The 78th Annual Manchester Road Race - Manchester - November 27- 10:00am There are suitable viewing areas along the entire length of the Manchester Road Race, but Main Street in Downtown Manchester near the Start/Finish line is probably the most popular. Since parking is limited traffic can be heavy and some streets will be partially or completely closed. Therefore we recommend taking the free shuttle bus<https://www.manchesterroadrace.com/ShuttlebusShell.html>, walking to your favorite viewing area, or planning to arrive well before the Race begins.
Please remember that many of the viewing areas are on private property, and that a good portion of the race course <https://www.manchesterroadrace.com/CourseMapShell.html> takes it through residential neighborhoods. Please respect the property owners' rights and be careful in disposing of trash or other unwanted articles. (There are trash containers provided along Main Street.) https://www.manchesterroadrace.com/index.html
Thanksgiving Weekend - Old Sturbridge Village (OSV) - Sturbridge Massachusetts - November 27 - 29 Join us to experience the traditions of an early 19th-century New England Thanksgiving. Learn about 1830s dining etiquette and watch the men of the Village compete in a post-dinner target shoot. Smell the scents of roasted turkey and pies warming by the fire. Learn about Native American Thanksgiving traditions and customs, and hear the minister talk about the real meaning of Thanksgiving in the Village's historic Center Meetinghouse. See and smell turkeys roasting before the fire.
Thursday - Observe a 19th-century Thanksgiving meal being enjoyed by our costumed interpreters and learn how their dining customs differ from today's
Discover Native American foodways and their own unique Thanksgiving connections. Visit with the Indian Doctress as she shares Native traditions of giving thanks. Thanksgiving Dinne<https://www.osv.org/event/traditional-thanksgiving-feast-at-bullard-tavern>r and Thanksgiving Buffet <https://www.osv.org/event/thanksgiving-buffet-at-the-oliver-wight-tavern> at Old Sturbridge Village.
For more details of this Thanksgiving weekend at OSV go to: https://www.osv.org/event/thanksgiving-weekend
Holiday Light Fantasia - Goodwin Park - Hartford - November 27 - January 1 - 5:00pm The city-wide celebration captures the true spirit of the holiday season! We hope our festive show offers an enchanting evening of fun for family and friends while providing a much needed break from the hectic holiday season. $15 per car (up to 10 passengers) www.holidaylightfantasia.org/<http://www.holidaylightfantasia.org/>
Sunday - Thursday 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Friday - Saturday 5:00pm - 10:00pm
Winterfest Hartford - Bushnell Park - Hartford - November 28 - 4:30pm - 10:00pm Celebrate the first night of Winterfest with Mayor Pedro Segarra, Santa Claus, the Hall High Choral, Must Be The Milk, DJs Cajar and Whitney Bobby of Shag Frenzy, and, free ice-skating, of course. Enjoy free milk and cookies at the Must Be The Milk Booth, free photos with Santa in the Pump House Gallery. The Winterfest Hartford rink will be open for free ice skating daily through February 1; activities scheduled for the season include the Wolf Pack Skate, the Ugly Sweater Stroll and Learn to Skate classes. All events and weather-related cancellations will be listed at hartford.com/winterfest.
Winterfest Hartford - Free Ice Skating - Bushnell Park - Hartford - November 29 - February 1 - 11:00am - 8:00pm Skate for free 7-days-a-week at the Winterfest ice rink on the east side of Bushnell Park near the Pump House. Come after work, on your lunch break or as a part of a trip downtown to see some of the city's cultural treasures. Don't have your own skates? There's free skate rentals, too. Winterfest is brought to you by the iQuilt Partnership and the City of Hartford.
20th Annual Fantasy of Lights - New Haven's Lighthouse Point Park - New Haven - November 28 - January 6. Check out over 60 attractions that include animated and LED light displays! While you're there, share your experience with your friends on social media using #fantasyoflights. You can show off your favorite displays all while participating in a great cause. So whether it's your first or twentieth year enjoying the Fantasy of Lights, get ready to be dazzled by over 100,000 lights! $10 per car. http://www.eastersealsgoodwill.org/events
Sunday - Thursday 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Friday - Saturday 5:00pm - 10:00pm
Winterfest Hartford - Free Photos with Santa Claus - Bushnell Park - Hartford - November 29 - November 30 - 12:00noon - 3:00pm Winterfest wouldn't be complete without a visit to Santa, so visit the Pump House and have your photo taken with him for free. Each family receives 1 free 5×7 photo; additional prints may be purchased on the Winterfest Hartford Smug Mug<http://WinterfestHartford.SmugMug.com> page, the day after you skate.
