24 (10 AM to 5 PM) and Sun, Oct 25 (10 AM to 4 PM). One $10 adult ticket covers both days. Closer in and free, the SoWa Open Market takes over Thayer Street and 500 Harrison Ave every Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM, with local farmers, artists and food trucks. Below is every Boston craft fair, makers market and holiday market we could confirm with the organizer, in date order, with the weekend each one falls on. Every listing links straight to the organizer, so you can double-check hours before you go. Sundays through Nov 15 The last SoWa Open Markets of the year The SoWa Open Market runs Sundays only, and its final day of 2026 is Sun, Nov 15. That leaves four Sundays: Oct 25, Nov 1, Nov 8 and Nov 15, all 11 AM to 5 PM and free. It's one of the biggest open-air farmer and artist markets in the city, set among the artist studios, galleries and shops on pedestrian-only Thayer Street in the South End. Fri, Nov 6 and Fri, Dec 4 SoWa First Fridays On the first Friday of every month, the studios, galleries and shops at 450 and 460 Harrison Ave open their doors from 5 to 9 PM for SoWa First Fridays. It's free and family friendly, and you're buying straight from the artists in their own workspaces. The next two are Nov 6 and Dec 4. On Dec 4, the SoWa Christmas Market is open next door until 10 PM, so you can do both in one night. Weekend of Nov 13 to 15 Topsfield, the art book fair, the MFA and Cambridge This is the busiest craft weekend of the fall, with four good options. The New England Craft & Specialty Food Fair is in its 30th year at the Topsfield Fairgrounds Indoor Arena, 207 Boston St in Topsfield. Hours are Fri, Nov 13 and Sat, Nov 14 from 10 AM to 5 PM and Sun, Nov 15 from 10 AM to 4 PM. A $12 adult ticket is good for all three days. Back in the South End, the Boston Art Book Fair brings more than 130 exhibitors, artists and publishers to the BCA Cyclorama at 539 Tremont St. Think artist books, zines, comics, prints and experimental publications, many of them handmade. It's free to the public on Sat, Nov 14 (noon to 6 PM) and Sun, Nov 15 (noon to 5 PM). If you want first look, the ticketed preview party on Fri, Nov 13 opens to exhibitors at 7 PM. On Sat, Nov 14 only, the MFA Artisan Market sets up in the museum's Shapiro Family Courtyard from 10 AM to 5 PM, with local jewelry, fashion, ceramics, stationery and other gifts. It's included with general admission, and MFA members get 10 percent off everything. Author Eric Jay Dolin and chef Joanne Chang are signing books from 11 AM to 1 PM. That same afternoon, the Unruly Maker's Market from Rebel Rebel Wine Bar fills Dear Annie at 1741 Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge from 2 to 6 PM with local artists and craftspeople. RSVP on the Eventbrite page. Starting Fri, Nov 6 Snowport in the Seaport The Snowport Holiday Market opens Fri, Nov 6 at 100 Seaport Blvd and stays open seven days a week through Sun, Dec 27, with 125+ makers, food, cocktail bars and live music. Getting in is free every day through the general admission line. On Saturdays and Sundays you can also buy a Fast Pass through the Seaport Insider app if you'd rather skip the wait. Through Dec 6, hours are Monday to Thursday 3 to 8 PM, Friday 11 AM to 9 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 9 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 8 PM. From Dec 7, weekdays open earlier, at 11 AM. Snowport is closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and closes at 6 PM on Christmas Eve. Starting Fri, Nov 20 The SoWa Christmas Market The SoWa Christmas Market opens Fri, Nov 20 (4 to 9 PM) inside the SoWa Power Station, 550 Harrison Ave in the South End, and runs through Sun, Dec 27. Expect more than 100 makers, artists, designers and specialty food vendors under one roof. Admission is $10, kids 12 and under are free, and there's no re-entry, so finish your coffee first. In November, the market is open Tuesday to Thursday 4 to 8 PM, Friday 4 to 9 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 9 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 7 PM, plus Black Friday from 10 AM to 7 PM. Starting Dec 1, hours stretch to 9 PM on weeknights, 10 PM on Friday and 10 AM to 10 PM on Saturday, with Sunday still 