On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, nobody in Newburyport can say exactly when the holiday season starts. The Merrimack River decides. Santa and Mrs. Claus come in on a Coast Guard boat, and Newburyport.com warns that the start time is approximate because the tides can change when they arrive. Down the coast in Salem, Santa comes down from a hotel roof with help from the fire department. Rockport and Marblehead bring him in by lobster boat. Danvers sends him downtown on a fire truck.
How Santa gets to town decides when each kickoff starts. In 2026 the calendar spreads these events over three weekends, so a family on the North Shore can make most of them. Two days are crowded, though: Sunday, November 29, and Saturday, December 5.
Four Ways In, Each With Its Own Timing
- Salem, by rooftop. Santa is due on top of the Hawthorne Hotel at 6:00 p.m. sharp, with help from the Salem Fire Department.
- Newburyport, by Coast Guard boat. The city calls itself the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Merrimack River Coast Guard Station gives Santa his ride.
- Rockport and Marblehead, by lobster boat. In Rockport, Santa crosses Sandy Bay to T-Wharf. Marblehead's Christmas Walk also brings Santa in by lobster boat on its Saturday.
- Danvers, by fire truck. A holiday parade leads him to the tree on Maple Street.
A rooftop arrival can be set to the minute. A river arrival depends on the water. That difference shapes the whole first weekend.
Friday, November 27: Salem Starts the Season
Salem goes first, the night after Thanksgiving. Salem Main Streets asks people to be on Salem Common by 5:45 p.m. to see Santa arrive on the Hawthorne Hotel at 18 Washington Square West. A procession then walks the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall to Lappin Park, next to the Bewitched statue, where Mayor Dominick Pangallo and carolers join Santa to light the tree. Organizers invite people to carry lanterns in the procession and strongly recommend electric candles. The event happens rain or shine.
The next day, Saturday, November 28, is Small Business Saturday in downtown Salem, with shopping, dining and promotions at independent businesses. Also starting November 27, Rockport's kids' scavenger hunt is back for a fourth year. Children pick up decoder sheets at the downtown visitor information shed, the T-Wharf restrooms or local businesses and search town for "Sammy" through December 31.
Sunday, November 29: A Parade at 1:00 and a Boat at 3:30
Two of the region's biggest kickoffs fall on the same Sunday afternoon, a couple of hours apart.
The Beverly Holiday Parade, held since 1947, steps off at 1:00 p.m. from Beverly High School. This year's theme is "Celebrating 400 Years of Beverly," and the grand marshal is Todd Rotondo, a Ward 1 city councilor and founder of Beverly 400+. The route runs down Cabot Street past City Hall and ends at the Beverly Depot train station. Marchers line up at 11:00 a.m. If you can't be on Cabot Street, the parade streams live on BevCam and YouTube.
In Newburyport, the Rotary Club's official window runs from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. Newburyport.com has more detail: the Coast Guard boat leaves around 3:30 p.m. and heads up the river toward Michael's Harborside so people can see Santa on the water. The parade starts around 3:45 to 4:00 p.m., reaches Market Square in about 15 minutes, and the tree is lit between 4:15 and 4:30. Before the lighting, the mayor gives Santa the key to the city, which is kept at The Brass Lyon, and the Newburyport and Triton high school bands and choruses lead the caroling. Newburyport.com advises getting there early because the event moves fast once Santa is on board.
That leaves about two and a half hours between Beverly's step-off and the boat leaving Newburyport, and Newburyport's timing can shift with the tide. If you want both, plan on catching the front of the Beverly parade, then giving yourself extra time to get north. Beverly's rain date is Sunday, December 6, with at least 24 hours' notice on its website and Facebook page.
December 3 and 4: The Second Round Starts
The second weekend starts on Thursday. On December 3 at 6:30 p.m., The Community House holds its free Carol Sing & Tree Lighting in Centennial Square in South Hamilton. The same night, Marblehead's 55th annual Christmas Walk & Holiday Stroll opens with preview shopping. The Marblehead Chamber of Commerce runs the walk through Sunday, December 6, with a tree lighting on Friday, Santa's lobster-boat arrival and parade on Saturday, and an Artisan's Marketplace and Gingerbread Festival during the weekend. As of late October, the listing gave the days but not the hours.
