What's on in Hyannis (Cape Cod), United States through the year

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

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Winter shutdown (1 Nov – 15 Apr)

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Winter shutdown (1 Nov – 15 Apr)

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Winter shutdown (1 Nov – 15 Apr)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Winter shutdown (1 Nov – 15 Apr)

Peak crowds — Island ferry high season, Figawi race weekend

• Opening

  Island ferry high season

  20 May – 15 Oct · usuallySummer season opensCrowdedBook early

  Hyannis is the mainland end of the Nantucket boats, and the summer timetable adds fast ferries and extra sailings from late May. Car spaces on the traditional boat are released months ahead and go the day they open. Source ↗

• Festival

  Figawi race weekend

  22–31 May · usuallySporting eventCrowdedBook early

  Several hundred boats race out to Nantucket on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and party at both ends of it. It is the unofficial start of the Cape season and the first weekend rooms in Hyannis are hard to get. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Memorial Day weekend

  23–25 MayNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  Memorial Day, the last Monday of May, opens the summer travel season: over the long weekend campsites and lodging book out, roads are slow, and parking at the most popular spots fills early in the day. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Island ferry high season, Summer break in United States

• Nature

  White shark season

  1 Jun – 31 Oct · usuallyWildlife seasonRisk

  White sharks follow the grey seals into Cape waters from early summer and are gone by late autumn, with the tagged detections peaking in August and September. It is the ocean side that closes for sightings, not the calmer Nantucket Sound beaches in town. Source ↗

Still on: Island ferry high season (20 May – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Island ferry high season, Peak summer season

• Season

  Peak summer season

  1 Jul – 31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  The whole Cape funnels through here for the boats, and Route 6 and the rotaries jam every Friday afternoon and Sunday evening. Main Street is at its best on a weekday morning before the day-boats land.

• 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 ↗

Still on: Island ferry high season (20 May – 15 Oct (usually)), White shark season (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Island ferry high season, Peak summer season

• Hazard

  Hurricane season

  15 Aug – 31 Oct · usuallyClosures

  New England catches the tail of Atlantic systems in late summer and autumn, and even a passing storm cancels the island ferries and takes the power out for a day or two. Direct hits are rare; disrupted travel is not. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Labor Day weekend

  5–7 SepNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  Labor Day, the first Monday of September, is the last big getaway of summer: the long weekend books out campsites and lodging and fills parking early, and families thin out quickly once it has passed. Source ↗

Still on: Island ferry high season (20 May – 15 Oct (usually)), White shark season (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Peak summer season (1 Jul – 31 Aug)

Peak crowds — Island ferry high season, Labor Day weekend

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Island ferry high season (20 May – 15 Oct (usually)), White shark season (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Hurricane season (15 Aug – 31 Oct (usually)), Labor Day weekend (5–7 Sep)

Busy — Island ferry high season

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Island ferry high season (20 May – 15 Oct (usually)), White shark season (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Hurricane season (15 Aug – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

• Season

  Winter shutdown

  1 Nov – 15 AprOff-season shutdownClosures

  Most of the seasonal restaurants and shops close and the ferry drops to the winter timetable, though Hyannis keeps more open year-round than the rest of the Cape because people actually live here. Rates halve.

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

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Winter shutdown (1 Nov – 15 Apr)