The Southampton community comes together each year for a different kind of holiday celebration – the traditional Lighting of the Windmill at Stony Brook Southampton.

More than 200 friends, neighbors and local elected officials attend the illuminating festivities held annually in early December on the college campus.

The Windmill at Stony Brook Southampton, a local icon, is decorated for the holidays.

The event features holiday treats and hot chocolate for the guests. Musical performances  of seasonal classics were provided by the Southampton Brass Quartet and the Stony Brook University Pep Band in recent years.

As part of the event, faculty at the campus share their work on current topics with the crowd through presentations in Duke Lecture Hall. The community is also offered guided tours of the windmill and given information about the campus programs.

Volunteers from several campus departments, including the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, Student Life and the Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) Program, coordinate the evening’s program.

Constructed in the early 1700s, the windmill has been a fixture on the Southampton campus since it opened in 1963. It has been designated a National Literary Landmark, based on playwright Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) having lived here during the summer of 1957.