Oh, so you think just because it’s January and it’s after the holiday season that there won’t be anything to do in Portland? Guess again. This weekend we are jumping right into the new year with a whole slew of events including a lot of live music, the chance to test your knowledge, and a tasty opportunity to get a bite of Portland’s best donuts. Check it all out!
Here’s the Weekend Guide for Friday, January 6th – Sunday, January 8th, 2023
Friday the 6th
Kaleta & Super Yamba Band | One Longfellow Square | 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Brooklyn’s Kaleta & Super Yamba Band are fronted by Afrobeat and Juju veteran Leon Ligan-Majek a.k.a. Kaleta. The singer/guitarist from the West African country of Benin Republic lived his adolescent life in Lagos, Nigeria where Afrobeat was born. Kaleta’s guitar chops earned him decades of touring and recording with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Lauryn Hill and more. Tickets here.
Crystal Yoga | Arcana | 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Join Arcana for a night of calming yin yoga and crystal magic! Here you will dive into the healing benefits of a yin practice and how crystals can supplement that energy. Feel free to bring your own crystals, though there will be ones provided. Hosted by Lu Suarez, a queer and trans yoga teacher. Enroll here.
Great Falls Night at the Maine Celtics | Portland Expo | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Maine Celtics invite you to Great Falls Elementary School Night at the Portland Expo as the Maine Celtics take on the Motor City Cruise! $2 from every ticket purchased will be donated to Great Falls Elementary School. Every ticket includes a FREE Maine Celtics Hat! Tickets here.
Saturday the 7th
Distillery Tour: Farm to Flask | Maine Craft Distilling | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
An hour long tour of Maine Craft Distilling, a tasting flight of their local spirits, local cheeses, and lot’s of stories about how the magic actually happens! Tasting inclides: Fifty-Stone Whiskey, Alchemy Dry Gin, Sprigge Barrel Rested Gin, Queequeq Spiced Rum, Whipple Tree Brandy, Blueshine Maine Wild Blueberry Liquor. Tickets here.
PMA Films: The Eternal Daughter | Portland Museum of Art | 3:00 PM – 4:40 PM
Film synopsis: An artist and her elderly mother confront long-buried secrets when they return to a former family home, now a hotel haunted by its mysterious past. Featuring a towering, deeply moving performance by Tilda Swinton, acclaimed filmmaker Joanna Hogg’s beguiling latest film is a brilliant and captivating exploration of parental relationships and the things we leave behind. Tickets here.
Palaver Strings’ Beehive Chamber Series, Painted Dreams | Mayo Street Arts | 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM (Repeats at 7:30 PM)
This chamber program recalls sunnier times in the depths of a New England winter. Palaver Strings begins with Reena Esmail’a duo Nadiya, and continues with the subtle textures of Jeffrey Mumford’s string quartet A Veil of Liquid Diamonds. An avid painter as well as a composer, Mumford writes that his work is “inspired by cloud imagery, suspended structures that continually split off and recombine as analogous to the formation of layers of simultaneous musical development.” They’ll wrap up with the epic Souvenir de Florence string sextet, written by Tchaikovsky on one of his visits to Italy. This epic piece is full of dashing escapades, romantic sentiments, and nostalgia for home, drawing on both Italian themes and the Russian melodies of Tchaikovsky’s homeland. Tickets here.
12/OC | The Porthole | 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Band of 3 brothers doing what they love! With roots in Nashville and Portland, 12/OC puts their spin on a variety of country, bluegrass & rock…family-style!
RiRa Portland w/ Kilcollins | Aura | 8:00 PM
Live music with Ben Kilcollins and his alternative, indie, pop, rock group! Born in 1985 among the potato fields of Fort Fairfield, Maine, Ben Kilcollins quickly became conversant with music through church choir and piano lessons. He soon blossomed an allure for guitar and in 2003 Kilcollins attended his first year at Berklee College of Music in Boston and in 2006 moved to Portland. Through friends at University of New England, he began playing open mics at the college and soon found himself opening for Jason Spooner at a college event. Gaining great exposure and playfully connecting with audiences, Kilcollins has since continued to entertain fans across Southern Maine.
Sunday the 8th
SMALLS 1st Birthday Party | SMALLS | 5:00 PM
The West End’s newest bar + cafe turns one this weekend! Celebrating in style, SMALLS will be throwing a birthday party filled with cake, snacks, beer, wine, bubbles, $1 oysters, music and good times! Pop on in!
Sunday Trivia Night | Bramhall | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Join Game Time Trivia for Sunday Night Trivia at Bramhall, Portland’s modern speakeasy! Ready to test your knowledge? Register your team here.
Maine Donut Tour | Portland Old Port | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Forget those New Year’s Resolutions and just head right to the donuts! Beginning in the heart of Portland’s Historic Old Port, this donut indulgent tour will let you skip the line at some of Portland’s best donut shops, including The Holy Donut and Eighty 8 Donuts. Dine on donuts as you meander through the iconic cobblestone streets taking in the historic and beautiful buildings and staple waterfront scenes of Portland. Tickets here.
For more events head to our Events Calendar here.
