Long before there was Small Business Saturday, business owners got together and created Kennebunkport Prelude. The idea was to start a Christmas festival. That was back in 1982. Fast forward to today, and Kennebunkport Prelude is also Kennebunk Prelude as this holiday festival spans both towns.
When is Kennebunkport Prelude
Since the idea of Prelude is to welcome the Christmas and holiday season in general, it’s always some time between Thanksgiving and mid-December. For 2025, Kennebunkport Prelude is December 4-14, 2025.
Christmas tree lightings at Kennebunkport Prelude
Because this is a holiday event, you can expect a tree lighting. Actually, there are multiple ones. And in 2025 two happen on the same day, just about an hour apart.
The first tree lighting is in Dock Square, in downtown Kennebunkport. Dock Square already has an evergreen tree in the middle of the square, which is the one they light up for Prelude. That tree lighting happens on Friday, December 5 at 5:30 p.m.
The other tree lighting is in Cape Porpoise. There, they build a tree made from lobster traps. Then, they add lights to it. The Cape Porpoise Lobster Trap Tree Lighting is Friday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Then there are additional tree lightings in the Kennebunk Lower Village as well as a second tree lighting in Dock Square one week after the first.
Prelude pooch parade
Feel free to dress your dogs up in ugly Christmas sweaters or other festive holiday attire for the annual Prelude pooch parade on Sunday, December 14 at 11 a.m. In 2025, it will be the 15th annual parading of the pooches and their humans.
The parade begins on School Street in Kennebunkport at 11 a.m. Then, it proceeds to Maine Street and finally onto Ocean Avenue — all in Kennebunkport.
More Kennebunkport Prelude happenings
You can expect lots of other events to pop up during the Prelude period. For example, last year restaurants had special menus and pricing. Bars created signature cocktails for patrons to enjoy. And, there are always arts and crafts activities. We’re constantly updating the calendar of events, which you’ll find at the bottom of this page.
Keep an Eye one the Prelude Facebook Page
This article can help you, overall, with things to do in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Kennebunkport Prelude is a family-friendly activity to get you ready for the holidays. It’s great for families with young children as well as teens. In fact, if you’re world travelers and you’ve enjoyed European Christmas markets for teens, I’m confident they’ll also love checking out the Christmas markets in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport during Prelude. However, if you’re looking to get out of Maine for a family holiday, here are other Christmas vacation spots in the US.
Here is a link to the Christmas Prelude website.
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