The Village of Northport marina kept 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM hours every day from September 15 through October 15, and then it closed for the season. The harbor goes quiet, and the village's evenings move to a different address, 103 S Wing St., where the Northport Public School building holds the NPAC Auditorium.
From now until the second week of December, most of Northport's community calendar is hosted by its public institutions. The school, the Leelanau Township Library and the Northport Arts Association put on most of it, and the school building carries the most.
The school building carries the season
The season started there in October. Northport Performing Arts Center booked the vocal quartet Windborne into the NPAC Auditorium on October 24 at 7:30 pm. Before the show, the group led a workshop with Northport's own Village Voices, who joined them for a song or two. November uses the same room for even more of the village.
On Friday, November 20, the school hosts the Annual Wildcat Community Thanksgiving Lunch from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. The Northport Omena Calendar describes it as a free Thanksgiving meal at Northport Public School "for everyone." National Honor Society students serve it with the school's kitchen staff. It's a weekday lunch, set when the people cooking and serving it are already in the building, and the invitation reaches past school families.
Nine days later, on November 29, NPAC holds its Annual Holiday Concert with the Village Voices and the Northport Community Band in the same auditorium. NPAC describes the program this way:
"The groups present classics, new music, and hidden gems for your enjoyment, and finish off with a grand singalong."
The Northport Omena Calendar adds that a cookie afterglow follows the concert. NPAC's ticket prices show who the night is built for. Adults pay $15. Students from Pre-K through college who don't attend Northport Public Schools pay $5. Northport Public School students and residents of Northport Highlands get in free.
The time needs a check before you go. NPAC's own page lists 7:30 pm. The Northport Omena Calendar has two entries for the concert, both starting at 2:00 pm and ending at different times. The NPAC page sells the tickets, so confirm the start time there.
The library sets a smaller table
The Leelanau Township Library's November events take the same community-run approach to a smaller group.
The Friendsgiving Cookbook Potluck runs Saturday, November 14, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Everyone cooks from the same book, The Complete Autumn & Winter Cookbook. The library has a limited number of copies to check out and keeps one in the building for in-library reading. The library provides the entree, tableware and non-alcoholic beverages. Guests sign up for a dish at leelanautownshiplibrary.org or in person. Because everyone works from one book, nobody arrives with a third green bean casserole, and the table can be planned before anyone turns on an oven.
Four days later, on Wednesday, November 18, the library's book discussion takes up I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. Copies are at the library about a month ahead, a Zoom link is available on request, and the program is free.
A few miles down the shore, the Omena Historical Society runs a weekly Community Coffee Hour on Thursdays from 10:00 to 11:00 am at its Putnam-Cloud Tower House Museum. The community calendar puts it plainly: "No program, just free coffee and conversation, everyone welcome!" It is on the calendar for Thanksgiving morning, November 26, too.
Thanksgiving weekend, in order
The busiest stretch of the month comes after the holiday, when the arts association, the lighthouse and NPAC all have something on the same two days. Here is the sequence as currently posted:
- Saturday, November 28, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Northport Arts Association Holiday Arts and Crafts Sale fills two locations, the Northport Arts Association and Willowbrook Mill, with local artisan work.
- Saturday, November 28, 10 AM to 3 PM. The Grand Traverse Lighthouse lists weekend visiting hours for November, so the sale and a trip up to the tip of the peninsula fit in the same day. The lighthouse's visitor information page still says it closes November through March, so check the lighthouse site before you drive up.
- Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Northport Omena Chamber describes the annual tree lighting as falling on this day, with events throughout the village. Check the Chamber page for this year's times.
- Sunday, November 29. The NPAC Annual Holiday Concert at 103 S Wing St., with the start time set by NPAC.
Saturday's events run on daytime hours, between the sale and the lighthouse. Sunday comes down to one event, and its start time decides where you eat afterward.
Where dinner fits around the programs
The restaurants below have published hours on their own websites. None of them label those hours as winter 2026 hours, so call before you plan around them.
- Faro Northport: Wednesday through Saturday, 5 to 9 pm, and Sunday, 5 to 8 pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
- Yard & Lake: Wednesday through Friday, 3:00 to 9:00 pm, and Saturday, noon to 9:00 pm. Closed Sunday through Tuesday.
- Northport Pub and Grille: Monday, Thursday and Friday, 3:00 to 9:00 pm, and Saturday, noon to 9:00 pm. Closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.
- New Bohemian Cafe: Every day, 7:00 am to 3:00 pm.
- Chef Ron's Famous, formerly Jeannine's: Says it is "OPEN YEAR-ROUND!" and serves breakfast and lunch all day from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm.
- Barb's Bakery: Bakes donuts fresh daily and sells pies and pastries year-round. The bakery's site doesn't list hours.
There's some reason to expect the dinner spots to stay open through the season. A Leelanau Ticker roundup from May 8, 2026 reported that Faro Northport and Yard & Lake both stayed open through the previous winter.
Read those hours against the calendar and a few pairings work. On sale Saturday, Yard & Lake and Northport Pub and Grille both open at noon, and Faro opens at 5. On concert Sunday, New Bohemian Cafe covers the morning, and Faro is the one listed dinner option, from 5 to 8 pm. That makes dinner easy if the concert starts in the afternoon. If it starts at 7:30, you'll need an early dinner. The Wildcat lunch on Friday, November 20, ends at 1:30 pm, so the evening is still open, and Faro, Yard & Lake and Northport Pub and Grille all list Friday dinner hours.
December keeps the same address
The school building stays busy into December. Northwest Michigan Ballet Theatre returns to the NPAC Auditorium on Sunday, December 6, at 3:00 pm with its own choreography of The Nutcracker. On Wednesday, December 9, the Wildcat Holiday Concert runs from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.
At the north end of the peninsula, the Grand Traverse Lighthouse lists its December Christmas event as TBA. The event will include a lighthouse tour, a tower climb, Santa's workshop and a lighted trail. Until the lighthouse posts a date, the next confirmed events are on South Wing Street: a ballet on December 6 and the Wildcat Holiday Concert on December 9.
Our team lives and works in these Leelanau villages all year, including the quiet season. If you have questions about Northport in the off-season, whether you're there through the winter already or deciding whether to stay past the marina's closing next year, Blue Lakes Real Estate Group is glad to talk it through. Let's Work Together.
