The holidays are almost here and there are many events across Connecticut to get you into the spirit.
Here are some of them:
Fantasy of Lights, New Haven, Nov. 18-Dec. 31
Fantasy of Lights is at Lighthouse Point Park, at 2 Lighthouse Road in New Haven.
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The hours are Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m..
Lake Compounce Holiday Lights, Bristol, Nov. 19-Dec. 31
Lake Compounce is kicking off the holiday season on Nov. 19. There will be holiday lights and the amusement park boasts Connecticut’s tallest Christmas tree, at 100 feet tall.
Holiday Lights begin Nov. 19 and continue through Dec. 31 every Friday, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
There will be live entertainment like Kyle’s Holiday Dance Party, activities including Stuff a Bear and more. Santa Claus will be at Lake Compounce Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from Nov. 19 through Dec. 23, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Here are some of the events.
- Holiday Food Drive: Receive $5 off parking when you bring nonperishable canned goods for local families in need, Nov. 25-27.
- Ugly Sweater Weekend Join the Lake Compounce staff and get in the holiday spirit with your best ugly sweater, Dec. 2-4.
- Pawliday Lights: Bring your furry BFF for photos with Santa, pup cups, and more. Plus, meet and greet with adoptable dogs, Dec. 11.
- Gingerbread Weekend: Gingerbread-themed food and beverage offerings, Dec. 16-18.
- Kids New Year’s Eve Bash: Ring in the New Year kids style with a juice box toast, bubble dance party and a fireworks show, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.
Learn more here.
Hubbard Park Silver Lights, Meriden, Starts Nov. 23
Hubbard Park Silver Lights starts on Nov. 23 at 5:30 p.m. There will be music, cookies and hot cocoa.
The lights will be turned on between 6:10 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. and they will be on through the holiday season.
Magic Lights, Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium, East Hartford, Nov. 23-Jan. 1
Magic Lights is a drive-through holiday light display. It is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
There is a Christmas Barbie display, a Bigfoot Monster Truck and life-sized dinosaurs of Prehistoric Christmas!
Lights in Motion, Hebron, Nov. 24-Jan. 1
The light show runs Thursday through Sunday on most weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, but it is open all week for Christmas week. The 20-minute journey is for all ages. It is located at 347 Gilead St. in Hebron.
Santa Express, Thomaston, Nov. 25-Dec. 23
Children and parents can visit Santa and Mrs. Claus on the Santa Express at the Railroad Museum of New England. The one-hour-20-minute ride runs at noon and 2:15 p.m. Each child will get a special gift from Santa’s toy bag and a bell from Santa.
Holiday Magic, Old Lyme, Nov. 25-Dec. 31
The Florence Griswold Museum will be decked out in traditional decorations.
Get more information here.
Holiday on Main Street, Middletown. Nov. 25-Dec. 10
The 37th annual Holiday on Main Street, “Magic of Middletown,” starts on Nov. 25 with a holiday tree lighting on the South Green and outside of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.
The festivities will continue on Saturdays on Nov. 26, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10. There will be holiday music, a pop-up vendor fair, Reindeer Games, a “Tis the Season to Find a Gnome” scavenger hunt and more
See the full schedule of events online here.
Christmas Town Festival, Bethlehem, Dec. 2-3
The festival surrounds the town green, at the junction of Route 61 and Route 132. It runs from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
There will be free parking at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds, a mile north of town on Route 61, and there will be free shuttle buses between the fairgrounds and the festival.
Take your own photos with Santa, take part in children’s crafts, enjoy music and more.
Festival of Lights, Mystic, Dec. 9
The Festival of Lights will be held at Olde Mistick Village on Friday, Dec. 9, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Walkways will be lit by thousands of luminaries and there will be live entertainment.
Holiday Open House at The Governor’s Residence in Hartford, Dec. 10
Gov. Ned Lamont and First Lady Annie Lamont are inviting Connecticut residents to attend the 32nd annual holiday open house at the Governor’s Residence at 990 Prospect Ave. in Hartford, on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This is the first holiday open house at the governor’s residence to be held in-person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor’s Residence is ADA accessible.
There is no fee and tickets are not necessary, but donations will be accepted on behalf of Operation E.L.F., an annual fundraising drive of the Connecticut Military Department that provides support to military families whose loved ones are deployed, preparing to deploy within the next six months, or recently returned from deployment.
Suggested donations include:
- Financial contributions through checks that can be made payable to the Connecticut National Guard Foundation, Inc. (in the memo field, please write “Operation E.L.F.”)
- Gift cards for grocery stores, department/home goods stores, pharmacies, gas stations, etc.
- Contribution of services such as fuel oil, snow removal, and home maintenance services.
