What's on in Burlington, United States through the year

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Winter / Christmas break in United States

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Christmas and New Year (24 Dec – 1 Jan)

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

• Nature

  Maple sugaring season

  25 Feb – 5 Apr · usuallyHarvest

  Sap runs when nights freeze and days thaw, so the season is a few weeks that move with the year. Sugarhouses within half an hour of the city open their doors for one weekend in late March; the boiling smell is the whole experience. Source ↗

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Maple sugaring season (25 Feb – 5 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Mud season

  1 Apr – 25 MayOff-season shutdownClosures

  The high trails in the Greens are closed by the Green Mountain Club until the ground firms up, usually around Memorial Day, and walking them early wrecks them. In town it is the cheapest, emptiest six weeks of the year. Source ↗

Still on: Maple sugaring season (25 Feb – 5 Apr (usually))

Busy — Vermont City Marathon

• Festival

  Vermont City Marathon

  22–31 May · usuallySporting eventCrowdedClosuresBook early

  Memorial Day Sunday, a loop through the neighbourhoods and along the lake bike path with a taiko drum corps at the hard bit. Downtown streets close through the morning and hotels sell out weeks ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Mud season (1 Apr – 25 May)

Peak crowds — Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, Summer break in United States

• Festival

  Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

  1–12 Jun · usuallyMusic festivalCrowded

  Ticketed shows at the Flynn plus free stages on Church Street and the waterfront, running since the early 1980s and curated by a different artist each year. The free half is worth the trip on its own. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Independence Day, Summer break in United States

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  3–5 JulNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  The Fourth of July is a federal holiday: banks and government offices close, fireworks draw large crowds to parks and waterfronts after dark, and roads and flights are busy over the long weekend. Claim a viewing spot early. Source ↗

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Peak crowds — Fall foliage, Summer break in United States

• Nature

  Fall foliage

  25 Sep – 20 Oct · usuallyAutumn colourCrowded

  Peak reaches the Champlain valley around the second week of October, a week or so after the spine of the Greens. Weekend rooms and the Stowe road are the bottleneck, not the colour. Source ↗

Busy — Fall foliage

• Season

  Stick season

  25 Oct – 5 DecOff-season shutdown

  The local name for the weeks between the last leaf and the first real snow: bare grey woods, no visitors, and the lowest rates of the year. The ski towns an hour east are shut and the city is entirely itself.

Still on: Fall foliage (25 Sep – 20 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving break in United States

• Holiday

  Thanksgiving

  25–29 NovNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November, is the country's biggest travel holiday: airports and highways are at their busiest on the Wednesday before and the Sunday after, and on the day itself offices, banks and many shops close. Source ↗

Still on: Stick season (25 Oct – 5 Dec)

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  24 Dec – 1 JanChristmas & New YearClosuresCrowded

  Christmas Day and New Year's Day are federal holidays: on 25 December most shops, museums and many restaurants close, and airports stay busy through the week between as families travel. New Year's Eve fills bars and restaurants, many at set-menu prices. Source ↗

Still on: Stick season (25 Oct – 5 Dec), Thanksgiving (25–29 Nov)