It’s Easter weekend in Vermont — and it comes loaded. Ski resorts are staging their splashiest send-offs of the season, arts venues across the state are packed with live music and poetry, and communities from the Northeast Kingdom to the Champlain Valley are rolling out the kind of events that remind you why you live here. Here’s where to be this weekend.
Saturday, April 4
Pond Skim ’26 at Sugarbush — Warren
This is one of the year’s great spectacles: costumed skiers and snowboarders throwing themselves across a 100-foot pond at the base of Lincoln Peak while the crowd goes appropriately wild. Registration opens at 9:30 a.m. and the first skim goes at 11 a.m., with prizes from Darn Tough and GoPro and samples from Red Bull and Tincup on site. Can’t score a skim slot? Stick around — it’s a fantastic free spectator event. Then the party keeps rolling with live reggae in the Lincoln Peak Courtyard: the Organically Good Trio performs at 12:30 p.m. and Boston’s Soul Rebel Project takes it from 2:30 p.m. Sugarbush Resort, Warren
Cochran’s Nordic Cross — Richmond
Out in Richmond, Cochran’s Ski Area hosts one of Vermont’s most gleefully chaotic spring traditions: the Nordic Cross, a citizens’ race that sends skiers up, down, through slalom gates, over jumps, and past obstacles — all on a single pair of skis. Kids take the start at 11 a.m., adults line up at 12:30 p.m., and everyone gets what matters most: a free pancake feast with Cochran’s Slopeside Syrup flipping nonstop at the finish. Entry is $25 and includes the feast. Cochran’s Ski Area, Richmond
Golden Watermelon Hunt at Stratton — Stratton Mountain
Stratton hides a golden watermelon somewhere on the mountain at 8:30 a.m. and releases hourly clues until it’s found. The winner walks away with a 26/27 Stratton Select Pass. It’s a silly, beloved tradition and a great excuse to be out on the slopes on what could be one of the final days of the season. Pick up a clue at Guest Services or follow along on social. Stratton Mountain
Island Pond Maple 5K — Island Pond
Up in Essex County, the free Island Pond Maple 5K kicks off at 9 a.m. (registration from 8:30 a.m.) at the Island Pond Health Center on Maple Street. This is the Northeast Kingdom doing what it does — a community road race in a town that doesn’t need much fanfare to put on a great event. It’s free, it’s festive, and it happens in one of Vermont’s most underrated small towns. Barton Chronicle Kingdom Calendar
Atlantic Crossing Spring Concert at Bixby Library — Vergennes
Addison County gets a free lunchtime treat: Atlantic Crossing, the beloved Celtic and New England traditional music band, returns to the gorgeous Bixby Memorial Library in Vergennes for what’s becoming an annual tradition. The concert runs from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and is free, supported by the Vermont Community Foundation’s Freda Fishman Stroh Memorial Fund. If you’ve never heard this band, this is the easiest possible entry point. Atlantic Crossing / Bixby Library, Vergennes
🍁 Make a One-Time Contribution — Stand Up for Accountability in Vermont 🍁
Zero Celsius at Mad River Valley Arts — Waitsfield
Running through April 23, this ambitious interdisciplinary exhibition at Mad River Valley Arts gathers sculptors, installation artists, photographers, and digital media artists around a single subject: winter — what it means, what it’s losing, and what it still demands of us. Gallery hours on weekends are 1 to 5 p.m. It’s the kind of show that earns the drive. Bill McKibben has already spoken here about it. Mad River Valley Arts, Waitsfield
Easter Egg Hunt for the Animals — Orleans
Down at 4473 Barton Orleans Road in Orleans County, a free community Easter egg hunt runs from 10 a.m. to noon, with all proceeds benefiting Pope Memorial Frontier Animal Shelter. Face painting and games are part of the deal. It’s charitable and genuinely fun — a good one for families who want Easter morning activity before the big day. Barton Chronicle Kingdom Calendar
Brandon Spring Egg Hunt — Brandon
The Downtown Brandon Alliance brings its community-wide Spring Egg Hunt to Brandon, with participating businesses across town serving as stops on the hunt for kids of all ages from 0 to adult. Pick up a map at any participating business. Brandon’s downtown is worth the visit on its own — make a day of it. Downtown Brandon
Stonechat: Poetry Reading with Mary Jacobsen — St. Johnsbury
Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury hosts a 3 p.m. poetry reading with Mary Elder Jacobsen as part of its Stonechat series. Then at 7 p.m., the Miller Brothers take the stage for an evening music performance. Two strong reasons to spend your Saturday in the Northeast Kingdom — Catamount Arts is one of Vermont’s best small venues and it’s criminally underattended by people outside the region. Catamount Arts, St. Johnsbury
National Poetry Month Reading at ByWay Books & More — Brattleboro
Tiny Theater is running a four-weekend poetry series throughout April, hosted at ByWay Books & More in Brattleboro. This first weekend’s 3–5 p.m. reading explores Renaissance and Metaphysical poetry — the kind of programming that treats poetry like the living thing it is, not a museum exhibit. Free and open to all. iBrattleboro
Group Show 72 at The Front — Montpelier
The Front, Montpelier’s artist-run cooperative on State Street, is open weekends 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Group Show 72, a rotating exhibition featuring work from 72 Vermont artists running through April 26. No ticket, no fuss — just a lot of good Vermont art under one roof. Montpelier Alive
Sunday, April 5 — Easter Sunday
Easter Sunrise Summit Service at Stratton — Stratton Mountain
If you want to greet Easter at elevation, Stratton opens the gondola at 6 a.m. for a non-denominational Easter Sunrise Service at the Hubert House at the summit, beginning at 7:15 a.m. You can ski or snowboard down, or ride back. Weather-dependent, with a contingency location at mid-mountain. It’s the kind of only-in-Vermont thing you remember. Stratton Mountain Events
Easter Sunrise Hike to Mount Tom — Woodstock
First Congregational Church of Woodstock has participants meeting at Faulkner Park at 6 a.m. to hike to the summit of Mount Tom for a sunrise Easter service. The service begins around 7 a.m., followed by Easter breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. in the Billings Room back at the church. Woodstock’s version of Easter: dignified, beautiful, and earned. The Vermont Standard
Spruce Peak Easter Celebration — Stowe
Spruce Peak in Stowe goes full Easter, with a festive brunch in the decorated ballrooms plus a full slate of egg hunts: a sensory-friendly hunt runs 10:30–11 a.m. (sign-up required), followed by traditional hunts at 1 p.m. (ages 0–5), 1:10 p.m. (ages 6–10), and 1:20 p.m. (ages 11 and up, no registration needed). A community-wide Bunny-Gnome scavenger hunt and kids’ crafts round out the day. Brunch reservations fill early — if you haven’t called yet, call now. Spruce Peak Arts & Events, Stowe
Von Trapp Family Lodge Easter Brunch — Stowe
Also in Stowe, the von Trapp Family Lodge runs its Easter brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ($80 adults, $44 children, plus tax and service). What makes this one special beyond the food: the lodge’s flock of Katahdin Sheep will have newborn lambs on hand, plus Highland Calves for a Meet the Cows tour before the meal. Vermont Easter does not get more Vermont than that. von Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe
Easter Service + Egg Hunt at Sugarbush — Warren
Back at Sugarbush, Easter morning starts with a non-denominational service led by Rev. Bill Wick at the Gate House Lodge at 7:30 a.m., followed by an Easter Egg Hunt at 10 a.m. — separate hunts for ages 5 and under (Schoolhouse Courtyard) and ages 6+ (Lincoln Peak Courtyard and Gate House Lawn). Sugarbush Resort Events
Sunday Sessions: Spring Chickens at Lawson’s Finest Taproom — Waitsfield
Easter afternoon in the Mad River Valley closes out beautifully: the Spring Chickens — a volcanic old-time Appalachian string band based in Vermont — take the stage at Lawson’s Finest Taproom from 3 to 5 p.m. These are the kind of tunes that make you want to stomp your feet. Free and open to all. Lawson’s Finest Taproom, Waitsfield
Life of Brian at Catamount Arts — St. Johnsbury
Monty Python’s Life of Brian on Easter Sunday at 1 p.m. — honestly, Catamount Arts could have just posted “you know what you’re doing here” and left it at that. Whether you read it as irreverent or as sharply relevant is your call, but it’s perfect programming. Catamount Arts, St. Johnsbury
Easter weekend in Vermont is the unofficial start of mud season’s second wind — half the state is still skiing, the other half is planting, and everyone’s eating too much. Get out and enjoy it.
Dave Soulia | FYIVT
You can find FYIVT on YouTube | X(Twitter) | Facebook | Instagram
#fyivt #AroundVermont #VermontWeekend #ThingstoDoinVermont
Support Us for as Little as $5 – Get In The Fight!!
Make a Big Impact with $25/month—Become a Premium Supporter!
Join the Top Tier of Supporters with $50/month—Become a SUPER Supporter!
Subscribe to RSS
Leave a Reply