2008 Festivals
Essex National Heritage Area
Music, food, games, art, food and free fun! All around the Area, all year round, there are festivals for everyone. Find your favorite or discover a new delight. Let us keep you up-to-date. If you have a festival to add to this list, please let us know by emailing Jeanne at: jeannep@essexheritage.org
February 2008
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- 8 - 14
- 6th Annual Salem's So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival
- www.salem-chamber.org
- The Salem Chamber of Commerce, Salem Main Streets and local retailers, restaurants and businesses will host the 6th annual Salem's So Sweet, Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival, February 8 - 14th. The festival's focus will continue to be on decadent chocolate, sparkling ice sculptures and Valentine's Day retail. The festival is free for all to attend. The ice sculptures will be on display throughout downtown Salem and Pickering Wharf on Saturday, February 9th & Sunday, February 10th. Local merchants, restaurants and attractions will sponsor the ice Sculptures.
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- 9
- Hamilton Wenham Winterfest 2008
- www.communityhouse.org
- From noon to 4pm. Winter Fun Activities, Food, and Entertainment!
Ice skating and winter games at Patton Park
Smores, hot dogs and more at the Community House, Arts and Crafts, story-telling, dance performances, magic shows!
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- 16
- Merrimack River Eagle Festival
- www.massaudubon.org
- Winter's here—and with it, the Bald Eagles return to the Merrimack Valley. To celebrate these special winter residents of the greater Newburyport area, Mass Audubon at Joppa Flats and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge are holding the third annual Merrimack River Eagle Festival on Saturday, February 16, 2008.
Come and visit with Essex Heritage
at the Eagle Festival!
April 2008
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- 25 - 27
- Newburyport Literary Festival
- www.newburyportliteraryfestival.org
- A three-day celebration of reading, writing, and the love of books, this year's festival will feature more than 50 writers of distinguished fiction and non-fiction-including short story writers, children's authors, biographers, nature writers, critics, screenwriters, poets, novelists, and journalists-who will read and discuss their work in venues throughout Newburyport's historic downtown.
May 2008
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- 17 & 18
- Motif #1 Days, Rockport
- www.rockportusa.com
- Galleries and Restaurants celebrate the Season, along with street entertainment!
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- 30 & 31
- Arts Fest – Beverly
- www.beverlymainstreets.org
June 2008
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- June 5 - July 2
- Rockport Chamber Music Festival
- www.rockportartassociation.org
- Concerts by internationally acclaimed soloists and ensembles at the Rockport Art Association, 12 Main Street, Rockport.
-
- 14
- Strawberry Festival, Topsfield
- www.topsfieldhistory.org
- Live music, kids' games, artisans’ displays of arts and crafts and, of course, strawberry shortcake!
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- 21
- Scandinavian Midsummer Fest
- Spiran Lodge #98, 978-546-2418
- An informal celebration features members of Rockport''s Scandinavian community dressed in native costume holding a Maypole dance and performing live music. Home-prepared foods and fresh berries are available.
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- 21 & 22
- Cape Ann Artisans Open Studio Tour
- www.capeannartisans.com
- Meet the artisans and see their work in the places where it is created. Visit the Studio Tour weekend as you drive around the scenic coast of Essex, Gloucester and Rockport.
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- 21
- Cape Ann House & Garden Tour
- www.sargenthouse.org
- This year’s tour features gardens scattered across Gloucester and Rockport, and includes a range of sizes and styles, and time periods. Tickets to this one-day only tour are limited. Proceeds from the tour benefit restoration of the museum’s own grounds and gardens.
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- 25 - 29
- St. Peter's Fiesta, St. Peter's Park, Gloucester
- www.stpetersfiesta.org
- The St. Peter's Fiesta is a five day festival honoring the patron saint of the fisherman St. Peter and includes a blessing of the fleet.
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- 27-29
- Sand and Sea Festival, Salisbury
- www.sandandseafestival.com
- One of the North Shore’s most popular summer beach destinations kicks-off an action-packed festival with family-friendly, sand and seaside activities for kids, teens and adult fun.
July 2008
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- 3 - 6
- Marblehead Festival of the Arts
- www.marbleheadfestival.org
- A festival of arts and fun!
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- 12 & 13
- Newburyport Riverfront Music Festival
- www.newburychamber.org/Riverfront.shtml
- Mark your calendars for a great weekend in Newburyport!
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- 23 & 24
- 26th Annual Antique & Classic Boat Festival
- www.boatfestival.org
- A rare chance to see vintage motor yachts and sailboats of all kinds from elegant 1920s-50s era mahogany runabouts and cabin cruisers to sloops, sharpies, yawls and schooners. Tour the vessels. Meet skippers and crews and vote for your favorite boat! A crafts market, artists, old time band music and the "Blessing of the Fleet" all add to this colorful event.
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- 26
- Manchester Craft Fair
- www.capeannvacations.com
- Sales, food, and entertainment in downtown Manchester, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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- 27 - Aug. 3
- Yankee Homecoming, Newburyport
- www.yankeehomecoming.com
- Waterfront Concerts, Kids' Talent Show, Bed Race, Parade, Beach Blast, Fireworks - a nine day celebration of fun!
