It’s Portsmouth Pride weekend, and there are all kinds of festivities taking place around the Seacoast. Here are just a few of the highlights. And while you’re in town, be sure to stop by The Music Hall for their annual Fill the Hall fundraiser to benefit Gather.
Beauty and the Beast
One weekend after launching into its summer concert series, the Prescott Park Arts Festival is kicking off its 2019 musical. Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” will be on the seaside stage in downtown Portsmouth from June 21 to August 18. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Thursdays and Sundays at 7 p.m., with matinees on select dates throughout the season. The performances are free but donations are encouraged. For more information, click here.
The Milk Carton Kids
PortsmouthNH.com is proud to be sponsoring a concert by The Milk Carton Kids at The Music Hall in Portsmouth on Friday, June 21, at 8 p.m. The California-based, acoustic indie-folk duo of singer-guitarists Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale will perform songs from their latest album, “All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do,” and from the rest of their discography dating back to 2011. Tickets are $36-$48. For more information, click here.
Juneteenth Celebration
Just days after Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law a bill making Juneteenth a state holiday, the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire holds its annual Juneteenth Celebration at the Middle Street Baptist Church in Portsmouth on Saturday, June 22, from 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. There will be a community dialogue, a soul food lunch, a commemoration, and a gospel music concert, all to mark the ending of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865. Learn more here.
Portsmouth PRIDE 2019
Participants in Seacoast Outright’s annual Portsmouth Pride event will begin gathering in Market Square at noon on Saturday, June 22, and set off marching in rainbow formation at 12:45 p.m. Meanwhile, the Pride Marketplace will be open from 1-5 p.m. on the grounds of Strawbery Banke Museum. Related events, specials, discounts, and giveaways will take place all over town, including Bunny and the Fox’s Pride After Party at 3S Artspace at 8 p.m. Learn more here.
Smuttynose Will Run for Beer 5K
The 13th annual Will Run for Beer 5K returns to the Smuttynose Brewery in Hampton on Sunday, June 23. The charity race begins at 9:30 a.m., with an after party featuring a cookout, live music from regional cover band Crab Shack, craft beer from Smuttynose, and brewery tours going until 1 p.m. Day-of registration is $45 (online registration has closed); the after party is free for racers or $15 for non-racers. For more information, click here.
To see a complete calendar of local events, click here.