Exhibition Extended Through December 30
Holiday hours, 10am–4pm
FREE for everyone!
Open until 8pm Friday, December 2, and Saturday, December 3.
Are you ready for sweater weather?
Escape into a World of Fiction
To go along with our exhibition featuring greater Seacoast children’s picturebook illustrators, “Show + Tell,” we invited the gingerbreadologisits of Portsmouth and beyond to craft their favorite fictional places and characters. This year’s exhibition is filled with beloved charcters, magical castles, and storybook holiday favorites.
Now through December 22!
Judges’ Awards
With so many fasntastic entries this year we do not envy the judge’s job. Thank you to all our judges for their hard work!
- Angela Carter of Avery Agency
- Doug Smith and Rachel Peter of Kennebunk Savings Bank
- Jane Murphy of Seacoast Media Group
- Robin Albert, Portsmouth Arts & Nonprofits Committee
- Ben VanCamp of Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce
- Karen Conard, City Manager
- Peter Rice, Director of Public Works
- Devine Millimet
- EnviroVantage
Judges from Kennebunk Savings Bank
Adult Category
The winner is Elena Trunfio’s Magical Mushroom Cottage
Our adult category is always full of fantastic entries and this year was no exception!
Honorable mention in both the Adult Category and for Best in Show goes to Hagrid’s Hut by Izzi and Hannah
Multi-Generational Category
It’s all about the magic you can create when working together in the multi-generational category.
Frank Krupp and Ariana Incollingo’s Tangled Christmas towered above the competition and won the category.
An Old House in Paris by Aunt Kathy Brown and the La Croix Kddos with their twelve little girls in two straight lines receieves an honorable mention.
Teen Category
Our teen category entrants were hard at work leveling up their masterpieces!
The Ravenpuffs’ Hogwarts Express
Kuzco’s Palace and Pacha’s Hut by Natalie Little
Youth Category
We always love seeing what our 12-and-under category choose to build. This year’s entries pull from storybook classics like the Three Little Pigs, epic fantasy such as the Hobbit, and the magical world of witchcraft and wizardry.
Biblo’s Hobbit Hole by Rachel Little
Santa’s Surf Shack by Cole Dinulos
Business or Organization Category
The Merchantile Portsmouth‘s Gnomeland may be decorated in all white treats, but they take home the blue winners ribbon.
After announcing their summer 2023 show as Little Shop of Horror’s Prescott Park Arts Festival‘s entry takes home an honorable mention.
Best In Show
Our Judge’s Choice Best in Show winner is Lindsay Carroll’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears. With decorative details from the story on all sides of the gingerbread house still photos weren’t enough to capture all the tiny details.
Committee Choice Award
People’s Choice Awards
Most Attention to Detail
Sandi Strzepek’s The Hobbit is full of fun details. From the almond sliver pavers and the slices of gum stacked as letters in the the mailbox to the sugar pane illusion of a fireplace inside the hobbit home, Strzepek’s work holds many charming surprises.
Most Creative Use of Materials
Rachel Wall’s Those Who Live in Glass Houses Should Not Throw Stones is not made out of glass, but instead uses poured sugar to create. the illusion of glass walls. Pair that with the colorful base of melted peppermint candies and visitors see unexpected and ingenious uses of edible material.
Most Whimsical
Libby Giordano’s Gingerbread Village for Make-A-Wish New Hampshire is a colorful pile of not one, not two, but six different gingerbread houses. The structure of these houses comes from store bought kits, but the colorful decoration creates a sense of whimsy.
Best in Show
Elena Trunfio’s Magical Mushroom Cottage, which also took home Judges’ Award for best in the adult category, adds to its ribbons with People’s Choice Best in Show. Who does Trunfio’s woodland cottage hold? You’ll just have to use your imagination.
Downtown Scavenger Hunt
Pick up a stamp sheet at the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, at one of our downtown retail partner locations, or download here.
Visit each of the locations and get a stamp.
