By Andrea Holbrook and Jonah Frangiosa | January 26, 2026
The city’s “salty character” and vibrant spirit was celebrated Saturday. The snowfall Sunday cut short the fifth annual two-day Gloucester So Salty weekend but the band — the Gloucester Student Band — played its free show noon at The Cut.
To read the full Gloucester Daily Times article, click here.
By WBUR | January 23, 2026
To listen to the WBUR-FM interview, click here.
By Shira Laucharoen | January 21, 2026
Sometimes, we can make sense of troubled times by turning to the arts. We can get a view into different worlds and the experiences of others. One place this is happening is at the Peabody Essex Museum with the screening of “We Are Made From the Land,” a film about the protection of Indigenous territories. There is also the exhibit “Shaping Futures” at the Fuller Craft Museum, which showcases works made by incarcerated individuals. And for those looking to simply spend time in community, Gloucester’s So Salty festival is a good place to start. These events and more, below.
The Cape Ann Museum, in partnership with Discover Gloucester, is hosting the 5th annual Gloucester’s So Salty festival, a free celebration that pays tribute to the city’s “salty” maritime character. Activities include an ice sculpture display, live music by the local band Three Sheets to the Wind, art activities, a reading of a children’s story, and an opportunity to meet newly elected Mayor Paul Lundberg. Downtown shops will also be holding fun programs, such as making salt dough at Local Colors and watching fish printing demonstrations at Joe’s Fresh Fish Prints. The festival runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the museum’s downtown campus courtyard.
To read the full WBUR article, click here.
Bundle up and head downtown for the fifth annual Gloucester’s So Salty, a two-day celebration of the city’s salty character and vibrant community. The Cape Ann Museum is partnering with cultural institutions and local businesses across Gloucester to offer free, family-friendly activities throughout downtown.
Families can explore ice sculptures, sing along to sea shanties, create hands-on art projects, and enjoy special promotions at participating businesses, all while experiencing the charm of Gloucester in winter.
“Gloucester’s So Salty has become a beloved winter tradition that brings our community together,” said Oliver Barker, Director of the Cape Ann Museum. “This event celebrates everything we love about Gloucester—our maritime heritage, creative spirit, and the local businesses and families that make this place special.”
Inspired by Salem’s So Sweet, the annual event brings more than 2,000 visitors to downtown Gloucester each January to shop locally, enjoy free activities, and seek out ice sculptures sponsored by local cultural institutions and businesses.
Don Chapelle carving a lobster-inspired ice sculpture at Gloucester’s So Salty in 2022. Photo courtesy of Aram Boghosian.
While the Museum’s downtown campus on Pleasant Street is temporarily closed for renovations, visitors are invited to stop by the Museum Courtyard to view featured ice sculptures inspired by Fish Story by Virginia Lee Demetrios, Cat by Katharine Lane Weems, and Man at the Wheel by Leon Craske, and to pick up a map highlighting the weekend’s activities.
From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 24, and Sunday, January 25, bundle up in your favorite winter coat and stroll along Pleasant, Hancock, Main, and Rogers Streets to enjoy a wide variety of free activities, including:
Explore additional downtown businesses offering special activities and promotions throughout the weekend. For a full schedule of activities and times, visit: capeannmuseum.org/event/5th-annual-gloucesters-so-salty1/
Community partners for the 2026 event include the Cape Ann Museum, Discover Gloucester, The Sawyer Free Library, Pathways and The Open Door.
By MSONEWSports Staff | January 20, 2026
GLOUCESTER (January 2026) – Bundle up and head downtown for the fifth annual Gloucester’s So Salty, a two-day celebration of the city’s salty character and vibrant community. The Cape Ann Museum is partnering with cultural institutions and local businesses across Gloucester to offer free, family-friendly activities throughout downtown.
Families can explore ice sculptures, sing along to sea shanties, create hands-on art projects, and enjoy special promotions at participating businesses, all while experiencing the charm of Gloucester in winter.
