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.

The Bitter Pill

July 26, 2025

The Bitter Pill is a summer adventure race for teams of two or three. The race will be based out of the Burke Mountain Resort, in East Burke, Vermont. There’s a wonderful selection of nearby terrain and we look forward to highlighting this area in a new way. If you still have energy to burn on Sunday, or want to make a long weekend of it, we highly recommend taking advantage of the vast network of mountain bike trails in the region.

This race features summer disciplines like hiking, biking, and time on the water – as well as requiring you to continually navigate. We are known for being able to really challenge experienced teams while providing a great race for the first-timers. If you have never done an adventure race before, this is a great way to get started.

What’s the short description of this event? Let’s put it this way: we’ll get your team out into the woods and on the water, doing different activities, navigating with a map, and going to places you never would have otherwise. You’ll have an incredible, unique experience with other teams there to do the same. The competition is truly with the course – you’ll go as fast and far as you want to, all with a goal of making it to the finish and seeing as much of the course as possible.

Teams do not need support crews for this event. Outside of what is provided by the race organizers, teams must be self-sufficient. This is an adventure, after all!

Location: Burke, VT

Website: https://www.gmara.org/races/bitter