Saturday, February 7, 2026
There's a particular kind of magic that happens when a village decides to celebrate winter instead of simply enduring it. This Saturday, Sag Harbor does exactly that with HarborFrost, the beloved winter festival returning for its 15th anniversary.
If you've been out here long enough, you know that winter in the Hamptons asks something of you. It asks you to slow down, to notice the light differently, to find beauty in bare branches and icy harbors. HarborFrost is the village's answer to that ask—a day that transforms the cold into something worth gathering for.
What Makes HarborFrost Different
This isn't a festival that tries to distract you from winter. It invites you deeper into it.
Starting around noon, downtown Sag Harbor becomes a walkable winter wonderland. Ice carver Richard Daly of Ice Memories returns—a signature element of HarborFrost since its early years—setting up live carving demonstrations by Long Wharf and at the southern end of Main Street. Watching him work is mesmerizing in the way that all true craftsmanship is: patient, precise, and somehow both delicate and powerful.
Throughout the afternoon, live music echoes from several locations along Main Street. It's the kind of soundtrack that makes you want to wander, to duck into shops you've been meaning to visit, to linger over a seasonal menu at one of the Chamber member businesses offering special promotions for the day.
The village feels alive in a way that's specific to winter—quieter than summer, more intentional, more connected. You're not fighting crowds. You're walking alongside neighbors and visitors who chose to be here, in this season, for this.
The Fireworks Over the Frozen Harbor
At approximately 5:45 p.m., just as the winter light begins to fade, the day culminates with something spectacular: World Famous Fireworks by Grucci, launched from the end of Long Wharf.
There's something about fireworks over a frozen harbor that feels different than summer pyrotechnics. The cold air sharpens everything—the colors, the sound, the collective intake of breath from the crowd gathered along the waterfront. It's a moment that reminds you why winter here is worth staying for.
How to Experience HarborFrost
This is a festival designed for wandering. Start early if you want to catch the ice carving demonstrations from the beginning, but honestly, there's no wrong time to arrive. The beauty of HarborFrost is that it unfolds throughout the downtown, so you can create your own path.
Bundle up—genuinely bundle up. This is a day to embrace the cold, not fight it. Wear the warmest coat you own, bring hand warmers if you're prone to cold fingers, and plan to be outside for longer than you think. The kind of cold that feels unbearable for five minutes becomes invigorating after twenty when you're moving, exploring, and surrounded by the energy of a village in celebration.
Check which restaurants and shops are offering HarborFrost specials. Some of the best experiences of the day happen when you duck into a warm café for hot chocolate or claim a table with a view of Main Street to watch the festival unfold.
And stay for the fireworks. I know 5:45 p.m. in February means it's cold and getting colder, but this is the moment the whole day builds toward. Find your spot along the waterfront, settle in, and let yourself be part of something that only happens once a year.
Why This Festival Matters
Fifteen years is a meaningful milestone for any community tradition, but especially for one that celebrates the season most people are trying to escape.
HarborFrost exists because this village understands something essential: place matters, and seasons matter, and the rhythms of a year lived fully include winter. It's a festival that says you don't have to wait for summer to experience the Hamptons at its best. You just have to be willing to show up, to dress for the weather, and to find beauty in a different kind of light.
For those of us who live here year-round, HarborFrost is a reminder of why we stay. For visitors, it's an invitation to experience Sag Harbor in a way that summer crowds never allow—intimate, unhurried, and deeply connected to place.
The Bigger Picture
This Saturday isn't just about ice sculptures and fireworks, though both are worth the trip. It's about a community that has chosen, for 15 years running, to gather in the coldest month and celebrate what winter offers instead of what it takes away.
It's about local businesses opening their doors with special menus and promotions, not because they have to, but because they're part of something larger than any single storefront.
It's about families bundling up kids who will remember this—the music, the ice carving, the fireworks over the frozen harbor—as one of those formative moments that shapes how they think about winter, about community, about what it means to belong to a place.
And it's about the quiet truth that the best experiences aren't always the loudest or most viral. Sometimes they're the ones that ask you to slow down, to feel the cold on your face, to stand beside strangers who become neighbors as you watch the sky light up over Long Wharf.
Save This One
If you're out here this weekend, Saturday is HarborFrost. If you're not, consider it an invitation for next year.
This is winter in the Hamptons at its best—glittering, grounded, and worth every layer you have to put on to experience it. The kind of day that reminds you why seasonal living matters, why place matters, why showing up for your community in February is just as important as showing up in July.
Bundle up. Wander Main Street. Watch the ice carvers work. Stay for the fireworks.
Winter here is worth staying for.
HarborFrost 2026
Saturday, February 8
Downtown Sag Harbor
Ice carving demonstrations throughout the day
Fireworks at approximately 5:45 p.m. from Long Wharf
For more information about participating businesses and special offerings, visit the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce.