Best New England Festivals | Winter Fun

Whether you look forward to our region’s long winters or dread them, you’ll find plenty of reasons to love these cold-weather New England festivals, which offer enough fun, food, and activities to satisfy any type of Yankee.

Best New England Festivals | Winter Fun

Massachusetts Winter Festivals

Greenfield Winter Carnival
January 31–February 2, 2020

This western Massachusetts winter festival serves up family fun for all ages, with ice sculpting contests, fireworks, fire dancers, breakfast with Frosty the Snowman, a cardboard sled race, a K-9 keg pull, sledding, and skating.

North Adams Winterfest
February 15, 2020

Activities include a fun run, ice sculpting, a chowder competition, horse-drawn wagon rides, and roasting marshmallows at a community campfire.

Lowell Winterfest
February 21–22, 2020

Head to downtown Lowell for face painting, magic shows, a soup bowl competition, ice skating, fireworks, art fairs, free ice-skating, an all-you-can-eat chocolate festival, and (last but not least) a human dogsled contest.

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New Hampshire Winter Festivals

Newport Winter Carnival
February TBA

Billed 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.

Dartmouth Winter Carnival
February 6–9, 2020

Hanover hosts what may be the best known of all New England winter celebrations: the venerable Dartmouth Winter Carnival. Since 1911, the Ivy Leaguers of Dartmouth College have invited the community to join in on a weekend of winter zaniness, including polar bear swims, snow sculpture contests, and races.

Maine Winter Festivals

Kennebunk Winterfest
February 8, 2020

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.

Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Winter Carnival
February 15, 2020

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.

Vermont Winter Festivals

Newport Winter Festival
February 29, 2020

Gardner Memorial Park is the place to be to celebrate the Newport Winter Carnival, complete with a pizza-eating contest, crafts, fireworks, entertainment, and plenty of good food.

Brattleboro Winter Carnival
February 15–23, 2020

This popular winter event, taking place over an entire week, includes concerts and shows, the Queen’s Pageant, cook-offs, a pancake breakfast, and sporting competitions.

Rhode Island Winter Festivals

Woonsocket Mardi Gras
February 22, 2020

Celebrate the area’s French-Canadian heritage with music, costumes, a Mardi Gras Queen coronation, and a delicious Cajun-inspired dinner.

Newport Winter Festival
February 14–23, 2020

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.

Connecticut Winter Festivals

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. 

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