Newport Holiday Village Returns, Activates Downtown Storefront and Tradition

Donna Mandart’s Winter Holiday Village opened December 12, 2025 in a new downtown location, bringing a familiar seasonal draw to Newport’s Main Street. The exhibit of nearly 200 ceramic pieces is arranged into a twinkling town square with tiny skaters and festive vignettes, and it will remain on view through mid January 2026. The display has been installed in the former Needlemans storefront at 100 Main Street, where it is available for public viewing at any time.

Mandart, a Newport resident who began assembling holiday villages decades ago, has expanded a collection that started with a single gifted piece into a sprawling seasonal exhibit she shares with the communities where she has lived. This year’s move to a vacant retail space highlights how individual civic initiative can animate under used downtown property during the holiday season. The visible display offers an always available attraction that can draw passersby into the downtown core without admission or formal programming.

For local residents the exhibit is a family oriented tradition that creates small moments of shared experience during the winter months. For downtown merchants and property owners the village provides a low cost activation that increases pedestrian presence and contributes to the seasonal marketplace. Civic leaders and business groups can view community led initiatives such as this as a model for public private collaboration on placemaking and downtown revitalization without requiring large public expenditures.

The Winter Holiday Village also serves as a reminder of the role that cultural offerings play in sustaining town centers and encouraging civic engagement. As the village remains open through mid January 2026 local officials, business associations, and residents may consider how similar volunteer driven or artist led projects can fill empty storefronts, extend visiting hours for downtown businesses, and strengthen community traditions. The display can be seen at 100 Main Street now through mid January 2026.