Newington's handmade holiday shopping happens on one block. The Friends of the Lucy Robbins Welles Library open the season on Sunday, November 8, at 100 Garfield Street. Newington Parks and Recreation closes it on Saturday, December 5, in the gym at the Mortensen Community Center, 200 Garfield Street. These are two different organizations with two different formats, and their buildings sit one address apart. The four weeks between the fairs follow the town's own schedule: leaf pickup, the last weeks of fall classes at Mortensen, and the library's regular programs.
| Friends of the Library Craft Fair | Parks & Rec Holiday Craft Fair | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, November 8, 2026 | Saturday, December 5, 2026 |
| Hours | 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. |
| Location | Lucy Robbins Welles Library, 100 Garfield St. | Mortensen Community Center Gymnasium, 200 Garfield St. |
| Organizer | Friends of the Lucy Robbins Welles Library | Newington Parks and Recreation Department |
| Vendors | 60 | No count published |
| Edition | 2nd annual | 2026 edition |
Sunday's fair takes over the whole library
The library fair is only in its second year, and it's the larger of the two events on paper. The Town's News Flash announcement, posted October 26, lists 60 vendors and pitches the day as a head start on holiday shopping that also supports the Friends of the Library.
Sixty vendors won't fit in one room, so the fair uses the whole building. The Lucy Robbins Welles Library calendar lists the fair in the Children's Program Room, the Community Room, the Library Atrium, the Library Lobby, and the Lienhard Room. The fair also runs a full six hours on a Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. That makes it a day you can drop into whenever it suits you, instead of something you have to be at when the doors open. Vendors in five separate rooms also means it takes longer to see everything than it would in a single hall.
The Friends group has more on the fair's own page on the Town site.
The December fair runs on a shorter Saturday clock
Four weeks later, the season's second fair is next door. Newington Parks and Recreation runs its 2026 Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, December 5, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Mortensen Community Center Gymnasium. The Town keeps a 2026 Holiday Craft Fair page for the event. Check it before you go for any updates to the listed details.
The two fairs are set up differently. The December fair is in one large room instead of five smaller ones. It starts an hour earlier than the library fair, and at five hours, its day is an hour shorter. It also falls closer to the holidays, when shopping lists are more settled. The library fair has published its vendor count, but the Parks and Recreation fair hasn't, so the size of the December lineup is still an open question.
Mortensen shares its 200 Garfield Street address with Town Hall. If you're already on Garfield Street for town business that week, the December fair is a short walk away.
Willard Avenue splits the week around Sunday's fair
The library fair falls between the two halves of the Town's first leaf collection pass. Newington's Highway Department divides the town at Willard Avenue. Streets west of Willard are scheduled for the week of November 2 through 6. Streets east of Willard follow from November 9 through 13.
If you live east of Willard, that means Sunday's fair is your last weekend to get leaves to the curb before crews are scheduled for your street. The Highway Department posted these instructions with its Fall Leaf Collection notice on October 23:
- Rake leaves to the front of your property, next to the street, as soon as possible.
- Don't rake leaves or put grass clippings in the street, and don't block sidewalks.
- Leaves in barrels, plastic bags, or cardboard boxes, or mixed with branches, sticks, or trash, won't be picked up.
- The notice says state law requires leaves to be collected separately from trash, and that leaves put in rubbish or recycling containers won't be picked up.
- The Town plans at least two passes through each street, weather permitting.
The Town calls the schedule a guideline only and says it's subject to change. Crews may reach a section early or stay in one area longer than planned, and an early snowfall can slow the whole program. You may also see crews before the official start for training, but they will come back once collection begins. If your leaves miss a pass, the Transfer Station takes them on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through December 31. You'll need proof of residency.
The four weeks between the fairs, on the Garfield Street calendar
The fall programs inside these two buildings are wrapping up at about the time the second fair arrives. Most of the Parks and Recreation adult classes at Mortensen end in the weeks just before or after December 5. Here is the stretch from early November to mid-December, in date order:
- Thursday, November 5, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The library's Page Turners Book Discussion meets in the Community Room to talk about The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.
- Sunday, November 8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Friends of the Library 2nd Annual Craft Fair.
- November 9 through 13. Leaf collection scheduled for streets east of Willard Avenue.
- Thursday, November 19. The last date listed for Thursday evening Adult Badminton at Mortensen, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
- Friday, November 20. The last date listed for Connecticut Dodgeball at Mortensen, 7 to 9 p.m.
- Monday, November 30. The last date listed for The Art of T'ai Chi at Mortensen, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, December 2, and Thursday, December 3. The last dates listed for Yoga for Well Being on Wednesdays and for Beginner Yoga and Gentle Flow Yoga on Thursdays, all at Mortensen.
- Friday, December 4. The last date listed for Qigong at Mortensen, 10 to 10:45 a.m.
- Saturday, December 5, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Parks and Recreation Holiday Craft Fair in the Mortensen gym.
- Saturday, December 12. The last date listed for Saturday Adult Badminton at Mortensen, noon to 2 p.m.
Kendo is the one Mortensen program that runs past all of these. It meets Saturdays from 7 to 9 p.m. through December 26. You can see the full adult program list on the Newington Parks and Recreation registration site, and library events are on the Lucy Robbins Welles Library calendar.
The Berlin Turnpike's next big opening is set for 2027
Newington's restaurants are a different story, and a slower one. Colony Grill has announced plans for a restaurant at 3260 Berlin Turnpike. The venue would seat more than 175 people and have a patio, a full bar, and the chain's first fully private dining room. Patch reported the plans on August 31, with 2027 as the target and no specific opening date announced. A private dining room means this holiday season's office parties and family gatherings won't be able to book it, but next year's may.
For the next four weeks, Garfield Street holds Newington's holiday calendar. Sunday's fair has five rooms of vendors at the library, and the December 5 fair fills a single gym next door.
If the library fair gets you thinking about what your own Newington home is worth heading into the new year, the Burgio Sousa Team can run the numbers for you. Get your instant home valuation and you'll have a clear picture before the December fair.
