Saturday, June 10: For the 29th annual Market Square Day, the streets in downtown Portsmouth’s Market Square area will close for a day of festivities, including a 10K road race, live music on four stages, dancin, and shopping at scores of tables with local vendors and downtown merchants. Race starts at 9am and free festivities continue until 5pm, Market Square, Portsmouth, 603-436-3988, www.proportsmouth.org.

Friday, June 16, and Saturday, June 17: Seventeenth annual Portsmouth Pocket Garden Tour. Bike or walk through three miles of numerous private and museum gardens, enjoying art, music and food along the way. Friday from 5 to 8pm and Saturday from 9am to 3pm. Purchase tickets for $20 at the South Church, 292 State St., 603-433-8525.

Friday, June 16, through Friday, June 30: Watch 12 world-class master sand sculptors shape 250 tons of imported sand in a competition for $10,000 in prizes in the fifth annual Master Sand Sculpting Competition, 8:30am-5pm daily. Sculptures lighted for night viewing, fireworks on Saturday, June 24 at 9:30pm, people’s choice awards ceremony on Seashell Stage, Sunday, June 25 at 8pm.  Hampton Beach, 800-438-2826, www.hamptonchamber.com.

Saturday, June 17: Somersworth International Children’s Festival, featuring multicultural and children’s entertainment on four stages, a petting zoo, pony rides, crafts, exotic and traditional foods and more, with entertainment for everybody, not just children. A pre-festival celebration with local bands and fireworks is held 6:30-10pm on Friday, June 16, at the Somersworth High School football field. Takes place 10am-3pm, on Main Street and at the Noble Pines Playground, Somersworth, 603-692-5869, www.nhfestivals.org.

Saturday, June 17: Rochester’s third annual Moonlight Madness evening will recall the 1950s with an Elvis Band, vintage cars and contests for hula-hoop, yo-yo, bubble gum blowing and Elvis impersonation. The “Ken Ducky Derby” race will kick off the celebration at the Cocheco River from 4-4:30pm, then the fun moves downtown until 9pm. Downtown Rochester, 603-330-3208, www.core-nh.org.

Saturday, June 17, and Sunday, June 18: Spectators at the Hampton Beach Hobie Cat Regatta enjoy colorful catamarans skipping across the surf in a weekend of racing, Hampton Beach, 800-438-2826, www.hamptonchamber.com.

Saturday, June 24: Great Cocheco Boat Race participants navigate a three-and-a-half-mile stretch of the Salmon Falls River from the Route 101 bridge in South Berwick to Henry Law Park in Dover in rowing shells, kayaks, race canoes and recreational canoes, starting at 11am. Register on race day, 9-10:30am; $15 per person registration fee to race or $30 per family of four, children under 12 free, to support Strafford Rivers Conservancy. Route 101 Bridge, South Berwick, 603-557-7561. Registration form is available online at www.straffordriversconservancy.org.

Saturday, June 24: 31st annual Strawberry Festival, featuring a five-mile Strawberry Run road race and a 2.5-mile fun walk, ample amounts of strawberry shortcake, more than 120 juried artisans, live music, stage shows, an inflatable tiger slide, a rock climbing wall and a fireworks display, 9am-10pm, free, Central School, Main St, South Berwick, 207-384-3306. Register for the race online at www.southberwickstrawberryfestival.com.

Saturday, June 24, through Saturday, Sept. 30: Prescott Park Arts Festival begins its 32nd annual summer-long arts festival with full schedule of attractions. Bring a blanket and enjoy Broadway shows, live music, theater, dance and food. Visit www.prescottpark.org for full schedule, updates and weather forecast. Prescott Park, Marcy St., Portsmouth. 603-436-2848.

Saturday, June 24 through Sunday, Aug. 20: Oliver!, adapted from “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, Thursdays and Sundays at 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm. Suggested donation $5. Opening night gala on Friday, June 23. Prescott Park Arts Festival, Marcy St., Portsmouth, 603-436-2848, www.prescottpark.org.

