Looking for something to do this weekend? Here’s a dozen options — and that’s just scraping the surface.
Warmth & Fire at Green Acre
Green Acre is hosting a restorative gathering in Eliot for creators interested in the arts, healing, and social change. Beth Tener of Kinship will facilitate the daylong Warmth & Fire workshop on Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., focusing on ways to offer peer support and build the strength of the creative community. Tickets are $150. Learn more here.
Thanks to Gravity at The Music Hall Lounge
Born at the University of New Hampshire, Thanks to Gravity was one of the region’s most unique and popular rock bands in the heyday of the Seacoast music scene in the 1990s. They’ll get together for a pair of shows at The Music Hall Lounge in Portsmouth on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30-$40. Learn more here.
A speakeasy & improv at Newmarket Millspace
There are some uniquely entertaining events at Newmarket Millspace this weekend. A Speakeasy “Teaser” featuring local band The Honeybees takes place on Friday from 7-9 p.m. ($20). Comedy troupe Stranger Than Fiction presents What the Dickens: An Improvised Christmas Carol on Saturday from 7-9 p.m. ($15). Learn more here.
Christmas concerts at The Orchard Chapel
Next up in The Word Barn’s 12 Nights of Christmas series is an A Cappella Christmas with [mix]tape on Friday from 7-9 p.m. ($22). Acclaimed guitarist Ed Gerhard’s annual Christmas Concert follows on Saturday from 7-9 p.m. ($35). The Heather Pierson Trio presents Vince Guaraldi’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” twice on Sunday from 3:30-5 p.m. and 7-8:30 p.m. ($25). All shows take place at The Orchard Chapel in Hampton Falls. Learn more here.
Dancin’ and groovin’ at The Rockingham Ballroom
It will be a festive weekend at The Rockingham Ballroom in Newmarket. A Holiday Hoedown with 603 Line Dance (complete with a free dance lesson and gift swap) takes place on Friday from 7-10 p.m. ($15). Yule Be Groovin’ with The Rockingham Groove (a 15-piece R&B dance band) on Saturday from 7-11 p.m. ($30). Learn more here.
‘It’s a Wonderful Life’: final weekend at NHTP
This is the last opportunity to catch a 1940s-style live radio play of “It’s a Wonderful Life” at New Hampshire Theatre Project. Joe Landry’s adaptation of the classic film is on stage in Portsmouth on Thursday and Friday from 7:30-9:30 p.m., Saturday from 4-6 p.m., and Sunday from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Tickets are $28-$32. Learn more here.
Great vibes at The Stone Church
Brooklyn-based future jam quartet Space Bacon kicks off the weekend at The Stone Church in Newmarket with Mass.-based guest Leon Trout on Friday at 8 p.m. ($15). On Saturday, grateful vibes meet hip-hop flow when Grateful 4 B.I.G. mashes up the music of The Grateful Dead and Notorious B.I.G. at 8 p.m. ($20). Learn more here.
New Martian Records launch at The Press Room
There’s a brand new record label in town, and they’ll showcase some of their top acts with a special show at The Press Room in Portsmouth. Jusqu, Dog Lips, Plant Fight, Matriarch, and Robber Robber will perform at the New Martian Records launch party on Saturday from 2-7 p.m. The event is free and open to all ages. Learn more here.
Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light at The Dance Hall
Singer and guitarist Rachel Sumner, a former member of Boston-based bluegrass band Twisted Pine, won a Lennon Award in the folk category at the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. She’ll bring her new band Traveling Light to The Dance Hall in Kittery for a gig on Saturday from 8-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $17-$22. Learn more here.
Karen Morgan at McCue’s Comedy Club
Georgia-born trial attorney turned Maine-based comedian Karen Morgan launched her comedy career as a finalist on Nickelodeon’s “Search for the Funniest Mom in America.” The former resident comedian at Comedy Key West will be at McCue’s Comedy Club in Portsmouth on Saturday from 8-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. Learn more here.
The Grateful Dead – Acid Test at WSCA
Experience the atmosphere of a Grateful Dead concert on a small local scale at WSCA Radio in Portsmouth on Sunday. The festivities begin with grilled cheese sandwiches in the parking lot at noon and continue with radio host Rob Howell spinning live Dead tunes from the Button Factory Stage until 4 p.m. Tickets are $10. Learn more here.
Rock My Soul Rockin’ Holiday Concert
The Rock My Soul choir will bring a full band (complete with horns) to St. John’s United Methodist Church in Dover for a Rockin’ Holiday Concert on Sunday from 5-7 p.m. Expect a spirit-soaring evening of R&B, pop, soul, and doo-wop arrangements of Christmas carols and other popular holiday favorites. Tickets are $5-$25. Learn more here.
See the full calendar for more local events.