Holiday shopping doesn’t have to be a total drag. Thanksgiving weekend brings Plaid Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Art on the Hill, among other events that encourage shoppers to support local artists and businesses while having a good time. Learn more about those and other weekend highlights below.
Plaid Friday & Small Business Saturday
The Shift your Shopping campaign urges people to divert their holiday spending away from big chain stores and online giants and toward local, independent businesses. As an alternative to the post-Thanksgiving frenzy of Black Friday, the campaign encourages you to celebrate Plaid Friday by shopping local on Nov. 24 — and by wearing plaid. Small Business Saturday keeps the initiative going on Nov. 25. For an article about the Shift your Shopping campaign, click here. For more information, click here.
Dorks in Dungeons Season 6
In case you didn’t know, it’s hip to be a dork. You can witness the epitome of hipness on Friday, Nov. 24, when the Dorks in Dungeons troupe premieres its sixth season with a performance at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth. The improvised comedy show puts performers in a fantasy world where they pursue adventures guided by the tropes of role-playing games and audience suggestions. The show starts at 8 p.m.; tickets are $12. For more information, click here.
Truffle Holiday Shows
A staple of the Seacoast music scene for over 30 years, Truffle has long been known to play a spate of shows around Thanksgiving. This year, the soulful, New Orleans-flavored roots-rockers play their annual Post Thanksgiving Day Show at The Stone Church in Newmarket on Friday, Nov. 24 ($12), and host a Holiday Dance Party at The Dance Hall in Kittery on Saturday, Nov. 25 ($12-$15). Both shows start at 8 p.m.; for more information, click here.
Art on the Hill & Craft Fix
Two upcoming events in Kittery let guests meet Seacoast makers while stocking up on unique holiday gifts. Painters, musicians, jewelers, a yoga studio, and more will be on hand for the annual Art on the Hill Open Studios on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 25 and 26, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. And the ninth annual Craft Fix brings ceramics, cards, jewelry, soap, stained glass, and more to Buoy Gallery on Sunday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Mad Haus Season Finale
One welcome addition to the Seacoast theater scene has been the Mad Men of Oopsy Daisy Inc’s Mad Haus series at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth. The series presents original performances consisting of cirque, theater, dance, vaudeville, burlesque, visual arts, puppetry, and more. The first year of Mad Haus wraps up with a season finale holiday special on Saturday, Nov. 25, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 (or pay what you can). For more info, click here.
For a full calendar of Seacoast events, click here.