NATIONAL PARK SERVICE · events
Merry & Macabre: Tales of Victorian Holiday Horror at Old North Church
December 12, 2026 · Source: National Park Service
Experience a hauntingly beautiful December night at the Old North Church with musical readings of two Victorian Christmas ghost stories. Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson will bring to life eerie tales of the supernatural from the golden age of the ghost story, including Charles Dickens’s The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton — a sinister precursor to A Christmas Carol — and A.M. Burrage’s spine-chilling Christmas Eve thriller, Smee , where a festive game of hide-and-seek in a dark mansion turns into a terrifying encounter with the unknown. Enhancing the evening’s haunting atmosphere, multi-instrumentalist Josiah Reibstein will lead an ensemble performing a live, original score. Set inside the historic sanctuary of the Old North Church, this immersive hour-long performance blends 18th-century charm with spine-chilling storytelling. It is the ultimate way to celebrate the holiday season in New England. Come alone, if you dare, or bring a band of friends to fill your own private pew. Elevate your experience by taking an Old North Church Crypt Tour before the show. Descend beneath the church floorboards on a 20-minute guided tour to explore the stories of 37 brick tombs holding the remains of 1,100 early Bostonians. Prepare for an unforgettable night of atmospheric storytelling, music, flickering candlelight, and historic charm. Seating and crypt tours are strictly limited inside this historic landmark, so be sure to secure your tickets today before they vanish into the night! Ticket Options All guests will sit in the church’s signature box pews. If you purchase 1-2 tickets, you may share a pew with other guests. Single Ticket: $36 3-Seat Private Pew: $100 4-Seat Private Pew: $130 5-Seat Private Pew: $160 For an additional $12 per person, enjoy a guided tour of Old North Church’s historic crypt before showtime! The crypt tour will begin at 6:30pm. Old North’s wonderful gift shop will also be open starting at 6:30pm, so guests can do some holiday shopping before the program begins. Seating in the church begins at 7:00pm.
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