Monday, June 26, through Saturday, July 1: 11th annual MaDFest (formerly Portsmouth Percussive Dance Festival), a week-long showcase of percussive dance arts including tap, jazz, Cajun, belly and flamenco, featuring classes, workshops, indoor and outdoor jam sessions and a student showcase, Jammin’ at the Park, on Saturday at Prescott Park. Classes and events held at various times throughout the week. See www.jazzandtap.com for details, or call 207-439-2712.

Wednesday, June 28: Fireworks shoot off the sands at Hampton Beach every Wednesday through the summer, with special July 4 and Labor Day shows. 9:30-10pm, free, Hampton Beach, 800-438-2826, www.hamptonchamber.com.

Saturday, July 1, through Saturday, Aug. 19: Prescott Park Saturday Children’s Series features a variety of entertainment geared toward younger audiences. Shows are at 4pm, except July 1, which is at 2pm. Suggested donation of $5 at the gate, Prescott Park Arts Festival, Marcy St., Portsmouth, 603-436-2848, www.prescottpark.org.

Tuesday, July 4: An American Celebration!, an old-fashioned Fourth of July, featuring a children’s parade, traditional games and crafts, historic garden tour, “living history,” music, entertainment and food, noon-5pm, members and kids free, half-price admission for nonmembers, 603-433-1100, www.strawberybanke.org.

Friday, July 7 through Friday, Aug. 25: Dover’s Cochecho Arts Festival, a summer-long entertainment series, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Events include a Children’s Series on Tuesdays from 10:30am to noon, the Shark in the Park Luncheon Series on Thursdays from noon to 2pm, and a Friday night Concert Series from 7 to 9pm. Free, but donations are welcome, Rotary Arts Pavillion at Henry Law Park, Dover, 603-742-2218, www.dovernh.org.

Saturday, July 22: At the American Independence Festival, formerly the Revolutionary War Festival, celebrate the American spirit with a glimpse of life during the American Revolution. Events include colonial troop activities, traditional craftspeople, and battle re-enactment by the Lexington Minutemen; festivities include live music, children’s activities, helicopter rides, food and more. Takes place 10am-5pm, free, with fees charged for some activities. American Independence Museum grounds and Swasey Parkway, Exeter, 603-772-2622, www.independencemuseum.org.

Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23: 40th annual Bow Street Fair, a two-day juried arts and crafts festival hosted by the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, featuring a variety of artisans, entertainment and food on the waterfront. 10am-5pm, free with suggested donation of $2, Bow Street, Portsmouth, 603-433-4472, www.seacoastrep.org.

Thursday, July 27, through Sunday, July 30: 39th annual Stratham Fair, traditional family fair with horse and cattle pulls, cookie and bread baking competitions, Miss Stratham Fair Pageant, pie eating contest, pig scramble, Sunday night fireworks, exhibits, rides and midway. Also, road race and The New England Festival of Arts and Fine Crafts. Admission is $7 ($20 for four-day pass); $4 for ages 6-12 and 65+ ($12 for four-day pass); 12 and under free with adult; and on Thursday, grandparents accompanied by at least one child under 12 can attend free. Stratham Hill Park, Route 33, Stratham, 603-772-4977, www.strathamfair.com.

Friday, July 28, through Sunday, July 30: 11th annual Eliot Antique Tractor & Engine Show. John Deere aficionados can bring the whole family to this rural extravaganza. Tractor-related events, including tractor parades, tractor pulls, a kids pedal tractor pull and more are supplemented with standard festival fare—live music, food, crafts, contests and other miscellaneous festivities. The fields will be open on Friday from noon to 9pm; on Saturday from 7am to dusk; and on Sunday from 7am to 3pm. Admission is $4 or free for children under 12, Raitt Farm, Route 103, Eliot, 207-748-3303.

Friday, July 28, through Sunday, Aug. 6: York Days celebrate the beach life with concerts, tournaments, sandcastle building, fairs and other events at York Beach ballfield and various locations throughout York Beach. Fireworks on Saturday, July 29; Beach Party at Long Sands Beach by the bath house on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 11am-4pm. Call the York Parks and Recreation Department for details at 207-363-1040 or visit http://parksandrec.yorkmaine.org.

Sunday, July 30: Miss Hampton Beach pageant entertains the crowds at the Seashell Stage, free, 800-438-2826, www.hamptonchamber.com.

