Cisco Brewers is still open seven days a week this month. On paper, nothing changes until November. In practice the brewery at 5 Bartlett Farm Road is already running on a weekend rhythm, and the posted hours don't show it. Through mid-November the reliable times to go out there are Friday afternoons, Saturdays and Sundays, plus one ticketed Sunday fundraiser. From Monday, November 2, through Saturday, November 7, the brewery is closed outright.
The calendar on the Cisco Brewers Nantucket page tells the story better than the hours do. October hours are Monday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. The live music stopped running on weekdays more than a week ago.
The weekday music ended before the hours changed
During the first half of October, Cisco booked music most days. Connor Cox played Monday and Tuesday, October 5 and 6. Buckle & Shake played Wednesday the 7th, Doug & Co. Thursday the 8th, and Nat Osborn Friday the 9th. Then came the Levitate Flannel Jam Festival, a ticketed event, on Monday, October 12, and on Tuesday the 13th the brewery closed for staff appreciation.
After that, the calendar only has entries on weekends. The Slips played Friday the 16th, and Maddi Ryan played Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th. Monday through Thursday of this week had no music at all. The taps are still open on those weekdays, but the brewery is quieter during the week now, and the change came before any official schedule change.
The food trucks follow a similar pattern. Cisco's posted rotation has Lobster Trap every day, Eat Fire Pizza Monday through Thursday, Millie's Thursday through Sunday, and Lemon Press Friday through Sunday. On a Tuesday that means two trucks. On a Saturday it means three. Truck schedules can change as the weather turns, so treat that list as the current posted lineup, not a promise for November.
The next four weeks, laid out
Starting from this Thursday, here's what Cisco's own hours and event listings show through the middle of November.
| Dates | What's posted at Cisco Brewers |
|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 23 | The Slips, 4–7 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 24 | Connor Cox, 4–7 p.m. |
| Sun, Oct. 25 | No More Empty Bowls, 1:30–4:30 p.m.; Connor Cox, 3–6 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct. 30 | The Slips, 4–7 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 31 | Different Strokez, 4–7 p.m. |
| Mon, Nov. 2 – Sat, Nov. 7 | Brewery closed |
| From Nov. 8 | November hours: closed Mon–Wed; Thu–Sat noon–7 p.m.; Sun noon–6 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov. 13 | Sweater Weather, 4–7 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov. 14 | NSA Clam Jam, noon–3 p.m., with Madaket Mountain; Mighty Mystic, 4–7 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 15 | Sweater Weather, 3–6 p.m. |
Every event left this month falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The event feed doesn't list anything after November 15.
October 25 is the last big Sunday before the break
The biggest gathering left in October is No More Empty Bowls, on Sunday, October 25, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The organizer is Nantucket Food, Fuel & Rental Assistance, and the Artists Association of Nantucket describes it as a community fundraiser for the Nantucket Food Pantry.
The bowls come from islanders. The Artists Association has run drop-in glazing sessions where anyone 15 or older can glaze a handmade bowl to donate to the event, with no pottery experience or registration needed and all materials provided. So the bowl you pick up at Cisco may have been glazed by a neighbor.
Tickets are sold through Eventbrite, which shows a price of $39.19. The 2026 listing doesn't say exactly what the ticket includes. For last year's event, The Inquirer and Mirror reported that a $30 entry covered a Cisco beverage, soup and a handmade bowl. Check the current listing before you assume this year works the same way.
One island calendar has listed the event for October 19 with different hours. Cisco, Eventbrite and the Artists Association all list Sunday, October 25, from 1:30 to 4:30. Connor Cox plays from 3 to 6 that afternoon, so the fundraiser runs straight into the evening set.
November 2 through 7 is a six-day closure
The new November schedule is easy to follow. Cisco is closed Monday through Wednesday and open Thursday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Separately, the brewery has posted a full closure from November 2 through November 7.
That closure covers more than the three weekdays the brewery would have been closed anyway. It takes in Thursday, Friday and Saturday as well, so there's no Friday or Saturday at Cisco in the first week of November. After the Halloween set with Different Strokez on October 31, the next Friday-night music listed is Sweater Weather on November 13. Under the posted November hours, Sunday the 8th and Thursday the 12th are regular open days, but nothing is scheduled on them.
Cisco's hours page also warns that winter hours may change "due to weather or spur of the moment tropical vacations." The brewery points people to its social accounts, @Ciscobrewers, for updates. From here on, check those before you drive out Hummock Pond Road on an ordinary afternoon.
Clam Jam anchors the first event weekend after the closure, and tickets cost more each year
Regular hours come back on Sunday, November 8, and the first weekend with events posted is the following one. On Saturday, November 14, the Nantucket Shellfish Association hosts its third annual NSA Clam Jam at Cisco from noon to 3 p.m. At its core is a chowder competition. Chowder is served from noon to 2, judging runs from 2 to 2:30, and the event continues until 3. Each ticket includes tastings from every competing chef, votes for your two favorite chowders, live music and children's activities.
Prices have gone up every year since the event started.
| Year | Adult ticket |
|---|---|
| 2024, first annual | $30 |
| 2025, second annual | $40 |
| 2026, third annual | $55 |
The 2026 adult ticket includes one Cisco drink: beer, a cocktail or wine. Tickets for guests under 21 are $20, and children under 10 get in free. Tickets are sold on the association's Givebutter page. The association says it partners with Cisco because both care about the sustainability of the island's shellfish and the health of Nantucket's harbors.
Madaket Mountain plays during Clam Jam, and Mighty Mystic follows from 4 to 7. Sweater Weather plays on either side, Friday the 13th from 4 to 7 and Sunday the 15th from 3 to 6. In November, that's the busiest weekend the brewery has posted.
Getting out Bartlett Farm Road now the shuttle has stopped
Getting there is different now too. Cisco's complimentary shuttle is suspended for fall and winter. The brewery suggests The Wave, local taxis, Uber or Lyft instead.
If you plan to take The Wave, here's what the Nantucket Regional Transit Authority's routes page shows:
- Route 01, Bartlett Farm, is listed as year-round, running every 60 minutes from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Its stops are Greenhound/10 Washington, Vesper Lane/Pharmacy, Hummock Pond/Millbrook and Bartlett Farm. The route doesn't list a stop named for Cisco Brewers.
- The same page has shown the route as "Not In Service" even though it's listed as year-round.
Check NRTA's live status before you build an afternoon around the bus. The route's listed service hours end at 7 p.m., which is also when Cisco stops serving on Thursdays through Saturdays in November, so give yourself a margin for the ride home. On the busy dates, October 25 and November 14, arrange a ride ahead of time if you're relying on a taxi or rideshare.
If you're spending more of this off-season out past the Hummock Pond Road farms and want a resident's read on how Cisco changes once the summer crowd leaves, I'm glad to share what I've seen over a lifetime on the island. Carl Lindvall is here when you're ready. Let's Start a Conversation.
