Annual Events in Dover NH
January
WERZ Bridal Expo Whittemore Center Arena
128 Main Street, Durham, NH
603-862-4000
Everything the bride needs to plan the wedding of her dreams.
February
Family Mardi Gras Celebration
Children’s Museum of New Hampshire
603-436-3853
Families are invited to experience the sights, sounds, and traditions of Mardi Gras, including live Cajun music, mask making, beads, children’s parades, regional specialties to sample, and more in this day-long celebration. Admission: $6 adults & children, $5 seniors, free for children under 1 and museum members. www.childrens-museum.org
March
Fashion Show and Auction
St. Thomas Aquinas High School
197 Dover Point Road, Dover, NH
603-742-3206
Featuring apparel from many area clothing shops.
April
Seacoast Flower, Home & Garden Show
Whittemore Center Arena
128 Main Street, Durham, NH
603-862-4000
Popular annual event features landscapers, realtors, and remodelers offering valuable home tips, demonstrations, and displays.
May
Dover Pride Downtown Clean-Up Day
603-740-6435
This is an event hosted by Dover Main Street in which community members lend a helping hand for a few hours in an effort to keep the city of Dover looking beautiful and well maintained.
June
Artists of Salmon Falls Open Studios
Mills of Rollinsford
603-749-8879
Dover Race Day
603-740-6435
In the Third Street Parking Lot, Dover. Dover Main Street invites the public for a NASCAR “Parade of Thunder” down Central Avenue at 9:15 a.m. with race cars, dunking booth, pit challenges, and spaghetti eating contest, in cooperation with Lee Raceway, New England Dragway.
Farmer’s Market
Henry Law Park, Dover, NH
603-772-5740
Seacoast Growers’ Association sells 100-percent locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, herbs, breads, plants and flowers, home-baked goods, and more. Runs from mid-June through early October.
Great Cochecho Boat Race
Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River
Dover, NH
603-868-1494
Sponsored by Strafford Rivers Conservancy, the race starts on the Salmon Falls River at the Route 101 bridge in South Berwick, Maine, at 10:30 a.m. It continues upriver past historic Dover Landing to Henry Law Park in Downtown Dover.
New Hampshire Soap Box Derby
Central Avenue, Downtown Dover, NH
603-743-4547
A coasting race for small, gravity-powered cars built by their drivers and assembled within guidelines on size, weight, and cost.
Somersworth International Children’s Festival
Downtown Somersworth, NH
603-692-5869
Featuring a mix of multicultural and children’s entertainment, exotic and traditional foods, crafts and activities, a petting zoo, pony rides, and excitement for all ages.
South Berwick Strawberry Festival
Route 4, South Berwick, ME
207-384-3306
Also a 5-mile run.
July
Children’s Museum Birthday Party
603-436-3853
A full day of entertainment, activities and birthday cake!
Declaration of Independence Reading
City Hall steps
Downtown Dover, NH
Members of the Garrison Players gather in period costumes and in character to recite a reading of the complete Declaration of Independence.
Dover National Night Out
Henry Law Park, Dover, NH
A family-oriented event affiliated with National Night Out. Fun, food, games, informational displays, and more in a drug, alcohol, and tobacco-free environment. Concludes with fireworks display.
Fourth of July Fireworks
Dover, NH
603-516-6401
Annual fireworks display begins at sunset. Location alternates each year between Dover High School and Garrison Hill.
July–August
Cochecho Arts Festival
Downtown Dover, NH
Summer-long concert series featuring nationally recognized and top Seacoast entertainers performing Friday nights at 7:00 p.m. and Thursdays at noon. Also, the Tuesday Children’s Series begins at 10:30 a.m.
Somersworth Kids Koncerts Festival Pavilion
Somersworth, NH
603-692-5869
Live musical entertainment for children on Wednesday evenings, starting at 6:00 p.m.
August
Family Fun Day
Rollinsford, NH
603-742-2510
Greek Festival
Hellenic Center
Longhill Road, Dover, NH
603-742-7667
Featuring authentic Greek food, music and children’s activities.
Hot Summer Nights Concerts
Central School
South Berwick, ME
September
Antique Auto Show
Woodman Institute Museum
182 Central Avenue, Dover, NH
603-742-1038
View and vote for your favorite antique autos featured on the grounds of the Woodman Institute. Visitors are welcome to talk to the car owners and take photos.
Day of Caring
Different locations throughout the Seacoast
603-436-5554
Organized annually by United Way of the Greater Seacoast, the Day of Caring is a one- day event that mobilizes more than 1,600 community volunteers. Individuals and groups, largely from area businesses, participate in service projects at non-profit agencies throughout the region.