Saturday, Aug. 12, and Sunday, Aug. 13: At the Celebrate Maine Festival, experience unique crafts from Maine artisans, play beanhole games and other family activities, and enjoy live entertainment with the Don Campbell Band. Takes place Saturday from 10am to 8pm, and Sunday from 10am to 4pm, $4, Raitt Farm, Route 103, Eliot, 207-363-4422, www.gatewaytomaine.org.

Monday, Aug. 14, through Friday, Aug. 18: Children’s Festival, five days of activities for children and their families including sandcastle contests, costume parades, a Ronald McDonald Magic Show, entertainment on the Seashell Stage, and a costume parade, free, Hampton Beach, 800-438-2826, www.hamptonchamber.com.

Saturday, Aug. 19: Moose Mountains Regional Greenways presents the fourth annual Woods, Water and Wildlife Festival, a family-friendly event with guided walks and talks with nature experts, hay rides, pony rides, live music and more, 10am-3pm, free, Branch Hill Farm, Applebee Road, Milton Mills, 603-817-8260, www.mmrg.info.

...and outdoor concerts, too! 

Pack up the soda pop, the blanket and the sunblock. There are more than 200 opportunities to go see live local music in the great outdoors this summer. Some are classics, others are destined to be—you might remember seeing bands play at the Seashell Stage in Hampton Beach when you were a kid, or perhaps you’re dancing with your own kids to the Jumbo Circus Peanuts on the lawn at Seacoast Science Center. Or maybe you prefer acoustic guitar in the garden at the historic Hamilton House on a bluff above the Salmon Falls River. No matter what your tune, someone is out there playing it. 

Hampton Beach Nightly Concert Series
More than 80 free family concerts—from country to pop and big bands—under the stars. Two shows nightly: 7-8pm and 8:30-9:30pm. Seashell Stage, Route 1A, Hampton Beach, 800-438-2826, www.hamptonchamber.com.

Wednesday Night in Concert • Portsmouth
Prescott Park on Marcy Street in downtown Portsmouth features a variety of music from every decade of the past century on Wednesday nights, June 28-Aug. 16, at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $5 at the gate, www.prescottpark.org, 603-436-2848.
• NOTEable Decades, June 28, a vocal trio and band performing well-known tunes of the 1950s-1980s and Broadway numbers
• Seacoast Wind Ensemble, July 5, performing a large and varied repertoire
• Carri Colrane: Tribute to Bonnie Raitt, July 12
• The Diversified Faith Project: Rock My Soul, July 19, a 25-member interfaith gospel choir and band
• Funky Divas, July 26, performing traditional songs, secular music and gospel in the southern African-American tradition with a distinctive R&B flavor
• New Hampshire Academy of Performing Arts, Aug. 2, dance to popular songs of the last two decades
• The Compaq Big Band, Aug. 9, 21-piece jazz ensemble playing music from the 1930s to today with featured vocalist Lauren Meehan
• All Together Now!, Aug. 16, interactive Beatles tribute band

Cochecho Arts Festival • Tuesday, Thursday and Friday • Dover
Produced by Dover Chamber of Commerce, 200 amphitheater-style seats in downtown Henry Law Park, blankets and chairs encouraged. The performances on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are free, but donations are welcome and festival buttons will be on sale at the performances for $10. For more information, call 603-742-6769.
Tuesday Children's Series: Dover Public Library Front Lawn (rain location inside), 10:30-11:30 a.m. Wayne From Maine will open the series on July 11. Other performers include BJ Hickman, Judy Pancoast, Peter Mamos, Susie Burke and Marcus Gale.
Thursday Luncheon Series: Rotary Arts Pavilion, Henry Law Park, noon-2 p.m., July 13 through Aug. 17, schedule TBA. In case of rain, any Thursday concerts that are postponed will be moved to Thursday, Aug. 26.
The Friday Series: Rotary Arts Pavilion, Henry Law Park, 7-9 p.m. In case of rain, concerts will be moved to the Dover High School Auditorium on Route 108 in Dover. The decision to move the concerts inside is made between noon and 3 p.m.
• Tommy Makem (folk and Celtic) July 7
• Ball in the House (a capella) July 14
• Strafford Wind Symphony (Broadway tunes, swing and classics) July 21
• Pondering Judd ('80s and roots rock) July 28
• Bombay Jim and the Swinging Sapphires (jazz and swing) Aug. 4
• All Together Now (Beatles tribute band) Aug. 11
• Hush (pop songs from the '50s to today) Aug. 18
• The Spectras (pop, rock, R&B and Motown) Aug. 25

