On a Saturday morning in late October, the folding tables and vendor signs were set up again in Sunapee Harbor, even though the boats were already out of the water. The new Sunapee Winter Market opened on Saturday, October 10, with its first market at Woodbine Cottages in the Harbor. It runs every other Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through May 8, 2027. Project Sunapee says more than two dozen local artisans, makers and crafters have signed on, along with seasonal foods from area producers.
The market gives the stretch from fall through mud season a fixed Saturday morning every two weeks for seven months. Much of what's happening in town this winter falls on or near those Saturdays.
Sixteen Saturdays, Two Weeks Apart
Count it out from October 10 and you get 16 market days by May 8, 2027. By the time this post publishes on November 5, two have already happened, which leaves 14. The next one is this Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Here are the dates through the end of the year. They're easy to remember once you know the pattern.
| Date | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 5 | LSPA talk, "Septic Systems & the Health of Lake Sunapee," 6:30 to 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Sunapee Winter Market, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Sunapee Winter Market |
| Wed, Nov 25 | Mount Sunapee's target opening day, weather permitting |
| Tue, Dec 1 | Abbott Library, "Radon in NH: Test. Fix. Save a Life." |
| Fri, Dec 4 | LSPA septic systems workshop for practitioners |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Sunapee Winter Market |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Sunapee Village Christmas, 1 to 4 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 19 | Sunapee Winter Market, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Blue Streak Quartet at Abbott Library |
The November 21 and December 5 market dates come from counting forward on the every-other-Saturday schedule. Project Sunapee lists November 7 and December 19 directly.
After December 19, the same math lands on January 2, January 16 and January 30, and the series keeps going on that two-week pattern until it ends on May 8.
The Market Settles Into The Livery
The market was first announced as rotating among three locations: The Livery in Sunapee Harbor, Woodbine Cottages, and Newbury Vets Hall. The Livery's own Winter Market listing now places the markets from November 7 through May 8 at The Livery in Sunapee Harbor. So from here to spring, market Saturdays bring people downtown on mornings when the waterfront would otherwise be quiet.
The Livery is the most interesting of the three. According to The Livery's own history page, it was built as a horse stable for the Harbor House Hotel. Today it's a community venue for performances, art shows, classes, rentals and events, and it's owned by the Sunapee Heritage Alliance, a nonprofit. A building put up to serve summer hotel guests is now one of the places that keeps the Harbor busy in the off-season.
Project Sunapee's calendar still lists the Woodbine property for November 7, so check the Sunapee Winter Market Facebook page for the latest before you head out. Makers who want a table can request an application at [email protected].
What's Open Around the Market on a Harbor Saturday
The market's 10-to-1 window overlaps with the posted hours of several Harbor businesses, so a market morning easily turns into a longer stop.
- Sunapee Cellar & Pantry calls itself year-round. Its posted hours are Friday through Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., plus Monday and Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m., so it's open before the first vendor sets up.
- Harborside Trading posts hours of Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The store says it's open through New Year's Day.
- Prospect Hill Home sells furnishings, antiques and art, and it lists itself as open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Hoptimystic Brewing's Sunapee tasting room opens at noon on Saturdays and stays open until 9 p.m. It's closed Monday and Tuesday.
- Fenton's Landing says winter menu updates are on the way and advertises a Sunday brunch buffet at Hoptimystic Brewing.
Harborside Trading's New Year's Day cutoff is the date to remember. Two more market Saturdays fall before it, on December 5 and December 19, plus Village Christmas on December 12. After January 1, the shop's posted schedule ends, but the market keeps going.
December 12 Is the One Day Everything Lands in the Harbor at Once
Sunapee Village Christmas is Saturday, December 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. Project Sunapee's listing puts a Santa firetruck parade at 12:45 p.m., along with activities around the Harbor, horse-and-carriage rides, and events at The Livery.
Village Christmas falls on an off week, between the December 5 and December 19 markets. The Harbor ends up with something going on three Saturdays in a row in December, which is a lot of activity for a month that used to be quiet.
December 19 has its own pairing. The market runs that morning, and Abbott Library's December calendar lists a Blue Streak Quartet performance the same day.
Weeknights Belong to the Lake and the Library
Saturdays have the market. Weeknights this winter are about the lake, and much of the programming comes from the people who spend their summers studying it.
Tonight, Thursday, November 5, the Lake Sunapee Protective Association hosts "Septic Systems & the Health of Lake Sunapee," led by Burkehaven Fellow Maren Elvidge. It runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the LSPA Center for Lake Studies, 63 Main Street. On Friday, December 4, LSPA's events page lists a follow-up septic workshop for designers, installers, inspectors and town health officers, run with the Merrimack and Sullivan County Conservation Districts. So the same topic is covered twice, first for the public and then for the people who do the work.
That attention to the shoreline has already turned into work on the ground. The Valley News reported in October on a $50,000 project backed by NH LAKES that restored shoreline at Georges Mills Town Beach and Little Lake Sunapee. Native plants and stone were used to stabilize the banks, and volunteers put in nearly 400 shrubs and perennials. In the same article, LSPA watershed director Geoffrey Lizotte said the work was meant to limit erosion and nutrient runoff. The Town of Sunapee and the Little Lake Sunapee Protective Association partnered on the projects. Next summer's beach days in Georges Mills will be on a shoreline that people planted this fall.
Abbott Library covers the rest of the season's weeknights. Its November calendar listed "How to be an Animal Adventurer" with naturalist and author Susie Spikol, plus an adult board-game night, on November 3. On December 1, Mary Butow of New Hampshire DHHS presents "Radon in NH: Test. Fix. Save a Life." The January 2027 calendar already lists "The Great Big Winter Adventure with Miss Julieann" on January 7 and "Build a Bird of Prey with VINS" on January 14.
The Mountain Starts Its Season Midway Through the Market's
Mount Sunapee Resort, in the state park across the town line in Newbury and Goshen, is targeting a weather-permitting season from November 25, 2026, to April 4, 2027. That opening falls four days after the November 21 market. The ski season closes about a month before the market's May 8 finale, so the market both starts and ends outside the ski season.
On October 20, the resort presented its 2026-2030 Master Development Plan and Environmental Management Plan to the NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the Mount Sunapee Advisory Commission. Among the ideas under evaluation are about 105 more acres of terrain with lift, trail and circulation upgrades, about 123 more acres of snowmaking, lodge renovations, and West Bowl infrastructure. The section most relevant to locals who drive past the base area covers ways to reduce Route 103 congestion and improve arrivals and ski-school drop-off. The presentation itself describes these as planning ideas, not construction commitments or a capital schedule, and says any of them would still need further planning, approvals and annual capital decisions.
For younger skiers, Vail Resorts announced in August that 2026/27 Epic Pass and Epic Local Pass prices would be 20 percent lower for skiers and riders ages 13 to 30.
One Georges Mills Project to Watch Before Spring
The other item worth putting on your winter calendar is a bridge. On October 22, the Town of Sunapee invited bids to rehabilitate Main Street Bridge #121/166 over the Otter Pond Outlet in Georges Mills. Bids are due at 1 p.m. on Thursday, November 19. The bid notice doesn't include a construction schedule. If you cross that bridge every day, though, the bids are the first step toward work there, and the deadline falls just two days before the November 21 market.
If you sell at the Winter Market, make things in Sunapee, or just want help keeping track of what's changing around the Harbor this winter, Carter is glad to talk. And if you're curious what your own place near the lake is worth this season, Carter Auch can put together a Free Home Valuation, built on the same close local knowledge as the calendar above.
