The first days of June bring a torrent of exciting events to the Seacoast, including live music, visual arts, theater, and a chowder festival that marks the start of the Prescott Park Arts Festival. Learn about some of the highlights below.
RMFA grand opening
The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts (RMFA) has kept a large collection of art on the walls of the Rochester Community Center since 2014, but this month it upgrades to a new gallery space that will host monthly exhibits. The RMFA celebrates the grand opening of its newly acquired and renovated suite in the community center on Friday, June 1, from 5-8 p.m. — coinciding with Portsmouth’s Art ’Round Town and the Dover Art Walk. For more information, click here.
WOKQ Chowder Festival
The Prescott Park Arts Festival (PPAF) kicks off its 2018 season with the 34th annual WOKQ Chowder Festival on Saturday, June 2, from 11:30 a.m. until the chowder runs out. Dozens of area restaurants will serve up tastings of hot chowder with unique recipes and compete for the coveted Golden Ladle. There will also be live music and kids’ activities at the waterfront park in Portsmouth. The event is a fundraiser for PPAF; tickets are $10-$14. Learn more here.
Revel in the Meadow
Some of the region’s hottest bands will perform at this annual fundraiser for the Continuum Arts Collective, which supports challenged youths. Revel in the Meadow takes place Saturday, June 2, from 12-7 p.m. at Spring Hill in South Berwick. The acts include The Mallett Brothers Band, The Suitcase Junket, Gretchen & The Pickpockets, The Reconstructed, Tristan Omand, Young Frontier, and Soggy Po’ Boys. There will also be many artisans, food, and beer. Tickets are $20; learn more here.
Muddy Ruckus album release
Local “punk blues power duo” Muddy Ruckus will unveil its latest record with a release show at Portsmouth Book & Bar on Saturday, June 2, at 9 p.m. A follow-up to 2016’s “Pretty Bones,” the new album, “Bellows to Mend,” features guitarist Ryan Flaherty and drummer Erika Stahl demonstrating their trademark mash-up of indie rock, blues, and folk with plenty of grit and swagger. There is a $5 cover charge; for more information, click here.
ShakesBEERience: The Antoniad
Seven Stages Shakespeare Company will present four play readings in a single afternoon on Sunday, June 3, at Throwback Brewery in North Hampton. Cast members, with script in one hand and beer in the other, will perform “Twelfth Night,” “The Tempest,” “The Merchant of Venice,” and “Much Ado About Nothing” (all of which feature characters named Antonio). Tickets are $7 for a reserved seat; free for general admission. It all unfolds from 12-6 p.m.; learn more here.
For a full calendar of local events, click here.