It’s a big weekend on the Seacoast. The Prescott Park Arts Festival is partnering with Seacoast Outright for PRIDE at the Park (already sold out), The Music Hall hosts its annual food drive, and South Church presents a tour of Portsmouth gardens. There are even some Fourth of July festivities getting underway. Not to mention plenty of live music, poetry, comedy, and more. Here are some of the top highlights.
Dance Hall concerts in Kittery
The Dance Hall continues its run of outdoor concerts in Kittery this week. First up on Thursday from 6-7 p.m. is the local jazz duo of Chris Klaxton (trumpet) and Mike Effenberger (keys), performing their show Sad Bastards / Loose Standards outside the Kittery Community Center. Then, on Saturday from 6-7 p.m., the Flying Home Band performs the music of Benny Goodman in John Paul Jones Park. Tickets to either show are $15.
Stone Church concerts
More great concerts are coming up at The Stone Church in Newmarket. Local indie rockers Marvel Prone split the bill with Boston-based alt-pop band Long Autumn on Thursday at 9 p.m. (tickets are $15). Instrumental group the Organically Good Trio plays soul jazz and dub reggae on Friday from 6-9 p.m. (tickets are $20). Local country songstress Marjorie Senet and The Broken Home Boys play on Sunday from 3-5 p.m. (tickets are $12).
Pocket Gardens of Portsmouth Tour
The 32nd annual Pocket Gardens of Portsmouth Tour bring guests through 15 unique private gardens scattered across the city’s historic South End. Presented by South Church, this year’s event takes place Friday from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The self-guided walking tour begins on the grounds of Strawbery Banke Museum, where guests receive a map of participating locations. Tickets are $20-$25. Learn more here.
Poetry in the Meadow
Local poet and teacher Sarah Anderson unveils her debut poetry collection with a reading and celebration at The Word Barn Meadow in Exeter on Friday from 7-8 p.m. Anderson co-owns The Word Barn and runs The Silo Series and various writing workshops there. Her book, published by Loom Press, is titled “We Hold On To What We Can.” There is a suggested donation of $5, with a copy of the book available for $20. Learn more here.
All Shook Up in Newburyport
The Firehouse Center for the Arts’ hip-swiveling production of “All Shook Up” continues at Waterfront East in Newmarket through July 17. The beloved musical, set in 1955, is loaded with favorites from the Elvis Presley songbook. Show times are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 7:30-10 p.m. (no show on July 4). Tickets are sold by the pod, with one $50 ticket admitting up to four people. For more information, click here.
Stand-up comedy at McCue’s
Portsmouth’s newest comedy club keeps the laughs coming. Headlining McCue’s on Friday from 8-9:30 p.m. is Boston comedy legend Tony V, who has performed on shows like “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and appeared on sitcoms like “Seinfeld.” Frank Santorelli, best known for his role as Georgie the Bartender on “The Sopranos,” headlines on Saturday from 8-9:30 p.m. Tickets to either show are $20. Learn more here.
Fill the Hall 2021
Each year, The Music Hall in Portsmouth challenges the community to fill every seat of the theater with a bag of donated food. The sixth annual Fill the Hall takes place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Food and monetary gifts collected during the event will go to local food pantry Gather to support its Meals 4 Kids program, which provides 10 meals a week to more than 900 Seacoast children during the summer. Learn more here.
The Soul Sessions
Guests at The Word Barn Meadow in Exeter can nourish their minds, bodies, and souls during three Soul Sessions on June 26, July 17, and Aug. 14 from 9-11 a.m. Holistic health and wellness coach Rebecca Capone and yoga and barre teacher Jessica Gutstein serve as instructors for the workshops, featuring a barre workout, restorative yoga flow, healing meditation, and guided journaling. Tickets to the series are $85. Learn more here.
Trichominia Music & Arts 2021
The 2021 edition of the Trichominia Music & Arts festival returns to The Stone Church in Newmarket in two outdoor installments on Saturday from 2-5 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. As always, funkadelic local band The Trichomes headline, with additional performances from moe. tribute act Kings of None, Long Island-based rock trio Baked Shrimp, and jammy local quartet Memphous. Tickets are $20-$25. For more information, click here.
Mark Erelli at The Word Barn Meadow
Tickets to singer-songwriter Mark Erelli’s late show at The Word Barn Meadow on Saturday have already sold out. Fortunately, the Exeter venue added an early show from 5-6:30 p.m., and a handful of tickets were still available at last check. Erelli, who has worked as a sideman for such Grammy-winning artists as Paula Cole, Marc Cohn, and Josh Ritter, released his latest solo album, “Blindsided,” in 2020. Tickets are $25. Learn more here.
See the full calendar for more local events.