This weekend has a wide variety of events to enjoy from the Granite State's signature Film Festival to Monster Truckz, complete with a mini-golf tournament on the streets of Portsmouth to kick it off. Get out there and find your fall fun this weekend.
One of the events that just plain makes Portsmouth special returns this weekend after two years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 20th annual New Hampshire Film Festival will take place Thursday, Oct. 6 to Sunday, Oct. 9 at various venues around downtown Portsmouth. The festival will screen more than 100 films, documentaries and short films, and present special events such as panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, a Comedy Night, awards ceremonies, anniversary celebrations and parties each night.
A local highlight will be the world premiere of "The Mules," a documentary on the 2021-22 Portsmouth-Newmarket boys hockey team that made its first Div. 2 state championship game. It will screen on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 5:15 p.m. at The Music Hall as part of the festival's New Hampshire Day.
More information and weekend and day passes are available at nhfilmfestival.org.
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The second annual Greater Ceres Street Open presented by Catapult Seacoast and the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth will tee off at 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 6. Mini-golf course play runs through 6 p.m. and begins at Earth Eagle Brewing. Then you can head to the clubhouse at Portsmouth Feed Company for the after party from 6 to 7 p.m. Register at portsmouthchamber.org/events.
A new textile installation exhibit opens at 3S Artspace on Friday, Oct. 7. "Punto in Aria: A Repairing Mend" is artist Patricia Miranda’s deep dive into the traditional art of lace making. Miranda is curator, educator, and founder of The Crit Lab and MAPSpace. In 2021, she founded The Lace Archive, an historical and community archive of thousands of donated lace works and family histories. The public is invited to contribute to The Lace Archive by bringing lace to the Gallery throughout the exhibition. All donations are photographed, measured, and recorded in the Archive before being used in an artwork. An opening reception will take place at 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, and is free and open to the public. More information at 3Sarts.org.
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Internationally known activist and humanitarian Rob Greenfield is stopping in Dover on Friday, Oct. 7 on his latest campaign. For one month he is “living off the land” while traveling from city to city down the East Coast spreading his message of protecting our Earth. That’s right, every single bite he takes for a month he is foraging from the land. He will lead a plant walk at 5 p.m. to sunset Friday in Silver Lake Park in Dover. For more information, visit robgreenfield.org.
Ice Dance International will perform this weekend at the Dover Ice Arena as part of its regional tour this fall. The new show is "Grace: The Power of Dance on Ice," and features ten world-class figure skaters including Grand Prix Final and two-time U.S. champion Alissa Czisny and 2022 US Open champions Kseniya Ponomaryova and Collin Brubaker. Grace celebrates the art of dance on ice and features works by choreographers from the 2022 Olympics and Disney on Ice. The show will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children at icedanceinternational.org.
The Monster Truckz show will be at Star Speedway in Epping this weekend. Shows will take place at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 7; 2 and 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 8; and 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 9. In addition to the show, there will be a Pit Party and a Kids Fun Zone. Get tickets online at monstertruckz.com or at the onsite box office on the day of the show. Star Speedway is located at 176 Exeter Road, Epping.
3S Artspace will presents:its monthly dance night with the theme CLUB 3S: Silver Screen on Friday, Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. Those 21-plus can dance the night away with DJ Skooch, who this month will bring favorite movie soundtracks to the dance floor. Tickets are $10 for members, $12 for general admission. Visit 3Sarts.org.
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The Bedrock Gardens' 6th annual Fairy & Hobbit House Festival will be held Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Oct. 8, 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Come to tour the houses designers have created and stop by the Gnome Depot for supplies to build your own fairy house in the gardens. There's be storytellers, a chance to learn about bees and beekeeping, and a Fairy Dust Workshop.
Admission is by parking reservation, which must be purchased online in advance; no tickets can be bought at the gate onsite. Admissions will be timed. Cost is $65 per car, $50 for members, with no limit on how many can be in a car. Carpooling encouraged. To learn more and make a reservation, bedrockgardens.org/reservations.
The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge will host a free, family-friendly Discover Your Wild event on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 188 Brown St., Kennebunk. There'll be fun and creative outdoor activities such as interactive games and crafts, archery, fishing and canoeing going on throughout the day along with the following exploratory sessions: nature journaling at 10 a.m., a live peregrine falcon presentation at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Discover Your Wild presentations by refuge staff at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The Rachel Carson NWR is located along 50 miles of coastline spanning from Kittery to Cape Elizabeth with 11 locations to explore.
The popular craft beer festival Brew Fest returns this Saturday, Oct. 8 after a coronavirus pandemic hiatus. More than 50 regional brewers will gather at Cisco Brewers Portsmouth for beer tasting and for raising money for the Prescott Park Arts Festival and the Master Brewers Association of America scholarship fund.
Admission includes entry to the session from 1 to 4:30 p.m., a 5 oz. souvenir sampling cup, beer samples, and live DJ music and festivities. Food is not included but will be available for purchase. There will also be vendors and BrewFest merchandise.
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VIP tickets are $65 and the session runs from noon to 4:30 p.m., and includes early access and Brewfest drinkware. General admission tickets are $50; Designated Driver ticket is $20 and includes entry along with food and non-alcoholic drink vouchers. Taps close at 4 p.m. Tickets available at PortsmouthNHTickets.com. No one under 21 will be admitted. A valid ID is required for admission. Walk-up sales will be available while supplies last. Event is rain or shine outside (under tents) in brewery’s backyard.
Smuttynose Brewing in Hampton will host its first Full Strum Music Festival this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8 and 9, featuring national country music stars, food trucks, lawn games and, of course, Smuttynose beer.
The outdoor festival will present Jordan Davis in concert on Saturday and Locash on Sunday with supporting artists Danielle Bradberry and Nate Smith.
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Tickets are available on Eventbrite at eventbrite.com/d/united-states--new-hampshire/full-strum-festival/. Prices start at $65 for general admission plus processing fee and includes parking in close proximity to the venue with shuttle service. VIP tickets, which include a private bar, pre-event entertainment, private entrance and restaurant dining with select menu can be purchased for $85 plus processing fee. The concert will take place outside rain or shine, and the campus will be closed to the public on event weekend. For more information, visit smuttynose.com/fullstrum.