Collect 15 of 18 stamps and submit your sheet by December 20 for a chance to win a prize from one of our partners!
Raffles
We will be raffling off some of the creations submitted by community members. Get a ticket for $1 and you could take home as a holiday centerpiece! Winners to be announced on December 20.
Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth
We are part of the city-wide seasonal event, Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth, along with many other institutions. Check it all out here! Plus, we’re hosting the kick-off party on December 2, 2022 from 5:30–7:30 pm when the winners of the community judges’ awards will be announced!
Is there a theme for this years contest?
Yes, our theme this year is: Fictional places and characters.
I registered days ago but never received an e-mail confirmation. Do I need to register again?
Hi Julie, I just checked and you did successfully sign up. I’ll make sure you get sent the confirmation email!
Does the base have to be edible?
Great question. No! In fact, we recommend that it be something very sturdy, like plywood or a baking sheet. The houses have to be moved around quite a lot during setup, so it’s important for the base to be structurally sound.
I cannot find my registration email, will you please confirm that it was recieved?
Aubrey,
Yes, your registration was received. You should have an email from info@portsmouthhistory.org, although you registered a while ago, and I think I recall a hiccough with the confirmation emails early on this year, so maybe that’s why you didn’t receive one. If you can, mark info@portsmouthhistory.org as “not junk” so you can receive the update emails!
Thanks!
Meredith Affleck
Exhibitions Manager
Will the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center be open later than 5:00pm during the Christmas holiday for tours of the gingerbread houses? On Saturdays and Sundays during Candlelight Stroll for example? Thanks.
Yes, we will be open until 8 pm on both Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3.
I registered days ago but never received an e-mail confirmation.
Would you please check?
Thank you!
Hi Soraya, yes I can confirm your registration did go through successfully. I just sent you another email from sabina@portsmouthhistory.org. Please take a look in your spam folder to see if it got filtered out by mistake. Thank you!
I would love to come see the Gingerbread houses. When is the gallery open and what other tips do you have for seeing the houses?
This year’s Gingerbread exhibition will open on Friday, November 25 and remain open until December 22. We are open every day of the week 10am-5pm, but will hav extended hours on Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December3 when we are open until 8 pm. In addition to the main exhibition in the gallery we also have about 18 downtown partners who will have gingerbread houses displayed in their front windows. Make sure to come by before 12/14 to vote in our People’s Choice Awards!
We registered our gingerbread house for the Gastich-French family, but I don’t recall receiving a confirmation. Can you also remind me when the drop-off is?
Hi Charlie, it seems like several people had our emails go to spam this year. I’ve just sent you the email that went out with drop off info on Saturday and left a voicemail with the info at the number we have on record from your registration.
Hello,
We are looking forward to visiting the 2022 gingerbread house exhibit, but I am not familiar with downtown Portsmouth or the Portsmouth Historical Society – What is the address where the houses will be on display? Also wondering about easy parking? Thank you.
Thank you for including us in your December plans. You’ll want to put in 10 Middle Street, Portsmouth NH for the address. There is a pay to park city lot across the street from the Portsmouth Historical Society (10 Middle Street). Additionally, Islington Street, which is our cross street has free two hour parking as you head away from downtown. We hope you enjoy your visit!
When will the 2023 theme be announced!?! Me and the Fam cant wait!
We’re probably going to make that announcement in early to mid-September, just finalizing a few of the behind-the-scenes details for next year. We’re also so excited, we can’t wait to see all the spectacular entries!
What is the theme for this year for the gingerbread contest. thanks!
Hi Juliet, check out the 2023 Gingerbread page https://portsmouthhistory.org/exhibitions/gingerbread2023/
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Can i get confirmation on my gingerbread entry form and verify the drop off times please?
I thought I saved the information but can’t find it
Hi Shari, we just gave you a call on the number you used during registration and left a voicemail with drop off info. You also should have received an email on Saturday with important dates. If you don’t see that in your inbox, you might want to look in your spam folder. Thank you and we can’t wait to see your gingerbread!