Peacock’s upcoming drama series “Five-Star Weekend” could send more visitors to nantucket this summer, and Elin Hilderbrand is urging fans to come in May or October instead. The author, whose novel inspired the series, said she hopes the attention lands outside the island’s busiest months, when the summer population swells to 80,000.
Hilderbrand called the publicity “a double-edged sword,” saying, “It’s a double-edged sword, because there are people on Nantucket who are very wary about it being overrun.” She added, “My hope is that will happen instead of there being a glut of the visitors during the high season.”
Hilderbrand And Nantucket
“Five-Star Weekend” is set on Nantucket and is based on one of Hilderbrand’s books. Jennifer Garner stars as a food influencer dealing with the unexpected death of her husband. Hilderbrand has written 27 Nantucket-centered books and has sold more than 20 million copies.
The author described the island as a place that “defines American summertime,” and said, “Nantucket has 50 miles of undeveloped, pristine beaches that are open to the public except for one very short stretch.” She also said, “And there are [nearly] no chain stores, no neon signs and no stoplights on the island. It defines New England charm.”
Summer On Nantucket
Nantucket sits 30 miles out to sea off the coast of Cape Cod and is a designated National Historic Landmark. The first house on the island dates back to 1695. Hilderbrand said the island “sort of self-curates the kind of person who is going to come visit. You have to save for it, or have a lot of money to buy a house here.”
That visitor mix is part of why the series matters locally. Hilderbrand has said there are only so many daily ferries and flights to Nantucket, while the island’s peak season already brings crowded restaurants, overloaded stores and heavy traffic.
May And October
For readers planning a trip, Hilderbrand’s guidance is simple: aim for shoulder season if the show pushes more people to the island. May and October are the months she named, and that is where the pressure point sits for a destination that is already a summer draw.
The practical issue now is not whether Nantucket will be talked about, but when those visitors show up. If “Five-Star Weekend” works the way Hilderbrand hopes, the island may get the attention without the peak-season squeeze.
