The first full weekend of 2023 brings music, theater, comedy, and the launch of Portsmouth’s 400th anniversary!
PNH400 Kickoff Party & Program Reveal
UPDATE: This event is sold out.
Portsmouth (along with neighbors Dover, Rye, and New Castle) celebrates its 400th anniversary in 2023, and the year-long celebration kicks off on Friday. After a welcome in Prescott Park at 4 p.m., the lights on Memorial Bridge will turn blue. Then there’s an illuminated march to South Church for a program reveal party. Learn more here.
Jim McCue at McCue’s Comedy Club
Local comic Jim McCue, who’s DryBar special “Nothing Personal” has gotten more than 4 million views, will headline two nights at the club that bears his name this weekend. The Boston Comedy Festival founder will perform at McCue’s Comedy Club in Portsmouth on Friday and Saturday from 8-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. Learn more here.
‘Robert Frost: This Verse Business’ at the Rep
For one weekend only, the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth is hosting Emmy-winning actor Gordon Clapp in a one-man play about a legendary poet. “Robert Frost: This Verse Business” is on stage Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35-$60. Learn more here.
Live music at The Stone Church
The Stone Church dives into the New Year with two nights of music in Newmarket. Local band The Chops channels the spirit of vintage rock on Friday at 9 p.m. ($10). New England Music Awards’ 2022 Female Performer of the Year Annie Brobst and her country band join guest Keith Crocker on Saturday from 8-11 p.m. ($15). Learn more here.
Local music at The Press Room
It’s a stacked lineup of local music at The Press Room in Portsmouth on Friday night. The all-ages, triple-bill concert features up-and-coming Seacoast acts Dog Lips, Small Pond, and Ezra Cohen & The Big City Band. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the music starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 for those 21 and up, or $20 for minors. Learn more here.
‘CatVideoFest’ at The Music Hall
See 70 minutes of house cats doing the cutest, silliest, and most destructive things you can imagine in the annual CatVideoFest. The 2022 installment will be on the big screen at The Music Hall in Portsmouth for two more showings this weekend, on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are $12-$15. Learn more here.
Concerts at the Button Factory Stage
WSCA Portsmouth Community Radio is hosting two stellar multi-act concerts on the Button Factory Stage this weekend. Garage rock band Love Canal headlines with Pond Scum and See to Speak on Saturday from 7-11 p.m. ($10). Bless Flame headlines with a lineup of local hip-hop acts on Sunday from 8-11 p.m. ($5). Learn more here.
The Ammonium Maze at The Word Barn
The Word Barn’s first concert of 2023 is bound to be a crowd-pleaser. The Ammonium Maze is a group that celebrates the music of legendary Seacoast rock band Percy Hill, with an all-star lineup that includes three former Percy Hill members. They’ll perform live in Exeter on Saturday from 8-10 p.m. Tickets are $25. Learn more here.
People Like You at Book & Bar
Freewheelin’, genre-bending, psych-rock band People Like You has built a loyal local following. Last fall, they released their latest album, “Tiny Little Towns.” They’ll play songs old and new, with plenty of jammy improvisation thrown into the mix, during a show at Portsmouth Book & Bar on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10. Learn more here.
Rollercoaster at 3S Artspace
Rollercoaster returns to 3S Artspace in Portsmouth in 2023! The family-friendly dance party features tunes that both kids and parents can get down to, from Beastie Boys to Bowie to Lady Gaga. The first event of the year is Sunday from 2-4 p.m. Tickets are free for adults, $10 for one kid, and $5 for each additional sibling. Learn more here.
See the full calendar for more local events.