Music-by-the-Sea • Thursday • Rye
Seacoast Science Center, 570 Ocean Blvd., Rye. Classic ’60s rock, funk, jam bands and country on the lawn, Thursdays at 6 p.m. Tickets are $8 per person, $4 for members, 12 and under free, to support the Seacoast Science Center. For more information, call 603-436-8043 or visit www.seacentr.org.
• Percy Hill, June 29
• 60s Invasion, July 6
• Entrain, July 13
• Corona Brothers, July 20
• Jumbo Circus Peanuts, July 27
• Don Campbell Band, Aug. 3

An Evening of Music • Thursday • Portsmouth
Governor John Langdon House, 142 Pleasant St., Portsmouth, 6pm. Bring a picnic supper and enjoy a different style of music each Thursday evening, July 13, 20 and 27, in the garden of this historic home, built in 1784. Admission is $5 for members of Historic New England and $10 for nonmembers. For more information, call 603-436-3205 or visit www.historicnewengland.org.

Swasey Parkway Concerts • Thursday • Exeter
On the river in downtown Exeter, 6:15-8:15 p.m., free, presented by Exeter Recreation Department, 603-778-0591, www.exeternh.org.
• Chad Burdick, June 15
• All Together Now, June 22
• Jenn Thayer Band, June 29
• Half Moon Jug Band, July 6
• Wherehouse, July 13
• Island Breeze, July 20
• Jumbo Circus Peanuts for American Independence Festival, Saturday, July 22
• Soda Pop Band, July 27

Hot Summer Nights • Thursday  • South Berwick
Town Hall lawn, Main Street, South Berwick, or inside the Town Hall if rainy, 6:30pm. For more information, call Nicole at 207-384-2248.
• Cattle Call w/Erin Robertshaw, country flavored roots, July 6
• Chronic Jazz Syndrome w/opener TBA, July 13
• Slaid Cleaves w/Dan Kleinmann, folk-rock-Americana, July 20
• Joyce Andersen and Tom Dean, folk, July 27
• PB&J and Friends, popular cover tunes, Aug. 3
• Roundhouse, funky blues, Aug. 10
• Pondering Judd w/Jerry Leavitt, rootsy rock, Aug. 17

Music in the Meadow • Friday and Saturday • Durham
Mill Pond Center for the Arts, 50 Newmarket Road (Route 108), Durham, presented in partnership with The Stone Church, which is selling tickets in advance (www.thestonechurch.com). Shows start at 7 p.m., with headliners taking the stage from 8 to 10 p.m. Grounds open at 6 p.m. and picnicking is encouraged. Carpooling is recommended, as parking is limited. Rain location: Oyster River High School auditorium, Coe Drive, Durham. For more information, call 603-868-8999 or visit www.millpondcenter.org.
• David Bromberg and the Angel Band, Friday, July 21, $25 in advance and $30 at the gate
• Cherish the Ladies, Saturday, Aug. 5, $25 in advance and $30 at the gate
• Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Friday, Aug. 11, $15
• The Mammals, Saturday, Aug. 26, $15

Summer in the Street • Saturday • Portsmouth
Market Square, Portsmouth, free live local music and entertainment, evenings, June 24, July 8, 15 and 29, Aug. 5 and 12, schedule of entertainment TBA, produced by Pro Portsmouth, 603-436-3988, ext. 21, www.proportsmouth.org.