10 AM to 7 PM. It's closed Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and open 10 AM to 4 PM on Christmas Eve. Parking nearby is $10, cash only. Weekend of Nov 20 to 22 Marlborough, Somerville and Union Square Paradise City Arts Festival brings 175 artists and makers to 181 Royal Plaza Dr West in Marlborough on Nov 20, 21 and 22, with live demonstrations and two cafes. Hours are Friday and Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM and Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM. General admission is $16 ($14 early bird), students pay $10 with ID, a three-day pass is $24, and kids 15 and under get in free. Parking is free. On Sun, Nov 22, Somerville has two. The Holiday Plant Market fills two floors of Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave, from 10 AM to 4 PM with local artists, small businesses and handcrafted goods for the plant lovers on your list. A few blocks away in Union Square, the Boston Women's Holiday Market takes over Warehouse XI, 11 Sanborn Ct, from 11 AM to 4 PM with about 35 vendors. Thanksgiving weekend, Nov 27 to 29 Wilmington, Worcester and the Armory The day after Thanksgiving is a big one for craft shows. The Original Castleberry Faire, now in its 31st year, is back at the Shriners Auditorium, 99 Fordham Rd in Wilmington. Hours are Fri, Nov 27 from 9 AM to 5 PM, Sat from 10 AM to 5 PM and Sun from 10 AM to 4 PM, and a $12 adult ticket covers all three days. Out in Worcester, the 44th Holiday Festival of Crafts turns the Worcester Center for Crafts, 25 Sagamore Road, into a juried holiday market that usually has more than 50 fine craft artists. It runs Nov 27 and 28 from 10 AM to 5 PM and Nov 29 from 11 AM to 4 PM. Admission is $5, and parking is free. Closer to home, the Boston Women's Holiday Market at The Armory fills two floors at 191 Highland Ave in Somerville on Sun, Nov 29, from 11 AM to 4 PM, with about 35 vendors. Sat, Dec 5 A French market in Back Bay, a German one in Allston and Arlington Brewing's holiday market The French Library's Marché de Noël is in its 23rd year at 53 Marlborough St in Back Bay, from 10 AM to 4 PM. Shop French-inspired jewelry, housewares, books and gourmet treats, grab crêpes, and sample food, wine and spirits. Tickets are $5, or $3 if you buy early, and members and kids under 14 get in free. That afternoon, the German International School Boston hosts its Christkindlmarkt at 57 Holton St from 3 to 7 PM, with music, shopping, kids' activities, food and drinks. The school notes the event is pending license approval from the City of Boston, so check the page before you go. Arlington Brewing Company runs the Arlington Holiday Market on Sat, Dec 5 from noon to 6 PM, with more than 100 local vendors split between Arlington Town Hall and Mill Cafe. You'll find handmade gifts from local artists and crafters, neighborhood shops, food and Arlington Brewing beer, and admission costs nothing. Santa does story time at Town Hall at 1 PM and again at Mill Cafe at 4 PM, so plan to hit both. Weekends of Dec 11 to 13 and Dec 18 to 20 Harvard Square The Harvard Square Holiday Fair has been running since 1986, and admission is free. It's a juried fair with craftspeople from around the region alongside importers, on the lower level of the Galeria building at the corner of JFK and Winthrop Streets. It runs two weekends, Dec 11 to 13 and Dec 18 to 20, with hours of noon to 7 PM on Fridays, 11 AM to 7 PM on Saturdays and noon to 6 PM on Sundays. Sat, Dec 12 and Sun, Dec 13 Cultural Survival Bazaar The Cultural Survival Bazaar brings a winter solstice Indigenous art holiday market to the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St, from 10 AM to 6 PM both days. You can meet the artists, make an Indigenous craft, catch music and dance, and swap a gently used Indigenous book. Suggested admission is $10, anyone under 18 is free, and if you bring a friend on day two with your day-one ticket, you both get in free. Sat, Dec 19 Holiday market at Night Shift Brewing The Boston Women's Holiday Market at Night Shift Brewing, 87 Santilli Hwy in Everett, runs from noon to 5 PM. The organizer describes it as a family-friendly holiday party with giveaways, ornament decorating and special cocktails, plus a food truck