It’s the last weekend before the big holiday weekend, so get out and let loose before the in-laws arrive! Here are some of the top options.
Album release show at Newburyport Brewing
Put on your craziest cardigan and head over to the Newburyport Brewing Co. on Friday. Local roots group EJ Ouellette and Crazy Maggy will celebrate 20 years as a band with a CD release show from 6-9 p.m., coinciding with an Ugly Sweater Party. And, of course, there will be plenty of brewery-fresh beer. Tickets are $10. Learn more here.
Holiday mayhem at The Rockingham Ballroom
Two unique holiday shows are coming to The Rockingham Ballroom in Newmarket this weekend. On Friday, Creation From Crisis headlines a “Happy Hardcore and Merry Metal” show with Stand Abandoned, Empty Halls, and Mankala, plus a Santa costume contest from 7-11 p.m. ($15). On Saturday, 603 Line Dance presents a Hillbilly Holiday Hoedown with music, dancing, a hillbilly costume contest, and a potluck from 7-11 p.m. ($15). Learn more here.
Maine Comedy Invasion at McCue’s Comedy Club
Some hilarious neighbors from the North will invade McCue’s Comedy Club in Portsmouth for one night this weekend. New England stand-up comics Ian Stuart, Casey Watson, Crystal Bernard, and perhaps some other surprise guests will join host Liam Hales for an evening of laughs on Friday from 8-9 p.m. Tickets are $20. Learn more here.
Live music at The Stone Church
It’ll be another wild weekend at The Stone Church in Newmarket. On Friday at 8 p.m., tribute act Powermoneycake will play the full 1980 hit album “Graucho” and other Steely Dan hits ($15). On Saturday at 9 p.m., Phish tribute The Lizards (above) take the stage ($15). On Sunday from 4-6:30 p.m., traditional Irish band The Spain Brothers will join local string duo Jim Prendergast & Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki to play Songs of Christmas ($20). Learn more here.
Discovering Magic at The Music Hall Lounge
Award-winning performer and theater artist Andrew J. Pinard is bringing his interactive sleight-of-hand show to The Music Hall Lounge in Portsmouth. Pinard will expand the audience’s experience of magic with Discovering Magic — a popular annual holiday tradition in the area — on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25-$35. Learn more here.
Holiday concerts at The Dance Hall
The Dance Hall hosts two special shows in Kittery this weekend. Django Bells! is a celebration of Django Reinhardt with holiday classics mixed in on Saturday from 7-8:30 p.m. ($20). Priscilla French of Portsmouth Pro Musica leads guests through a Messiah-Sing with professional accompaniment on Sunday from 3-4:30 p.m. ($20). Learn more here.
Rock My Soul Rockin’ Holiday Concert
The Rock My Soul choir’s spree of Rockin’ Holiday Concerts continues this weekend at First United Methodist Church in Portsmouth. Complete with a full band and horns, they’ll play R&B, pop, soul, and doo-wop flavored arrangements of Christmas carols and holiday favorites on Saturday from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $5-$25. Learn more here.
Family Holiday Pops at Portsmouth High
The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra will present the annual Family Holiday Pops on two dates at Portsmouth High School. Featuring the Portsmouth High School Chamber Choir and Percussion Ensemble — and a family sing-along — the event takes place Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15-$30. Learn more here.
Truffle Toys for Tots show at The Press Room
New Orleans-style rock and soul band Truffle plays The Press Room in Portsmouth for the first time in a year on Saturday from 6-9 p.m. The show is also a Toys for Tots benefit; attendees are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to donate. (There will also be a 60th birthday party thrown into the mix!) Tickets are $15-$20. Learn more here.
Zachariah Hickman’s Handsome Holiday Happening
Most events in The Word Barn’s 12 Nights of Christmas have sold out, but as of this writing there are a few tickets left for Zachariah Hickman’s Handsome Holiday Happening, featuring the upright bassist with cellist Mike Block and other guests at The Orchard Chapel in Hampton Falls on Sunday from 7-8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25. Learn more here.
See the full calendar for more local events.