Category: This Week

Friday, Aug. 23

The two-day New Hampshire Irish Festival begins today, with shows tonight at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 24, at 6 p.m at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester. Each night will feature six bands: The Spain Brothers, Ronan Tynan, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfe Tones, Reverie Road, Seamus Kennedy and Screaming Orphans. Meanwhile, at the Spotlight Room, 96 Hanover St., catch Marty Quirk (5 p.m.) and Black Pudding Rovers (6:30 p.m.) on Friday and, on Saturday, Speed the Plough (3 p.m.), Marty Quirk (4:30 p.m.), Black Pudding Rovers (6 p.m.) and Erin Og (7:30 p.m.). The Spotlight Room shows are free. Reserve tickets online. Palace Theatre show tickets start at $49 for one day or $79 for a weekend pass. See palacetheatre.org.

Saturday, Aug. 24

The second annual Wildflower Festival will take place today from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in downtown Milford. Walk around and check out the art market, grab a bite to eat from one of the food vendors and support local artists. Then head into town for a drink at one of Milford’s local businesses. Music will be from 6 to 9 p.m., with live performances from Winkler, Sneaky Miles and Rigometrics. Proceeds from the festival will be dedicated to the creation of pollinator gardens and bee hotels throughout the town of Milford.

Saturday, Aug. 24

The New England Racing Museum (New Hampshire Motor Speedway, 922 Route 106, Loudon, 783-0183, nemsmuseum.com) will host its annual Hot Rods, Muscle and More Car Show today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event will feature more than 250 vehicles with proceeds to support the mission of the Museum. The cost for spectators is $5 per person with kids under 12 admitted free. To learn more, visit nermuseum.com.

Saturday, Aug. 24

The 11th annual New Hampshire Monarch Festival (petalsinthepines.com/monarch-festival) begins this weekend at Petals in the Pines (126 Baptist Road, Canterbury, petalsinthepines.com, 783-0220). Online reservations for two-hour time slots are required; the cost is $7 for adults, $3.50 for kids, and infants (non-walkers) get in free. Learn about ways to help migrating monarchs and other pollinators at the festival, which will feature kids’ activities and games, monarch tagging, book readings, labyrinths, ask a master gardener, free milkweed seeds and 2 miles of woodland trails and garden paths, according to a press release. Butterfly wings and costumes are encouraged, according to the website.

Saturday, Aug. 24

The Capital Mineral Club (capitalmineralclub.org) will host the 60th Annual Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Everett Arena (15 Loudon Road, Concord). There will be gems, jewelry, minerals, fossils, carvings, displays, demonstrations, and more. Admission for adults is $5 and free for children under 12.

Save the Date! Friday, Aug. 30
Jewel Music Venue (61 Canal St., Manchester, 819-9336, jewelmusicvenue.com) will host a shredding Labor Day weekend with 17 intense bands taking the stage Friday, Aug. 30, through Sunday, Sept. 1, including Kottonmouth Kings, First Jason, Dr. Gigglez, Problemattik, and Lex the Hex Master. This is an 18+ event; ID is required. Single-day passes are $35; weekend passes are $90. Tickets are available through eventbrite.com.

Featured photo: Screaming Orphans.

Thursday, Aug. 15

The Hampton Beach Comedy Festival continues through Sunday, Aug. 18, with shows featuring six comedians starting at 8 p.m. daily at McGuirk’s Ocean View Hotel & Restaurant. Michael Witthaus talked to Jimmy Dunn, the festival’s organizer, and offers a rundown of the comedians slated to perform in the cover story in the Aug. 8 issue of the Hippo. Find it in our digital library at hippopress.com; the story starts on page 10.

Thursday, Aug. 15

It’s Paint Nite at Salona Bar & Grill (128 Maple St., Manchester, 624-4020, facebook.com/Salona) tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. Enjoy food and drinks with your friends, then share some laughs while you create a painting of your very own from start to finish. Tickets are $39 each on Eventbrite.com.

Thursday, Aug. 15

Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com), New Hampshire Public Radio and the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) welcome best-selling author Jodi Picoult to the Chubb Theatre tonight at 7 p.m. for an evening of literary discussion of her new novel, By Any Other Name. This is part of their author series, Authors on Main. Picoult will be in conversation with NHPR’s Casey McDermott. A meet-and-greet photo line will follow the event. Tickets are $40 and include a pre-signed hardcover copy of By Any Other Name. There will be no signing line at this event.