Prescott Park Music Festivals • Sunday and Monday • Portsmouth
The historic waterfront park on Marcy Street in downtown Portsmouth offers a series of outdoor music festivals every summer. A $5 donation is requested at the gate. A variety of regional musical acts also perform for audiences attending “Oliver!” the mainstage theater production. A full schedule is available online at www.prescottpark.org, 603-436-2848.
• Freedom Rocks!, Monday, July 3, 2-11 p.m.: Live bands all afternoon and evening with a brief intermission for the city's fireworks display, featuring The Texas Governor, Jason Anderson, Melvern Taylor and His Fabulous Meltones, The Minus Scale, Laurel Brauns, Dan Blakeslee and more. Sponsored by The Wire.
• Jazz Festival, Sunday, July 9, 12:30-5:30 p.m.: The 11th annual Tommy Gallant Seacoast Jazz Festival will feature The Wolverines Jazz Band, specializing in “Traditional Jazz,” or New Orleans-styled music of the 1920s and 1930s. The festival also features Amigo Blanco, the Jim Howe Trio and the Seacoast Big Band.
• Folk Festival, Sunday, July 23, noon-5 p.m.: For the ninth year, some of the region's best known folk performers gather to celebrate their traditions. Entertainers this year include Late Bloomers, Kate Redgate, Mark Erelli, High Range and festival headliner Lori McKenna,
• Country Music Festival, Sunday, Aug. 6: All ages are welcome on Schedule and performers TBA. Sponsored by WOKQ.

Sunday Brunch Series • Portsmouth
Take a picnic to Prescott Park on Marcy Street in Portsmouth and relax, $5 donation requested at the gate, www.prescottpark.org, 603-436-2848.
• Salt River, June 25 at 1 p.m., original and traditional music in a folk/blues style
• Jazz in the Air, July 16 at 1 p.m., popular standards plus some originals
• Portsmouth Women's Chorus, July 30 at 1 p.m., a tapestry of choral works celebrating the strength and beauty of the human spirit
• Portsmouth School of Ballet, Aug. 13 at 3 p.m.
• Jeff Tuohy, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m., contemporary pop

Sundays in the Garden • South Berwick
The landscaped lawn and gardens of Hamilton House in South Berwick, Maine, perched above a bend in the Salmon Falls River, will host a variety of musical performers on Sunday afternoons from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Picnicking encouraged. In case of rain, the performances will be held in the garden cottage. Admission is $4 for Historic New England members, $7 for seniors and $8 for nonmembers. For more information, call 207-384-2454.
• Harvey Reid, acoustic guitarist, July 2
• Marc McElroy, rock and blues influenced guitarist, July 9
• Denny and Ann Breau, folk and blues guitar and flute, July 16
• Charlie Jennison, jazz, July 23

Summer Garden Concert Series • Sunday • Rochester
Governor’s Inn, 78 Wakefield St., Rochester, 603-332-0107, 4-7p.m., donations suggested. Presented in partnership with the Rochester Opera House, this series offers a summer of American roots music—acoustic folk, jazz and Americana—on a riverfront soundstage on the Great Lawn at the Governor’s Inn along the banks of the Cochecho River. Bands will perform rain or shine, parasol tables and chairs are available but guests may bring lawn chairs, blankets and Frisbees, or use the Café bocce ball games and horseshoe pit. A full café menu and bar will be available.
• Melvern Taylor and His Fabulous Meltones, June 18
• Mr. Sippy Band, June 25
• Racky Thomas Blues, July 2
• The Tarbox Ramblers, July 9
• Cormac McCarthy Trio, July 16
• Katahdin Valley Boys, July 23
• Mary Maguire Trio, July 30
• Mike Morris and Heather Mike, Aug. 6
• Roundhouse Blues, Aug. 20
• Jon Nolan and Hokum, Aug. 27

Stratham Hill Park Concert Series • Sunday
Route 33 in Stratham, Sunday , 5-7 p.m., sponsored by the Friends of Stratham Hill Park. Concerts are free, although a $3 donation per person and a $10 donation per family are suggested. For more information, call 603-772-7450 or visit www.friendsofstrathamhillpark.org.
• Beatle Juice, the Beatles cover band fronted by Brad Delp from the band Boston, July 9
• North Shore (a capella) singing hits from the '50s to today, July 16
• Skamasutra, Reef and one more local band TBA, playing a mix of funk and ska, Aug. 6