LaBelle Lights opened for its season on Nov. 18, and over the next eleven days nearly every major holiday event in town opens or happens. It all ends with Thanksgiving weekend, when the town's own holiday day and a two-day craft market at LaBelle Winery overlap on the same Saturday.
That Saturday, Nov. 28, has two centers. Downtown, the Town of Derry runs Very Derry Holidays around the Derry Opera House at 29 West Broadway. Out on Route 111, LaBelle Winery hosts the second day of the Great New England Holiday Craft Market. To get to both, you need a plan before you leave the house.
Eleven Days, Start to Finish
Here is how the stretch lines up, starting from yesterday's light-show opening:
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 18 | LaBelle Lights season opens | 14 NH-111 |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | LightsFest, with fireworks, Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music | LaBelle Lights |
| Fri.–Sun., Nov. 20–22 | Kids Coop Theatre's The Little Mermaid Jr. | Derry Opera House |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Christmas ornament craft with the Currier Museum of Art | Derry Public Library |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | Adult ornament-making party | Derry Public Library |
| Fri.–Sat., Nov. 27–28 | Great New England Holiday Craft Market | LaBelle Winery, 14 Route 111 |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Very Derry Holidays and the Nutfield Holiday Parade | Downtown, 29 West Broadway |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Viva Las Elvis Christmas tribute concert | LaBelle Winery |
Before Thanksgiving, the schedule is a light-show kickoff, a children's musical and two library crafts. The two days after the holiday hold the parade, the tree lighting, Small Business Saturday and the biggest craft market on the list.
Broadway Gets the Whole Saturday
The Town of Derry has folded several separate traditions into one day. Its event listing at the Derry Opera House reads:
"Get ready for a day packed with holiday fun that includes the annual Nutfield Holiday Parade, family games & activities by Derry Parks & Rec, Small Business Saturday shopping and raffles, festive activities from the Greater Derry/Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, photos with Santa, and the annual Tree Lighting downtown! This year's theme is Sparkle & Song!"
That description comes from the Derry Opera House event page.
The parade sets the timing. The Greater Derry Londonderry Chamber of Commerce lists the Nutfield Holiday Parade for noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28, at the 29 West Broadway address. The games, Santa photos and Chamber activities all fall on that same day, along with the annual tree lighting downtown. Derry Parks & Recreation runs the family activities, so check with that office for exact times and spots before you go.
Running Small Business Saturday inside the parade day matters for downtown shops. Shopping and raffles are on the official program, which means the crowd that comes for the parade is already downtown when the stores open their doors.
The Storefronts Downtown Shoppers Will Pass
The downtown space that used to be Hare of the Dawg has a new name on it. The Union Leader reported on Oct. 9 that the restaurant was taking over the downtown Derry spot as its third location, with plans to open in the first week of November. The paper also visited its existing location in Haverhill, Mass., where macaroni and cheese headlines the menu. The Mac Daddies Derry page lists the address as 3 E. Broadway and offers online ordering. A Bandsintown listing shows a performance booked there on Saturday, Nov. 21.
Maddie's Brookside is spending its first holiday season at 4 South Main St. Patch reported that it opened this summer, held a ribbon cutting with the Southern New Hampshire Chamber of Commerce in June, and comes from the family behind Maddie's Restaurant.
The holiday errands on the Crystal Avenue side of town also changed this month. Ollie's Bargain Outlet moved into the former Big Lots at 55 Crystal Ave., Suite 201. The company announcement set Nov. 5 as opening day, and the Union Leader confirmed the next day that the store was open.
Route 111 Runs Its Own Calendar
Downtown packs its holiday into one Saturday. LaBelle Winery at 14 Route 111 spreads its events over weeks, and on Thanksgiving weekend the two calendars meet.
LaBelle Lights opened on Nov. 18. LaBelle describes it as an outdoor walk-through holiday and winter-themed light display with millions of lights. Its kickoff, LightsFest, is Friday, Nov. 20, with fireworks, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and live music. The lights page links to a season calendar with pricing and sells tickets online.
The rest of the winery's holiday schedule builds toward the same weekend as downtown:
- Nov. 27 and 28: the Great New England Holiday Craft Market, a two-day holiday craft fair at the Derry winery
- Nov. 29: Viva Las Elvis, an Elvis Christmas tribute concert
- Dec. 6: the annual Holiday Pops Concert, Brass & Strings
The craft market's second day falls on the same Saturday as the parade, so the biggest day at each end of town is the same day.
The Quieter Weeks on Either Side
Before and after Thanksgiving weekend, the season's smaller events happen indoors at a few downtown buildings.
- Derry Opera House, Nov. 20–22: Kids Coop Theatre stages The Little Mermaid Jr. the weekend before Thanksgiving.
- Derry Public Library, Nov. 23: a Christmas ornament crafternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. inspired by Tomie dePaola, run with the Currier Museum of Art as part of its Galleries of Trees community partnership. Registration is open on the library calendar.
- Derry Public Library, Nov. 24: the Adult Evening Craft Club holds an ornament-making party with kits to choose from.
- Derry Public Library, Dec. 2: a Holiday Treat Taste Test with treats from different winter holidays and from around the world.
- Derry Public Library, Dec. 7–9: Elf Training returns with crafts, songs, snacks and stories, in sessions at 3:30, 5:30 and 6:30.
- Derry Public Library, Dec. 16: a drop-in gift-wrapping session.
The December library calendar has the full times. These events matter because once Thanksgiving weekend is over, Derry's holiday season moves back indoors to the library and the Opera House. The only big date left at the winery after that is the Dec. 6 Pops concert.
Splitting Thanksgiving Saturday
Since the parade has a fixed time and the craft market runs both days, the order of your Saturday mostly decides itself:
- Go to LaBelle on Friday, Nov. 27. The market runs both days, so browsing on Friday leaves Saturday open for downtown.
- Be on Broadway by noon on Saturday. The Chamber lists the parade from noon to 2 p.m.
- Spend the rest of the day downtown. Small Business Saturday shopping, the raffles, the Parks & Rec games, Santa photos and the tree lighting are all on the day's program.
- Eat in town. Maddie's Brookside is at 4 South Main St., and the former Hare of the Dawg space at 3 E. Broadway is listed under the Mac Daddies name.
- Pick a LaBelle Lights night from the season calendar. The calendar shows which nights it's open, and tickets are sold online. If you're going to the Elvis show on Sunday, you'll already be at the winery.
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