Portsmouth Area Annual Events
ON-GOING EVENTS
- Art 'Round Town gallery walk, First Friday's of every month (www.artroundtown.org)
- Portsmouth Harbour Trail guided walking tours, Memorial Day to mid-October. Private group tours & step-on guide service available year-round
- Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail self-guided walking tours
- Historical Tours of The Music Hall: An American Treasure for the Arts
- Portsmouth Farmers' Market, City Hall Plaza, Saturdays, May - November
- Open Houses at Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse
- Live Music every night of the year (www.seacoastmusicscene.com)
- Brewery Tours at Smuttynose Brewing Co.; and Redhook Ale Brewery
- Cosmic Bowling, Bowl-O-Rama Family Fun Center, Fridays & Saturdays
- Art exhibits & lectures at Strawbery Banke, the Discover Portsmouth Center, Portsmouth Athenaeum, Portsmouth Public Library, Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion and other venues
- Performances & shows at Seacoast Repertory Theatre, The Music Hall, Prescott Park (June-August), Pontine Theatre, Player's Ring and other venues
JANUARY
- Winter Wine Festival, Wentworth by the Sea, January - February
FEBRUARY
- Family Mardi Gras Celebration, The Children's Museum of New Hampshire, Dover
- Kate the Great Imperial Stout release party, The Portsmouth Brewery
MARCH
- Fishingfest, Kittery Trading Post, Maine
- Restaurant Week Portsmouth, at various participating Seacoast restaurants
APRIL
- New England Paddlesports Show presented by Kittery Trading Post
- Jazzmouth jazz & poetry festival, downtown Portsmouth
MAY
- Annual Kitchen Tour to benefit The Music Hall
- Portsmouth Sustainability Fair
- Children's Day, First Sunday each Year
- Mother's Day Flower Sale, Fuller Gardens, North Hampton
- Lilac Festival, Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion
- Redhook/Runner's Alley 5K Road Race
- Historic Houses open for the season, Memorial Day weekend
- Harbor Cruises season (May to October): Portsmouth Harbor Cruises, Isles of Shoals Steamship Co., and Tug Alley Too
- Whale Watching Tours, Newburyport Whale Watch, MA
- Tall Ships Arrive, Commercial Fish Pier, Memorial Day weekend
JUNE
- Chowder Fest, Prescott Park
- Market Square Day & 10K Roadrace, presented by Pro Portsmouth, Inc.
- Flag Day Observance & Picnic, Wentworth-Gardner House
- New Castle Village Walk & Garden Tour to benefit Pontine Theatre
- Taste of the Nation Portsmouth culinary showcase
- Prescott Park Arts Festival, June - August
- SummerFilm at The Music Hall, June - August
- Summer in the Street, presented by Pro Portsmouth, Inc., Saturday evenings, June-August
JULY
- Prescott Park Arts Festival
- Independence Day fireworks, South Mill Pond, Portsmouth
- An American Celebration! at Strawbery Banke, Fourth of July festivities
- American Independence Festival, American Independence Museum, Exeter
- John Paul Jones' birthday celebration, John Paul Jones House, Portsmouth
- Seacoast Repertory Theatre's Bow Street Fair, Portsmouth
- Garden Party, Fuller Gardens, North Hampton
- Music by the Sea Outdoor Concert Series, Seacoast Science Center, Odiorne Point, Rye, July & August
AUGUST
- Prescott Park Arts Festival
- Boston Portsmouth Air Show-Featuring the Blue Angels
SEPTEMBER
- Portsmouth Peace Treaty commemorative bell ringing
- Jumper Classic, Silver Oak Equestrian Center, Hampton Falls, NH
- Hampton Beach Seafood Festival
- Telluride by the Sea film festival, The Music Hall
- *NEW* NH Fish & Lobster Festival, Prescott Park
- Fairy House Tours, various Portsmouth gardens & historic homes
- Jackson Hill Cider Day, Jackson House, Portsmouth
- "Walk with Washington," Gov. Langdon House, Portsmouth
- Portsmouth Criterium bicycle race & lifestyle expo
- Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, Market Square
OCTOBER
- Scarecrows of the Port, festive displays throughout Portsmouth
- *NEW* NH Brew Fest, Redhook Ale Brewery
- Prescott Park Chili Cook-Off and NH Fall Festival at Strawbery Banke
- New Hampshire Film Festival, various Portsmouth venues
- Portsmouth Halloween Parade
- Ghosts on the Banke, Strawbery Banke Museum
NOVEMBER
- Veterans' Day Observance, American Independence Museum, Exeter
- Restaurant Week Portsmouth, various participating Seacoast area restaurants
DECEMBER
- Portsmouth Illuminated Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting, Market Square
- "Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth," throughout December
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- Candlelight Stroll and Holiday House Tours at Strawbery Banke Museum
- Holiday shows at The Music Hall
- Special packages at area hotels
- First Night® Portsmouth, presented by Pro Portsmouth, Inc.