Is country your favorite genre of music? Pop? Rock? Indie? Whatever your answer, performances all across the musical spectrum have your weekend more than covered.
Even man’s best friend has weekend plans: At Bark in the Park, dogs and their human companions are invited to enjoy four different concerts on Saturday. The13th Annual Monarch Festival kicks off at the same time that day.
Here’s your guide to this weekend in and around Concord:
Friday, August 22
A night full of music starts at 4 p.m. with a rooftop social at Arts Alley and live music at 5:30 p.m.
At the end of each week in August, April Cushman, a native Granite Stater and country singer, has performed as part of the Friday Night Live event hosted at Arts Alley.
The free event welcomes all ages to enjoy the new space in downtown Concord, for those over 21, the bar’s signature mocktails and cocktails as well.
With tunes inspired by Lori McKenna, Wynonna Judd and Ashley McBryde, Cushman’s performance is something country fans won’t want to miss.
After stopping by Arts Alley, head over to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center to sing along to The Taylor Swift Experience. You won’t miss a beat as you shake it off to every era of T-Swift hits.
The Discovery Center will host four shows this weekend for swifties of all ages to dance like they’re made of starlight.
The first Friday show runs from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., and the following show starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 7:15 p.m. Having trouble getting over to the dome show on Friday? You can sing along on Saturday with shows at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
To close the night, enjoy some rock and roll at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage at the Capitol Center of the Arts for the Locally Sourced show featuring Doug., theWorst and Grub Lord.
Starting at 7 p.m. with doors opening an hour earlier, these three local bands welcome everyone to sing, scream and jump around with them as they perform their punk music. Each brings their own vibe and a ton of energy to the stage. Tickets are $18 pre-sale and $21 at the door.
For more information about the bands visit https://www.ccanh.com/show/25000357
Saturday, August 23
To recover from a night of headbanging to rock and roll rhythms, start the weekend off right at the Bark in the Park Market Expo at Rollins Park. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the park will fill with vendors, food trucks, dog art stations, live music, games, face painting, a dog show, raffles and lovable pups!
Tickets will be available at the door, but if you buy tickets in advance, you’ll get a free dog gift and five raffle tickets. Visit https://www.dogfriendly603.com/ for tickets and more information.
New Hampshire-based artists will perform at the park as part of the puppy bash. The concert features Brooke Bergeron, Izzy Ivy, Elvis-Mark Shelton and Chris Monroe at the Grappone Music Pavilion. Hosted by Dog Friendly NH, this park-wide market invites all family members to enjoy the festivities.
If you don’t like dogs or prefer to split your time, the 13th Annual New Hampshire Monarch Festival will be taking place at the Canterbury Shaker Village from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For insect lovers and novices alike, this event serves to educate the public about monarch butterflies and the importance of milkweed in the state.
With presentations on the monarch life cycle, tagging butterflies, diseases, testing and more, the festival provides everything you could possibly learn about the beloved butterfly. You can also explore the historic village on the walking trails or by participating in kid-oriented activities. Food and beverages will also be available.
Tickets are $7 per person and $4 for children 12 years or under. Admission for babies under two years old is free, and tickets are discounted for attendees who join in on a tour of the village.
Rock out! See you next week!