Saturday, Aug. 17

Combat Zone 85 is coming to the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) today at 6 p.m. Mixed Martial Arts Welterweight Champion Sean Wakefield will defend his title against Middleweight Champion Lucas Moreira. Combat Zone, New England’s longest-running fight promotion, promises 15 action-packed bouts, two of them title fights. Tickets start at $29..

Saturday, Aug. 17

Tonight is Swing Dance Night at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). Swing dancing lessons start at 6:30 p.m., followed by dancing at 7 p.m. Participants can dance the night away or just come to enjoy the exciting sounds of the 19-piece New Hampshire Jazz Orchestra. Tickets are $30.75.

Saturday, Aug. 17

Double Midnight Comics Concord (341 Loudon Road, Concord, 715-2683, dmcomics.com) will host a Pokemon League challenge today at noon. All players are welcome. Entry is $5, and there will be pack-per-win prizing.

Sunday, Aug. 18

There will be a router workshop at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware (290 S. Broadway, Suite 3A, Salem, 898-5941, rockler.com) today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This class is an opportunity to learn about the router and its use in woodworking. Tickets for this workshop are $75.

Save the Date! Saturday, Aug. 24 – Monster Hunt Manchester
For the 12th year, Studio 550 Arts Center (550 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5597, 550arts.com) and Queen City Cupcakes (816 Elm St., Manchester, 624-4999, qccupcakes.com) will hide 100 red clay monsters in downtown Manchester. Monster finders get the immediate reward of being able to keep the monster they find. All searchers are asked to keep only one, even if they see more, so the joy can be shared by as many people as possible. The public all-ages hunt begins after a kickoff meeting at 11 a.m. at City Hall Plaza. Visit 550arts.com/about/monsterhunt.

Featured photo: Jimmy Dunn.

Thursday, Aug. 8

It’s Jaws Week at Chunky’s (707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888, chunkys.com). Tickets for the are on sale now. Sponsored by Narragansett Beer (narragansettbeer.com), the classic 1975 shark movie will be screened until Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m. each evening, accompanied by retro 1975-inspired cans of Narragansett, swag and shark-bite bowls. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 8

Hudson’s Old Home Days run Thursday, Aug. 8, to Sunday, Aug. 11, on the grounds of the Hill House (211 Derry Road, Hudson). There will be carnival games, live music, fireworks, food and more — Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday from 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday from noon to 11 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. See hudsonoldhomedays.com.

Thursday, Aug. 8

It’s the opening day of the 66th annual New Hampshire Antiques Show, hosted by the New Hampshire Antique Dealers Association, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (700 Elm St.in Manchester). The show runs through Aug. 10 and will feature nearly 60 professional antique dealers. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $15 on Thursday; $10 on Friday and Saturday. Visit nhada.org.

Thursday, Aug. 8

Cirque du Soleil returns to SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) with its high-energy and high-acrobatic production “Ovo,” a colorful intrusion into a new day in the life of insects. Performances will be today at 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 10, at 3 and 7 p.m, and Sunday Aug. 11, at 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets start at $45.

Saturday, Aug. 10

Brookford Farm (250 West Road, Canterbury, 742-4084, brookfordfarm.com) will host a Sunflower Soiree today through Sunday, Aug. 18, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Enjoy sunflowers, food, hay rides, a sunflower stroll, sunflower picking, a cow parade and more. General admission tickets are $10 online and $15 at the door. See brookfordfarm.com.

Saturday, Aug. 10

It’s free admission Saturday for New Hampshire residents at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org), which is open today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the Creative Studio from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., make paper flowers inspired by the work of Daniel Otero Torres, whose “Sonidos Del Crepúsculo (Twilight Sounds)” exhibit is on display now through Oct. 6.

Wednesday, Aug. 14

School of Rock (PG-13, 2003) will screen in Veterans Park in Manchester today at dusk, according to a post on the Manchester Economic Development Office Facebook page.

Wednesday, Aug. 14

Outdoor Movies in Concord with Concord Parks and Rec and Red River Theaters will show Jurassic Park today at sundown in Memorial Field.

Save the Date! Friday, Aug. 16
There will be a Silent Dance Party at the Auburn Pitts (167 Rockingham Road, Auburn, 622-6564, auburnpitts.com), Friday, Aug. 16, from 7 to 11:30 p.m. Paricipants will use a pair of three-channel headphones, each with a different playlist. Tickets can be purchased in advance at gsgnh.org for $20. Admission will be $25 at the door. All proceeds will go to Granite State Generocity, to aid their mission of helping people in New Hampshire with debilitating illness or disabilities.

