Christmas by Candlelight
Old Sturbridge Village
Opens Friday, Nov. 25
Experience cherished traditions and create new ones as you celebrate the season during Christmas by Candlelight at Old Sturbridge Village! Explore the beautifully decorated Village, watch a nightly lighting ceremony, stroll through the Christmas Tree Trail and Christmas Wish Bridge, watch demonstrations of classic Christmas projects, visit with Santa, taste samples of sweet treats, enjoy live music and storytelling, and so much more.
Thanksgiving Cluster Dog Show
Eastern States Exhibition, West Springfield
Friday, Nov. 25 – Monday, Nov. 28
It’s the “greatest show on dirt,” four days of dogs jumping, mastering their rally course, perfecting their obedience skills and strutting their stuff in the breed ring. See the best agility handlers in the Northeast compete to be the champion. If you love dogs, you will love the Thanksgiving Cluster.
Gingerbread: Flour to Fables
Springfield Museums
Opens Friday, Nov. 25
Step into a fantastical world of fables where flour, sugar, and spice have been blended and baked to bring classic stories to life. Colorful and sweet displays tell the stories of clever and bold animals as they go on adventures and learn important lessons.
Berkshire Bach Society: Messiah Sing
First Congregational Church, Great Barrington
Saturday, Nov. 26 at 4 p.m.
Conductor James Bagwell invites all lovers of Baroque choral music to raise their voices in popular choruses from Handel’s Messiah, including “Hallelujah” (of course!) accompanied by The Berkshire Bach Players. Bring your own score, buy, or borrow one, and kick off the holiday season with this beloved musical tradition!
The Big Takeover
Shea Theater, Turners Falls
Saturday, Nov. 26 at 8 p.m.
Traditionalists or progressives? Some of both! Fronted by the charismatic Jamaican-born singer and songwriter Nee Nee Rushie, the seven-piece New York-based band plays original music that is rooted in the genres and rhythms of Jamaican pop: reggae, rocksteady, and ska. At the same time, they cross lines like global pop fusionists. Their deceptively complex arrangements and big hooks connect with the spirit of Motown and the uptown sophistication of the 21st century retro soul revival scene.
Gorge après Gorge 5k Trail Run and Family Fun Walk
Chesterfield Gorge
Sunday, Nov. 27
Walk starts at 9:30 a.m., run starts at 10:30 a.m.
Hilltown Land Trust hosts this annual event at one of our favorite outdoor destinations — the Chesterfield Gorge. Celebrate community and appreciate nature with friends, family, and neighbors at a time of year when we tend to stay inside. A community potluck after the run and walk, hand-knit and -crocheted hat prizes for the top runners, and edible cookie medals for the race finishers give this event a distinctive Hilltown vibe.
The Bombyx Brass Collective
Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity, Florence
Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m.
The Bombyx Brass Collective is a 30-piece ensemble, founded in January 2022 that plays a mix of musical genres from classical to jazz to pop. BBC members include active and retired music teachers, working professional musicians, current college music majors, and talented amateur musicians. Music Director Margaret Reidy will lead a program music by of Elgar, Beethoven, Gabrielli, Debussy, Frescobaldi, and Tchaikovsky, as well as modern works and a few “holiday appetizers.”