Pet-a-Palooza
Henry Law Park, Dover, NH
603-749-5322
Hosted by the Cocheco Valley Humane Society. A morning filled with animal contests, a memorial walk, and informational displays and activities. Benefits the lives of homeless animals.
Rochester Fair
Rochester Fairgrounds
72 Lafayette Street, Rochester, NH
603-332-6585
Featuring animals, children’s activities and events, food, crafts, and more.
October
Apple Harvest Day
Central Avenue
Downtown Dover, NH
603-742-2218
Anyone looking for a slice of traditional Yankee life should reserve the first Saturday of October for Dover’s annual Apple Harvest Day. The popular craft fair draws more than 25,000 people to downtown Dover and features apple orchards, an apple pie baking contest, artists and hand crafters from throughout New England, delectable foods, live entertainment, a variety of activities for children and much more.
Children’s Museum Annual Costume Day
603-436-3853
A day of not-too-spooky festivities for children age 1-11.
Library Book Sale
Dover Public Library
73 Locust Street Dover, NH
603-516-6050
Annual book sale sponsored by the Dover Public Library.
Somersworth Pumpkin Festival
Main Street Somersworth, NH
603-692-9508
Carvings, paintings, vendors, crafts, and all things pumpkin.
November
Holiday Parade
Central Avenue
Downtown Dover, NH
603-534-0484
Presented by the Dover Lodge of Elks, Dover rings in the holiday season each year with its traditional holiday parade held in the afternoon of the Sunday following Thanksgiving. Local bands and marching units join floats from area organizations and businesses to help celebrate the holiday season. Special guest Santa Claus is always on hand to greet the thousands who line the Central Avenue parade route.
December
Annual Holiday Stroll and Treelighting Ceremony
Downtown Dover, NH
603-740-6435
Organized by Dover Main Street, this event gives visitors and residents alike the opportunity to explore downtown Dover storefronts (decorated with wreaths, garlands and lovely window displays). Merchant Open Houses take place all day with holiday specials, refreshments and a festive atmosphere that includes strolling carolers and a living nativity.
Children’s Museum Family New Year’s Eve Celebration
603-436-3853
Children and their families are invited to ring in the New Year a little early at this daytime party. Festivities include several “countdowns to midnight” with party hats, noisemakers, balloons, ginger ale toasts, and glittering ball drop.
Somersworth Holiday Festival
603-692-9501
Gingerbread house contest and tree lighting.
ONGOING EVENTS AND AREA ATTRACTIONS
Bell Center for Music and the Arts
472 Fourth Street Dover, NH 03820
603-742-2355
The center is a not-for-profit organization and a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts that specializes in music, art, and theatre training for all ages. Features many performances.
Children’s Museum of New Hampshire
280 Marcy Street (Moving to 60 Washington Street, Dover, NH in summer 2008)
Portsmouth, NH
603-436-3853
Arts and science museum for children of all ages and their families. Visitors enjoy the hands-on exhibits and activities—like digging up dinosaur fossils, playing music, taking the controls of a space shuttle or navigating a submarine—as well as special programs and performances, including the ongoing family music series held on Sunday afternoons and the monthly seniors series.
Dover Public Library
73 Locust Street Dover, NH
603-516-6050
The library features monthly exhibits showcasing the work of local artists. Adults and teens are welcome to attend monthly lectures, slide shows, travelogues, and other presentations featuring authors, local speakers, historians, or other experts. From June through August, the library offers a Children’s Summer Reading Program for ages 5 through 12 and a Teen Summer Reading program for ages 12 through 18. During the school year, patrons of all ages are invited to free Saturday afternoon film matinees in the library’s Lecture Hall.
Garrison Players Arts Center
Route 4 Rollinsford, NH
603-516-4919
Garrison Players is a nonprofit, year-round community theater group that performs plays, musicals, and revues geared for family audiences. Some of the group’s recent performances include 1776 and the Seacoast Media Group’s Spotlight award-winning Cemetery Club. The Garrison Players restored the historic Hiram Roberts Grange Hall in Rollinsford as an active community arts center and home for theatrical productions.
Mill River Art Gallery
3 Front Street Rollinsford, NH
603-834-6910
A framery specializing in reproductions.
Spinelli Cinema
The Strand Theater
20 Third Street Dover, NH
603-749-4123
Downtown Dover movie theater with three screens offering current feature films.
Whittemore Center Arena
128 Main Street Durham, NH
603-862-4000
The Whittemore Center Arena is a 6,100-seat multipurpose sports and entertainment facility located in Durham, New Hampshire, on the University of New Hampshire campus and home to the nationally ranked UNH Wildcats ice hockey program. The “Whit” annually hosts more than 100 athletic events, popular music concerts, and family and trade shows.