Christmas in Rockport 2025
Join us in Rockport throughout December for holiday fun and celebrations! Your kids will love searching for clues to help answer Sammy the Seagull’s riddle to win prizes. Don’t miss out on prizes and giveaways during Holiday Shopping Night on Friday December 5th. Santa arrives in style by boat at T-Wharf on Saturday, December 6 for photos, followed by the Dock Square Tree Lighting ceremony. Mistletoe madness kicks off on December 6 giving shoppers the chance to earn entries for a Grand Prize Drawing. Strolling carolers will entertain you while shopping on Saturday afternoon, December 13. The Christmas Pageant, a live nativity re-enactment, takes place on Saturday, December 20. For the shopping procrastinators, Last Minute Stocking Stuffer weekend is December 20 & 21, when you can get some great “last minute” deals. To cap off the month of festivities, Rockport New Year’s Eve offers a full night of entertainment, starting at 4 PM until the ball drops at midnight!
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Sammy the Seagull Hide & Seek
November 28 – December 31
This fun scavenger hunt for kids is back this year for its 4th edition. Use your special decoder sheet to fill in the secret message and win real prizes. Pick up your decoder sheet at the downtown visitor information shed, the T-Wharf restrooms and businesses throughout town. Sammy likes to hide in places all over Rockport. Each time that you find him, he will give you a clue to answer his question. If you can solve the riddle, he will give you prizes.
Holiday Shopping Night
Friday, December 5 from 4 – 9 PM
Kick off the season in festive Rockport style! Join us for Holiday Shopping Night and enjoy an evening of cheerful lights, local treasures, and holiday spirit. Start at Dock Square, where shoppers can pick up a free Christmas in Rockport tote bag filled with a list of participating businesses, special coupons valid all season long, and a bonus raffle ticket. As you explore Rockport’s charming shops, you’ll find festive treats and refreshments offered by many local retailers and be serenaded by strolling musicians bringing holiday magic to the streets. Every purchase at a participating store earns you an extra raffle ticket for a chance to win one of three exciting prizes. End the evening at the after party and live raffle drawing at Brackett’s Oceanview Restaurant where the celebration continues with good company, great prizes, and plenty of holiday cheer!
Strolling Musicians
Friday, December 5 from 5 to 7 PM
Quintessential Brass, Christmas in Rockport featured entertainers since the early 2000s, will be returning to perform a variety of “brassy” holiday music from traditional Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs to holiday classical tunes and jazzy settings of holiday pop favorites. Stroll with the QB Quartet from gallery to gallery and shop to shop throughout downtown Rockport, as they play traditional carols, holiday classics, and jazzy Christmas favorites.
Santa Arrives at T-Wharf by Boat
Saturday, December 6 @ 1 PM
Santa will arrive at T-Wharf on Rockport Harbor on Saturday, December 6 at 1:00 PM, following a brisk lobster boat ride across Sandy Bay. Then Santa and Mrs. Claus will proceed along T-Wharf and Broadway to the First Baptist Church, led by a Rockport Forest Fire truck and local Cub and Brownie Scouts.
Photos with Santa
Saturday, December 6 @ 1:15 – 3:30 PM
Join Santa and Mrs. Claus at First Baptist Church to have photos taken with the children in the church hall until the Tree Lighting Ceremony begins.
Dock Square Tree Lighting Ceremony
Saturday, December 6 @ 4 PM
Santa will ascend the platform in Dock Square with Mrs. Claus to greet the crowd and kick off the Tree Lighting Ceremony at 4:00 PM. The Dock Square Singers will entertain the crowd with carols and a stirring rendition of “Christmas in Rockport”. After the ceremony, Santa & Mrs. Claus climb onto the fire truck to begin their return journey to the North Pole.
Calling ALL Singers! Please join us on Saturday, December 6th as we light the Tree in Dock Square. All ages are welcome. We will meet outside of the First Baptist Church in Rockport at 2:30pm. We will practice in the church then proceed to the Tree about 3:40pm. The event will be finished by 4:30. Please invite all the singers you know.
