The Sounds of Summer

GET YOUR GROOVE ON ALL SUMMER long

FROM WATERFRONT CONCERTS TO REGGAE FESTS

Ready to get lost in the music? Come rock out at a patio party, listen to the waves at a waterfront concert so close you can smell the salty air, or get a front row seat to a local artist tuning-up in the Old Port before a show.

headlining shows

The one-mile stretch from the Arts District to the Old Port is dotted with over 40 spots to catch a live show. Arts and entertainment of every realm live harmonically in our city by the sea. See a Broadway-level musical, opera, symphony, ballet – and you’ve still only scratched the surface. If you’re a classical music buff, don’t miss the annual Bach Virtuosi Festival which pairs the best of Bach and his contemporaries with world-renowned musicians in spaces with marvelous acoustics.

And It is so much more than just downtown Portland, across our close-knit region people gather in concert halls, performance spaces, bars, and night clubs, enjoying life and getting lost in the music. The abundance of unique spaces to sit and enjoy the sounds of Summer this season will be music to your ears. Learn More.

live entertainment

What could possibly beat bobbing along to some sweet tunes as you crack into your first lobster of the season? A local performer fills the sea air with music as you gaze out at beautiful Casco Bay. The Old Port is a live entertainment destination – you can find restaurants and bars carved along the way as you explore our historic cobblestone and brick pathways. Stop by the waterfront for a seafood fix or make your way up to the Arts District for upscale wine bars and ethnic food fusions you’d expect from Bon Appetit’s “2018 Restaurant City of the Year” paired with the unexpected twist of our live music experience.

out and about

Now that the weather has warmed up and the season is in full swing, you can get your groove on at some noteworthy outdoor concert venues across Greater Portland. Downtown there are free, outdoor concerts all Summer long at Congress Square Park as well as Eastern Promenade. In nearby Freeport, L.L.Bean’s Summer in the Park series brings national headliners for free concerts on the retailer’s grassy quad. There are outdoor music venues scattered across the region, like in South Portland, and Scarborough.

waterfront concerts

Take part in a Portland tradition 28 years in the making. Hop aboard the Casco Bay Lines’ ferry for Reggae Sunday this Summer. This popular event draws locals and visitors alike for an afternoon of Reggae, Beer, and Rum Buckets on Peak’s Island.

You’ll be happy dancing in your seat all night long at waterfront venues like Thompson’s Point, on the banks of the Fore River. Some serious, headlining talent is taking the stage this year that you’re not going to want to miss.