Established in 1896 and just a 40-minute Blue Line ride outside of Boston, Revere Beach owns the title of the very first public beach in the United States. But despite its historical stature, something new is developing in that same area: a Winter Wonderland celebration.
For the second year in a row, the Revere Beach Partnership — a nonprofit with the goal of maintaining the beach and the community it brings — brought a multitude of attractions Feb. 8 that, even in the dead of the New England winter, caused attendees to come in droves.
Kristen Karshis, the president of the partnership, recalled that even in its first year of holding the event, “We were completely slammed as we are today.”
A primary goal of the partnership is to maintain the solid community the Revere Beach locals have, even in the cold winter months. “People are craving winter activities. They want to get out of the house,” Karshis said.
There was indeed no shortage of activities at Winter Wonderland. On the boardwalk were multiple food trucks that accompanied an ice-sculpting competition, where spectators ate and watched as sculptors shaved and carved beautiful figures.
The event was reminiscent of the partnership’s extremely popular International Sand Sculpting Festival, which celebrated its 20-year anniversary just last year. The partnership utilized its already-strong brand presence to get the new winter event off the ground.
Sisters Liv and Julia Webber, natives to the area, had attended the sand sculpting event in July 2024, and when they received an email advertising Winter Wonderland, they decided to attend.
“It’s not as packed as the sandcastle one was,” Julia Webber said.
A market with local vendors and other businesses served as a shopping break from the nearby chili tasting, where 10 vendors with competing cups of chili occupied the majority of the adults in the space.
The atmosphere, especially inside Springhill Suites, a hotel just across the street from the Revere Beach boardwalk, mimicked that of a large family reunion. Packed crowds shuffled past each other while joyfully conversing with both each other and vendors.
The physical and metaphorical warmth was palpable, making clear to visitors why Winter Wonderland is a popular annual event and important to the Revere Beach Partnership to preserve and nourish the local community.
All the profits made by the partnership — from the chili tasting to the merchandise table — went back directly into the program and were filtered toward local capital projects, the improvement of the beach itself and more events.
