Most of the year, the Marshfield Fairgrounds at 140 Main Street goes by one name: the Fair. The Marshfield Agricultural and Horticultural Society already has the Marshfield Fair on its calendar for August 20 to 29, 2027, and those ten days in late August are the grounds' best-known use.
From the Saturday before Thanksgiving through December 30, the same grounds host three separate operations. Each is run by a different organization, keeps its own hours and uses its own entrance off Main Street or South River Street. If you drive to the wrong gate on the right day, you'll find a dark entrance and a locked fence.
| Gate | What runs there | Who runs it | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gate A, 140 Main St. | Indoor farmers' market under the grandstand | Marshfield Agricultural and Horticultural Society | Saturdays Nov. 21 and Dec. 19, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Gate B, Route 3A at Main and South River | Marshfield Community Christmas office | Marshfield Community Christmas | Daily 3 to 6 p.m., Nov. 27 to Dec. 23 |
| Gate E, 62 S. River St. | South Shore Celebration of Lights drive-through | Fiesta Shows | Evenings, Nov. 27 to Dec. 30 |
The three calendars don't start at the same time. They come in one at a time, and all three gates are open on the same day only once, on Saturday, December 19.
The grandstand opens first, on November 21
The first of the three is a year-round market that keeps going after the summer season. The indoor farmers' market sets up under the grandstand on Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Gate A at 140 Main Street. It runs rain, shine or snow.
The Society describes about 20 local farmers, chefs and artisans. Between them they sell produce, meats, dairy, seafood, honey, wool and eggs, along with prepared food from three bakeries. The market also has free talks, live music and kids' activities, and it accepts SNAP and HIP. On the December calendar, admission and parking are listed as free.
That November date is the Saturday before Thanksgiving, five days before the holiday. The next market is Saturday, December 19, the last Saturday before Christmas. After that, the series continues on January 16, 2027.
Neither the Society's November nor December calendar lists anything else for the grounds. That makes those two Saturday mornings the Society's own winter use of its property. The rest of the season belongs to the other two gates.
Gate B starts collecting before the office even opens
Marshfield Community Christmas has an office at the Fairgrounds, and its year runs on a tighter schedule than the market's. The group says it was established in 1979 and calls 2026 its 47th year of gift giving. Its application page says the program is for Marshfield parents and guardians of children 18 and under, and it provides grocery and department-store gift cards.
Its first deadline has already passed by the time Gate B opens. The group's online silent auction needs donated items by Wednesday, November 18, at 3 p.m. Bidding opens Sunday, November 22, at 9 a.m. and closes Saturday, December 5, at 9 p.m. Registration is required to bid. The group accepts credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Zelle, checks and cash.
Then the office opens. Starting Friday, November 27, at 3 p.m., Marshfield Community Christmas begins taking applications and in-person monetary donations at Gate B. It's open daily from 3 to 6 p.m. through December 23 and closed December 24 and 25. If the office is closed, applications can go in the drop box at Gate B, where Main and South River streets meet. The donation page lists the office as 140 Main St., Gate B.
Auction winners also pick up at Gate B, on Sunday, December 6, from noon to 6 p.m. The group doesn't mail or deliver items. The exceptions are electronic concert and sports tickets, which are emailed or held at will call.
Gate E lights up the same afternoon Gate B opens
On Friday, November 27, the Community Christmas office opens at 3 p.m. Two hours later, Fiesta Shows opens the South Shore Celebration of Lights, a drive-through show on the Fairgrounds. You enter at Gate E, 62 S. River St., and not from Main Street.
Entry is sold in hourly windows: 5 to 6, 6 to 7, 7 to 8 and 8 to 9 p.m., with last admission at 8:15. Prices are per vehicle, and the schedule is set up so that the cheaper nights come later in the season.
- Weekend and holiday nights: $26.99 per car online, $35 on site. These run Fridays Nov. 27, Dec. 4, 11 and 18; Saturdays Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12, 19 and 26; Sundays Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13, 20 and 27; and December 24 and 25.
- Weekday nights: $22.99 per car online, $30 on site. These run Wednesdays Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30; Thursdays Dec. 3, 10 and 17; Mondays Dec. 14, 21 and 28; and Tuesdays Dec. 15, 22 and 29.
- Flex pass: $30 per car online, good for one visit on any available date and time.
- Limousines, 12- and 15-passenger vans and small buses: $40 online or $50 on site on weekdays, $50 online or $60 on site on weekends and holidays.
The show opens on a weekend schedule only. The first weekday night is Wednesday, December 2, and Mondays and Tuesdays don't start until December 14 and 15. Before December 14, that leaves four weekday nights: December 2, 3, 9 and 10. Fiesta Shows' schedule runs through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the holiday rate, and the last night is Wednesday, December 30.
The flex pass costs $3.01 more than a weekend car bought online. It's cheaper than any weekend car bought at the gate, though, so it's worth it if you don't know which night your family can go.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is the busiest stretch
From November 27 to 29, Gate B and Gate E are both running, and a makers market takes over the grounds on Saturday.
- Friday, Nov. 27: The Community Christmas office opens at Gate B at 3 p.m., and the light show opens at Gate E at 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: The Wicked Women Makers Market is on the Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the events page at Klayhouse Ceramics. The light show runs again that evening, and the Community Christmas auction is in its first week.
- Sunday, Nov. 29: The light show runs at weekend rates, and the Community Christmas office is open from 3 to 6 p.m.
The Wicked Women Makers Market is the one event of the season that isn't on the Society's own calendar. The organizers post updates on a Facebook page, which the Society's event listing links to, and that's the place to check for this year's details.
The following weekend is busy too. The auction closes Saturday night, December 5, at 9 p.m., winners collect at Gate B on Sunday afternoon, and Gate E is open both evenings.
December by gate
On December 19, all three gates are open on the same day. The grandstand market runs at Gate A from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Community Christmas office opens at Gate B at 3 p.m., and the light show starts at Gate E at 5 p.m.
- Nov. 18, 3 p.m.: Community Christmas auction donations due.
- Nov. 21, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Farmers' market, Gate A.
- Nov. 22 to Dec. 5: Community Christmas online auction.
- Nov. 27 to Dec. 23, 3 to 6 p.m. daily: Community Christmas office, Gate B.
- Nov. 27 to Dec. 30, 5 to 9 p.m. on listed nights: Celebration of Lights, Gate E.
- Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Wicked Women Makers Market.
- Dec. 6, noon to 6 p.m.: Auction pickup, Gate B.
- Dec. 19, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Farmers' market, Gate A.
- Dec. 24 and 25: Community Christmas office closed; Celebration of Lights open at holiday rates.
- Dec. 30: Last night of the Celebration of Lights.
Once the lights come down, the grandstand market is back on January 16, 2027.
Lindsay works across Marshfield and the South Shore, and she follows how the town's housing market moves through the colder months as closely as its winter calendar. If you're thinking about what your Marshfield home might be worth before spring, Lindsay Conlon can put together a valuation built on local sales, and you can start with Get My Valuation.
