The Charles Dickens Festival turns 30 this year. The Port Jefferson Arts Council has set the 30th annual festival for Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, 2026, with Northwell Mather Hospital as presenting sponsor and the Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson as partner. And on the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce's calendar, the village's holiday season starts well before that weekend.

The festival weekend

The festival opens a day early for locals. On Friday, December 4, the Arts Council holds its traditional Lantern Dedication and the annual Village Residents' Night at the Port Jefferson Village Center.

The public festival runs Saturday and Sunday. The Grand East Main Street Opening Parade steps off Saturday at 11 a.m., and Pickwick's Puppet Parade closes the weekend starting at 5 p.m. Sunday. In between, the village streets become a stage: costumed Dickens characters perform a series of street plays, carolers move through downtown, and stations including Tiny Tim's Train Station and Santa Claus Central are set up around the village. Restaurants serve Dickens-inspired menus, and a shuttle bus brings visitors in from outlying parking lots.

The Arts Council's festival page lists its major sponsors as Northwell Mather Hospital, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook Medicine, The Rinx, the State Farm Stephanie Sgroi Agency and North Suffolk Cardiology. The full hour-by-hour schedule is posted on that page as it is released. The Arts Council is also looking for volunteers, from caroling groups to people who can help set up the sets.

Before the festival: four weeks of holiday events

The Chamber of Commerce calendar fills in the weeks leading up to Dickens:

  • Reindeer Scavenger Hunt, November 22 to January 4. The Chamber's hunt runs through the holidays and into the new year.
  • Port Jefferson BID Tree Lighting, Wednesday, November 25. The downtown Business Improvement District lights the village tree the night before Thanksgiving.
  • Santa Parade and Visit, Sunday, November 29, 1:30 to 4 p.m. The Chamber's annual parade brings Santa into the village the Sunday after Thanksgiving, followed by visits.
  • Festival of Trees, December 1 to January 2. Trees decorated by local businesses, civic associations, nonprofits and residents fill the second floor of the Port Jefferson Village Center for the month. The Village Center is also home to the village's outdoor ice rink. Groups that want to decorate a tree can still download the criteria and sponsor agreement from the Chamber; sponsorship is $250.
  • Holiday Window Decorating Contest, all of December. Brick-and-mortar shops in the village decorate their storefronts and compete for votes.

Two more dates round out the season. Long Island Restaurant Week runs through November 8, and the Chamber lists Black Pearl Seafood Chophouse, Castaways Steak and Seafood, Pasta Pasta and RUVO among its participating members. And on Wednesday, December 9, at 11 a.m., the Chamber's calendar lists a dedication for the Suffolk 250 time capsule.

How to go

Most festival attractions are outdoors in the streets of Port Jefferson Village, and the festival shuttle runs from outlying parking lots. The Port Jefferson Arts Council is at 101 East Broadway and can be reached at 631-473-5220 or [email protected]. The Chamber of Commerce, at 118 West Broadway, answers questions about the Santa Parade, the Festival of Trees and the window contest at 631-473-1414.

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