Events · Martha’s Vineyard
The island year, in order
Fairs, fireworks, film weeks and one fishing tournament that runs for five. Dates verified against the organisers and pruned the day each one ends.
Menagerie of Marvels at the MV Museum
Vineyard HavenEleanor Hubbard's paintings of twelve rescued animals, including José the West Tisbury ox.
Vineyard artist Eleanor Hubbard celebrates twelve rescued animals in oil paintings and watercolors, anchored by a tribute to José, the legendary West Tisbury ox. Included with museum admission; on view through January 17, 2027.
Martha's Vineyard Museum, Vineyard Haven
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MV International Film Festival
Vineyard HavenSix days of screenings at the MV Film Center, the island film week of the fall.
The 21st edition brings six days of features, most of them international, to the MV Film Center, with filmmaker conversations and live music around the screenings. Opening night is Thursday, September 10 at 5:30 pm with Calle Malaga, with music, appetizers and drinks before the film. Single tickets sell per film; the All Access pass runs $275.
MV Film Center, Vineyard Haven
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Aquinnah Flea Market
AquinnahArtisans and vendors fill the Baptist Church grounds up-island every Thursday, 10 AM to 2 PM.
The weekly up-island flea market runs Thursdays from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Baptist Church grounds, from late June into October, per the organizers' own poster: local artisans, vintage finds and a very Aquinnah pace. Vendor booths run about $10.
Baptist Church grounds, Aquinnah
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81st Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby Read our guide →
Island-wideFive weeks of the island’s most storied fishing tournament.
Thirty-five days and nights chasing bluefish, bonito and false albacore, with weigh-ins at Derby headquarters on Edgartown’s Dock Street every morning (8–10) and evening (7–9). Kids Day is September 20, Super Saturdays run through the stretch, and the key-and-lock grand prize drawing closes it all at Farm Neck on October 18. Watching the evening weigh-in is free and worth the trip on its own.
Weigh station: Derby HQ, Dock Street, Edgartown
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Behind the Curtain with the Nashville Hit Makers
Oak BluffsFour Nashville songwriters play the hits they wrote for other people, at the Strand.
The MV Songwriters Festival brings CJ Solar, Phil Barton, Joe Fox and Johnny Clawson to the Strand Theatre for a writers-round evening: the songs they wrote for Morgan Wallen, Alison Krauss, Kenny Chesney, Jelly Roll and others, told from the writing room. Rising star Jillian Dawn opens. Doors at the Strand on Oak Bluffs Avenue; tickets on Eventbrite (search Nashville Hit Makers at the Strand).
Strand Theatre, Oak Bluffs Avenue, Oak Bluffs
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Tivoli Day
Oak BluffsOak Bluffs closes Circuit Avenue for its end-of-season street fair (rain date September 20).
For four decades Oak Bluffs has closed Circuit Avenue for one last street fair: live music, crafts, food and the town’s long goodbye to summer. Free to wander; rain date is the following day.
Circuit Avenue, Oak Bluffs
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An Evening with Music City's Rising Stars
Oak BluffsNashville's next names on the Strand stage, the night after Tivoli Day.
The second Songwriters Festival night at the Strand Theatre: Morgan Johnston, Alee, Stacey Kelleher, Presley Tennant, Austin G, Garrett Owens and Fuller, with a special performance from Martin and Kelly. About two and a half hours, all ages; tickets on Eventbrite (search Rising Stars at the Strand).
Strand Theatre, Oak Bluffs Avenue, Oak Bluffs
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Community Sing at the Amphitheater
Vineyard HavenThe last open-air Community Sing of the season: all ages, no experience needed, free.
Song leader Roberta Kirn closes the summer series of open-air community sings at the Tisbury Amphitheater. Easy songs taught on the spot, all ages welcome, free.
Tisbury Amphitheater, Vineyard Haven
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Vineyard Haven First Friday (October)
Vineyard HavenThe October edition of the Main Street evening: galleries, music and open doors.
