Organizers of the Prescott Park Arts Festival hope this summer’s events will have people thinking “happy thoughts.”
Everything takes off Friday, June 25, with the first performance of “Peter Pan,” the classic tale about the boy who refuses to grow up.
It should entice folks familiar with the story and help bring in new young fans. The musical will run Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 22.
Now in its 36th season, the Portsmouth festival, held on the banks of the Piscataqua River, has achieved growing success since its inception in 1974. The festival includes art, music, theater, food festivals, dance performances and events for children.
For those who have never been to the festival, “they are in for a fantastic treat,” said executive director Ben Anderson.
“Prescott Park Arts Festival is an extremely unique and incredible experience, mostly for what ... the whole experience is about — sitting under the stars, next to the water, surrounded by flowers and enjoying great entertainment,” Anderson said.
As for picking “Peter Pan” as the main event, Anderson said the decision was easy.
“Well, it has a lot of really fun components to the musical,” he said. “It’s very familyfriendly. Kids love it, adults love it — it’s very magical. It just sort of seemed to be a great match for what the park and the festival is all about.
“We get a full range of ages that come and see the musical,” Anderson said. “More often than not, I have people coming up to me saying that they first started coming as small children and now they’re coming and bringing their own small children. We thought ‘Peter Pan’ would be great for that.”
Anderson said the festival throughout its run will draw about 200,000 visitors.
“We’ll get upwards of somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 here per night for the musical come July,” he added.
“We all wish we could relive that time in our lives when we had no responsibility except to live each day for the fullest, and we really believed we could fly,” David Kaye, director of “Peter Pan,” said in a production statement.
The story, crafted by novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie in the early 1900s, follows a mischievous little boy on his adventures on the island of Neverland as the leader of the Lost Boys. Encounters along the way involve a fairy named Tinker Bell, an Indian princess called Tiger Lily and the pirate Captain Hook.
“The park has such a positive feeling about it,” said Megan Quinn, one of the actresses who will be playing the alternating roles of Peter Pan and Wendy Darling. “People come for more than just a show; they come for the whole experience of packing a picnic, setting out blankets and chairs, and rounding up friends and family of all ages to join them.”
An aspect of the festival Anderson also is fired up about is the musical lineup. Guests will include folk singer Judy Collins on Wednesday, Aug. 4, guitarist Richard Thompson on Friday, Aug. 27, Livingston Taylor on Wednesday, Aug. 11, and country and rock artist Steve Earle on Sunday, July 25.
In addition to those acts, many different genres of music will be represented at music festivals throughout the summer, including jazz, folk, country, rhythm and roots and Americana. For example, The Showcase Festival, set for Saturday, July 10, will include homegrown acts, such as Jon Nolan, and New Englandbased bands, including the Jason Spooner Trio and the Adam Ezra Group.
Though festival organizers have never had to turn away patrons from a music event or theater production, Anderson recalls a Livingston Taylor show a couple of years ago that was a tight fit.
“I know people actually left because they couldn’t find anyplace to sit,” he said. “That was their own call. Our staff has never turned anyone away because that’s one of the nice things about being in a park with no walls, that people squeeze in. But we were definitely filled for that show. I’m very positive that we’ll have that again for Livingston as well as Judy Collins. So people will come early for those.”
Setting down the blankets and beach chairs and settling in for an evening of music or theater is the perfect antidote to those hot, hazy days ahead. The fact that all events are free further sweetens the deal.
“That’s actually one of the great, unique things about the festival, that there are no tickets,” Anderson said. There is no set admission fee, however, “we do ask for a small donation — $5, $8 — depending on what the event is, but essentially it’s free,” Anderson said. “So, it’s sort of a first-come, first-servedgeneral admission.”
The variety of events and musical acts ensures there will be something for everyone in all age groups.
“One of the great things of not having a hefty ticket price is that it’s the perfect opportunity to go and explore a new kind of music or musical theater that you might not otherwise pay or purchase a ticket for,” he said. “For example, we have a great Cajun band (Red Stick Ramblers) coming in and a Zydeco band (C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band).
Maybe you might not spend $50 to go and see a Zydeco band but because it’s offered here, in the park, you might take it in as a fun evening and then, just discover what fun that kind of music really can be.”
The Americana Music Festival, set for Saturday, July 31, will feature John Gorka, Ellis Paul, The Makem & Spain Brothers, and Roy Davis and the Dregs. In addition to Earle, the 13th Annual Prescott Park Folk Festival, slated for Sunday, July 25, will feature April Verch, C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, and Joy Kills Sorrow. The Rhythm and Roots Festival, on Saturday, Aug. 14, will feature Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, Patty Larkin, Lindsay Mac, and The Nouveaux Honkies.
Lineups still are in the works for the sixth annual WOKQ Country Festival on Saturday, Aug. 7, and the 15th annual Tommy Gallant Jazz Festival on Sunday, July 11.
Other events include visits by the Seacoast Civic Dance Company on Saturday, July 17, and Friday, Aug. 6, and the York Recreation Department’s Community Showcase on Friday, July 9. Events ramp up with the addition of “The Who’s Tommy” on Monday, Aug. 2. As the weather starts to cool, the festival continues with the New Hampshire Fish and Lobster Festival on Saturday, Sept. 25, and the New Hampshire Brew Fest on Saturday, Oct. 2.
Prescott Park Arts Festival will celebrate opening weekend with a children’s event on Saturday, June 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Kids and adults alike are invited to join the cast of “Peter Pan” for the Captain Hook Picnic & Tinkerbell Tea, featuring lunch with a sparkling fairy tea, along with crafts and activities. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit www.prescottpark.org or call 436-2848.
