Hang on tight because we are in for a big weekend full of fun and exciting winter activities, including not one, but TWO Winter Carnivals! This weekend’s roundup of events includes multiple live music shows, a day at the art museum, an opportunity to learn how to make cocktails, and more!
Friday the 18th
Winter Carnaval | Maine Craft Distilling | February 18th – February 26th
Maine Craft Distilling is hosting their first Winter Carnival! Get ready for daily live music and Nordic-inspired games, food, and drinks for the whole family starting February 18th and running until February 26th. That’s 9 days full of outdoor games, activities for all ages, axe throwing, local art, pig roasts, distillery tours, food trucks, an ice bar, plus a live band or DJ every single night! What better way to spend the long, dark days of winter.
Over on the Eastern Promenade, Carnaval ME is back and is better and bigger than ever! Celebrating winter in Maine, Carnaval ME is a ten-day-long event, fun for all ages and will include LIVE music from artists such as Ghost of Paul Revere, Scotty McCreery, Jason Spooner Band, Motor Booty Affair, Hello Newman, Maine Academy of Modern Music, and many more. Kids can pop their heads into the heated igloo to get a caricature, face painting, or to make a bracelet. Outdoor kids’ activities include ski lessons, carving their name into ice, and winter games. Purchase tickets here. Fireworks for Friday start at 7PM.
Winter Craft Cocktail Class | Stroudwater Distillery | 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Join Stroudwater Distillery out on Thompson’s Point as they will be leading a class on essential cocktail-making techniques, and teaching a variety of cocktail recipes. Purchase of ticket includes your bar kit, one appetizer & two cocktails, to be made as a class. Tickets can be purchased here.
SCOBY | Mayo Street Arts | 7:00pm – 8:30pm
SCOBY is bringing their symbiotic heavy funk to Mayo Street Arts! Through a mixture of jazz, prog rock, funk, and whatever else is in the kitchen sink, they will get you tapping your foot or nodding your head. SCOBY provides the grooves for those who love to groove, the dance for those who love to dance, and the general stank for those who just love tasty licks. Reserve tickets here.
ZUD with Buzzy & God Emperor Penguin | Sun Tiki Studios | 8:00pm – 12:00am
Sleezy ‘n cheesy blackened-bluesy rock’n’roll from Portland, Maine! Tickets here.
DJ Fatty Shay (Matt Carroll) | Maine Craft Distilling | 6:00pm-9:00pm
Join Maine Craft Distilling for a fun night of great beats with Matt Carroll as part of their Winter Carnival 2022! This is a free event.
USASA Rail Jam | Carnaval ME, Eastern Promenade | 5:00pm (Repeats Saturday at 5:00pm)
Cheer on skiers and snowboarders or join in yourself for a fun family hillside adventure as part of the Carnaval ME. Purchase tickets here.
Saturday the 19th
Ruckus Cup 2022 | Aura | 8:00pm
The longest-running battle of the mic in New England returns to AURA. Hosted and officiated once again in the zebra stripes by Rap Night leader/hip hop artist Ill By Instinct and fellow MC Felecia Cruz, Rappers from all over the northeast bring their toughest stuff to top each other on their way to the Cup. A raw, entertaining rap battle, one after another. This is a night ANYONE into or involved in hip hop can not miss. Plus, other live performances, guests and special DJ’s spinning all night.
The Rigometrics | Maine Craft Distilling | 5:00pm- 8:00pm
Original Alternative/Funk/Bluesy Rock band out of Portland, Maine will be performing at Maine Craft Distilling’s Winter Carnival! Free event!
Hello Newman | Gritty McDuff’s | 9:00pm
Maine’s premier alternative rock band playing 90s and early 2000s Rock, Ska, Rap, and Swing will be posting up at Portland’s original brewpub, Gritty McDuff’s!
Maddy’s Theatre LIVE Performance of a Year with Frog and Toad | Carnaval ME, Eastern Promenade | 12:00pm-1:00pm (Repeats Sunday 12:00pm – 1:00pm)
This family-friendly LIVE performance from Maddy’s Theatre will be a part of the Carnaval ME. A Year with Frog and Toad tells the story of a friendship that endures throughout the seasons. Follow the cheerful, popular Frog and his friend, the rather grumpy Toad, as they plant gardens, swim, rake leaves, go sledding, and learn life lessons along the way. Ideal for ages 3-10 and their families. Purchase tickets here.
Community Day in Honor of Scott Black | Portland Museum of Art | 10:00am – 6:00pm
PMA is so excited about reopening that they are hosting a Community Day with FREE admission all day on Saturday, February 19, in honor of their dear friend, Scott Black, who has been an integral component of the PMA since 1985.
Sunday the 20th
Sterling Silver Cuff Workshop | Apres | 2:00pm- 4:00pm
Come have a drink while you make your own two hand-stamped sterling silver cuffs! You can stamp shapes, letters, numbers, symbols, and lots more onto your cuffs. Sign up here.
Eckart Conduct Bartók |Merril Auditorium | 2:30pm
Experience the Silver-Garburg Duo perform alongside your Portland Symphony this Sunday! After 20 years of playing together, Sivan Silver and partner Gil Garburg have established themselves at the top echelon of the music world. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung raved about the “lyrical sensitivity and the ravishing technical mastery” of the duo, noting that only rarely does one experience “such spontaneous shouts of ‘bravo’” at the end of a concert. Tickets here.
Mike O’Hehir of Coyote Island | Maine Craft Distilling | 4:00pm- 7:00pm
An acoustic set with Mike O’Hehir of Coyote Island! Event is free and a part of the Maine Craft Distilling Winter Carnival!
Maine Mariners vs. Trois-Rivieres Lions | Cross Insurange Areana | 3:00pm
The Maine Mariners will host Trois-Rivieres Lions at Cross Insurance Arena on Sunday, February 20 at 3:00 PM! Tickets here.
Bites & Brews | Carnaval ME | 2:00PM – 4:00PM
Warm-up in the Bites & Brews Igloo featuring pairings from Maine craft brewers and nationally recognized local restaurants such as Central Provisions, Luke’s Lobster, Rising Tide, Urban Farm Fermentory, and more! Purchase tickets here.