New Haven - It All Happens Here

 Holiday Happenings

Start your holidays off on the right elf slipper with the City of New Haven's time-honored, annual Holiday Tree Lighting on the Green on December 3. Festivities run from 4p to 8p on the Lower New Haven Green (Temple, Elm, Chapel and Church Streets)and feature plenty of free family-friendly activities including live musical performances, a meet and greet with Santa himself and, of course, the lighting of the holiday tree.  (203) 946.7172; www.cityofnewhaven.com)

December 3 also marks the start of Town Green Special Services District’s Luminaria on the Green sponsored by Casey Family Services. Bring the family downtown to light up the Upper New Haven Green.

Take a stroll across the historic New Haven Green, weaving through the Luminaria (over 1,200 illuminated paper bags) and enjoy free popcorn and cider at INFO New Haven (1000 Chapel Street).

Children can decorate their own Luminaria bags at the “Light Your Way” station sponsored by Casey Family Services. The Luminaria is lit every Thursday (Dec. 3, 10 and 17) 6p to 9p (New Haven Upper Green, Chapel and College Streets, (203) 773.9494).

Participate in New Haven’s first Holiday Window Wonderland, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings 5p–8p from November 27 to December 19. Area merchants, restaurants, theaters, and museums celebrate the season by staying open late and offering great promotions and special events.

Stroll along Historic Chapel Street over to Broadway and see the displays come alive in New Haven’s one-of-a-kind boutiques.

*Stores with live models include: Barnes & Noble Yale Bookstore, Celtica, derek simpson…….goldsmith, Idiom, Kerin, Seychelles, Thom Brown, Tracy B, Trailblazer, Enclave, Denali, Urban Objects/urban baby, Wave Gallery and Wish List.

Clamber into a horse-drawn carriage and ride in style along the York Promenade while enjoying live musical performances and the scent of roasted chestnuts.

Don’t miss Santa on Saturdays from 5p–8p at the Barnes & Noble Yale Bookstore (77 Broadway, (203) 777.8440), the largest bookstore between New York and Boston. Stores on Broadway are always open until 9p.

The arts district of Westville comes alive this holiday season on Sunday, Dec. 13 with the Village Menorah Lighting, 4:45 p, Whalley Ave. & Blake St., followed by 5 p car parade downtown to New Haven Green Menorah Lighting.

Monday Dec. 14, catch the 3rd Annual “Chanukah in Westville Village” Celebration & Menorah Lighting, 4:30p at Mitchell Library, 37 Harrison St., and 5:30p at Whalley Ave. & Blake St.  At 4:30p, there’s a Chanukah program at Mitchell Library: See a Chanukah video, hear a Chanukah story, create a Chanukah craft, and taste a Chanukah treat. Feel the excitement, join the festivities, and win great prizes! At 5:30p, march one block to the Village to light Westville's largest menorah, standing 10' tall. Sponsored by Chabad of Westville, 203-389-8472.

And on Thurs. Dec. 17 enjoy Holiday Stories and Card Making at Mitchell Library, 37 Harrison St., 4p. Listen to new books about Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings Day. Hands-on card-making workshop to follow. All ages welcome.
For more on holiday events in Westville visit www.westvillect.org.

December 10 marks the return of  The International Festival of Arts and Ideas collaboration with Phil Kline for  “Unsilent Night,” a free boombox parade of carols through the city streets. The event begins at the Barnes & Noble Yale Bookstore (77 Broadway, (203) 777.8440) where participants can mingle and enjoy refreshments before heading out at 6:15p. The group will proceed through city streets and across the New Haven Green before returning to the Bookstore for a meet and greet with Phil Kline.

www.artidea.org or call 888-ART-IDEA

 Arts & Entertainment

The Shubert Theater's annual holiday runs of classics A Christmas Carol (Nov. 27–29) and The Nutcracker (Dec. 18-19) presented by The New Haven Ballet are sure to get you in the mood for decking the halls. 247 College Street, (203) 562.5666 www.shubert.com

For a quirky take on the holidays, don’t miss Have You Seen Us?, a world premiere by Athol Fugard at The Long Wharf Theater  This debut, (Nov. 24-Dec.20) celebrates the human search for common humanity and the quest is set in a diner on Christmas Eve. 222 Sargent Drive, (203) 787.4282 www.longwharf.org

And don’t forget to catch  holiday classic films at  Criterion Cinemas. Gather the family round the silver screen to enjoy A Christmas Story, 1983 (Dec. 5 & 6), Scrooged, 1988 (Dec. 12 & 13), It’s a Wonderful Life, 1954 (Dec. 19 & 20) and White Christmas, 1954 (Dec. 26 & 27). 86 Temple Street, (203) 498.2500 www.bowtiecinemas.com

Download a full calendar of events here. 

Shopping

Downtown boasts plenty of shops to help you check off the items on your holiday list. From boutique gifts for that special someone to rad vinyl records for your favorite music buff, New Haven has it all.

And by the way, spending your hard-earned dough in the name of others pays off for you, too courtesy of the Gift with Purchase program.  

From Nov 27, 2009 to Jan 15, 2010, spend $50, $100 or $200 in downtown and score a free drink voucher, a movie pass to Criterion Cinemas or both (respectively). Just save your receipts and bring them down to INFO New Haven (1000 Chapel Street) and receive your voucher. Now that’s the holiday cheer we’re talking about. Click here for rules and a list of restaurants redeeming the drink voucher.
 

 Dining

Those looking for tasty dining deal can enjoy See Sip and Savor; an epicurean celebration featuring 20 New Haven restaurants, serving up mouthwatering dinner prix fixe menus for $29 per person before or after the theater. 

If there’s a rumble in your belly, New Haven is the place to cure it. Dine on everything from hamburghers at the Educated Burger to hamburgers at Louis Lunch. In the mood for more sophisticated fare? Delight in knowing that you can have authentic dishes from ‘round the world.  In fact you can eat your way through the Elm City and feel like you’ve dined across the world. Click here to browse all of New Haven’s dining enclaves.