Celebrate winter in Portsmouth, New Hampshire at the Second Annual Portsmouth Fire + Ice Festival, Thursday, February 12 through Monday, February 16, 2015, spanning the long Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day Weekend. It’s winter fun for families and evening entertainment: ice bars, fire pits, hearth cooking/wood fire grilled food, dog sled rides,ice skating, ice sculptures and demonstrations, and music – all coordinated by members of the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce.
The Festival starts off on Thursday February 12 with ice skating at the new Labrie Family Skate Puddle Dock Pond at Strawbery Banke Museum from 9am-7pm. The Fire + Ice kick-off party runs from 5-7 at The Blue Mermaid before patrons head to The Music Hall for a concert with Michael Franti or to Seacoast Repertory Theatre for Guys and Dolls.
On Friday February 13, the ice skating continues 9am-9pm; that night, there are several options for entertainment after visiting the Portsmouth Gas Light Deck for its Ice Fest Charity Night: upstairs at the Gas Light hosts Men in Motion, while the Music Hall Loft features Portsmouth Music and Arts Center Jazz Night, The Music Hall Historic Theater brings back Mike MacDonald’s popular Comedy Xxtravaganza and the Player’s Ring, just across from Strawbery Banke, opens its performances of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Starting on Saturday February 14, Strawbery Banke Museum celebrates the Winter Weekend with all historic houses open and filled with costumed role-players, and continued ice skating at Puddle Dock Pond. Other daytime options around Portsmouth include staying warm at The Music Hall’s live broadcast from Lincoln Center of the Tchaikovsky’s opera Iolanta. Saturday evening, the Ice Fest continues on Portsmouth Gas Light’s Deck, whileStrawbery Banke offers a hands-on Hearth Cooking Workshop and Valentine Dinner, 6-8 pm. On Sunday February 15, in addition to ice skating and the Winter Weekend, Strawbery Banke brings back the dogsled rides that were so popular last year – tickets are available on the Strawbery Banke Museum website. Players Ring, will present a performance by Patrick Dorow. The Ice Fest continues at Portsmouth Gas Light, whilethe Reliable Restoration & Recover Ice Carving Demonstration takes place on the corner of Market and Hanover Streets and the Fire + Ice Bar Crawl gets patrons moving around town for a bar crawl and cocktail competition. Grammy Award-winning, Ed Gerhardt performs at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre Sunday evening. On Monday February 16, the festivities wrap up with dog sled rides and Winter Weekend at Strawbery Banke and Patrick Dorow returns to the Players Ring for an encore performance. According to Valerie Rochon, Tourism Director for the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, “The Portsmouth Fire + Ice Festival is a young city-wide event that gives couples and families a great reason to make Portsmouth their Valentine’s Day and President’s Day Weekend holiday getaway!” Festival schedule Thursday February 12 9am-7pm Labrie Family Skate Puddle Dock Pond at Strawbery Banke Museum- Ice Skating $5 kids $7 adults; all skate rentals: $5 11:30am – 6:00pm Food Tasting & History Tour. Ultimate Treasure Hunts and Portsmouth Eats offer a fun day of learning and tasting with a new tour App 5-7pm Blue Mermaid host the Fire & Ice Kick Off Party 7:30pm Music Hall Historic Theater- Michael Franti- SOLD OUT 7:30 Seacoast Repertory Theater- Guys and Dolls- $20-$38 Friday February 13 9am-9pm Labrie Family Skate Puddle Dock Pond at Strawbery Banke Museum – Ice Skating $5 children $7 adults; all skate rentals: $5 5pm Portsmouth Gas Light Deck – Ice Fest Charity Night suggested donations @ door 7pm Music Hall Loft- Portsmouth Music + Arts Center Jazz Night 2015 $30-$35 8pm Seacoast Repertory Theatre – Guys and Dolls- $20-$38 8pm Portsmouth Gas Light Third Floor Night Club – Men in Motion (21+ event) $15 8pm Music Hall Historic Theater – Mike MacDonald Comedy Xxtravaganza $39-$42 8pm Player’s Ring- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – $12 students/seniors $15 all others Saturday February 14 9am-9pm Labrie Family Skate Puddle Dock Pond at Strawbery Banke Museum – Ice Skating $5 children $7 adults; all skate rentals $5 10am- 4pm, Strawbery Banke Museum Winter Weekend at the living history museum. $17.50 adults, $10 children 5-17, under 5 and members, free. Includes ice skating. 