Summer 2024 Family Fun | Best Things to Do in New England

Begins JUNE 1

Prescott Park Arts Festival

Portsmouth’s annual party by the Piscataqua kicks off with a chowder fest—just a taste of what’s to come between now and September in an unforgettable 50th anniversary season of concerts, movies, live theater, and more. Portsmouth, NH

Begins JUNE 1

Newport International Polo Series

Held on Saturdays through September, this horsey tradition hits the family trifecta: affordable (free lawn seating for kids under 15); dog-friendly (leashed, please); and fun (let the divot stomping commence!). Newport, RI

JUNE 4-6

Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl

Grab a spoon and get your game face on for the nation’s largest all-you-can-eat ice cream festival. The cherry on top: Proceeds go to cancer care and research. Boston, MA

JUNE 8

“What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine”

Hello, Neuman…and Fonebone, Kaputnik, and all the rest from MAD’s seven silly, subversive decades.
With 150 original cartoons and illustrations, the Norman Rockwell Museum hosts this dive into a visual kiddie pool with grown-up depth. Opening weekend 6/8–6/9; runs through 10/27. Stockbridge, MA

JUNE 8-9

Vermont Days

It’s a free-for-all weekend in the Green Mountain State, with 60-plus state parks and historic sites open sans admission. (Casting around for more deals? Free Fishing Day is June 8.)

JUNE 9

Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

Watch some 2,000 paddlers at the oldest dragon boat festival in the nation. Soak up some culture, too, from classical Chinese music to martial arts demonstrations and origami-making. Boston, MA

JUNE 22-23

NASCAR Weekend

Radio-controlled cars, kid-size electric cars, DIY Lego cars, and video-game cars will keep youngsters plenty revved up for Sunday’s big NASCAR Cup Series race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Loudon, NH

JUNE 23-29

Windjammer Days

Maine’s historic sailing fleet inspires a packed-to-the-gills schedule that includes pirate antics, a cod relay race, fireworks, and a harbor-spanning tug-of-war. Boothbay Harbor, ME

JULY 4

Bristol Fourth of July Parade

“America’s most patriotic town” shows off its star-spangled bona fides with a parade that draws some 200,000 spectators and caps off the nation’s oldest Independence Day celebration (est. 1785). Bristol, RI;

JULY 13-21

Potato Blossom Festival

Potato sack race, check. Potato picking contest, yep. Mashed potato wrestling? We did not have that on our bingo card, but it’s here, along with dozens more events that make up this nine-day spud-tastic party in the heart of Aroostook County. Fort Fairfield, ME

JULY 26-28

Lowell Folk Festival

Take your kids on a world vacation at the country’s longest-running free folk festival, where the music, dancing, crafts, and food might hail from any of the seven continents except one. Sorry, Antarctica. Lowell, MA

JULY 26-AUG. 4

Vermont Blueberry Festival

The Deerfield Valley’s annual fruit-palooza is filled with so many all-ages activities, families will be left feeling positively (blueberry-) glazed over. See website for locations

JULY 31-AUG. 4

Maine Lobster Festival

More than 10 tons of lobster is claws for celebration in Rockland, where the feasting is punctuated by such events as the lobster crate race, downtown parade, and sea goddess coronation. Rockland, ME

AUG. 2-4

Festival of Fools

Street performances of circus arts, music, and comedy run nonstop in downtown Burlington. Worried that you’ve missed seeing a knockout act? The grand finale has ’em all. Burlington, VT

AUG. 3-4

Redcoats & Rebels

Back-in-time goes over the top as hundreds of folks in Revolutionary War costume descend on Old Sturbridge Village for the largest military re-enactment in New England. Sturbridge, MA

AUG. 12-16

Hampton Beach Children’s Festival

New Hampshire’s iconic beach town invites waves of youngsters with free magic shows, mini golf, storytelling, ice cream, and a huge costume parade where everyone gets a prize. Hampton Beach, NH

AUG. 24-25

Schemitzun

Be welcomed into sights, sounds, and flavors of indigenous culture at the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s annual harvest celebration, as one of America’s oldest Indian reservations showcases the talents of today’s native performers, artists, and craftspeople. Mashantucket, CT