BURKE AREA EVENTS
Farmers' Markets, the Strawberry Festival, VT Children's Theater performances, The Annual Burke Fall Festival, WinterBike.... events of all sorts happen in and around Burke. Moonlit snowshoe treks, live music performances, seasonal parades, craft fairs, Open Studios weekend, snowmobile drag races...it's all here! To keep up to date on local happenings and special deals, sign up for the monthly Burke enewsletter.
From October - March, enjoy ice skating at Chester Arena - check their website for Public Skate times and other events.
The Catamount Arts Center in St. Johnsbury also features a range of events every week including independent film showings, classic films, theater, opera performances, live music as well as classes and workshops for all ages. Check out their Events Calendar to see what's going on.
For event listings in other Northeast Kingdom towns, visit www.nekchamber.com.
First Night North
December 31, 2025 | 4:00 PM
Catamount Arts and First Night North 2026 celebrate the 32nd year of Vermont’s favorite and longest running New Year’s Eve performance festival. Featuring over 150 performers in over 75 shows in a dozen St. Johnsbury venues, First Night North guarantees a full eight hours of fun for the entire community.
The eagerly anticipated festivities, presented by Catamount Arts in partnership with the First Night North committee and countless community supporters, will take place Wednesday, December 31st.. The fun begins at 4pm with early bird entertainment for all ages, including dance, live music, comedy, juggling, magic, planetarium shows, and longtime favorites the Family Fun Fair and pancake supper.
Celebrants with enough stamina for the full eight hours of live entertainment will have dozens of all-ages family-friendly shows to choose from, including storytellers, puppetry, vaudeville, hypnosis, and even more dance, magic, and music, culminating in a community countdown to the New Year, the raising of the First Night North Ball of Light, and a midnight dance party to welcome the New Year.
Musical acts include a wide range of soloists, duets, choirs, and bands offering nearly every imaginable genre: bluegrass, folk, jazz, Celtic, blues, R&B, Tibetan, contemporary, classic rock, and more. Although the schedule is still evolving, over a dozen brand new acts are anticipated in addition to longtime First Night favorites like Tritium Well, Marko the Magician and Hypnotist, and newer favorites like Silk and Spice Belly Dance, You’ve Got to be Kidding, and karaoke.
This year’s festivities will also include Reiki, Highland dance, marionettes, tarot readings, juggling, and a gallery show at Catamount Arts.
There will be plenty to eat throughout the festival, both indoors and out, as food trucks, community centers, and venues up and down Main Street prepare a variety of tasty vittles ranging from full dinners to desserts and snacks as well as First Night’s traditional and beloved pancake-and-sausage supper.
Patrons are encouraged as always to sample a variety of shows, and RCT’s electric buses will help by running free shuttle service among performance venues. Buses can be flagged down anywhere along the route.
New this year, First Night North committee is thrilled to announce free student admission thanks to generous community sponsors!
Location: St. Johnsbury, VT 
Website: https://www.catamountarts.org/first-night-north
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