Bundle up, pour some hot chocolate, and enjoy the season! These New England festivals are some of our favorite winter celebrations.
Human Dog Sled Race at Lowell Winterfest | Best New England Festivals to Hit This Winter
Photo Credit : Flickr/Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism/Creative CommonsBilled as the oldest continuous town winter carnival in the U.S., the Newport Winter Carnival boasts games, skating, and sledding at locations all over town, highlighted by the ever-popular Queen’s Pageant.
This annual seacoast winter event features horse-drawn carriage rides, a scavenger hunt, “cabin fever” library book sale, snowshoe races, and a craft fair. And don’t miss the pancake breakfast that launches it all.
Headlined by sleigh rides, dogsled rides, a polar dip, and ice fishing, this button-admission event also includes a snowshoe 5K, ice bar, and evening fireworks.
Celebrate the area’s French-Canadian heritage with music, costumes, a Mardi Gras Queen coronation, and a delicious Cajun-inspired dinner.
With more than 160 food and entertainment events —such as beach polo, live music, and the annual chili cook-off — the Newport Winter Festival (that’s our third Newport winter festival in New England, for those keeping track) has become so large that it takes 10 days to squeeze everything in.
Unfortunately, our two favorite Connecticut winter celebrations appear to not be happening again this year. WinterFest at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield is not on the orchard’s or the town’s calendar for 2020, as is the Chester Winter Carnival. Let us know of any Connecticut winter festivals that should be included instead!
Know of any other New England festivals worth seeking out this winter? Let us know in the comments below. This post was first published in 2019 and has been updated.