Autumn is arguably the best time to be on the Seacoast, as evidenced by a weekend full of music, theater, literature, beer, and chili. Here are some of the top highlights.
Django by the Sea
Some of the world’s foremost Gypsy-jazz performers will take part in the fifth annual Django by the Sea festival at The Dance Hall in Kittery from Oct. 11-13. The weekend-long event features the Henry Acker Trio and the Max O’Rourke Quartet on Friday at 7 p.m., Cesar Garabini and Yotam Silberstein and the Kourosh Kanani and Jason Anick Quartet on Saturday at 7 p.m., and Dallas Vietty and Friends on Sunday at 3 p.m. Prices vary; learn more here.
‘The Niceties’ at NHTP
New Hampshire Theatre Project launches its 31st season with “one of the finest and most provocative” plays it has ever staged, according to artistic director Genevieve Aichele. “The Niceties” runs Oct. 11-27 at West End Studio Theatre in Portsmouth. The drama by Eleanor Burgess involves a white professor and a black student who have a heated discussion about race. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30. Learn more here. (Also opening this weekend are “The House of the Seven Gables” at Pontine Theatre and “J.D. Salinger in East Berlin” at The Players’ Ring.)
NH Fall & Children’s Authors Festival
Strawbery Banke Museum’s annual Fall & Children’s Authors Festival in Portsmouth will celebrate the 40th anniversary of poet Donald Hall’s 1979 book “Ox-Cart Man,” a children’s picture book that tells the story of a New Hampshire farming family in the early 1800s. The event on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. also showcases handmade crafts, animal demonstrations, heirloom gardens, antique bicycle demonstrations, a quilt exhibit, and more. Tickets are $19.50 (free for kids). Learn more here.
NH Brewfest 2019
The 11th annual NH Brewfest unfolds in two sessions at Cisco Brewers Portsmouth on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 1-4 p.m. and 5-8 p.m., with VIP admission starting at 12 p.m. The event, a fundraiser for the Prescott Park Arts Festival, will feature more than 150 beers from more than 50 local and national brewers. There will also be live music and food trucks. Tickets are $40 ($55 for VIPs; $15 for designated drivers). For more information, click here.
WHEB Chili Cook Off
NH Brewfest is followed by another Prescott Park Arts Festival fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 13, from 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. The 30th annual WHEB Chili Cook Off takes place on the grounds of Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth. Seacoast restaurants will serve up samples of chili and guests will vote on their favorites. There will also be a Cabot cheese station for toppings and a craft beer station. Tickets are $15 ($7 for children). Learn more here.
For a complete calendar of local events, click here.