Community Calendar

Three days of holiday magic inside the Opera House. Plan your season to include a visit to check out the 2025 confectionery creations – gingerbread castles and cabins, farms and cottages, and dozens of surprises both large and small. Community members and bakers from afar always dazzle us with their creativity, while competing for the coveted honor of “Most Spectacular!” This event also features live music, and a wonderful holiday bake sale by The Friends of the Opera House. Free, open daily: Friday, December 12 from noon-6:00pm. Saturday, December 13 from 10am-4:00pm. Sunday, December 14 from 11am-3pm.

Those interested in designing and building an entry for this year’s Gingerbread Spectacular are asked to contact the Opera House at 207-633-6855 for rules and entry dates.

Sponsored in part by support from the First National Bank, Boothbay Harbor! Thank you.

November 15, 2025 through January 3, 2026
All Day Event
November 15–January 3, Thursday–Sunday, plus select dates
from 4–9 p.m.

(Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day)

The planning for our next Gardens Aglow is well underway, and we can’t wait to see you there! Experience this year’s theme, Nature in Motion, and see the Gardens come alive after dark. See the landscape transformed into a glowing journey through scenes depicting the flora and fauna of Maine’s forests, shorelines, and meadows—and don’t miss some fun new surprises in this year’s display!

Tickets should be purchased online or over the phone, 207-633-8000.

After taking a year off to complete a mural, Eliot artist Gordon Carlisle is back hosting his annual Open Studio featuring a wide variety of artwork. On display will be new oils, acrylics, watercolor paintings and prints as well as his ever popular collages and re-purposed Paint-By-Number paintings. All are priced to sell. Just look for the brightly colored sandwich board.
December 12, 5:00pm-8:30pm
December 13, 11:00am-3:00pm
Or by appointment through December 14
111 Fore Rd., Eliot, ME
For more information call (603) 431-3639.

If you’ve ever been in Latin America during the holidays, you know it’s a time for family, friends and parties! Sol y Canto brings that tradition to Mayo Street Arts on Friday, December 12 with a parranda (party)! Rosi, Brian and other members of Sol y Canto will be joined by special guests to invoke the spirit of the Puerto Rican “asalto navideño” (“Christmas Assault”), when the singers drop by your house unannounced to create a party out of thin air, bringing holiday joy to everyone. Sing along to classics from the U.S., Puerto Rico and Latin America (don’t worry – we’ll teach you the words.)

Get into the holiday spirit with the Alumni Band’s Annual Christmas Concert, Somewhere In My Memory! Join us for an evening of beautiful music directed by Thomas Lizotte, featuring the outstanding vocals of Lynn Boren-McKellar, along with performances by Voices in Harmony and the Inner Voices Choir.

Mark your calendar for Friday, December 12, 2025, at the Biddeford Middle School Performing Arts Center.
Time: 7pm

This festive community tradition is one you won’t want to miss. Bring your family, invite your friends, and celebrate the magic of the season with us!

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
DECEMBER 4-23 (Thu 7pm, Fri 7:30pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 2pm... Mon & Tue, Dec 22nd & 23rd, 7pm)
Step into the magic of the season with this thrilling, live stage production of Dickens’, A Christmas Carol! Join the ghosts of Marley, Christmas Past, Present, and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a life changing journey. Starring award-winning actor Michael J. Tobin, this hauntingly unique production is full of immersive special effects, music, and the magic and joy of the Dickens holiday classic like you’ve never experienced it before. A haunting, heartwarming holiday must-see for the whole family!

Falmouth Memorial Library is pleased to announce that Illustration Institute's The Great State of Illustration in Maine will be on display at the Library from November 8, 2025, through January 31, 2026. This exhibition celebrates the rich, diverse cultural heritage of over 80 Maine-connected illustrators such as Ashley Bryan, Barbara Cooney, Dahlov Ipcar, Melissa Sweet, Chris Van Dusen, N.C. Wyeth, and more. The Great State of Illustration in Maine will showcase illustration as an art form in the very place where books are easily and publicly accessed. "We are thrilled to welcome Illustration Institute to Falmouth Memorial Library and offer an exhibition of this depth and breadth to our community. We hope visitors from around our State will come enjoy this collection of incredible illustrations, and take advantage of exciting, related programming over the next three months," commented Jenna Mayotte, Library Director.

Join Maine's First Ship as several of our dedicated volunteers lay down their tools and pick up their pens ready to personalize and sign copies of their books. From a photo essay on The Virginia Project to tales of one volunteer with his precocious parakeet--plus plenty of fun Virginia merch--there is something for everyone. Visit during your regular trip to the Bath Farmers Market or as part of Main Street Bath's Downtown Day during an Old Fashioned Christmas in Bath. You will find gifts for the maritime-minded, history hounds, and those who just enjoy a good story, or treat yourself to a tee and share your love for our "pretty pinnace." Author list available at mfship.org/events

Three days of holiday magic inside the Opera House. Plan your season to include a visit to check out the 2025 confectionery creations – gingerbread castles and cabins, farms and cottages, and dozens of surprises both large and small. Community members and bakers from afar always dazzle us with their creativity, while competing for the coveted honor of “Most Spectacular!” This event also features live music, and a wonderful holiday bake sale by The Friends of the Opera House. Free, open daily: Friday, December 12 from noon-6:00pm. Saturday, December 13 from 10am-4:00pm. Sunday, December 14 from 11am-3pm.

Those interested in designing and building an entry for this year’s Gingerbread Spectacular are asked to contact the Opera House at 207-633-6855 for rules and entry dates.

Sponsored in part by support from the First National Bank, Boothbay Harbor! Thank you.

The Bar Harbor Historical Society will host the 2025 Gingerbread House Contest on Saturday, December 13th, from 10 am to 1 pm at La Rochelle, 127 West Street in downtown Bar Harbor. The contest is open to everyone, with prizes for Best Overall ($150), Best Youth ($100), and People’s Choice ($100). The event is free to the public, and people are encouraged to come to vote for their favorite.
Contestants can be groups or individuals, and registration is free.
You can register as a participant at www.barharborhistorical.org/events/

Completed entries can be dropped off on Thursday, December 11th, and Friday, December 12th, from 10 am to 3 pm. The only rule is that the components of the entry must be edible. Let your imaginations go wild! We can’t wait to see what you build!
For more information, please contact the Bar Harbor Historical Society at barharborhistorical.org or call us at 207-288-0000. This event will happen at La  Rochelle, 127 West St., Bar Harbor, ME.