January in New England: Top Events and Travel Deals
Whether you want to embrace or shake off the cold, resolve to make the most of the first month of the year.
By Kim Knox Beckius|Dec 24 2025|
Who says fall is New England's most colorful season? Cranmore Mountain Resort makes winter more vibrant with Arctic Lights Night Tubing.
Photo Credit: Cranmore Mountain ResortIt’s a fresh new year in New England, and what I love most about this region is how its lineup of things to do morphs dramatically every three months or so. In January, we’re typically in the deepest freeze we’ll see all year, and that brings attractions like Ice Castles in New Hampshire and the Glacier Ice Bar at Maine’s Samoset Resort magically to life.
It’s prime time for winter outdoor recreation, and that doesn’t just mean skiing. From the exhilaration of snowmobiling in Aroostook County to the soothing tranquility of snowshoeing across a 200-acre apple orchard in the Berkshires, New England allows you to set the pace.
And there are always ways to warm up. Our current obsession: the slow-melt hot chocolate at Julien’s Farm Store in Connecticut, topped with a showstopper of a homemade marshmallow. If you read Yankee‘s holiday issue, you know Amy Traverso, our senior food editor, named Julien Tessier the Best New Pastry Chef in New England, so hot chocolate is the tip of the proverbial iceberg when you travel backroads to this enchanting spot.
Still leaning into your proclivity to hibernate? I can’t let that happen. It would be a travel editor’s equivalent of malpractice! So here are ideas to get you off the couch like you’ve been shot out of a cannon. From the top January events in New England to some irresistible travel bargains and new things to do, consider this your road map to kicking 2026 off with energy, optimism, and a sense of awe.
New This January in New England
Arctic Lights Night Tubing at Cranmore | North Conway, NH
Snow tubing is in its disco era at Cranmore Mountain Resort this winter. The ski area has just introduced Arctic Lights Night Tubing featuring color-shifting lights and lively tunes to pump you up as you fly downhill. Reserve your two-hour session online for a Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday night through early March.
Tuna & Friends | Portland, ME
Elite chefs from New England and beyond are heading to Portland to cook at Mr. Tuna alongside chef-owner Jordan Rubin this year, and here’s what makes the new Tuna & Friends dining series even more enticing: all of the meals will celebrate sustainable seafood. The first two events are January 6 with guest chef Ben Sukle (Oberlin and Gift Horse in Providence, Rhode Island) and Jamie Bissonnette (Somaek, Zurito, and Temple Records Bar in Boston), and I’m excited that James Beard 2024 Best Chef Northeast winner David Standridge (Shipwright’s Daughter and Mystic Fish Camp in Mystic, Connecticut) is Maine-bound on March 11. Dates have been set through early June, and I have a hunch tickets will be harder and harder to score as 2026 progresses, so resolve to be among the first to experience one of these meaningful collaborations. Dinner reservations between 5 and 9 p.m. may be made via OpenTable.
Weekend of January 3-4, 2026
Photo Credit : New Bedford Whaling Museum
Moby-Dick Marathon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum | New Bedford, MA
If it’s been a while since you read Moby-Dick, join in the 30th annual all-nighter at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The Moby-Dick Marathon kicks off Friday, January 2, with a film screening, keynote, and buffet dinner. Then, at noon on Saturday, the telling of the tale begins and continues for about 25 hours until the last word of Herman Melville’s famous novel is spoken. This year, there’ll be a mini-reading of a Moby-Dick adaptation in Portuguese, too.
Ice Carving at Worcester Art Museum | Worcester, MA
On Sunday, January 4, you’re in for some free frozen fun as Brilliant Ice Sculpture creates a magnificent, human-size crystal creation in Lancaster Plaza outside the Worcester Art Museum. From 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., you’ll see ice being chainsawed and chiseled away and experience the art of ice carving in real time. If you get cold, head inside the museum to see highlights like the country’s second-largest collection of arms and armor, featuring more than 1,000 objects from around the world.
Photo Credit : Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Gardens Aglow at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens | Boothbay, ME
Saturday, January 3, is your final opportunity to see Gardens Aglow at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Dress warmly for the mile-long walk through this dazzling nighttime light show, and start the year off with photo ops that will set the tone for a sparkling year ahead.
Weekend of January 10-11, 2026
New England Boat Show | Boston, MA
If you’re already thinking ahead to summer days on the water, you’ll want to navigate to Boston this weekend for the 70th New England Boat Show, which runs January 7-11 at Boston’s Thomas Michael Menino Convention and Exhibition Center (MECEC). New England’s largest indoor boat show is a must if you’re a mariner, and it’s good aspirational fun for the rest of us, too. Join a floating yoga class in the SUP Pool while your kids build a toy boat or try their hand at casting, and you’ll all forget that it’s blustery outside.
