Description

The Holidays in Rockport are looking a little different in 2020. Rockport's creative community has taken a few of our festivals and made them month-long experiences maintaining the traditions and adding some new ones for you and yours to have a safe and wonderful holiday season. 

75th Annual Christmas Pageant: A window exhibition of the history and costumes of Rockport's Live Nativity Pageant. The Rockport Art Association & Museum (RAA&M) is busy prepping the elaborate costumes in which we’ll be creating three scenes in the shop windows. In the windows will also be QR codes that will bring visitors to the RAA&M website where they can read about the history of Rockport’s Nativity pageant (celebrating its 75th year anniversary and believed to be among oldest and longest running of its kind in America). Visitors will also be able to hear the recorded narration of the pageant and sing along to the traditional carols. 

Holiday Tree Art Stroll: a true town-wide collaboration and a gift of art. Wooden trees (designed by Rusty Kinnunen of Rusty and Ingrid Creative Company), have been cut, sanded, and primed (by the Rockport Rotary Club led by project manager Pete Willcox), are now off to the artists and creative businesses being painted and decorated. We’ve also included the next generation of artists with students from Rockport Schools and Clark School (under the direction of Rockport Artist Jeph Ellis) decorating trees as well. The week of Thanksgiving the trees will be strategically placed throughout the Rockport Cultural District, creating an alluring outdoor walking art stroll for residents and visitors to get outside and enjoy some of the amazing art and culture of Rockport, a gift of hope and joy during the holiday season. 

Join in the fun with our social media raffle prize contest.
- Share selfies or pics of your favorite Trees on Instagram & Facebook - Use hashtag: #holidaysinrockport & Tag Instagram user: @explorerockport
- Each tag or hashtag gets an entry in our raffle prize drawing!
- Prize will be announced on Facebook: @rockportma and Instagram: @explorerockport

Sammy the Seagull Hide & Seek: Kids will find Sammy, dressed in holiday garb, all over Town and use their special decoder sheet to fill in the Secret Message. Once they solve their Secret Message, they can take their cards to Brother’s Brew, Tuck’s Candy Factory, The Fudgery, and Happy Whale for free holiday treats! 

Festive Shopping Strolls:  Friday and Saturday nights until 8:00 PM, complete with warm holidays treats at restaurants and cafes and magical sights and sounds of the holidays. 

North Pole Post Office: Visit Santa’s Magical Mailroom. Write and send your letters to Santa. See the elves working in the mailroom.

Workshops and other special events with local maker businesses happening throughout the season:

Rockport Candle Company: pour your own candle or watch them being poured
Chef Sawsan of Sally Webster Inn: gingerbread houses and cooking classes
Rockport Fudgery: watch fudge being made every Sunday from 2:00-4:00
Tuck’s Candy Factory: candy canes, taffy wrapping, and other candy making
Susie’s Stories: holiday story times throughout the season
Seaview Farm: experience the holidays on a working farm
Lobstermen: watch the lobstermen in the working harbors in the Cultural District 
Artists and Makers:  watch the painting and artisans work come to life throughout the Cultural District 

1st Annual Winter Lights on Cape Ann: A partnership among the Town of Rockport, Discover Gloucester, the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and the Manchester Cricket has created the 1st Annual Winter Lights on Cape Ann, a scenic driving celebration through the communities of Cape Ann. More than 150 businesses in Rockport, Gloucester, Manchester, and Essex are excited to have festive winter window and holiday light displays beginning Friday, November 27 and running through New Year’s. There will be a live interactive Google map for planning your driving routes, as well as finding parking to get out and stroll through our festive seaside communities. For the interactive driving map, a downloadable map and to learn more about what’s open in Rockport and throughout Cape Ann, please visit www.discovergloucester.com

As these and other plans take greater shape we will post updated information on RockportUSA.com, RockportMA.gov and on multiple social media channels (Facebook: RockportMA, Instagram: ExploreRockport, and Twitter: RockportMA). 

The lights and displays will be available every day, so people can come whenever they are most comfortable. Come for the day or even better plan a longer stay at one of Rockport’s beautifully decorated inns. We invite you to come visit us often throughout the upcoming holiday season. Experience all that Rockport has to offer this holiday season again and again.