Nantucket Noel 2020 holiday experiences will include:

27 November Tree Lighting: The annual Christmas Tree Lighting will be filmed prior to airing on Nantucket Community Television at 4:30pm on Friday 27 November. Main Street will not be shut down and the Chamber encourages residents and visitors to light their own tree at home at the same time.

28 November – 4 December: Trees will be safely decorated by business and community members, including involvement by island students. Volunteer tree decorators will be available to apply student decorations to trees to keep students, teachers, and families safe. Decorated trees will be photographed, and photos will be shared with participants.

4 December: Decorated trees and storefronts will be judged by a coterie of judges which will conduct tree judging mindful of all safety protocols. The winners will be announced via social media.

5 December: Voting will open for the People's Choice Tree and Storefront decorating contest. All storefront participants, along with the top ten (10) decorated trees will be selected for virtual voting for People’s Choice awards. Follow the Chamber on social media or vote at nantucketchamber.org/vote. Winners will be announced on social media on December 14th.

28 November – 13 December: In collaboration with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ My Local campaign, Nantucket Chamber will present Shop Santa’s Village Nantucket, a business-to-business initiative partnering nonprofits and businesses with shops that have physical locations to help all businesses have a successful year-end.

5 and 12 December: Virtual Visits with Santa Claus: There will be opportunities to secure time slots for families to schedule a virtual visit with Santa safely this year. Details will be announced on our website.

28 November – 13 December: Write to Santa: Children will be encouraged to send letters to Santa Claus, which he will read virtually on Nantucket Chamber’s social media outlets.

Double Red Ticket Saturdays (28 November, and 5,12 & 19 December): Double Red Tickets will be issued by participating businesses on Saturdays throughout Nantucket Noel (11/28, 12/5, 12/12 & 12/19). You can still sign up for your own POP UP Double Red Ticket Day by emailing Karmen@NantucketChamber.org

24 December Christmas Eve: Red ticket winners will be drawn virtually at 3pm via Nantucket Community Television. Details on the drawing will be announced at a later time.

While we are confident Nantucket Noel meets the current local and State safety guidelines, all initiatives are subject to change.

As Nantucket Chamber and the island overall have, for the past 47 years, been proactive in advertising and publicizing Christmas Stroll, this event has become a magnet for attracting visitors from off island regionally, nationally, and internationally. While regrettable, for the Nantucket community’s and any incidental visitors’ safety, the 2020 Christmas Stroll event has been utterly cancelled until 2021.

Nantucket Chamber, its members and organizations which typically market the island as a leisure destination for the autumn and subsequent holiday season will refrain from this marketing for the 2020 holiday season. The Nantucket Chamber communications will echo Governor Charlie Baker’s My Local initiative messaging encouraging island residents to patronize local enterprises which will be, this year more than ever, particularly vital.

Island businesses serving the public which choose to remain open during the 2020 holiday season will operate in full accordance with the Commonwealth’s public health directives, protocols, and guidance. All restaurants will operate with limited capacity as dictated by public health directives; bars will remain shuttered and all other businesses will operate by implementing statewide standards of sanitation, social distancing and reinforce face coverings.

Nantucket has made great progress to slow the spread of COVID-19 and gradually re-open the economy, and we all have a responsibility to keep transmission levels as low as possible. All visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, who do not meet an exemption, are required to complete the Massachusetts Travel Form.

There will be no equivocating about the fact that, for 2020, there will be no in person tree lighting ceremony, caroling, Santa parade and other activities and assemblies surrounding the 2020 holiday season Christmas Stroll.

In its place, the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce looks forward to the Nantucket Noel season. This allows Nantucket’s residents to safely enjoy the magic of the holiday season virtually, while still supporting local businesses for their holiday shopping.