As usual, there are many festivities to choose from this weekend on the Seacoast. Here are some of the top options. (With Hurricane Lee approaching, contact venues to check on the status of events.)
Exhibition Tours at MONA
The Museum of New Art in Portsmouth is showing off its latest display with a pair of free exhibition tours on Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m. Wendy Rodrigue, widow of the featured artist, will lead tours of “George Rodrigue: Painting for Myself,” which features original and rarely seen artworks by the late American artist. Learn more here.
Telluride by the Sea Film Festival
The Music Hall in Portsmouth will screen six new movies this weekend, all fresh off their debuts at the 50th Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. The 24th annual Telluride by the Sea Film Festival takes place from Friday to Sunday. Tickets are $22 per film, $115 for a weekend pass, or $230 for a patron pass with VIP perks. Learn more here.
‘Dirty Gerts’ at Pontine Theatre
Pontine Theatre opens its 2023-’24 season with guest artist Sarah Frechette, founder of PuppetKabob. She’ll present “Dirty Gerts,” a groovy piece of historical fiction full of repurposed paper products, at The Plains School in Portsmouth on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $32-$35. Learn more here.
‘Bat Boy’ at the Seacoast Rep
The new production at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth has been described as “Edward Scissorhands meets Rocky Horror.” The rock musical satire “Bat Boy” is on stage through Oct. 29. This weekend’s show times are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $37-$62. Learn more here.
Music and food at The Stone Church
Zach Nugent’s Grateful Dead tribute act Dead Set brings its Hell in a Bucket Fall Tour to The Stone Church in Newmarket on Friday at 8 p.m. ($22). Multi-instrumentalists Jerron Paxton and Dennis Licthman bring their blend of blues and jazz to the Church on Saturday from 7-9 p.m. ($20). Wrap up the weekend with OysterFest 2023 on Sunday from 12-5 p.m. (free, but donations support The Nature Conservancy). Learn more here.
Live concerts at The Dance Hall
Swing into the weekend with traditional jazz quartet The Late Risers at The Dance Hall on Friday from 8-9:30 p.m. ($17-$22). Trombonist Joe Fiedler, music director for the TV show “Sesame Street,” brings his interpretive jazz project “Open Sesame” (above) to Kittery on Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m. ($10-$22). Saxophonist and pump organist Jeremy Udden and his New Old Timers follow on Sunday from 5-6:30 p.m. ($10-$22). Learn more here.
New Hampshire Light the Night
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will celebrate, honor, and remember those touched by blood cancers on Saturday while raising funds to support patients. New Hampshire Light the Night takes place from 5-8 p.m., with a ceremony at Little Harbour Elementary School in Portsmouth followed by a community walk. Learn more here.
Start Making Sense at Cisco Brewers
While Talking Heads celebrates their newly restored concert film “Stop Making Sense,” you can celebrate the band’s music with tribute act Start Making Sense. They’ll take the stage at Cisco Brewers Portsmouth for the final show in the venue’s summer concert series on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25-$30. Learn more here.
Emily Ruskowski at McCue’s
Standup comedian Emily Ruskowski has been featured in The Boston Globe and The Washington Post, and was a finalist in the 2018 Boston Comedy Festival. She’ll bring some infectious laughter to McCue’s Comedy Club at the Roundabout Diner in Portsmouth on Saturday from 8-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. Learn more here.
David Wilcox at The Word Barn Meadow
Award-winning folk singer-songwriter David Wilcox is more than three decades and 20 records deep into his career, and he’s still going strong. Fresh off the recent release of his new album, “My Good Friends,” Wilcox will perform live at The Word Barn Meadow in Exeter on Sunday from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $30. Learn more here.
See the full calendar for more local events.