It’s the first official weekend of summer, and there are so many ways to celebrate. Here’s a sampling of the highlights.
Pocket Gardens of Portsmouth Tour
Guests at the 33rd annual Pocket Gardens of Portsmouth Tour will visit 11 privately owned gardens in the Goodwin Park neighborhood, featuring a range of plantings, historic buildings, and hidden retreats. Presented by South Church, it takes place Friday from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tickets are $20-$25. Learn more here.
Concerts at The Stone Church
UPDATE: Apathy’s show has been canceled.
It’s another eclectic weekend of music at The Stone Church in Newmarket. New Orleans pianist John “Papa” Gros brings his band to the outdoor stage on Friday from 6-9 p.m. ($20). Then, “King of Connecticut” Apathy headlines a hip-hop show with NME the Illest, SuperVillian, and Looni Batz ($15). String players Jim Prendergast and Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki play their monthly “Irish Night” Matinee on Sunday from 4-6 p.m. ($20). Learn more here.
Music and more at The Word Barn Meadow
An all-star assemblage of Seacoast musicians will pay tribute to a folk-country legend at “For the Sake of the Song: An Evening Celebrating the Songs of Townes Van Zandt” at The Word Barn Meadow in Exeter on Friday from 7-9 p.m. ($20). The next morning, from 9-11 a.m., Rebecca Capone and Jessica Gutstein will lead the first of two summer Soul Sessions, featuring guided Barre, yoga, meditation, journaling, and more ($85). Learn more here.
‘Anything Goes’ at the Seacoast Rep
A “hilarious shipboard romp” is on stage now at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth. The musical “Anything Goes,” featuring a classic score by Cole Porter, runs through July 23. Show times are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $32-$52. Learn more here.
‘Footloose’ at Prescott Park
The Prescott Park Arts Festival’s summer musical is a crowd-pleasing favorite. “Footloose,” based on the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, is on stage in Portsmouth from June 24 to Aug. 14, running most Thursdays and Sundays at 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., plus 1 p.m. matinees on July 2 and 17. Learn more here.
Lookie Lookie at John Paul Jones Park
The Dance Hall’s Concerts by the Bridge series continues with a hot evening of Latin music at John Paul Jones Park in Kittery. Lookie Lookie is an eight-piece band playing Latin boogaloo, which combines elements of soul and pop with mambo and rhumba. They’ll perform on Saturday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. Learn more here.
Portsmouth Pride 2022
Marchers will gather in Market Square at noon on Saturday and traverse downtown Portsmouth to Strawbery Banke Museum, where there will be a Pride Marketplace until 4 p.m. with speakers and music. There is an official afterparty at Tour ($35) and a youth afterparty at First United Methodist Church, both from 7-10 p.m. Learn more here.
Compaq Big Band at The Rockingham Ballroom
The 20-piece Compaq Big Band has been swinging since 1975, and they’ll bring interesting arrangements of classic titles to The Rockingham Ballroom in Newmarket for a high-energy show on Saturday from 8-11 p.m. ($25). Also check out the free Craft & Artisan Market, with over 50 booths, on Sunday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Learn more here.
Fill the Hall Food Drive
The annual Fill the Hall Food Drive comes at a critical time for Seacoast families. Community members are invited to donate food or a monetary gift at The Music Hall in Portsmouth on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the aim of filling every seat in the theater with bags of food for Gather’s Meals 4 Kids program. Learn more here.
Galactic at Cisco Brewers Portsmouth
It’s gonna be a helluva party at Cisco Brewers Portsmouth on Saturday. That’s when The Press Room presents the first installment of its Summer Concert Series at Cisco, featuring New Orleans-Los Angeles funk and jam legends Galactic. The band will perform outside on the lawn from 7-10 p.m. Tickets are $30-$35. Learn more here.
See the full calendar for more local events.