Weston's holiday calendar runs through three local institutions, and all three start their December programs on the same weekend. On Saturday, December 5, the Weston Art & Innovation Center holds its Handmade Holiday Market, and the Weston Friendly Society opens Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella. The Town of Weston's calendar also lists the first day of the Golden Ball Tavern Museum's "Trimming the Tavern" for that Saturday. Since so much falls on two days, the planning has to start in November. Three of the season's best events need a ticket or a registration, and two of them are already on sale.
November in Weston starts this week. The Weavers' Guild Annual Sale opens today, Thursday, November 5, at the Weston Art & Innovation Center at 356 Boston Post Road. It runs 4 to 7 p.m. tonight and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7. If you plan on handmade gifts this year, this is the first sale of the season in town, a full month before the holiday market in the same building.
The November Dates That Decide December
- Already open: Twilight at the Tavern tickets. The Golden Ball Tavern Museum's candlelit evening is Tuesday, December 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. Guests walk through the museum's decorated rooms by candlelight. Tickets went on sale November 1, and this is the one ticketed piece of the tavern's holiday program.
- Already open: Cinderella tickets. The Weston Friendly Society has seats on sale for all four performances, on December 5, 6, 12 and 13.
- Sunday, November 8, 1 to 3 p.m.: last Second Sunday Open House of the year at the Golden Ball Tavern. It's free and family-friendly.
- Friday, November 13, 6 p.m.: "An Ordinary Bill of Fare." Stacy Booth gives a talk on tavern food at the museum's Visitors Center. It's free and sponsored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, but the museum says space is limited and asks people to register.
The talk on the 13th is a good lead-in to December. The tavern's holiday decorations are built around stories, and Booth's talk covers what people actually ate and drank in a colonial tavern. It's a good way to see the building before it's dressed for the season, and it costs nothing if you register in time.
Saturday, December 5, Three Openings at Once
This is how the first weekend of December lines up, using each organization's own listings.
| Date | Event | Where | Hours | Cost or access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Handmade Holiday Market | Weston Art & Innovation Center, 356 Boston Post Road | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Listed on the AIC calendar |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Cinderella opening performance | Weston Friendly Society | See ticketing page | Tickets on sale now |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | "Trimming the Tavern" first day on the town calendar | Golden Ball Tavern | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Cinderella second performance | Weston Friendly Society | See ticketing page | Tickets on sale now |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | "Trimming the Tavern" | Golden Ball Tavern | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Free |
Sunday's tavern hours are worth a second look. The town calendar lists the tavern from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 6, two hours shorter than Saturday. If you want to see the rooms on Sunday, go in the morning.
This year's Cinderella is the Broadway version of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, with a newer book by Douglas Carter Beane. It keeps the familiar songs, including "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible/It's Possible" and "Ten Minutes Ago." Lisa Tierney directs, Andrew Wray is music director and Caroline Hubbard choreographs. The Weston Friendly Society says it has produced musical theater in Greater Boston since 1885. It also offers a way to see the show for free if you volunteer as an usher. The second weekend, December 12 and 13, gives you a fallback if the opening weekend is full.
Why the Tavern's Start Date Reads Two Ways
The Golden Ball Tavern Museum's events page lists "Trimming the Tavern" for December 6 through 12. The Town of Weston's community calendar has daily entries starting a day earlier, on Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and running through December 12. The difference matters if you planned to go to the market and the tavern on the same Saturday. Check the museum's events page the week before to confirm.
Every source agrees on the theme. This year's "Trimming the Tavern" is called "A Winter's Tale," and the museum says it will celebrate books and stories about the wonder, warmth and traditions of the holiday season. It's free and family-friendly. Twilight at the Tavern on Tuesday, December 8, is the evening version of the same rooms, lit by candles, and the one part of the week that needs a ticket.
On a quiet weekday, the full week of the tavern program fits well with the second Cinderella weekend. You could see the decorated rooms on a weekday, go to Twilight on the 8th, and save the show for Saturday the 12th or Sunday the 13th. That spreads the season across eight days without losing anything from the crowded first weekend.
November at the AIC, Through Thanksgiving Weekend
Between the Weavers' Guild sale and the Handmade Holiday Market, the Weston Art & Innovation Center fills the end of November with smaller sessions. The building's own schedule is also worth knowing.
- Wednesday, November 11: Closed for Veterans Day.
- Saturday, November 21: Floral Thanksgiving Centerpiece Workshop, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, November 25: Thanksgiving holiday hours, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Thursday, November 26: Closed for Thanksgiving.
- Friday, November 27: Fix-It First Fridays Lamp Repair & Rewiring, 10 a.m. to noon, plus a Sequin Ornament Workshop from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Saturday, November 28: Free Drop-In, Handmade Cards for Hospitalized Kids, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The lamp-repair session the day after Thanksgiving comes at a useful time. A table lamp that stopped working in October can be fixed in time for the darkest weeks of the year. The ornament workshop at the same hour fits the decorating that follows a week later. Several other November workshops on the AIC calendar already show as sold out, including the watercolor series and the coiled basket weaving session on November 12. Check the AIC site early for anything with limited seats.
What Stays Open After the Decorations Come Down
The tavern doesn't close when the holiday week ends. The Golden Ball Tavern Museum is open for tours every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and tickets can be bought ahead of time. The tours cover 200 years of the Jones family, the "Weston Tea Party," and visits from General Gage's spies and Paul Revere's men.
The museum also lists a yearlong exhibit, "Lost Liberties – Broken Promises." It focuses on the enslaved, Indigenous people, displaced Loyalists and veterans of Weston who were on the wrong side of history. A grant from Mass Humanities pays for the exhibit through its "Expand Massachusetts Stories – Promises of the Revolution" program, which focuses on the 250th anniversary of the Revolution. A quiet Thursday in January is a good time to see the building and the exhibit after the December crowds have gone.
The Weston Friendly Society's next show is also on the calendar. 9 to 5, with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, runs April 10 to 18, and the company says tickets will go on sale in February.
Every event here comes from the organizers' own live calendars, and those can change. Before you go, check the Golden Ball Tavern Museum, the Weston Art & Innovation Center and the Weston Friendly Society.
At Bell Property Partners, we follow how Weston's calendar fills because we see what it shows about the town, from a colonial tavern museum to a musical theater company that dates to 1885. If you're thinking about your own plans for next year in Weston, whether that means staying, renovating or selling, we're glad to help. Request a complimentary home valuation, and we'll show you where your home stands as the new year begins.
