On October 12, Allan Varela held a press conference at Middle Country Public Library in Centereach. Varela chairs the Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council, and he brought along four new figures: Jacob Marley's ghost and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. They are locally made, larger than life, and built from papier-mâché, and they will stand on the third floor of the Port Jefferson Village Center for the Charles Dickens Festival on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6. TBR News Media's account of the announcement calls this year the festival's 30th presentation. It started in 1995, the Arts Council took over production in 2005, and the 2020 festival was canceled, so the 2026 weekend is number 30.
Visitors will arrive that first weekend of December. By then, people who live in the village will have had four weeks of holiday events. The Village calendar lists a tree lighting, a rink opening, a Santa parade and a residents-only evening ahead of the festival. Several of them take place in the same building that will hold the new ghosts.
November 7: The Carol Opens a Month Ahead
Theatre Three is first. Its Mainstage production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, adapted by Jeffrey Sanzel, runs from November 7 to December 27, 2026. The show runs two hours with a 15-minute intermission, and every evening performance starts at 7 p.m., which the theater bills as a family-friendly start time.
Ticket prices depend on the month. The posted prices are $45 for adults, $36 for seniors 65 and older and for students 13 and older, and $30 for children ages 5 to 12. Every November performance is $30 for everyone. An adult who goes in November pays $15 less than one who waits for December. Theatre Three is also one of the two festival venues that charge admission during Dickens weekend. A seat in the first three weeks of the run costs less and comes before the festival crowds.
The run also ends three weeks after the festival does. The Carol opens the village's holiday season and runs until December 27, well past the festival weekend.
Thanksgiving Week Moves the Season Outdoors
The Village calendar puts three events into five days around Thanksgiving:
- Wednesday, November 25, 6 p.m.: the BID Tree Lighting at the corner of Broadway and Main.
- Friday, November 27: outdoor ice skating on the harbor opens at The Rinx at Harborfront Park. The Village lists a season running through March 14, 2027.
- Sunday, November 29, 1 p.m.: the Santa Parade on Main Street. A Santa visit follows at the Village Center from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
The Village calendar is the source for the rink's November 27 opening. As of late October, The Rinx's own Port Jefferson page still said the rink was closed for the season. The Rinx's public skating page lists a November 27 opening and these prices and session times, which it says may change without notice.
| When | Adults | Seniors | Children 11 and under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | $14 | $6 | $12 |
| Weekends and school vacations | $16 | $7 | $13 |
| Friday and Saturday nights | $17 | $17 | $17 |
| Skate rental, any session | $8 | $8 | $8 |
Monday through Thursday, sessions run 12 to 1:30, 2 to 3:30, 4 to 5:30 and 6:30 to 8 p.m. Fridays add a late session from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturdays start with a 10 to 11:30 a.m. session and also run until 10 p.m. On Friday and Saturday evenings, 6:15 to 7:45 is reserved for private parties. A weekday afternoon is the cheapest time to skate and probably the easiest time to bring a group.
The rink is also one of the festival's major sponsors. The Arts Council lists The Rinx alongside Northwell Mather Hospital, Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine.
Friday, December 4, Is for Residents
The festival weekend begins the night before, with an event held for the village. The Arts Council describes a traditional Lantern Dedication and the annual Village Residents' Night at the Port Jefferson Village Center. The Village calendar lists Resident Night for 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, December 4.
The 2026 program hasn't been published yet. A past year shows what the night has looked like. TBR News Media reported that village officials gathered at two lanterns on Main Street for memorial dedications. Afterward, residents went to the Village Center for hot chocolate, cookies and ice skating, and Santa arrived on his sleigh for photos. That describes an earlier festival, not this year's plan. The format is the same as the rest of the season, though. The evening starts on Main Street and moves to the building at 101 East Broadway.
One Building, Three Floors of Festival
The Village Center is the busiest address of the season. Over four weeks, the Village calendar lists it as the location for the November 29 Santa visit, the rink opening and Residents' Night. During the festival, TBR reports, the Festival of Trees will fill its second floor and the four new papier-mâché ghosts will go on its third. Newsday's 2025 coverage described the opening parade traveling down East Main Street to the Village Center.
A short walk away, Tiny Tim's Train Station is again planned for the Harbormaster Building. The Arts Council's 2026 outline lists Santa Claus Central, Dickens street characters performing short street plays, and carolers roaming the village. TBR adds a radio-style presentation of A Christmas Carol, concerts, holiday crafts and readings from Dickens' novels. It also counts about 125 to 130 costumed street characters, carolers and theatrical performances around the village. Varela also told TBR to expect "some fantastic and different caroling groups."
Most of it costs nothing. In TBR's report, Varela described the exceptions this way:
"With the exception of activities at the Masonic Lodge and Theatre Three, everything is free."
So the two paid stops during the festival are the Masonic Lodge and Theatre Three, and Theatre Three costs less in November.
The Weekend, by the Clock
The festival starts and ends with a parade. The Grand East Main Street Opening Parade steps off Saturday at 11 a.m., and Pickwick's Puppet Parade closes the festival starting Sunday at 5 p.m. Both start earlier than last year. Newsday's 2025 coverage listed the opening parade at 11:15 a.m. and the puppet parade at 5:15 p.m. If you go by last year's times, you'll be 15 minutes late to both.
A shuttle bus will run from outlying parking lots into the village. The Arts Council said in early fall that the full 2026 schedule would come out in October and pointed readers to its Dickens Festival page. Church venues, timed performances and the remaining new attractions Varela promised should be announced there as the weekend gets closer.
The Season, in Order
- Saturday, November 7: A Christmas Carol opens at Theatre Three. Every November performance is $30.
- Wednesday, November 25, 6 p.m.: BID Tree Lighting at Broadway and Main.
- Friday, November 27: outdoor skating opens at The Rinx at Harborfront Park, according to the Village calendar.
- Sunday, November 29, 1 p.m.: Santa Parade on Main Street, then a Santa visit at the Village Center from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
- Friday, December 4, 6 to 8:30 p.m.: Lantern Dedication and Village Residents' Night at the Village Center.
- Saturday, December 5, 11 a.m.: Grand East Main Street Opening Parade starts the 30th Charles Dickens Festival.
- Sunday, December 6, 5 p.m.: Pickwick's Puppet Parade ends the festival.
- Sunday, December 27: A Christmas Carol closes at Theatre Three.
- Sunday, March 14, 2027: last scheduled day of the Harborfront Park rink season.
The Newsom Team works across Port Jefferson and the North Shore, and we follow the village calendar from the tree lighting to the last parade. If you live here and are wondering what your home is worth heading into the new year, John Newsom and the team can put together a free home valuation, with no pressure, on your schedule.
