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

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

• Closure

  Off-season shutdown

  5 Jan – 10 Apr · usually

  Most restaurants, shops and hotels close for the winter and the ferry timetable thins to a handful of crossings. Ten thousand people live here in February against fifty thousand in August. Source ↗

Still on: Nor'easter season (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Off-season shutdown (5 Jan – 10 Apr (usually)), Nor'easter season (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Off-season shutdown (5 Jan – 10 Apr (usually)), Nor'easter season (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Daffodil Festival

• Hazard

  Tick season

  1 Apr – 31 Oct · usuallyInsect season

  The island's deer ticks carry Lyme, babesiosis and tularemia at rates among the highest anywhere, and the moors and bike-path verges are where they wait. Long trousers, and a check at the end of every day. Source ↗

• Festival

  Daffodil Festival

  20 Apr – 2 May · usuallyWildflowers & bloomsCrowdedBook early

  Three million bulbs along the island roads and a parade of antique cars out to Siasconset for a tailgate picnic, on the last weekend of April. It is the weekend the island reopens. Source ↗

Still on: Off-season shutdown (5 Jan – 10 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Daffodil Festival, Figawi race weekend

• Season

  Fog season

  1 May – 31 Jul · usuallyRiskClosures

  Warm air over a cold sea puts the island inside cloud for days at a stretch in early summer, and the small planes to Boston and Hyannis are the first thing it stops. Build a spare day into a June trip. Source ↗

• Festival

  Figawi race weekend

  20–30 May · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Two hundred-odd boats sail from Hyannis over Memorial Day weekend and the crews stay for the party. The island's first properly full weekend, and not a quiet one. Source ↗

Still on: Tick season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Daffodil Festival (20 Apr – 2 May (usually))

Peak crowds — Nantucket Film Festival, Summer break in United States

• Festival

  Nantucket Film Festival

  20 Jun – 1 Jul · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  Five days at the end of June built around screenwriting rather than red carpets, with staged readings and panels in the old whaling-town halls. Rooms are already at summer rates by then. Source ↗

Still on: Tick season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Fog season (1 May – 31 Jul (usually))

Peak crowds — Nantucket Film Festival, High summer

• Season

  High summer

  1 Jul – 31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Population multiplies by five, the car ferry is booked out months ahead and dinner needs a reservation two weeks early. Bring a bike instead of a car and the island works. Source ↗

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  15 Jul – 20 Sep · usually

  The island sits far enough offshore that the water lags the air by a month. The harbour beaches on the sound side are always several degrees warmer than the south shore. Source ↗

Still on: Tick season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Fog season (1 May – 31 Jul (usually)), Nantucket Film Festival (20 Jun – 1 Jul (usually))

Peak crowds — High summer, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Tick season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), High summer (1 Jul – 31 Aug), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jul – 20 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States

• Season

  The quiet weeks

  8 Sep – 20 Oct · usually

  September and early October keep the warm water and lose the crowd, and the moors out towards Altar Rock turn red. Ferries thin out again after Columbus Day weekend.

Still on: Tick season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jul – 20 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Tick season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), The quiet weeks (8 Sep – 20 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Christmas Stroll, Thanksgiving break in United States

• Festival

  Christmas Stroll

  27 Nov – 8 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The first weekend of December, when the cobbled centre lights up, Santa arrives by boat and the whole island opens for three days before shutting again for the winter. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Christmas Stroll, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Hazard

  Nor'easter season

  1 Dec – 31 Mar · usuallyWind seasonClosures

  Winter storms track up the coast and put the ferries and the flights on hold a day or two at a time, and take another few feet off the south-shore bluff while they are about it. Source ↗

Still on: Christmas Stroll (27 Nov – 8 Dec (usually))