“Gloucester’s So Salty has become a beloved winter tradition that brings our community together,” said Oliver Barker, Director of the Cape Ann Museum. “This event celebrates everything we love about Gloucester—our maritime heritage, creative spirit, and the local businesses and families that make this place special.”
Inspired by Salem’s So Sweet, the annual event brings more than 2,000 visitors to downtown Gloucester each January to shop locally, enjoy free activities, and seek out ice sculptures sponsored by local cultural institutions and businesses.
Don Chapelle carving a lobster-inspired ice sculpture at Gloucester’s So Salty in 2022. Photo courtesy of Aram Boghosian.
While the Museum’s downtown campus on Pleasant Street is temporarily closed for renovations, visitors are invited to stop by the Museum Courtyard to view featured ice sculptures inspired by Fish Story by Virginia Lee Demetrios, Cat by Katharine Lane Weems, and Man at the Wheel by Leon Craske, and to pick up a map highlighting the weekend’s activities.
From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 24, and Sunday, January 25, bundle up in your favorite winter coat and stroll along Pleasant, Hancock, Main, and Rogers Streets to enjoy a wide variety of free activities, including:
Explore additional downtown businesses offering special activities and promotions throughout the weekend. For a full schedule of activities and times, visit: capeannmuseum.org/event/5th-
Community partners for the 2026 event include the Cape Ann Museum, Discover Gloucester, The Sawyer Free Library, Pathways and The Open Door.
By Times Staff | January 19, 2026
The city’s “salty character” and vibrant spirit will be celebrated at a two-day event during the fifth-annual Gloucester So Salty this weekend.
Residents and visitors are encouraged to “bundle up” and go downtown where an array of free indoor and outdoor events will take place on the streets and in the shops along Pleasant, Hancock, Main and Rogers streets.
Families can explore ice sculptures, create hands-on art projects, and enjoy special promotions at participating businesses on Saturday, Jan. 24, and Sunday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Gloucester’s So Salty has become a beloved winter tradition that brings our community together,” Cape Ann Museum Director Oliver Barker said. “This event celebrates everything we love about Gloucester — our maritime heritage, creative spirit, and the local businesses and families that make this place special.”
Although the downtown campus of Cape Ann Museum is closed for renovations, visitors are encouraged to to stop by the museum courtyard to view ice sculptures inspired by artworks such as “Fish Story” by Virginia Lee Demetrios and “Man at the Wheel” by Leon Craske. Organizers note these frozen sculptures offer ample opportunities for selfies.
An event map will help visitors locate 10 more sculptures throughout downtown and highlight the weekend activities.
“Inspired by Salem’s So Sweet, the annual event brings more than 2,000 visitors to downtown Gloucester each January to shop locally, enjoy free activities, and seek out ice sculptures sponsored by local cultural institutions and businesses,” according to organizers.
There is a free performance by Three Sheets to the Wind, known for singing sea chanteys and maritime music, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Gloucester, at 10 Church St.
At the newly renovated Sawyer Free Library, Mayor Paul Lundberg will read “Katy and the Big Snow” by Virginia Lee Burton on Saturday at 1 p.m.; also featured will be free art activities and music from Elsa’s Frozen Ice & Snow Show.
Dogtown Books, at 132 Main St., will provide “snippets of salty poetry,” and Local Colors Artists Cooperative, at 121 Main St., offers a family activity with salt dough.
Joe’s Fresh Fish Prints, at 206 Main St., offers fish printing demonstrations, and Lockwood Studios, at 2 Eastern Ave., will hold an open mic, poetry readings and jam session.
Other downtown businesses will offer activities and promotions throughout the weekend. At the museum courtyard, visitors can enter a drawing to win one of five family memberships to the museum. Community partners for the 2026 event include Cape Ann Museum, Discover Gloucester, Sawyer Free Library, Pathways for Children and The Open Door.
The full schedule of activities may be found at capeannmuseum.org/event/5th-annual-gloucesters-so-salty1.
To read the full Gloucester Daily Times article, click here.
27 Pleasant Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
978-283-0455
Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.
13 Poplar Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
Closed for the season except for special programming or appointments.