Same rhythm as September: daytime market from 10 AM to 2 PM, then the evening stroll from 5 PM with shops and galleries open late. Free.
Main Street, Vineyard Haven
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MV Women in Film Festival
Vineyard HavenA weekend of films by and about women at the MV Film Center.
Three days of screenings and conversations at the MV Film Center, closing out the fall festival season on the harbor.
MV Film Center, Vineyard Haven
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Derby Awards Ceremony
Oak BluffsThe 81st Derby hands out its prizes, including the grand-prize key ceremony.
The month-long Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby closes with the awards ceremony at Farm Neck, where eight grand leaders draw keys for the grand prize. Spectators welcome; details in our Derby guide.
Farm Neck Golf Club, Oak Bluffs
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MV Food and Wine Festival
EdgartownOpening night October 19, Grand Tastings October 21 and 22, with dinners across island kitchens.
The island’s food week: Opening Night on October 19, Grand Tastings on October 21 and 22, and winemaker dinners set in restaurants and farm kitchens across the island. Events are ticketed individually and the big tastings sell out.
Edgartown and island venues
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Fall Festival at Felix Neck Read our guide →
EdgartownHayrides, live animals and wreath making the day after Thanksgiving.
The sanctuary’s Fall Festival is a Vineyard tradition on the Friday after Thanksgiving: hayrides, live animal presentations, crafts, wreath making, cider and music (10 AM to 2 PM in 2025). Date and hours shown follow the tradition; confirm on Mass Audubon’s Felix Neck page before travelling.
Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, 100 Felix Neck Drive, Edgartown
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45th Christmas in Edgartown
EdgartownParade, teddy-bear suite and a whole town in lights.
Four days of holiday markets, caroling, carriage rides and the Saturday-morning parade through white-picket Edgartown, with the lighthouse lighting traditionally opening the week. Most events are free; a few benefit tickets sell in advance.
Downtown Edgartown
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Martha’s Vineyard 20 Miler and Amity Island Relay Read our guide →
Vineyard HavenThe island’s winter road race, 20 miles from the ferry terminal.
Twenty miles of empty winter roads, plus the Amity Island Relay for teams, starting directly in front of the Steamship Authority terminal in Vineyard Haven at 11 AM. Date and start from the race’s own site; registration opens there.
Steamship Authority terminal, Vineyard Haven
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Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival Read our guide →
ChilmarkFive days of documentary and independent film to close the winter.
The winter’s cultural anchor: screenings, filmmaker talks and community meals at the Chilmark Community Center and the Film Center in Vineyard Haven. Dates as announced by the festival for 2027; the programme posts in the new year.
Chilmark Community Center and MV Film Center
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Feast of the Holy Ghost Read our guide →
Oak BluffsThe Portuguese feast: Saturday on the club lawn, Sunday parade and free sopas.
Held every third full weekend of July since 1928. Saturday from 5 PM at the PA Club with food, a band and games; Sunday the parade leaves the Steamship terminal at 11:30 AM, the crown is blessed at Our Lady Star of the Sea, and free sopas are served at the club afterwards. Dates follow the club’s rule and are confirmed when the club posts the 2027 schedule.
Portuguese-American Club, 137 Vineyard Avenue, Oak Bluffs
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Nothing in that combination. Try another month, or clear the filters.
Dates verified from official sources; always confirm before planning. See the full 90+ event calendar →
Planning a trip around the calendar?
Spring belongs to film festivals and artisan markets at off-peak prices. Peak summer stacks the giants back-to-back: July 4th, the Ag Fair, Grand Illumination, the African American Film Festival and Possible Dreams all land within six weeks. September is quietly the island’s best month: the Derby begins, crowds thin, and the water is still warm. December closes the year with Christmas in Edgartown.
Read the complete month-by-month 2026 events guide →: every festival, market, race and film night on the island, with times, prices and insider tips, verified against the organizers.
Got your dates? Build a day-by-day plan around them →. Any of these events that fall inside your trip drop in automatically.
Last year, on film
Parades, fireworks, the Fair and Illumination Night as they actually looked.
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The island right now
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