The Goodspeed has about seven weeks of Annie left. It runs straight through the holidays and is now extended through January 2. Gillette Castle, on the other side of town, opens its decorated rooms on just twelve days this year. Those days are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from November 27 to December 20.
Both are ticketed, and each one runs on its own fixed calendar. If you're hosting family in East Haddam between Thanksgiving and New Year's, start with the Castle. The theater keeps performing for nearly two weeks after the last Castle tour. The Castle has twelve days and a limit on every tour.
Twelve Castle days against the Goodspeed's run
| Weekend | Gillette Castle Holiday Tour | Goodspeed, Annie | Elsewhere in town |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 27 to 29 | Fri, Sat, Sun tours | Performances continue | Chester–Hadlyme Ferry still in season |
| Dec. 4 to 6 | Fri, Sat, Sun tours | Open-caption show, Fri. Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. | |
| Dec. 8 (Tuesday) | No tours | Christmas in the Village, 5:30 p.m. | |
| Dec. 10 to 13 | Fri, Sat, Sun tours | Cast Q&A Thu. Dec. 10; sensory-friendly show Sun. Dec. 13, 6:30 p.m. | |
| Dec. 18 to 20 | Final tour weekend | Performances continue | |
| Dec. 21 to Jan. 2 | Season over | Final stretch of the run | Farmers' market at the Grange, Wed. Dec. 23 |
The Goodspeed starts its holiday programming before the Castle opens. On Monday, November 23, the 7:30 p.m. performance comes with $15 off a ticket when you make a donation to the East Haddam Food Bank, ordered through the Box Office. After December 20, the theater has the town's holiday calendar mostly to itself. Its posted alternate-cast schedule includes performances on December 22, 23, 27, 29 and 30.
Why the Castle tickets go first
Each Castle tour is capped at 18 people. According to the state park page for Gillette Castle, tours leave every 15 minutes, starting at 10 a.m., with the last holiday tour at 3:30 p.m. That works out to 23 departures a day. If every tour is full, about 400 people can see the decorated interior on a tour day, and there are only twelve of those days.
The state sells the tickets, not the volunteer Friends group, and they have been on sale since after Labor Day. You can buy them on site if any are left, but both the park and the Friends of Gillette Castle recommend buying ahead through the state's ReserveAmerica tour page. Prices are $6 for ages 13 and up, $2 for ages 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under.
The tour schedule matters more because the Castle interior has been closed since Columbus Day while staff get ready for the holiday program. The decorating is a joint effort. Last year, the Hartford Courant reported that Friends of Gillette Castle works each year with volunteers from other state park Friends groups, local organizations and businesses. The Friends group is again looking for volunteers to help with setup and during the program.
If you can't get a tour, the grounds still work for a visit. The park grounds and trails are open every day of the year from 8 a.m. until sunset, and they're free. You can walk the grounds on any of the days when the interior is closed.
The ferry season ends after the first tour weekend
If your guests are coming from Chester, Essex or anywhere else on the west bank, this affects the trip. CTDOT's standing schedule runs the Chester–Hadlyme Ferry from April 1 through November 30, closed on Thanksgiving, with crossings on demand during operating hours.
Only the first tour weekend, November 27 to 29, falls inside that window. The other nine Castle days come after the ferry's season has ended, so guests have to drive around by road. CTDOT also suspended ferry service for vessel repairs in September. Even that first weekend, check the CTDOT page before you plan a crossing as part of the outing.
Dinner depends on the curtain time
Because Annie runs two and a half hours with intermission, a 7:30 p.m. curtain lets out after every kitchen on Main Street has stopped serving. That pushes dinner to before the show. The two restaurants on either side of the theater keep different hours, and the day of the week decides which one fits.
- Gelston House, 8 Main Street: open Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. Goodspeed's Friday Dinner Theatre package paired dinner at the Gelston House with the 7:30 p.m. show for $89, but it is listed as sold out.
- Jimmy's Legacy Grille, 9 Main Street: open Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday noon to 9 p.m. It is closed Monday. Happy hour runs 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and the restaurant lists live music every weekend.
- Higher Grounds, 32 Main Street: coffee, made-to-order wraps, soups, quiches and desserts, per Goodspeed's dining guide.
Put those hours against the performance schedule and the choices narrow. On Sunday, the Gelston House closes at 3 p.m., so it fits before a 2 p.m. matinee but not before the 6:30 p.m. evening show. For a Sunday evening performance, including the sensory-friendly show on December 13, Jimmy's is the open dining room next to the theater. The Monday, November 23 food-drive performance falls on a day both restaurants list as closed.
A little farther out, Goodspeed's dining guide lists Cactus Bistro at 381 Town Street. In Moodus, Thena Pita Bar at 25 Falls Road takes online pickup orders.
December 8 is a Tuesday
The town's own event of the season falls in the middle of the week. The town calendar lists Christmas in the Village for Tuesday, December 8, at 5:30 p.m. in East Haddam Village. That evening falls between two Castle tour weekends, so it doesn't compete with a tour. It also falls on one of the Gelston House's closed days. If your plans include dinner nearby before or after the event, Jimmy's Legacy Grille's posted Tuesday hours run until 9 p.m.
That week also has the most Goodspeed extras of the season. The open-caption performance is Friday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m., with designated seats you can book online or through the Box Office. On Thursday, December 10, there's a free cast Q&A after the 7:30 p.m. show. The sensory-friendly performance is Sunday, December 13, at 6:30 p.m. Students can also buy $15 rush tickets for any evening performance, starting at 11 a.m. on the day of the show, with a valid ID.
After December 20, the calendar moves to Town Street and Main Street
Once the last Castle tour leaves on December 20, East Haddam's dated events are at the Grange and the theater. CT Grown lists the East Haddam Farmers' Market, organized by Community Pollinator, at the East Haddam Grange, 488 Town Street, on Wednesday, December 23, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. That's the Wednesday before Christmas, and Annie has a 2 p.m. matinee the same day. The East Haddam Historical Society has a Holiday Gathering on its December 2026 schedule.
The last performances, listed through January 2, are also the last chance to see this production. Goodspeed calls the 50th-anniversary Annie a homecoming "on the stage where it all began." The Goodspeed box office is the authorized seller for the dates that remain, along with its telemarketing partner.
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