Excitement building for 2025 Blue Hills Winterfest

As the snow of late December showed, winter has arrived in the Boston area, which means it’s finally time to get ready for Winterfest.

Presented by the Friends of the Blue Hills in collaboration with the Blue Hills Ski Area and several other community partners, this free, annual celebration will take place on Friday, January 24, from 4-8 p.m. at the base of Great Blue Hill.

All are welcome to join the Friends for a night of good food and fun featuring a variety of outdoor and indoor activities. Attendees can get some exercise on the slopes and then warm up by the fire in the lodge while listening to live music by Lynn Joliecoeur and the Pulse. There will be arts and crafts for kids to enjoy as well.

Orchard Cove, a Canton-based senior living community, returns as an event sponsor, and Orchard Cove’s chefs will again take part in the annual Winterfest chili cook-off. Also set to compete for the title of Best Chili in the Blue Hills are Canton’s Northern Spy restaurant, Oasis Vegan Veggie Parlor from Dorchester, Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition, Abby Park from Milton, and The Fowler House from Quincy.

New this year are a guided twilight hike, tubing, kite flying, balance boarding, potato sack races, shoe demos, and a raffle worth more than $1,000 in goods. The Blue Hills Ski Area will be offering discounted ski and tubing tickets along with a slopeside concession stand to compliment the chili tasting. Community partners Arc’Teryx-Boston, Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center, Brookwood Community Farm, Mass Audubon, Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition, and The Run House-Walpole will be hosting various types of winter activities and product demonstrations on site.

Located at 4001 Washington Street (Rte. 138) on the Canton/Milton line, Blue Hills Ski Area is celebrating its 75th anniversary this winter and is led by a new management team, which made offseason improvements, adding new snowmaking and grooming capabilities as well as snow tubing. Season passes are available for purchase, and there is an equipment rental shop on site.

The Friends of the Blue Hills (FBH) is a 1,400-member nonprofit organization devoted to preserving and protecting the Blue Hills Reservation’s natural beauty, diverse natural habitats and many recreational opportunities. Formed in the mid-1970s by a group of people that recognized the vulnerability of the reservation, FBH engages the public in activities that protect the park, increasing park resources and improving park management. The FBH mission has remained intact for over 40 years: to protect and preserve the Blue Hills Reservation in its natural state.

The annual Winterfest celebration is free to attend and open to all ages, but advance registration is required by visiting friendsofthebluehills.org/event/winterfest2025. For more information, email info@FriendsoftheBlueHills.org.

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Posted by Canton Citizen on Jan 10 2025. Filed under Top Stories. Both comments and pings are currently closed.