The Winter Countdown is Officially on at Sunday River, ME: A Roadmap to the 2026-27 Season

It is the Labor Day holiday weekend in Canada and the United States. Ahead is a glorious stretch of lake lounging, campfires, and casual hangouts. The afternoons are growing shorter, and the Harvest Moon anchors the horizon. Whether these languid days of summer feel like an ending or a beginning depends entirely on your point of view.

At Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine, the stoke is high. Spanning eight interconnected peaks and 135 marked trails, this Appalachian powerhouse doesn’t wait for winter; it summons it. If you want to experience Sunday River for yourself, keep in mind the deadline to secure a season pass at the lowest rate is just around the corner on September 9.

• Related link: Connecting Sunday River and Mt. Abram: The Grassroots Push for Western Maine’s New Multi-Use Spine

To capture that winter state-of-mind, the timeline is set. Here is a chronological roadmap of the milestones, festivals, and local rituals that define the calendar at Sunday River.

16 Days Until Last Year’s Snowmaking Test

With 870 skiable acres, Sunday River has one of the largest winter footprints in the East. One of the most technologically advanced, automated snowmaking networks on the planet helps blanket the vast terrain. When the snowmaking crew awakens the grid for its annual autumn test run, the system routes an astonishing 11,500 gallons of water per minute. The “awakening” at Sunday River is celebrated across social media as the definitive wake-up call for East Coast skiing.

36 Days Until Fall Fest

Since 1984, Sunday River has celebrated the peak of New England leaf-peeping season with Fall Fest. The autumn weekend features scenic chairlift rides, live music, and a showcase of regional craft brews. But the standout draw remains the delightfully eccentric North American Wife Carrying Championship. Teams of two navigate a grueling 278-yard obstacle course. The competition is open to any two-person team, and the stakes are high. The winning duo takes home the passenger’s weight in local beer, five times their weight in cold, hard greenbacks, and an invitation to represent the US at the World Championship event in Sonkajärvi, Finland.

70 Days Until Last Year’s Opening Day

The race for the first turns in the East is a fierce point of pride. Last season, Sunday River officially spun its lifts on November 12, welcoming a passionate crowd to Locke Mountain. Opening Day buzzes with early-winter energy: tailgates in the Barker lot, crisp morning air cutting through the steam of fresh coffee, and a collective celebration that the dry-land training season is over.

100 Days Until Santa Sunday

Santa Sunday is a beloved tradition at the resort. Over three hundred skiers and riders gather at the top of the mountain dressed head-to-binding in identical, mandatory Santa suits. Together, they shred down the Broadway trail in a wave of red and white. What began as an early-season marketing stunt has evolved into a cultural event that raises thousands for The River Fund Maine.

• Related: 300+ Santas Raise $10,000 at Sunday River, ME, 25th Annual Santa Sunday

Maine has an above-average reverence for the jolly man in the red suit. I can speak on this with some authority. My daughters and I once unexpectedly ran into “Maine Santa” and Mrs. Claus in a Hannaford’s parking lot in Wells Beach, complete with a personalized SANTA license plate on their shiny red rig. There are pictures; it did happen, and it proves that the Christmas spirit in Maine is a year-round sensibility.

185 Days Until the Spring Season (And the Return of Donny Day)

By March, Sunday River transitions into its sun-soaked spring skiing rituals. Central to this vibe is Donny Pelletier—the local alter-ego of U.S. Olympic mogul skier Troy Murphy, who tears up the mountain in blue jeans and duct-taped gaiters. According to Donny, the spring season snow at Sunday River is “friggin’ mint.” The mountain celebrates his return on March 8, with group laps and a packed poster signing at Sunday River Sports. If you miss Donny in the spring, you can still catch his spirit year-round; the resort immortalized their ‘Maine’s Finest Athlete’ by plastering his mug onto a custom chairback on the high-speed Barker Six bubble lift.

Welcome to September, folks. Grab a cup of Aroma Joe’s coffee, find your favorite pair of ski jeans, and get ready. Winter is coming. Happy Labor Day to all.