Featured photo: Jaws.

Thursday, Aug. 1

UNH Extension Master Gardeners will answer your gardening questions to Ask a Master Gardener Day, at New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn, 224-9909, nhaudubon.org) today, from 9 to 11 a.m. This event is free to attend.

Thursday, Aug. 1

The 7th Annual Rotary Trails 2 Ales 5K race (rotarytrails2ales.com) will take place today, starting at 6 p.m. in Legacy Park (200-224 New Boston Road, Bedford); runners can sign in starting at 5:30 p.m. Everyone attending can enjoy a burger and a drink and play cornhole. Adults 21+ are invited to taste a variety of craft beers and wines. Kids 12 and under are admitted free and can run the trails without registering. They will not receive a bib or be timed. The race will be capped at 500 runners. Registration is $30 on the race website.

Friday, Aug. 2

Celebrate the Dog Days of Summer tonight at Intown Concord’s First Friday in the city’s downtown. The evening will feature live music, food trucks, an outdoor screening of Jaws, a dog agility contest and more. See intownconcord.org.

Saturday, Aug. 3

The Merrimack Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale today starting at 8 a.m. at St. James Methodist Church, 646 DW Highway in Merrimack. See merrimackgardenclub.org.

Saturday, Aug. 3

Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, 783-9511, shakers.org) will begin a weeklong celebration today of the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the Shaker faith. Today, there will be a special dedication ceremony at 10 a.m. for the Postal Service’s 2024 series of first-class stamps honoring Shaker design. Other activities this week will include lectures, tours and the opening of a new museum exhibition “Keeping Faith.” All events are free of charge.

Sunday, Aug. 4

Merrimack High School’s FIRST Robotics team, Chop Shop 166 (ChopShop166.com), will host “Cars, Robots, and Coffee,” a combination car show and robotics demonstration, this morning from 8 a.m. to noon. Automobiles of all types are welcome to register or show up to participate in the Car Show portion of the event. Admission is free for spectators.

Sunday, Aug. 4

Heavy metal bands Lamb of God and Mastodon will perform at the SNHU Arena as part of their Ashes of Leviathan Tour (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) today at 6 p.m., celebrating 20 years of Ashes of the Wake and Leviathan. Tickets start at $20.

Save the Date! Friday, Aug. 9
The 2024 Manchester International Film Festival is set for Friday, Aug. 9, and Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Rex Theatre (823 Amherst St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org). Films will include animation, New England short films, LGBTQ+ films, international short films and more. Friday registration and check-in will begin at 6 p.m.; the doors to the theater will open at 6:30 p.m., and the program will begin at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the doors will open at 6 p.m., and the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. Passes for each night will be sold separately for $20 each at palacetheatre.org.

Featured photo: Ashes of the Leviathan Tour.

Friday, July 26

Manchester City Library (405 Pine St, Manchester, 624-6550, manchester.lib.nh.us) invites you to join in a walking tour, “Walking Through Manchester’s Black History,” presented by local historian Stan Garrity this morning at 10 a.m. The walk will begin in the Main Library’s rotunda and will follow Stan’s guided tour before returning to the Library. Register on the library’s website, under “Upcoming Events.”

Saturday, July 27

Join NH Audubon (McLane Center, 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, 224-9909, nhaudubon.org) for the second annual Capital Area NH Butterfly Survey from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. No matter what your skill level, you are welcome to join in this survey. Help track New Hampshire’s butterflies and make a difference in their conservation. Email Diane De Luca ([email protected]) to RSVP.

Saturday, July 27

The Third Annual Friends-a-Palooza will take place in Keach Park (2 Newton Ave., Concord) from 1 to 4 p.m. today, to celebrate the Friends Program, International Friendship Day and families in the greater Concord area. Friends-a-Palooza is a family-friendly party in the park with games, music, crafts, snacks, trucks, stories and dance. This event is free; donations will be accepted to benefit the Friends Program (friendsprogram.org) services for at-risk youth and families.

Saturday, July 27

Lift heavy weights at Grand Smashing party to celebrate the opening of the new physical location of Pawsitive Barbell Club (3 Robinson Road, Bow, 856-5422, intuitivewellnesscenterllc.com/pawsitive-barbell-club) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20.

