New Year’s Eve for the Whole Family – on Cape Ann!

Avoid the crowds and the chaos – join the seaside family-friendly celebrations that cap off a fun-filled holiday season

Cape Ann, MA --- 2014 --- The holiday season is filled with opportunities for families of all shapes and sizes to celebrate together – and on Cape Ann, that includes a family-friendly New Year’s Eve! This year, consider Cape Ann for traditional holiday merriment culminating in New Year’s Rockport Eve, featuring six hours of continuous entertainment in cozy, charming downtown Rockport. From 6 pm – midnight on December 31^st, clowns, cowboys, magicians, musicians, dance, drama and puppets mean a great start to the year for the whole family!

Starting with Gloucester’s reason to skip the mall, its very own “Shop Local Black Friday” on November 28 featuring downtown shops opening at 6:00am with special discounts, then followed by the 42^nd annual Ladies Night shopping event on December 4 and 40^th annual Men’s Night on December 18^th, both 5:00-10:00pm, the 2014 holiday season on Cape Ann has something for everyone! 

In the seaside spirit, Santa will forego his usual flying sleigh for a lobster boat, arriving at Rockport’s Bradley Wharf on Bearskin Neck on Saturday, December 6^th. Then Santa will climb up onto a Rockport Forest Fire truck and head to Dock Square to kick off the Tree Lighting festivities, before beginning his long return journey to the North Pole. Event timing includes:

• 2:15pm Join the Dock Square Carolers rehearsal at the Rockport Art Association
• 3:45pm Welcome Santa Claus at Bradley Wharf
• 4:00pm Tree Lighting ceremony, with carols and a stirring rendition of "Christmas in Rockport.”

On December 7^th, from 11:00am-5:00pm, there’s a fresh, new event on the Christmas in Rockport calendar, featuring a delectable mix of Rockport's finest accommodations and private homes: the Seashells and Jingle Bells Inn & Kitchen Tour! Sponsored by Rockport High School and benefitting the RHS DECA, the Tour provides a wonderful opportunity to visit the beautiful seaside homes and inns of Rockport, all decked out for the holiday season. 

Step into an old-fashioned New England holiday at Gloucester’s Middle Street Walk on Saturday, December 13^th, 10:00am-3:00pm. Open houses, concerts, special programs and traditional decorations will be featured throughout the afternoon, focused in and around postcard-perfect Middle Street. Events include:

·         Gingerbread House display and contest – build a house, bring it to Gloucester City Hall before noon on Friday December 12^th and register!

·         Buoy Painting Day 10:00am-4:00pm, Cape Ann Art Haven – only day for the public to add buoys to the lobster trap tree!

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