The Nubble Still Lights Up in York. The Party Moved Down the Road.

On Saturday, November 28, the holiday lights on Cape Neddick Light will come on at noon. There won't be a countdown, a crowd at the railing, or a line of cars backed up on Nubble Road. Seven hours later and down the shore, fireworks will go up over Long Sands Beach in front of the Anchorage Inn. That's where York now holds the evening that used to center on the lighthouse.

So the Nubble lighting is now two separate events. The town has handed the gathering to a beachfront inn, and the lighthouse itself is left for the 66 quieter nights after it. If you're planning around that first Saturday, you're planning for the party. If you want the lighthouse, there's a lot more of the season to work with.

Why the Gathering Left Sohier Park

For years, the holiday display started with a big community event at Sohier Park. Then the pandemic interrupted it. In November 2021, Seacoastonline reported that York would skip a formal Lighting of the Nubble ceremony for the second year in a row. A year later, the York Weekly reported that the event had been canceled for three years running, and caretaker Matt Rosenberg said he wasn't sure when it would come back.

It never came back to the park. York Parks and Recreation now says plainly why on its Festival of Lights page:

"Although we still illuminate the Nubble Lighthouse, we no longer hold events at Sohier Park due to safety concerns stemming from large crowds, limited parking, and the lack of adequate egress routes for gatherings of that size."

Sohier Park has about 50 free parking spaces and no overnight parking. The town kept the lights and gave the gathering to a venue with room for it.

Down Long Beach Avenue, the Evening Has a Schedule

The Ramsey's at the Anchorage Inn, 265 Long Beach Avenue, took over the celebration. The town thanks Caitlynn, Ray, and the rest of the Ramsey's by name for keeping the tradition going. This year is the 4th Annual Lighting of the Anchorage. The inn's own building gets the thousands of lights now, and the Nubble shines on its own across the water.

The inn's posted plan for the weekend:

An ice bar serves drinks for purchase all evening. The inn asks local guests to park along Long Sands Beach and follow the posted parking rules. Long Sands has far more curb than the lot at the point, and that's a big reason the night works there. The inn sits right across from the beach, so you can stroll the sand before the fireworks without ever going near Nubble Road.

Sixty-Six Nights for the Quieter View

The lighthouse's season runs much longer than the party. The town keeps the Nubble lit from November 28 through February 1, 2027, from dusk to midnight and again for an hour before sunrise. That's 66 evenings, plus 66 short pre-dawn windows for anyone who's up early on a school day. Opening night accounts for one of those evenings, and the crowd will be on Long Sands that night anyway.

On the other 65, the 50-space lot at Sohier Park is in proportion again. In that 2022 York Weekly piece, Rosenberg noted that cold, quiet December nights at the park can mean fewer visitors. The town's Sohier Park regulations keep the lot open through daylight and evening hours and prohibit parking from midnight to 5 a.m. The lights go off at midnight too, so a late visit just needs to wrap up when they do.

Getting out to the point may also feel different this winter. York's Department of Public Works restarted Phase 6 of the Nubble Road Improvement Project the week of September 6. That phase covers roughly 976 feet of Nubble Road between Sohier Park and the ViewPoint Hotel. The plan widens the road from about 22 feet to 26, adds a five-foot sidewalk on the land side, paves the shoulders, puts in Dirigo Slipform concrete curbing, and replaces undersized culverts. Base paving was scheduled to start October 23, and sidewalk paving was penciled in for the first week of November. DPW described this stretch as one of the harder phases because of the hard ledge under it, and every date is weather dependent. The new sidewalk on that stretch gives folks a dedicated path for the final approach to the lighthouse.

York Parks and Recreation maintains the lighthouse. The 2022 York Weekly report said revenue from the Sohier Park gift shop covers the lighthouse's year-round maintenance, so the department can handle upkeep without asking voters for money. On a winter visit, the town's Nubble Light House page shows the gift shop and restrooms at Sohier Park closed for the season.

How the Town Brings People to the Nubble Now

Parks and Recreation still brings people out to the lighthouse in December, but in small groups. The Polar Express runs December 2, 3 and 4, the nights before the parade. Folks in pajamas board a trolley named Homer for a ride through York Beach to the lit Nubble, where someone reads Chris Van Allsburg's story with the lighthouse behind them. Then everyone heads back to Woody's Brick Oven Pizza for hot chocolate, cookies, and a visit from someone dressed in red. Space is very limited, registration is required, and the event is for York residents only.

After that, the season moves inland to the village. The rest of the Festival of Lights calendar:

1. Gingerbread House Competition, Saturday, December 5. Entries go to Town Hall between 2 and 3 p.m., with public viewing and voting from 3 to 4:30 p.m. There are five categories. Everything has to be edible, and pre-registration is required. The Beach Rose co-hosts and sells hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies during voting. The houses go on display at the York Public Library the week of December 8.
2. Festival of Lights Parade, Saturday, December 5, 4:30 p.m. It starts promptly. Businesses, clubs, and community groups can still apply through the town's online form, with awards for Best Business, Best Use of Lights, Best Antique Car, and more.
3. Winter Community Concert, Saturday, December 12, 7 p.m. The Seacoast Wind Ensemble plays holiday favorites at the York Community Auditorium. Doors open at 6:30, and tickets are $5.

The concert closes out the festival on December 12. The Nubble stays lit for another seven weeks after that. Its lights go dark on February 1.

Your house might be on the Festival of Lights parade route, or maybe the Nubble is part of your view all winter. Either way, knowing when the town is quiet and when it fills up comes in handy, whether you're hosting loved ones over the holidays or thinking about how your own home will look in winter photos. If you'd like to talk about life or listings around York Beach this season, Bailey Pate would love to hear from you. Get in Touch.