Friday, December 4, is Rockport's Holiday Shopping Night, from 4:00 to 9:30 p.m. It starts in Dock Square, where shoppers can pick up a free Christmas in Rockport tote with a list of participating businesses, coupons good all season and a raffle ticket. Every purchase at a participating store earns another ticket, and the night ends with an after-party and live raffle drawing at Brackett's Oceanview Restaurant. The same evening, the Trustees open An Artful Christmas at Castle Hill in Ipswich, with art-inspired decorations, costumed interpreters, cookies and hot chocolate. Entry is timed, and advance reservations are strongly recommended.
Saturday, December 5: The Busiest Day
This is the day when the most towns hold events at once. Two Santas arrive by lobster boat, in Rockport and Marblehead, and a third rides into Danvers on a fire truck that evening. Here is how the afternoon lays out for the events with posted times:
| Time | Town | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 p.m. | Rockport | Santa arrives by lobster boat at T-Wharf, then goes along T-Wharf and Broadway to First Baptist Church |
| 1:15 to 3:30 p.m. | Rockport | Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the First Baptist Church hall |
| 3:40 p.m. | Rockport | Dock Square Carolers and the Cape Ann Youth Chorus begin |
| 4:00 p.m. | Rockport | Dock Square tree lighting |
| 4:00 p.m. | Danvers | Activities and entertainment begin on Maple Street |
| 5:15 p.m. | Danvers | Holiday parade starts through downtown |
| 5:45 p.m. | Danvers | Santa lights the tree |
Rockport lists Santa's boat arrival under Saturday, December 5, though one sentence in its listing says December 6. The photos and tree lighting that follow it are both scheduled for the 5th. In Rockport, a fire truck escorts Santa from the wharf along with local Cub Scouts and Brownies. After the Dock Square lighting he leaves on a fire truck, and the square sings "Christmas in Rockport."
Danvers lists its free event as 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., but the FalconFest itinerary has Santa lighting the tree at 5:45. So plan to stay until the lights come on. Marblehead's Saturday lobster-boat arrival competes with both, so check its posted times before deciding how to split the day.
Sunday, December 6: A Quieter Day
The Sunday after is calmer. Rockport offers horse-drawn wagon rides along Bearskin Neck from noon to 3:00 p.m., sponsored by Tuck's Candy and Denim Blanket Co., with the Solstice Singers often caroling nearby. Castle Hill is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Marblehead's Christmas Walk wraps up. The Trustees' Christmas Afternoon Tea at Long Hill, held in the decorated Sedgwick house at 576 Essex Street in Beverly, is already sold out. If the Beverly parade was rained out the week before, this is also its rain date.
December 12 and 13: Gloucester Finishes the Lineup
The last of the big lightings is in Gloucester. The Lobster Trap Tree at Solomon Jacobs Landing lights on December 12, 2026, and organizers have said the time is still to come. The same day, the Ipswich-Rowley Rotary lists a Jingle Bell Walk. Salem Main Streets holds Wassail Weekend downtown on December 12 and 13, with local shopping promotions, plus carolers and Santa on Sunday. Castle Hill keeps its Friday evening and weekend daytime hours through mid-December and stays open until December 30.
Hammond Castle Museum at 80 Hesperus Avenue in Gloucester runs alongside all of this. Its Deck the Halls installation fills the whole museum with trees, candlelight, themed rooms, a gingerbread-house replica and menorahs, from November 20 through January 3, with listed hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The museum said in late summer that tickets for holiday visits would go on sale later in the year.
Our team has worked in these towns for four decades. If you are thinking about a move next year and want to know what a home near one of these downtowns is worth, Julie Tsakirgis and our team can give you an honest read. Start with an Instant Home Valuation, and we will follow up with the local detail behind it.
