PRESCOTT PARK ARTS FESTIVAL IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE FOURTH WAVE OF CONCERTS IN THEIR UPCOMING 2023
RIVER HOUSE RESTAURANT CONCERT SERIES

PDF of Press Release

PORTSMOUTH, NH (June 1, 2023): Prescott Park Arts Festival, an arts nonprofit based in downtown Portsmouth with their main stage located along the picturesque Piscataqua returns to the park for another summer of outstanding performances. One of the most anticipated series of the Festival is the River House Restaurant Concert Series, which features an impressive line-up of nationally touring acts as well as regional and local favorites. With accessibility at the heart of their mission, the Arts Festival is proud to offer concerts to the Seacoast community and its visitors all summer long for an optional, suggested donation.

The Festival has been announcing the concert series in a roll-out style common to music festivals, with new waves of concerts revealed each week. As always, the Festival strives to create a summer season that has something for everyone.

“It has been wonderful to see the excitement for this season from the community as we prepare to return to our home in Prescott Park this month,” shared Executive Director, Courtney Perkins. “It’s always a giant puzzle putting the season together with each series being its own important piece. We are looking forward to having the entire concert series confirmed and announced by the middle of June. While this is the fourth wave, we will still have a few more concerts to share. We truly can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the Arts Festival this summer.”

All performances are offered by the indie nonprofit for no fixed admission. Season Passes are available for purchase, as are select blanket and table reservations in The Kane Company VIP Seating Area. These are great ways to support this local arts organization. As always, reservations are not required to attend any of the shows, but offered as an optional treat for anyone who would like a seat saved for them when they arrive at the park. 

The first concert revealed in the fourth wave of announcements is Allen Stone with Dakota Jones on Wednesday, July 5. Last year's favorite, Allen Stone, returns with a shot to play on the Arts Festival stage after last year's rain out to The Music Hall. He’ll bring back his easy grace in blending everything from edgy soul-pop and earthy folk-rock to throwback R&B and Parliament-inspired funk. Opening the show is New York-based band, Dakota Jones, who have molded their sound into something at once commanding and vulnerable, spontaneous and deliberate, familiar and refreshing. The soulful pairing will make for a magical and memorable night along the Piscataqua. 

Next up is a special solo show with Langhorne Slim. A rootsy singer and songwriter known for his heartfelt songs that draw on blues, folk, and country traditions. Langhorne Slim will bring his sense of sincerity in this special solo evening of acoustic stylings. Strawberry Mansion is the singer-songwriter's seventh full-length album. He released his first record, Electric Love Letter, back in 2004. Since then he has graced the stages of Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk Festival, and the Conan O'Brien show, winning fans over with his heart-on-a-sleeve sincerity and rousing live shows. He will take the Wilcox Main Stage on Monday, July 10.  

The next concert announced in the fourth wave is Próxima Parada, taking the Wilcox Main Stage on Sunday, July 23. Próxima Parada means ‘next stop’ in Spanish and Portuguese. As college students in San Luis Obispo, California taking the bus to school, at every stop they’d hear, “Now approaching, próxima parada...” 100 times a day. After ten years of next stops, their songs have become more and more focused on personal growth and groove, where each player adds just what’s needed and makes up a piece of a whole. Some songs are sunny and light-hearted indie soul, others have a late-Mac-Miller mellow vibe, all the while speaking to who they are working to be. With over one million monthly listeners on Spotify, Próxima Parada brings an amazing energy to the park this summer. 

The final announcement in this wave is a special Hear Me Roar Festival featuring Kaitlin Butts with Kat Wright. Behind her flowing locks of auburn hair, Oklahoma twang, and a wry grin, grows a devastating storyteller and an equally demanding, radiant voice. Inspired by the resilience and humility displayed by the women in her life, Butts’ latest musical offerings are a welcoming nod and saving grace. Opening the show is Kat Wright, whose voice is both sultry and dynamic, delicate yet powerful; gritty but highly emotive and nuanced, has been described as “a young Bonnie Raitt meets Amy Winehouse”. The two performing back-to-back will certainly be giving Hear Me Roar vibes along the waterfront in Portsmouth on Thursday, August 31.

In addition to the River House Restaurant Concert Series, Prescott Park Arts Festival offers the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Movie Night Series along with their signature musical theater production, Little Shop of Horrors, presented by Service Credit Union. Tables in The Kane Company VIP Seating Area can be reserved for all of the Festival’s series, in addition to limited blanket reservations, in front of the Wilcox Main Stage. The Best Seat in the House, sponsored by Key Auto Group, is a special seating area at the front of the VIP section that is available for reservation as well. 

Blanket & Table Reservations open to Season Passholders on Thursday, June 1 at 10am
Blanket & Table Reservations open to the General Public on Tuesday, June 6 at 10am

As always, Arts Festival events are ACCESSIBLE TO ALL and we do not sell tickets. While we do ask for, and appreciate, a suggested donation of $10 at the gate, this is entirely optional and no one is ever turned away. Instead of giving at the gate, audience members may also make an online General Admission Donation prior to coming to the Park.

Reservations are not required to attend any of our concerts.

ALLEN STONE 
WITH DAKOTA JONES
Wednesday, July 5
7pm

The first concert revealed in the fourth wave of announcements is Allen Stone with Dakota Jones on Wednesday, July 5. Last year's favorite, Allen Stone, returns with a shot to play on the Arts Festival stage after last year's rain out to the Music Hall. He’ll bring back his easy grace in blending everything from edgy soul-pop and earthy folk-rock to throwback R&B and Parliament-inspired funk. Opening the show is New York-based band, Dakota Jones, who have molded their sound into something at once commanding and vulnerable, spontaneous and deliberate, familiar and refreshing. The soulful pairing will make for a magical and memorable night along the Piscataqua. 

FACT SHEET

Established in 1974, the festival stays true to its mission of accessibility to the arts by offering all of its events with no fixed admission. All shows in The River House Restaurant Concert Series have an optional, suggested donation of $10. Reservations are not required to attend any of our concerts. 

Tables in the VIP Seating Area can be reserved for all concerts, in addition to limited blanket reservations, in front of the Wilcox Main Stage. Key Auto Group’s Best Seat in the House is also available for reservation at all performances. 

Reservations for this wave of concerts will open:
Thursday, June 1 to Season Passholders
Tuesday, June 6 to the general public. 

All reservations can be made at: www.prescottpark.org.

About Prescott Park Arts Festival

For nearly 50 years, Prescott Park Arts Festival has served the Seacoast community with family-friendly entertainment, inspiring artistic offerings, providing a public place to gather and share unique experiences. In an idyllic natural setting along the Piscataqua River in beautiful downtown Portsmouth, the Festival presents more than 90 arts events to nearly 150,000 people each season including a film series, music festivals and concerts, food festivals, dance, children’s events and the signature summer musical. Accessibility is deeply rooted in the Festival’s values and we proudly have a suggested donation model to ensure that everyone has access to these diverse, family-focused performances.