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- 31 - Aug 2
- Gloucester Sidewalk Bazaar
- www.capeannvacations.com
- Since its beginning in 1958, the Bazaar has grown to become the largest street event on the North Shore. This year promises to be no exception, as Main Street will be lined with retail bargains from local retailers and over 100 vendors, non-profit organizations, food vendors, and an array of street entertainment.
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- Olde Ipswich Days Arts and Crafts Show
- www.ipswichma.com
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- Clambake and Greek Festival at the Hellenic Community Center, Ipswich
- www.ipswichma.com
August 2008
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- 1 - 3
- Salem Maritime Festival
- www.nps.gov/sama
- Free family fun will include children's activities, traditional music, craft demonstrations, and more. The tall ship Friendship will be open for free on Saturday, so come aboard and meet her crew.
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- 1 – 10
- Salem Heritage Days
- www.salem-chamber.org
- A weeklong event when the city celebrates its multicultural history with musical and theatrical performances, a parade, and fireworks.
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- 8 - 17
- 2nd Annual Salem Jazz & Soul Festival
- www.salemjazzsoul.com
- The Salem Jazz & Soul Festival recreates and renews the city's vibrant jazz scene that began at the Salem Willows in the 1920s, when Duke Ellington and other musicians from the Big Band era played there. The Festival contributes to Salem's rich musical history by spicing things up a little, adding soul and funk music to the mix.
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- 9 & 10
- Essex Street Fair, Downtown Salem & Pickering Wharf
- www.salem-chamber.org
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- 16 & 17
- Gloucester Waterfront Festival
- www.capeannvacations.com
- Stage Fort Park along the Waterfront. Spend a summer day than strolling historic Gloucester Harbor? Gloucester's beautiful Stage Fort Park will be bursting with the exciting displays of over 175 artisans and craftspeople.
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- 30 & 31
- Gloucester Schooner Festival
- www.capeannvacations.com
- The Mayor's Race for 100' schooners, races for other classes, parade of sail, deck tours, public sails, lighted boat parade, fireworks, and other maritime activities.
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- 31 to Sept. 1
- Buskers Festival, Newburyport
- www.newburyportchamber.com
- Outdoor street theater. Performers of all kinds fill Market Square and Inn Street. There are also Food Booths from Newburyport Restaurants.
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- Sandblast at Crane Beach
- www.ipswichma.com
- Sand sculpting and contest on the beach!
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- Lynn Festival of the Arts
- www.lynnarts.org
- Music, dance, theatre, arts, plenty of fun for kids!
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- Beverly Homecoming
- www.beverlyhomecoming.com
- Volleyball, Scrabble, picnics, games for a whole week! Topped off by a spectacular fireworks display.
September 2008
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- 1
- Bread and Roses Festival
- www.breadandroses.net
- Celebrate Lawrence's labor history and ethnic diversity, and particularly the historic, heroic events of 1912, the Bread and Roses Strike. Music and dance, poetry and drama, ethnic food, historical demonstrations, and walking and trolley tours, all on or starting from Lawrence's Common. Bread and Roses celebrates the true spirit of Labor Day at the site of the Bread and Roses Strike. And it is a broadly multicultural festival in Lawrence, the Immigrant City.
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- 26 - 28
- Essex Heritage's Trails & Sails
- www.trailsandsails.org
- Go on a whale watch, hunt for mushrooms, visit a goat cheese farm, watch a Civil War baseball game. Each year, thousands of residents and visitors to the Essex National Heritage Area enjoy the remarkable heritage resources in the ENHA during Trails & Sails weekend. Sites, organizations and communities welcome participants to over 150 unique events and special programs free of charge! Each year features new events and returning popular favorites. Trails & Sails in 2008 promises to be even bigger and better. Mark your calendar now for the weekend of September 26 - 28, 2008.
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- Groveland Days
- www.haverhillchamber.com
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- Ipswich Chowder Fest
- www.ipswichma.com
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- Festival of Three Saints, Lawrence
- www.threesaintsinc.org
October 2008
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- 2 - 31
- Haunted Happenings, Salem
- www.salem.org
- A month long series of events leading up to Halloween night!
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- 3 - 13
- Topsfield Fair
- www.topsfieldfair.org
- America's oldest agricultural fair - 10am to 10pm.
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- 12 - 13
- Fall Harvest Festival, Newburyport
- www.newburyportchamber.org
- Come to Downtown Newburyport on Sunday & Monday, October 12 & 13 for unique crafts, fine art, family entertainment, Scarecrow Contest, the Kid's Korner, farms stands, great food and more!
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- 11 - 13
- Cape Ann Artisans Studio Tour
- www.capeannartisans.com
- Meet the artists and see their newest work in the places where it is created.
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- 18 & 19
- Rockport Harvest Festival
- www.capeannvacations.com
- This family-oriented weekend with an autumn theme is designed to entertain and delight residents and visitors alike. 10am-6pm both days.
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- Essex Clamfest
- www.capeannvacations.com
- 26th annual Essex ClamFest from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Memorial Park in Essex.
November 2008
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- 22
- Home for the Holidays Tour, Gloucester
- www.capeannvacations.com
- Tour several beautiful homes in Gloucester. Details to become available late summer/early autumn.