The Northern United States's 10 Most Festive Downtowns For The Holidays
The Northern United States turns toward winter with a distinct set of holiday customs shaped by coastlines, lakes, rivers, and mountain villages. In Maine, Kennebunkport stages a two-week Christmas Prelude with a Lobster Boat arrival for Santa that gathers families on the waterfront and supports local shops and inns. In Vermont, Stowe pairs a village tree lighting with a children's lantern parade and a Spruce Peak Lights Festival that ties the ski community to downtown events. In Michigan, Frankenmuth makes social life a holiday event through Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland and community concerts that funnel visitors into communal dining rooms. In New Hampshire, Portsmouth uses the Strawbery Banke Museum Candlelight Stroll to animate living history houses and invite neighbors to sing and skate together. If you're looking for a festive holiday season in the Northern United States, these are the places to go.
Kennebunkport, Maine
Kennebunkport’s winter calendar centers on the annual Christmas Prelude, which weaves family events throughout Dock Square and the harbor, transforming the coastal town into a vibrant community festival hub. The Prelude opens with a Tree Lighting in Dock Square and the Annual Hat Parade, where volunteers and local clubs gather to show off handmade or store-bought hats. The Santa Arrival by Lobster Boat at the Nonantum Marina pulls crowds to the waterfront and creates photo lines that benefit local charities. During the Prelude, the Kennebunkport Parks and Recreation Department runs weekend craft fairs at the Kennebunkport Consolidated School, where volunteer groups and 4-H families set up booths, while restaurants and inns host community luncheons that donate proceeds to area non-profits.
Leading up to the finale, small performing ensembles play carols in storefronts, and the Kennebunkport Business Association organizes a shuttle service from nearby lots, making it easy for neighbors from Kennebunk and Arundel to join in. These well-timed, interlocking events are designed so visitors move from the harbor to Dock Square to neighborhood gatherings, and the result is a holiday program that concentrates giving and music into two weeks of shared civic life.
Stowe, Vermont
Stowe wraps mountain traditions around a downtown program that invites skiers, families, and seasonal workers to come together and celebrate. The town’s signature holiday weekend, branded as A Traditional Christmas in Stowe, was named as a Top Ten Winter Event in 2018 and 2019 by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The event begins with a community Tree Lighting in Stowe Village and a children’s lantern parade that marches from Stowe Elementary to the Free Library, led by local school music groups and outdoor education clubs.
Spruce Peak, a resort in town, holds the Spruce Peak Lights Festival. It features a Holiday Party on Ice, complete with ice-dance performances, Santa meet-and-greets with photo opportunities, and fireworks at the village rink. Nearby, the Stowe Farmers Market runs an outdoor winter market and a holiday market at Zen Barn. Wagon rides and a Candy Cane Lane walk invite multi-generational groups to move through the village together.
Frankenmuth, Michigan
Frankenmuth channels an Alpine theme into civic holiday practice, and the town’s calendar of holiday activities centers visitors and locals around a set of traditional practices and local institutions. The centerpiece is Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the world’s largest Christmas store, whose nightly Christmas Lane lighting and half-mile drive-through light displays anchor family visits and local fundraising drives. Bronner’s also hosts caroling evenings and invites local school choirs to perform on site.
The city’s tourism board offers the Little Bavaria Driving Light Tour, a self-guided tour of holiday light installations throughout the city. Other Bavarian-style options include Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth and the Bavarian Inn Lodge, which host holiday dinners, ticketed events, and family buffets that feature hundreds of diners gathered around long communal tables, raising funds for local scholarship programs. Horse-drawn carriage rides, via Fantasy Carriage Company, through Main Street can be enjoyed and conclude with a cup of hot cocoa and photos with Santa.
Woodstock, Vermont
Woodstock transforms historic customs into accessible public rituals during its Wassail Weekend at Billings Farm & Museum, where visitors can sample wassail punch, watch Victorian-era demonstrations, and participate in candle-dipping workshops that are scheduled as family-friendly activities. The museum also installs outdoor fire pits and offers refreshments like hot cocoa, warm spiced apple cider, and fresh donuts that allow people to warm up while enjoying the festive holiday tree and decorations throughout the grounds.
On the Village Green, artisans gather for the Wassail Artisan Market that features more than twenty Vermont makers selling seasonal crafts. Horse and carriage rides operate from the Green, giving visitors and families a rotating way to experience the village together. Union Arena schedules a weekend Skating with Santa session that invites kids and volunteer coaches to skate together. Those looking for a more communal holiday experience will enjoy Winter Carols by BarnArts, a free gathering at First Universalist Church and Society of Barnard for caroling and instrumental performances.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth uses maritime history as a framework for holiday community life. The Strawbery Banke Museum creates a seasonal anchor with its Candlelight Stroll, where costumed roleplayers open more than a dozen historic homes, host traditional craft demonstrations, and stage short period performances that encourage visitors to move through the Puddle Dock neighborhood and meet one another at neighborhood hearths. The museum’s outdoor rink, the Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond, invites free public skating sessions and volunteer-led family skate hours, while local choirs and the Portsmouth Pops perform their Family Holiday Pops Concerts throughout the city at spots like Portsmouth High School and York Community Auditorium.