Santa Sails by Tugboat - Mystic River Park - Mystic - November 29 -2:00pm Free. Santa Claus will arrive on the tugboat John Paul at the Mystic River Park, where he will greet the crowds and listen to all the children's wishes. http://mysticchamber.org/
Santa and Mrs. Claus in Olde Mistick Village - Meeting House in Olde Mistick Village - Mystic - November 28 -29 - 12:00noon - 3:00pm Free. Santa and Mrs. Claus will greet children of all ages from 12-3 in the Meeting House - bring your cameras! http://mysticchamber.org/
12th Annual Lighted Boat Parade - Mystic River Park - Mystic - November 29 - 6:00pm - 7:00pm Free. Get in the holiday spirit at 6 pm when the Christmas tree will be officially lit in Mystic River Park and the 12th annual Lighted Holiday Boat Parade will begin a few minutes later. Don't miss this spectacular show of lighted boats. The vessels will parade down the Mystic River from the Mystic Seaport at 6:20 p.m. and return to the Mystic River Park, where spectators and judges will be gathered. Boats will be judged on creativity and team spirit. There will be prizes for Most Charismatic Crew, Innovative Vessel, Best Dressed Vessel, and Miss Mystic Vessel of Grandeur. The only cost to enter is a donation of a toy, coat, or food item for the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center. If your sail boat, power boat, dinghy, or high-speed row boat is still in the water, light your vessel, and please join us for your chance to dazzle the judges. http://www.mysticchamber.org/
Tolland Fire Department Festival of Lights Parade - Tolland Green - November 29 - 6:30pm This event will feature festively decorated fire trucks and floats from Tolland and surrounding towns. The parade will begin at the Tolland Senior Center on Tolland Stage Road, travel along the green and turn right onto Old Post Road and will end at the Tolland Intermediate School. The parade will only be canceled if the fire department determines that inclement weather will make conditions along the route unsafe. 860-871-3677, Ext. 1225
Trees in the Rigging: Community Carol Sing & Boat Parade - Connecticut River Museum - Essex - November 30 - 4:30pm - 6:30pm The holiday season kicks off in Essex with the annual TREES IN THE RIGGING Community Carol Sing and Boat Parade activity. The Connecticut River Museum, the Essex Board of Trade, and the Essex Historical Society combine to present this annual event that includes a traditional, lantern-lit carol stroll down Main Street where spectators are invited to bring their own lanterns or flashlights and join in with the Sailing Masters of 1812 Fife and Drum Corps and a parade of antique cars. The stroll steps off at 4:30 pm at the Essex Town Hall on West Avenue and ends at the Connecticut River Museum with a parade of vessels dressed out in holiday lights and passing in review along the Connecticut River. The best viewing is from the lawn of the Connecticut River Museum at the foot of Main Street. Santa and his elves will arrive by one of the parade boats for visits with children on the lawn of the Museum. http://www.ctrivermuseum.org/calendarevent/trees-in-the-rigging-community-carol-sing-boat-parade/
Shop, Sip & Celebrate - Three Connecticut Landmarks' Historic Sites November 28 - 29 11:00am - 4:00pm Enjoy hot beverages and holiday cheer during Thanksgiving weekend at three of Connecticut Landmarks' historic sites. Come travel through four centuries of Connecticut history with friends and family, visit the museum shops for the best of local artisans and period-inspired gifts, and participate in additional programming. Connecticut Landmarks' participating sites are: the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, Bethlehem; the Butler-McCook House & Garden, Hartford; and the Phelps-Hathaway House & Garden, Suffield.
Holiday Hours:
Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden
9 Main Street North
Bethlehem, CT 06751
Friday & Saturday, November 28th & 29th, 11 am - 4 pm
Butler-McCook House & Garden
396 Main Street
Hartford, CT 06103
Friday - Sunday, November 28th - 30th, 12 - 4 pm
Phelps-Hathaway House & Garden
55 South Main Street
Suffield, CT 06078
Friday, November 28th, 11 am - 4 pm
Bob Chudy
Program Director
