10 Vermont winter
and holiday events.
A Currier-and-Ives horse parade, a free kids' train looping a 30-foot Christmas tree, and a museum's grounds strung with lights. Most of these cluster in early December; confirm exact dates on each event's own site.
All 10, at a glance.
| Event | Where | Typical timing | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Lights | Shelburne Museum | Nov 27, 2026–Jan 3, 2027 | $20 adult, $10 child online; $25/$12 at the door |
| Very Merry Middlebury | Middlebury | All December; evening strolls Dec 3 & 10 | Mostly free |
| Vermont Holiday Festival | Killington Grand Hotel | First weekend of Dec | Check the organizer for tickets |
| A Traditional Christmas in Stowe | Stowe | Dec 4–6 | Free to stroll; some events ticketed |
| Grafton Village Holiday Festival | Grafton | Sat, Dec 5 | Free to stroll |
| Kids Train, Church Street Marketplace | Burlington | Sundays through Dec | Free |
| St. J Sparkles | St. Johnsbury | Dec 11–12 | Free; a few paid extras |
| Wassail Weekend | Woodstock | Dec 11–13; parade Sat 2pm | Mostly free; Billings Farm ticketed |
| A Forest of Lights | VINS, Quechee | Late Nov–early Jan, select nights | $15 adult, $9 youth (2025) |
| Highlight (New Year's Eve) | Burlington | Dec 31 | $18–20 (2025); 5 & under free |
Dates checked against each event's own site on October 1, 2026. The Killington festival, the Church Street train, A Forest of Lights and Highlight had not posted 2026 details yet, so those rows show last season's pattern and prices.
Our top three for young kids.
Wassail Weekend in Woodstock is the postcard version of a Vermont holiday: a horse-drawn parade through the village green, free to watch. The Kids Train at Church Street Marketplace in Burlington is the easiest short outing on this list: a free train loop around a 30-foot tree in a walkable, stroller-friendly pedestrian mall. Grafton Village's Holiday Festival is the most low-key, a genuinely small-town scene with the Dogs of Grafton parade through the village.
What families ask us.
What are the best holiday events in Vermont?
A Traditional Christmas in Stowe and Grafton Village's Holiday Festival are the two most classic Vermont-village holiday scenes, both free to stroll and built around a walkable village center. Winter Lights at Shelburne Museum is the pick for a bigger, ticketed light display.
Are these Vermont holiday events free?
Most of the town-based events (Stowe, Grafton, St. Johnsbury, Woodstock's Wassail Weekend, Middlebury, and the Church Street kids' train in Burlington) are free to attend, with a few paid extras. Winter Lights at Shelburne Museum, A Forest of Lights at VINS and Burlington's Highlight New Year's Eve festival charge admission.
What happened to Burlington's First Night celebration?
Highlight replaced it in 2018: a multi-venue New Year's Eve festival downtown with an all-access button, ending in fireworks. Families with younger kids can do an earlier slot and skip midnight.
When should we plan a Vermont holiday event trip?
Most of these cluster in early-to-mid December, before the holidays themselves. Stowe (Dec 4 to 6), Grafton (Dec 5), St. Johnsbury (Dec 11 and 12) and Woodstock's Wassail Weekend (Dec 11 to 13) have posted 2026 dates; confirm the rest on each event's own site.