and parking on site. How to find craft fairs this weekend Start with our Boston events calendar. Tap "This weekend" and the Markets & Shopping category, and you'll see every market submitted to us, with the venue linked to its page. Our things to do in Boston this weekend guide rounds up the best of it, and the weekly calendar email goes to 45,000 subscribers every Thursday, just in time to plan. Then go to the organizer. Craft fair dates move, hours change for the holidays, and a market that ran in a church hall last year can move across town. The organizer's own page is always the final word, which is why every listing above links to it. A few organizers run several markets a season, so they're worth bookmarking. SoWa runs the Open Market, First Fridays and the Christmas Market in the South End. Castleberry Fairs runs juried craft festivals north of Boston, on the Cape and in New Hampshire. The Boston Women's Market pops up all over Greater Boston. Markets for Makers held its Boston fall market at the SoWa Power Station on Oct 10 and 11, and its Boston page is the place to watch for the next one. FAQ Are there craft fairs near me this weekend? For the weekend of Oct 24 and 25, 2026, the Castleberry Fall Craft Festival is in Wilmington ($10, good for both days), the Affordable Art Fair is at the SoWa Power Station in the South End through Sunday ($20 general admission), and the free SoWa Open Market runs Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM. For any other weekend, use the date headings in this guide or the "This weekend" filter on our events calendar. What are the best craft fairs in Massachusetts this weekend and next? This weekend, Castleberry's fall festival in Wilmington is the big handmade show. The weekend of Nov 13 to 15 is the busiest of the fall, with the New England Craft & Specialty Food Fair in Topsfield, the free Boston Art Book Fair in the South End, the MFA Artisan Market (Nov 14) and the Unruly Maker's Market in Cambridge (Nov 14). Paradise City Arts Festival in Marlborough follows on Nov 20 to 22, and the Original Castleberry Faire in Wilmington and the Holiday Festival of Crafts in Worcester both run Thanksgiving weekend. Where can I find craft shows next weekend near me? Next weekend is Oct 31 and Nov 1. SoWa Open Market is open Sunday, Nov 1, from 11 AM to 5 PM, and it's free. After that, the next big handmade weekends are Nov 13 to 15 and Nov 20 to 22. Check our events calendar for new markets, since organizers keep adding them through the season. What is the biggest Boston craft fair? Of the markets in this guide, Paradise City Arts Festival lists 175 artists and makers, Snowport lists 125+ makers, and the Boston Art Book Fair lists more than 130 exhibitors. The SoWa Christmas Market has more than 100 makers and food vendors and runs the longest stretch indoors, from Nov 20 to Dec 27. Are there free craft fairs in Boston? Yes. Snowport (free general admission every day), the Harvard Square Holiday Fair, SoWa First Fridays, the SoWa Open Market and the Boston Art Book Fair (Saturday and Sunday) are all free to get into. The Arlington Holiday Market (Sat, Dec 5) has no admission charge either. The SoWa Christmas Market is $10, and kids 12 and under are free. What's happening in Boston in November 2026? Snowport opens in the Seaport on Fri, Nov 6, and the SoWa Christmas Market opens in the South End on Fri, Nov 20. In between, Nov 13 to 15 brings the Boston Art Book Fair, the MFA Artisan Market and the New England Craft & Specialty Food Fair in Topsfield. Somerville has two markets on Sun, Nov 22, and Thanksgiving weekend has craft shows in Wilmington, Worcester and Somerville. For concerts, shows and everything else on in November, browse our events calendar. What happened to the Boston Christmas Festival? The Boston Christmas Festival's old web address, bostonchristmasfestival.com, now goes to the New England Christmas Festival, which is at the Mohegan Sun Earth Expo Center in Connecticut on Nov 6, 7 and 8, 2026, with 400+ artisans. Hours are 9 AM to 6 PM Friday and Saturday and 9 AM to 5 PM Sunday. If you want a big holiday craft show in Massachusetts, Paradise City in Marlborough and the Original Castleberry Faire in Wilmington are the closest matches.