Friday, July 17: You may have noticed that people in Portland really like their booze. I mean REALLY like their booze. And that’s OK, because it has led to an amazing craft cocktail scene, as well as two distilleries making Portland their home base: New England Distilling and Maine Craft Distilling. Local author and co-founder of the Portland Spirits Society, Kate McCarty, is such a fan of spirits in Maine she literally wrote the book on it. Come meet Kate and buy a signed copy of her book, “Distilled in Maine: A History of Libations, Temperance and Craft Spirits,” at Sherman’s Books and Stationery at 49 Exchange Street in Portland. You can also try a sample cocktail made with local craft spirits. 5 pm, Free!
Saturday, July 18: If you have been doing a little too much indulging this summer, why not burn off some unwanted calories with a dance party? The Dance Mile is back in town for the third time to help Portlanders shake their booty with an interactive dance festival. The mile of dancing revelers will be led by a custom sound float, MC, & DJ, and it’s billed as both a workout and the ultimate dance experience. The event kicks off at 5:30 pm with registration and the bedazzling of bibs, followed by the pre-party, dance acts and warmups at 6:30 pm, and the Dance Mile itself gets shaking at 7 pm. Tickets are $34 for adults, $12 for kids 5-12, and free for kids under 5. Monument Square, 1 Monument Way, Portland.
Sunday, July 19: The tall ships are back for Tall Ships® Portland 2015! It’s been 15 long years since the last time a fleet of tall ships visited Portland as part of the Opsail Maine 2000 event. The ships will sail into Casco Bay July 18 and will be here on through July 20. The Parade of Sails starts at Portland Headlight on Saturday, July 18 at 1:45, with the ships docking in downtown Portland around 4 pm, so you have plenty of time to check out the ships before shaking your groove thang at The Dance Mile. Then on Sunday, July 19, the public is welcome to board and tour the visiting tall ships at Maine State Pier, Port Ocean Terminal, Maine Wharf and Ocean Gateway along Commercial Street. Gates open at 10am and the festival and boat boarding goes until 9 pm. Participating ships hail from around the globe, from here in Maine, to as far away as Newport, RI, Spain and the Cook Islands. Viewing the Parade of Sails on Saturday from the shore is free, although there are also some options to view them from the water (costs vary), a ticket for tours of the tall ships on Sunday or Monday is $15.