10am-4pm Strawbery Banke – Dog Sled Rides $25/sled 12:30pm Music Hall Historic Theater – Iolanta (Tchaikovsky) and Duke Bluebeard’s Castle (Bartok) $32.50 2pm Seacoast Repertory Theatre – Guys and Dolls- $20-$38 5pm Portsmouth Gas Light Deck – Ice Fest 6pm-8pm Strawbery Banke Museum, Wheelwright House- Hearth Cooking Valentine Dinner (reservations required) $65/person ($55 for museum members) 8pm Player’s Ring – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?- $12 students/seniors $15 all others 8pm Seacoast Repertory Theatre – Guys and Dolls- $20-$38 Sunday February 15 9am-9pm Labrie Family Skate Puddle Dock Pond at Strawbery Banke Museum – Ice Skating $5 children $7 adult; all skate rentals: $5 10am – 4pm, Strawbery Banke Museum Winter Weekend at the living history museum. $17.50 adults, $10 children 5-17, under 5 and members, free. Includes ice skating. 10am-4pm Strawbery Banke – Dog Sled Rides $25/sled 10am-4pm Player’s Ring – Performances by Patrick Dorow Productions. Donations gratefully accepted at the Door- 12pm Portsmouth Gas Light Deck – Ice Fest 12pm (time is still tentative) Ice Sculpting Demonstration- Hanover/Market St lot FREE EVENT 2-6pm Fire & Ice Bar Crawl and Cocktail Competition begins at District (21+ event) $15 2:00pm Seacoast Repertory Theatre- Guys and Dolls- $20-$38 7pm Player’s Ring – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – $12 students/seniors; $15 all others 7pm Seacoast Repertory Theatre – Grammy Award Winner Ed Gerhard in concert- $24.99 Monday February 16 9am-9pm Labrie Family Skate Puddle Dock Pond at Strawbery Banke Museum – Ice Skating $5 children $7 adults; all skate rentals: $5 10am-4pm, Strawbery Banke Museum Winter Weekend at the living history museum. $17.50 adults, $10 children 5-17, under 5 and members, free. Includes ice skating. 10am-4pm Strawbery Banke – Dog Sled Rides $25/sled 10am-4pm Player’s Ring- Performances by Patrick Dorow Productions -Donations gratefully accepted at the Door Ice Carving Demonstration Sponsor Reliable Restoration & Recovery/ CSNH Community Sponsors Water Country The Music Hall Supporting Sponsors Taste Magazine Strawbery Banke Museum About Portsmouth Settled in the early 1600s, Portsmouth is a vibrant, coastal New England city that honors its colorful maritime and mercantile past and is passionately engaged in shaping its future. This walk-able regional capital provides residents and visitors with a unique urban experience: a working seaport, unique locally owned shops and restaurants, and world-class arts and culture. The geographic location, history and cultural strength of Portsmouth regularly lands it on various “best places to live” lists. Prevention Magazine named Portsmouth one of the top 100 walking cities in the America, while the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Portsmouth to its list of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, calling the city “one of the most culturally rich destinations in the country” with a “stimulating mix of historic buildings, sidewalk cafes, great restaurants, art galleries, jazz clubs and distinctive artisans’ boutiques.” Forbes Traveler listed Portsmouth as one of America’s Prettiest Towns. Praise for Portsmouth “New England’s most appealing city” – Miami Herald “A city with old charm and a young heart” – Boston Globe “One of the region’s hippest small cities” – Boston Herald “The Northeast’s best line-up of history, charm and scenery” – Miami Herald One of eight North American “Most Romantic Cities” – MSN.com “Top 20 Towns in America” – Outside Magazine New Hampshire’s “Best Walking City” – Prevention Magazine “Small Town, Big Eats” – Boston Magazine One of “America’s Prettiest Towns” – Forbes Traveler One of the globe’s “Historic Places” – #26 in the world; #6 in the U.S.A. – National Geographic Traveler About the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce/For more information Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce 500 Market Street, P.O. Box 239, Portsmouth, NH 03802 603.610.5510; fax: 603.436.5118 www.portsmouthchamber.org www.GoPortsmouthNH.com