Harwich's Holiday Season Is Moving Toward Wychmere This Year
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
The Harbor Room at Wychmere Beach Club is the big space many longtime residents still think of as Thompson's Clam Bar. On Friday, November 20, it will be packed for the 26th Toast of Harwich, with restaurant stations around the walls, four decorated Christmas trees holding silent auction items, and the Boston Premier Band playing for the dance floor. The Toast spent its first few years in this room. It then spent 23 years at Wequassett Resort and Golf Club. This year it comes back.
The holiday season the Harwich Chamber of Commerce has planned for 2026 tilts toward Wychmere Harbor in two places, and the busiest weekend of the season now covers both of the town's resort waterfronts over three days.
The reason is practical. As the Toast grew, the Wequassett event ended up split between two rooms. Chamber Executive Director Cyndi Williams told The Cape Cod Chronicle that "the move to Wychmere gives us the opportunity to be in one room altogether." In a separate Chronicle profile she gave a second reason: "This year, I wanted to change just to spice it up, rebrand it, but keep the traditions as well."
This year every vendor shares one room. The Chronicle's participant list includes 400 East Bar and Restaurant, Buca's Tuscan Roadhouse, Cape Sea Grille, Grand Cove Shellfish, Lanyard Bar and Grill, Mooncussers, Red River Barbeque, Sundae School, Sweet Izzy's, The Grateful Mug Cafe, TK's Sports Bar, the Wychmere Harbor Room and Three Harbors Coastal Kitchen.
Three Harbors is the newest name on that list. It opened this year at Harwich Port Village Landing, 575 Route 28, next to Style & Sea Boutique and Charlie's Ice Cream Sandwich. The Three Harbors website lists dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends, including weekend brunch.
Cape Cod Beer, Hog Island Beer, Plymouth Brewing Company and Devil's Purse are pouring. Josh Cellars and My Cousins' Wine are supplying the wine, and Fizzy Potion is making mocktails. The live auction is new this year. Auctioneer John Terrio will sell four trips:
VIP doors open at 6 p.m. for $120, and general admission begins at 7 p.m. for $90. The Chamber asks for business cocktail attire. Tickets are sold through harwichcc.com or by phone at 508-430-1165. The Toast is the Chamber's main fundraiser of the year. Williams said it pays for "what we do for 365 days here at the chamber."
The Chamber's 2025 Christmas in Harwich schedule shows how much last year's weekend relied on Wequassett. The resort hosted the Saturday Merry Market and fireworks, and the schedule's Sunday listing was Pajamas and Breakfast with Mrs. Claus at Wequassett. For 2026, the Chamber describes an "expanded" weekend running December 4 to 6. Wequassett keeps Saturday, and Sunday moves to a Holiday Market at Wychmere.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Toast of Harwich | Wequassett, split across two rooms | Wychmere Harbor Room, Fri., Nov. 20 |
| Saturday of Christmas weekend | Merry Market and fireworks at Wequassett | Merry Market and fireworks at Wequassett, Dec. 5 |
| Sunday listing on the Chamber schedule | Pajamas and Breakfast with Mrs. Claus at Wequassett | Wychmere Holiday Market, Dec. 6 |
Wequassett is also planning more of its own Sunday programming. Its Merry Market page describes "more seasonal experiences on Sunday" for anyone staying the whole weekend. So the season isn't leaving Pleasant Bay. Harwich now has two waterfront anchors for its biggest holiday weekend, and residents will be driving between them.
Friday, December 4 shows the new layout most clearly. At 4:30 p.m., Wequassett's tree lighting begins at the resort's Main Fountain, with carols and hot cocoa and Pleasant Bay in the background. One hour later, at 5:30 p.m., the town's own tree lighting starts in Doane Park, featuring Rebecca Riley and the Harwich Elementary School chorus.
With that gap, you can attend both if you leave the fountain right after the lights come on. The Harwich Port portion runs into the evening. The Chamber says stores and churches will be open to visitors and that trolley rides will take people past the holiday lights in Harwich Port. Stroll hours, the trolley route and the time Santa arrives have not been posted for 2026 yet. Last year's details, such as Santa coming to the Chamber porch on a fire truck, shouldn't be counted on until the 2026 schedule is out.
Seven Trees for Seven Villages also returns. The Chamber started it during the pandemic, and it puts a decorated tree in each of Harwich's villages for the season. "It's kind of like having seven children," Williams told the Chronicle. "We give the love to all of them because we're Harwich and that's what we do." In a year when the big events cluster at two harbors, the seven trees are the part of the weekend that reaches every village.
Saturday, December 5 begins inland and finishes at the water. Here is the posted schedule in order:
The resort has arranged extra parking at Lighthouse Charter School in Harwich, and Chatham Valet will run three shuttles between the school and the resort from 2 to 8 p.m. Since the shuttles keep running until 8 p.m., you can stay after the fireworks without rushing back to your car.
The same Saturday is the end of the season for one Toast participant. Cape Sea Grille, at 31 Sea Street, serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. Its website lists December 5 as its winter closing date and says it will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. If you want one more dinner there this year, plan for the Wednesdays through Saturdays between the Toast and that date, and confirm with the restaurant first.
The Wychmere Holiday Market on Sunday, December 6 is the only piece of the weekend without details. When the Chronicle profile ran on October 21, the Chamber called it "a holly jolly good time" and said more information was "to come." Hours, vendors, the room it will use and parking have not been announced. The Chamber's online calendar for December 6 had no events listed in late October.
A market is a smaller event than a fundraiser gala or a fireworks show, but it fits the pattern of this season. Wychmere opens the holidays with the Toast on November 20 and now closes the town's main Christmas weekend on December 6. Last year Wequassett handled both of those roles.
For now, residents can mark these dates. The Toast is Friday, November 20, just over three weeks away. Friday, December 4 has two tree lightings an hour apart. Saturday, December 5 runs from Sisson Road to the fireworks over Pleasant Bay. Sunday, December 6 belongs to Wychmere, with hours still to be posted.
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