Fenway Fest | Boston, MA
Before the Red Sox escape to sunny Fort Myers, Florida, for spring training, players, coaches, and beloved alums return to the ballpark for one memorable day. Fenway Fest is Saturday, January 10, this year, and Fenway Park, MGM Music Hall, and the House of Blues are teaming up to offer fans access to panel, autograph, and photo sessions. If you can hardly wait for Opening Day, here’s even better news: Your ticket includes a voucher for a Red Sox game in April or May of 2026.
Weekend of January 17-19, 2026 – MLK Weekend
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration | Westport, CT
On Saturday, January 17, Westport’s 20th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration features a keynote conversation with renowned scholar and author Jelani Cobb, who currently serves as dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Tickets are required (but free) for the 1 p.m. program at the Westport Library.
Weekend of January 24-25, 2026
Sun Wine & Food Fest | Uncasville, CT
From January 22-25, Mohegan Sun becomes the culinary hub of New England. Saturday and Sunday’s grand tastings are the Sun Wine & Food Fest main events, but opportunities like the Celebrity Chef Dine Around are the sort of experiences you’ll be raving about all year. The best way to kick it all off is by booking tickets for Friday evening’s Toast with the Host featuring Red Sox legend David “Big Papi” Ortiz. Find more tips for a winter weekend away at Mohegan Sun in Yankee‘s January/February 2026 issue.
Photo Credit : Boston Harbor Hotel
Boston Wine & Food Festival | Boston, MA
It’s opening weekend for Boston Harbor Hotel’s annual Boston Wine & Food Festival, which features 43 events for oenophiles over a two-month period. Build your own menu of wine dinners, tastings, and interactive seminars, and you’ll be a more educated and enlightened sipper by springtime. The Judgement of Paris Dinner on January 31 recreates a legendary showdown between France and California, and 50 years later, you’ll love being a judge.
Winter Fest | Concord, NH
Spend Saturday, January 24, in New Hampshire’s capital, photographing ice sculptures while warming your insides with food-truck comfort food and ice-bar bevvies. Winter Fest kicks off on Friday, January 23, with a chance to see some of New England’s most talented ice carvers at work from 3 until 9 p.m. While you’re in town, don’t miss the Concord Garden Club’s Art & Bloom at the Kimball Jenkins Estate and the 15th annual Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship and Festival, featuring 60 teams, live entertainment, bonfires, and fireworks.
Weekend of January 31-February 1, 2026
Snodeo | Rangeley, ME
If you’ve never been to a Snodeo, what exactly are you waiting for? Whether you ride a snowmobile or just want to be there for the parade, dance parties, and fireworks, this four-day celebration, January 29 through February 1, is the perfect reason to use any PTO days you carried over.
Rhode Island Brew Fest | Providence, RI
The Rhode Island Brew Fest on Saturday, January 31, showcases more than 50 stellar New England breweries. For the 13th year, this celebration of American craft beer at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence is your chance to discover the brews you’ll be drinking as days get longer and winter makes its exit. I’d go just for the free penguin pint glass.
January’s Best Travel Deals in New England
Full Moon Mountain Wellness Retreat | Chittenden, VT
Hikyoga is making self-care and connection easy-breezy in January with this remarkably affordable hiking and yoga program at Mountain Top Resort, where participants can also book rooms at a discount for the weekend of January 30 through February 1. Act now to save $20 and pay just $158.75 for the Full Moon Mountain Wellness Retreat, which includes yoga and meditation sessions, a guided snowshoe tour, discounted Killington lift tickets, a wine tasting, Singo Bingo, s’mores and other treats, and a welcome bag. Buy tickets by January 15, and you’ll also receive a two-piece outfit from Prozis, which makes this an even greater value.
Yankee Out and About in January
Editor at Large Mel Allen’s book tour continues this month with appearances in Manchester, Sunapee, Greenfield, and Concord, New Hampshire, as well as Portland, Maine. If you received a copy of Here in New England as a holiday gift, this is your chance to meet the author and hear stories from his 46-year Yankee career. And if you still don’t have a copy to treasure, you’ll be able to secure a signed book.
Can’t travel to attend one of Mel’s talks? Register for our free virtual event on Thursday, January 22, at 7 p.m. Eastern, and enjoy a live evening of heartwarming New England stories, as only Mel can tell them, from the comfort of your home.