Saturday, July 27

The Capital City Pride picnic will be in Eagle Square in Concord today from noon to 4 p.m. There will be vendors, refreshments, performance art, games, live music and more. Attendees are encouraged to bring everything they would need for a picnic, such as folding chairs, a picnic blanket, snacks, water, sun protection, bags for garbage collection, and rain gear (just in case).

Saturday, July 27

Head to The Knights Hall (55 Lake St., Suite 4, Nashua, 484-1036, theknightshall.com) for Fire of Battle: Summer Melees. This in-person event will bring together warriors from far and wide to showcase their skills in medieval combat. Tickets are $20 and available through the Knights Hall website.

Sunday, July 28

The Alex Minasian Jazz Trio will perform at the Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline, 673-7441, andresinstitute.org) tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets cost $25.

Sunday, July 28

Wilton Town Hall Theatre (40 Main St., Wilton, 654-3456, facebook.com/wiltontownhalltheatre) presents 1926 Harry Langdon comedy Tramp, Tramp, Tramp today at 2 p.m. Admission to this silent film with musical accompaniment is free; donations of $10 per person are encouraged.

Save the Date! Thursday, Aug. 8
Cirque du Soleil is returning to Manchester with its high-energy and high-acrobatic production Ovo, at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com). An exciting Cirque du Soleil experience, Ovo is a colorful look at the daily life of insects. Performances will be Thursday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 10, at 3 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 11, at 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets start at $45.

Featured photo: Monarch butterfly.

Thursday, July 18

The Pierce Manse (14 Horseshoe Pond Lane, Concord) will host a concert on the lawn tonight beginning at 7 p.m. Nevers’ Second Regiment Band will play. The concert will be preceded by an open house and ice cream social from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Bring a chair and a snack.

Thursday, July 18

Learn how to create a wire tree in any style you want on an fist-sized rock you provide during a 21+ two-hour class from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at Spyglass Brewing Co. (306 Innovative Way, Nashua, 546-2965, spyglassbrewing.com). Each $75 ticket includes a free beer and all the tools and materials needed.

Friday, July 19

The Canvas Roadshow (Bedford Square, 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 913-9217, thecanvasroadshow.com) will host a DIY 3D Woodshop Project workshop tonight at 6:30 p.m. for $25.

Saturday, July 20

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire’s (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, aviationmuseumofnh.org) will hold its Classic Car Show today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rescheduled due to weather from July 13). Vehicles of all makes and eras are welcome. Trophies will be given out for the People’s Choice Award and the Museum Award. Vehicle registration is $10, or you can come as a spectator for $5 (cash only; kids ages 12 and under are free). See nhahs.org.

Saturday, July 20

The New Hampshire Center for Photography’s first annual photo flea market will take place under the big tent at the Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St, Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Hang out with fellow New Hampshire photographers and browse a selection of film and digital cameras, lenses, darkroom equipment, printers, studio lighting and assorted other gear. There will be a “free” table with assorted photographic treasures. There will also be photographic prints for sale.

Saturday, July 20

The Barley House Restaurant and Tavern (132 N. Main St, Concord, 228-6363, thebarleyhouse.com) will host a ’90s Night full of ’90s food, dress, drinks and music. DJ Maltese will spin all your favorite hits from the decade that brought us grunge, boy bands and epic dance moves. There will be a Best Dressed contest, a photo booth, and nostalgic cocktails from the ’90s. Tickets are $15 and are available through the Barley House website.

Sunday, July 21

Catch the band Another Tequila Sunrise today at 2 p.m. in Stark Park on River Road in north Manchester. The event is part of the Friends of Stark Park’s summer concert series, which will run Sundays at 2 p.m. through Aug. 25 (with a Manchester Community Summer band concert on Monday, Aug. 19, at 6 p.m.). See starkpark.com.

Save the Date! Saturday, July 27
On Saturday, July 27, Main Street in Nashua will be a walkable feast of art for the first annual Summer Stroll. From kids’ activities to live art-creation battles with Positive Street Art to vendors of bespoke items, downtown Nashua will become an open-invitation party. There will be live music throughout the day, food trucks and more. Between 3 and 8 p.m., Main Street from Pearl Street to Temple Street will be a pedestrian-only public space.

Featured photo: Car Show at Aviation Museum. Courtesy Photo.