December 6 – December 31
View Interactive Map of Mistletoe Madness Participants & Sponsors
Mistletoe Madness is back for a second season with a few tweaks. This year, all shoppers participating in Mistletoe Madness will be entered into one Grand Prize Drawing. From December 6 through December 31, 2025, shop at participating Rockport retailers, restaurants, theatres, and recreation spots for your chance to win big in our New Year’s Eve drawing for hundreds of dollars worth of local gift certificates. Click Here to Learn More and See List of Participating Business!
Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides
Saturday, December 13 @ 12 – 3 PM
One of the most cherished traditions during the Christmas in Rockport is the horse-drawn carriage ride along Bearskin Neck. Sponsored by Tuck’s Candy, these nostalgic rides offer a romantic and festive way to experience the seaside village, taking passengers past the historic boutiques, galleries, and sparkling harbor views. The experience is often accompanied by the sounds of the Solstice Singers, who stroll through the area singing carols, creating a scene that feels like it was lifted straight from a holiday greeting card.
Strolling Carolers
Saturday, December 13 @ 1 – 3 PM
The Solstice Singers will be returning to Rockport strolling and caroling through the town. Founded over 30 years ago, this community choral group is open to anyone on the North Shore who loves to sing. The Solstice Singers and their strolling caroling have been a featured part of Christmas in Rockport on the second Saturday in December since the group was founded. The Solstice Singers have sung in places like St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC and St. Anne de Beaupre in Quebec.
Menorah Lighting
Sunday, December 14 at 4 PM (first day of Chanukah)
Chabad of Cape Ann invites all to join them at the Barletta Park for a Menorah Lighting and Chanukah celebration. Chabad of Cape Ann will ignite a public 9-foot Chanukah menorah erected in downtown Rockport, followed by a community-wide celebration. The menorah lighting ceremony will include music, Chanukah-themed refreshments, such as latkes and doughnuts, and children’s activities.
North Shore Christian Men’s Choir Concert
Saturday, December 20 @ 2:30 – 3:30 PM
The North Shore Christian Men’s Choir and the Rockport Baptist Church invite you to join them for their annual pre-Pageant Christmas concert in the church sanctuary. All are welcome to come celebrate the Christmas season with them, and enjoy an afternoon with good friends and great music.
Christmas Pageant: A Nativity Re-enactment
Saturday, December 20 @ 5 PM
In the spirit of the holidays, the Rockport Art Association and Museum once again presents the Annual Live Christmas Pageant, a torch-lit live re-enactment of the Nativity. Each year hundreds of spectators gather to watch the live re-enactment of the story of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the Bethlehem inn and the stable. The pageant begins with a torch lit procession which starts at Dock Square and proceeds up Main Street to the Congregational Church. Here the story of Jesus’ birth is brought to life through a live narration.
Last Minute Stocking Stuffer Weekend
Saturday & Sunday, December 20 & 21
We invite you to come to downtown Rockport and Whistlestop Mall, and bring along your family and friends, for another festive weekend of shopping and strolling in our beautiful seaside village on Cape Ann. Our streets are lined with colorfully lit Christmas trees, and the Dock Square tree is shining brightly. Discover those perfect last-minute stocking stuffer gifts among the lovingly crafted creations available at scores of shops and galleries throughout Rockport.
Wednesday, December 24 @ 4 – 6 PM &
Thursday, December 25 @ 10:30 AM
The Rockport Fire Department will give Santa and Mrs. Claus a special ride on their ladder truck on Christmas Eve. Come out and cheer them on as they come come through your neighborhood between 4 and 6 PM on Christmas Eve.
Bring the whole family to Dock Square in Rockport on Christmas Day, at 10:30am! Santa will visit and every child will be given a bag of goodies as a special gift. Take photos with Santa before he heads out to rest after his busy holiday season!
Learn More
Rockport New Year's Eve
Wednesday, December 31
Rockport’s annual year-end celebration of the arts offers a wide range of entertainment for adults and children beginning at 4 PM and culminating with a midnight ball drop. The 12 downtown entertainment venues will include halls, churches, and restaurants, all within easy walking distance of one another. CATA trolleys will circulate among the venues and parking areas. Activities include all kinds of music, dance, poetry, magic, juggling, and puppetry. Purchase of a button allows access to all events, and some events are free. Buttons and much more information are available on the web at rnye.org.