The Breakers Keeps Two Clocks This Holiday Season

From Saturday, November 21, through Sunday, January 3, The Breakers runs on two schedules. On Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, daytime tours end at 3 p.m., and after that the house belongs to Sparkling Lights ticket holders. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, daytime tours run until 5 p.m. When you build a December around that split, the rest of Newport's holiday calendar starts to make sense: which house to visit on which day, when to bring guests, and which traditions don't need a ticket.

The Preservation Society of Newport County's operating schedule was last updated October 1, 2026, and it says hours are subject to change. So treat everything below as the plan as published right now.

The Breakers runs on a split week

Here is how the 44 Ochre Point Avenue house is scheduled for the holiday period, with Marble House and Chateau-sur-Mer included for comparison.

There is one exception to the weekday pattern. On Monday through Wednesday, December 21 to 23, The Breakers also closes at 3 p.m., with last admission at 2 p.m. All three houses close on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, and Christmas Day, December 25. On Christmas Eve they all close at 2 p.m.

The early closing starts one day before the holiday season does. On Friday, November 20, The Breakers ends daytime tours at 3 p.m. Of the three holiday houses, only The Breakers requires you to pick a date and entry time, and the Society recommends buying those tickets in advance. Marble House and Chateau-sur-Mer don't use timed entry.

The two guide-led tours at The Breakers drop to one time slot each during the holidays. Beneath The Breakers runs daily at 10 a.m., and the Third Floor Preservation in Progress tour runs daily at 12 p.m. Through November 20, each tour still has two daily times. Beneath The Breakers runs at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., and the third-floor tour runs at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. If your out-of-town guests want to see the basement or the third floor, early November gives you more choices.

The afternoon closing makes room for Sparkling Lights

Daytime visits end at 3 p.m. Thursday through Sunday so the house can reset for evening visitors. Sparkling Lights runs on select evenings from November 21 through December 27, with entry times at 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. The house and grounds close at 8 p.m. The Sparkling Lights page describes a half-mile path lit with hundreds of thousands of holiday lights. The ticket also includes the decorated interior, and holiday treats and adult beverages are for sale at the back terrace and The Breakers Welcome Center.

That back terrace has been closed for restoration since January, and the schedule lists the work as running through November 2026. The Sparkling Lights page names the terrace as a place to get refreshments, which suggests it will be back in use for the evening season. The listing doesn't say so outright, though.

Here is what tickets cost for 2026:

• Adult nonmember, $45
• Youth nonmember, ages 6 to 12, $18
• Adult member, $30
• Youth member, ages 6 to 17, $18
• Children younger than 6, free

All sales are final. The only time tickets are refunded is when the Society cancels Sparkling Lights for hazardous weather. In December, that makes the forecast part of the decision. Members have a separate evening on December 13, from 4 to 8 p.m.

The run is one evening shorter on the calendar this year. In 2025, Discover Newport's holiday guide listed Sparkling Lights from November 21 through December 28, with entry every half hour from 4 to 6 p.m. The 2026 season keeps the same entry times and ends December 27.

The Breakers is also hosting two more evening events in December. On December 17 at 7 p.m., there's a one-night performance called A Musical Retelling of "A Christmas Carol," narrated by Christine Baranski. On December 19, the Holiday Dinner Dance runs from 7 p.m. to midnight.

The holiday houses have changed, too

Last year's holiday season used four houses: The Breakers, Marble House, Chateau-sur-Mer and The Elms. It ran from November 22, 2025, to January 1, 2026. This year there are three houses, and the season starts one day earlier and ends two days later.

The Elms has been closed since August 10 while the Society builds a new guest experience. A September 21 release describes it as storytelling, multisensory elements and other built-in enhancements. The Society is working with Digital Kitchen, a creative studio it chose as its experience design partner in 2024. The release says the house will reopen "later this fall" but gives no date. People who want to be among the first inside can sign up at newportmansions.org/theelms. What'sUpNewp reported the same timing. The current operating schedule doesn't list any hours for The Elms. While the mansion is closed, The Carriage House café at The Elms is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last seating at 4 p.m. It's open only to Society members and visitors holding a Newport Mansions house-tour ticket.

Rosecliff closes for the season even sooner. It's open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through November 1, and admission includes the "Revolution Reimagined" exhibition on the second floor. After that, it drops off the schedule.

That leaves Marble House at 596 Bellevue Avenue as the only holiday house open every day on full hours. Chateau-sur-Mer at 474 Bellevue Avenue is open weekends only. On a Saturday or Sunday, those two Bellevue Avenue houses are open until 5 p.m., two hours after daytime tours at The Breakers stop. Daytime admission at all three works with a regular ticket, the Access Pass or a Preservation Society membership.

Inside the three houses, the decorations follow tradition. There are nearly 30 decorated trees, including Mr. Vanderbilt's tree at The Breakers, trimmed with trains and top hats. The 15-foot poinsettia tree in the Great Hall is back, made of 150 plants.

The free half of the season happens on the waterfront

The ticketed events cluster on Ochre Point and Bellevue Avenue. The free ones happen on the harbor. In date order:

1. Newport Illuminated Boat Parade, Friday, November 27, 6 p.m. Decorated boats circle Newport Harbor, and you can watch from points along the waterfront. The organizers say more details are coming. The date can change. Last year, high winds pushed the parade back a day, from Friday to Saturday, November 29.
2. Christmas in Newport, December 1 to 31. The nonprofit's month-long, citywide celebration has its own event calendar. Check it closer to December for the full list.
3. Bowen's Wharf Christmas Tree Lighting, Saturday, December 5. The event at 13 Bowen's Wharf is free and starts at 12:30 p.m., when Santa is expected to arrive. The tree is lit at 6 p.m.
4. Polar Plunge, January 1, 2027. A Wish Come True hosts the New Year's Day plunge, and a $25 donation gets you into the water. The organizer's homepage doesn't list a location yet.

The boat parade falls on the day after Thanksgiving. That's a Friday, so daytime tours at The Breakers end at 3 p.m., and the harbor event starts at 6. If guests are in town that weekend, you can fit a Bellevue Avenue afternoon at Marble House and a waterfront evening into the same day without paying for an evening ticket. The tree lighting works the same way. December 5 is a Saturday, so Chateau-sur-Mer and Marble House are both open until 5 p.m. before the 6 p.m. lighting on Bowen's Wharf.

If your family wants a long, unhurried daytime tour of The Breakers, the full-length days are Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the season, except December 21 to 23. For an evening there, look at the Sparkling Lights date calendar on the Society's site and pick a date with a good forecast, since tickets can't be refunded.

If a holiday visit from family has you thinking about what life in Newport looks like the rest of the year, my Newport neighborhood page is a good place to start. And if you'd like to talk through timing for a sale or purchase around the holidays, Patricia Berg is happy to help you plan the calendar. Let's Connect.