Candlelight Evening 2022

Museum Members are FREE and do not need to reserve tickets online. (Reserving tickets online is optional for members. We ask members to consider registering online to help staff gauge attendance.) When entering the event, follow the signs to the Member’s Entrance—to the left of the main entrance. Please check-in at the Members' Table and have your membership card ready.

Visit The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, New York for one of the region’s best-loved holiday traditions, Candlelight Evening, on Saturday, December 10, from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. 

The landscape of the museum is adorned with greenery and aglow with hundreds of luminaries. Real jingle bells add to the magic of the evening as horses dressed in harness bells pull wagons carrying visitors through the museum’s snowy grounds. Gather around a bonfire on the tavern green and partake of complimentary wassail made with local cider–warming in kettles over open fires and served throughout the event. Delicious food and hot drinks are also available at the museum’s Crossroads Cafe.

Candlelight Evening is unforgettable for children. The new expanded hours allow for more family fun in the afternoon, starting with children’s crafts (1:00–5:00 p.m.) and a visit from St. Nicholas (2:00–6:00 p.m.), both in the museum’s Louis C. Jones Center. The Empire State Carousel is open for riding throughout the event. Hear readings of the classic story ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas every half-hour in the Schoolhouse from 2:00–5:00 p.m.

Also in the Louis C. Jones Center in the Main Barn, visitors can practice caroling (4:45–5:15 p.m.), interact with Ebenezer Scrooge while reading lines from the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol (5:00–6:00 p.m.), and learn a traditional reel or folk dance (6:00–7:00 p.m.).

Music and live performances bring Candlelight Evening to life. Hear the sounds of the holidays throughout the museum’s grounds. From 2:00–6:30 p.m., see performances from Ah-Coopella and folk singer/songwriter Kevin McKrell as they fill the historic Cornwallville Church with music of the season. (See the full performance schedule at FarmersMuseum.org.) Sing along with the cast of the museum’s upcoming production of A Christmas Carol on the porch of historic Bump Tavern (5:00–5:30 and 6:00–6:30 p.m.). Visitors are encouraged to join in the caroling at any time through the evening in the midst of our candle-lit historic buildings.

Candlelight Evening is another chance to shop for the holidays. Stop at The Farmers’ Museum Store and Todd’s General Store, each offering a large selection of products made in New York State–as well as toys, books, jewelry and other items you can only find at the museum. Museum Members receive 20% off!

Candlelight Evening is sponsored in part by NYCM Insurance, Stewart’s Shops, and Five Star Subaru.

Ticket prices: Adults (13-64): $15.00 + non-refundable Eventbrite fees | Seniors (65+): $12.50 + non-refundable Eventbrite fees | Juniors (7-12): $6.00 + non-refundable Eventbrite fees.  Children 6 and younger are free, please select the "Child" ticket option. Museum Members are FREE and do not need to reserve tickets online. (Reserving tickets online is optional for members. We ask members to consider registering online to help staff gauge attendance.) If you do register online, please select the "Member" ticket option. Members will be required to display a valid membership card when entering the event. Click here to become a member and get free admission to this and many other events throughout the year!)

Parking and Shuttle: Visitors can utilize a free shuttle service starting at 2:30 p.m. from several parking areas in Cooperstown including the Village of Cooperstown’s Yellow trolley lot, Clark Sports Center, Cooperstown Elementary School, and the Otesaga Hotel. Please visit FarmersMuseum.org for updated parking and shuttle information. Visitors can also walk from the village and enter through the museum’s south admission gate. Visitors should dress warm as most activities take place outdoors.

The Farmers’ Museum is located at 5775 State Highway 80, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Visit FarmersMuseum.org for more information.