Brave the Cold for These Local Events
With the warmth of Valentine’s Day just past and the days themselves soon to grow longer, it seems like spring should be only a step away, making this sudden arrival of true winter weather even more brisk. While it might seem best to burrow under the quilt covers and wait until the end of April to venture out into that New England pall, don’t let the chilly weather keep you away from all our wonderful town has to offer.
Powering through to the end of February can be a true challenge: early mornings shoveling the walkway, late nights wondering about cancelled school day schedules, and plenty of freezing cold frustrations in between. You deserve to celebrate, and there’s nothing better than the 3rd Annual Portsmouth Beer Week for doing so. From February 20th to February 29th, experience a variety of events throughout Portsmouth touting our town’s craft beer workmanship. Partnering with breweries, distributors, pubs, bars, and restaurants, the week is studded by the best, from the Portsmouth Pond Hockey Invitational to Brew Hampshire Movie Night, tastings to testings, and everything in between.
Do you enjoy helping others in need, with live music and a touch of glamor? February 18th, The Music Hall will be hosting actor Jim Carter of the television smash hit Downton Abbey in an event to benefit the survivors of the devastating Nepal natural disaster. While Nepal may no longer be in the headlines, recovery from the tragedy is still only beginning – and Mr. Carter is passionate to help alongside the people of Portsmouth. An evening of performances, stories, and questions answered about the behind-the-scenes of the record-breaking transatlantic success, in one of Portsmouth’s most gorgeous architectural landmarks.
The Summer Olympics are a way off yet, but that’s no reason to wait to see medal-worthy feats. For its second year, the Professional Skate Show is in Portsmouth, bringing United States National champions, US Ice Dance team members, and US Olympic medallists to the Strawbery Banke Museum. Taking place February 26th and 27th, the show will be a breathtaking display of the United State’s select athletic stars, with the gorgeous backdrop of Portsmouth in winter. Too cold watch an outdoor show? The Strawbery Banke Museum alone is a jewel of our town, with a classic architectural beauty that’s a show in of itself.
One of our favorite renovations in a classic space is undoubtedly The Music Hall Loft, and this week, they offer the perfect entertainment for the last of these dark winter days. Listed by the American Film Institute as #5 of the funniest American films of all time, the Marx Brothers’ antics are at their prime in Duck Soup. While family-friendly, it’s a comedy so piercingly intelligent and brilliantly satirical on the politics of dictators the movie was banned by Mussolini. Grab a date, get a drink, and cozy up in this intimate space for an evening that will warm you right up.
Inside or out, there’s always a fascinating array of events on offer in Portsmouth and we can’t let that New Hampshire zero-below windchill keep us tucked away until the crocuses bloom. Cherish these crystal-bright nights, the perfectly still silence of snow, and everything else that makes winter here as beautiful as any season, anywhere else.