The town also hosts the Port City Winter Makerspace Market, an annual tradition where over thirty artisanal vendors from the area sell items that could make the perfect holiday gift. In downtown Portsmouth at Market Square, onlookers can check out the Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting that happen in succession, animating the area with festive lights and holiday cheer.
Galena, Illinois
Galena fills its 19th-century Main Street with light and sound each December, creating a downtown experience that thrives on shared celebration. The season officially begins with the Galena Holiday Kickoff on Commerce Street, where Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by sleigh and are flanked by a Jeep Jingle Parade. The downtown Green Street Plaza hosts the Galena Holidaze Festival, which features a fireworks display called Fire in the Sky, a luminary walk, and a family skating demonstration at the park rink.
The town’s Night of the Luminaria & Living Windows, when more than 5,000 candlelit bags line the sidewalks, staircases, and riverwalk, guiding families and visitors through the heart of the historic district. Afterwards, at the Grant Park Gazebo, carolers from the Galena Center for the Arts can be found serenading onlookers with traditional Christmas carols. For a more irreverent tradition, the Ugly Sweater Food Tour, organized by Galena Foodie Adventurers, encourages attendees to don their ugliest holiday sweaters on a tour of Galena, sampling festive-themed treats and drinks.
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid pairs its winter-sports identity with downtown programming that invites team spirit and neighborhood participation. The Holiday Village Stroll is a three-day event that fills Main Street and Mid’s Park with festive activities, including a family skating party at the Olympic Center and a Tree Lighting ceremony at Mid’s Park, which is animated by local choirs singing Christmas carols. The Jingle Bell Run/Walk is an active holiday tradition in Lake Placid that engages the community in a 2.5-mile dash around Mirror Lake, all to benefit Adirondack Health.
Those looking to imbibe in some holiday beverages should head to Terry Robards Wine & Spirits for a holiday wine and spirits tasting. Lake Placid also leverages its spot as the host of two winter Olympics to introduce visitors to some of the less accessible winter sports. For instance, families can take an exclusive tour of the USA Luge Indoor Start Training Facility and ride down the luge ramp. At the Olympic Jumping Complex, children under 12 can attend a free "Learn to Fly" workshop on select days, which teaches them all about ski jumping.
Stillwater, Minnesota
Stillwater brings the community together through a variety of holiday-themed market weekends, including the Rustic Roots Holiday Market and the Holiday Beertique Makers Market at Lift Bridge Brewery. These events allow local makers and artisans to sell their handcrafted goods, while local non-profit organizations collect donations for the area's charities. The city lights up with a townwide display called Stillwater Lights that places illuminated installations on Main Street, Chestnut Plaza, and along the riverwalk. Those displays lead through evening walking routes that end at the Washington County Courthouse, where the community gathers for the Christmas at the Courthouse holiday bazaar, featuring vendors selling handcrafted goods, and kids can have their photo taken with Santa Claus.
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva stages a downtown holiday season that centers on lakefront spectacle and hands-on community experiences. Each early December, the Electric Christmas Parade lights up Broad Street, where marching bands, illuminated floats, and community groups march at twilight so families and neighborhood associations can gather along a single, walkable route. After the parade finishes, the audience moves into shops and restaurants for a community caroling session.
For families, the Gingerbread House Walk at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa hosts a gingerbread house building competition where participants in youth, adult, professional, and amateur categories display their delicious creations for all to view. At the Fireside Dinner Theater, a live stage version of Frank Capra’s classic film, "A Wonderful Life," is staged frequently beginning in November and running until the end of December. For last-minute gifts, the Geneva Lake Arts Foundation holds the Holiday Cheer Market throughout November and December at Gallery 223, which is perfect for those looking for a unique and artisanal gifting option.
Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic’s maritime identity becomes a vehicle for community ritual during the season when the Mystic Seaport Museum stages Lantern Light Village, a unique holiday experience inspired by Charles Dickens’ "A Christmas Carol." This immersive evening experience winds visitors through the Seaport’s 19th-century village with carolers, horse-drawn carriage rides, fireside chats, and visits with Santa Claus. Guests can also expect to find cozy spots next to outdoor firepits, live performances, holiday craft-making activities, and treats like hot cocoa.
The Olde Mistick Village runs a Holiday Lights Spectacular, a brilliant holiday light display of over 500,000 lights (the largest in Southern New England) throughout the area and adorning 40 shops and restaurants. Locals looking for a touch of authenticity in their holidays should visit Yetter Road Tree Farm, a family-owned and operated Christmas tree farm, to pick out their tree. During the holiday season, the farm hosts festive workshops around holiday floral arrangements and wreath making, and features live entertainment from their own Saxaphone Santa.
Plan a Northern Holiday Getaway
From harbor parades in Maine to lantern tours on Connecticut’s riverfront, the Northern United States keeps the holidays alive with unique and festive traditions. Depending on your speed, you can attend a maritime Candlelight Stroll in Portsmouth to pair historic tours with choir concerts, sign up for private carriage rides in Frankenmuth to join community meals, or time a visit to watch a live performance of "It’s A Wonderful Life" in Lake Geneva.
