Brattleboro, VT

Local Events

Reenactments, heritage festivals, and living history programs — experience the Revolution where it happened.

Upcoming This Year

Jul

Ceremony

Brattleboro Fourth of July Celebration

Downtown Brattleboro, Main Street and the Common

Brattleboro's annual Independence Day celebration includes a parade through downtown, patriotic ceremonies, live music, and community gatherings. The event honors both national independence and Vermont's distinct Revolutionary heritage, with historical society members sometimes providing interpretive displays on local colonial history along the parade route.

FreeJuly 4 or nearest weekend; check with the Town of Brattleboro for current year schedule.

Aug

Guided Tour

Fort Dummer Heritage Day

Fort Dummer State Park, Brattleboro, VT

An educational and interpretive program held at or near the Fort Dummer State Park site, marking the history of the 1723 fort — the first permanent English settlement in Vermont. Programming may include guided walks to the fort site, talks on frontier life during the French and Indian Wars and the Revolution, and displays of period artifacts organized by the Brattleboro Historical Society.

State park day-use fee may applyTypically held in summer; contact Brattleboro Historical Society (802-258-4957) to confirm dates and whether this program is scheduled.

Earlier This Year

Mar

CeremonyFeatured

Westminster Massacre Commemoration

Westminster Courthouse Massacre Site, Westminster, VT

Annual ceremony and educational program commemorating the Westminster Massacre of March 13, 1775, when colonial protesters were fired upon by loyalist forces at the Cumberland County courthouse. Often includes speeches, historical readings, and wreath-laying at the massacre site, organized by local historical societies in the Westminster-Brattleboro area.

FreeHeld on or near March 13; contact Westminster Historical Society to confirm dates.

Jan

Lecture

Vermont Independence Day Lecture & Observance

Brattleboro Museum & Art Center or Brattleboro Historical Society

A lecture or public program observing the anniversary of Vermont's declaration of independence on January 15, 1777, and the adoption of its constitution on July 8, 1777 — the first in America to ban adult slavery. Local historians present on Vermont's unique path to statehood, including the Haldimand Affair and the politics of the New Hampshire Grants. Organized by the Brattleboro Historical Society or Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.

Free or suggested donationMay be held on or near January 15 or shifted to a nearby weekend; contact Brattleboro Historical Society to confirm.

Jun

Festival

Strolling of the Heifers Weekend — Heritage & History Programs

Downtown Brattleboro and surrounding venues

Brattleboro's large annual community festival weekend in early June often includes local history programming, heritage craft demonstrations, and exhibits touching on the town's colonial and Revolutionary-era agricultural roots. The Brattleboro Historical Society and other organizations sometimes set up displays related to Fort Dummer and frontier settlement history.

FreeFirst Saturday in June; verify current status as the event has undergone format changes in recent years.More info →