This is a great weekend to be a Portlander. With the last of the Halloween parties taking place, First Friday, and the start of Portland Beer Week, there will be no shortage of ways to spend your precious weekend hours.
1. Mix it up with a Halloween Boo(ze) Cruise around Casco Bay (21 +)
Where: Casco Bay Lines, 56 Commercial St.
When: Friday 7:00- 10:00 pm
Cost: $25 online or at the Bay Line’s ticket desk
Consider this your official invitation to mix up your usual Friday night bar repertoire, all while drinking and dancing on a boat. Grab a costume that allows for cutting up the dance floor and get ready to meet new people amongst the beautiful scenery of Casco Bay. The cruise is the perfect time (7-10) for both party animals and early-to-bed types. The ambitious social butterfly can consider this their pre-game, while this can be the main event if getting your 8 hours of sleep before hitting up Home Depot come Saturday morning, is your thing. Come ready to burn off all candy calories, as DJs Merk and Drew will be spinning music that will bring down the house(figuratively, we hope!). There will be a cash prize for best costume, so bring your A game, kids!
2. Join the culture club with First Friday Art Walk
Where: Galleries, streets, and venues all over Portland
When: Event times vary
Cost: Depends on event
First Friday is the monthly evening where Portlanders come together to appreciate all forms of artistic endeavors. If you’ve lived here for any amount of time, this is no news to you. The artistic mediums vary from classic gallery shows, to concerts, and even watching MECA students work through a window from the street. A comprehensive list of events can be found on this website. This author can’t help but think that the Day of the Dead celebration at The Salt Exchange is a standout of the crowd boasting, “Live Music, Dancers and Mimes, and delicious Tapas.” MIMES people. 8:00 pm. Get weird!
3. Join the Portland Beer Week festivities at the 20th Maine Brewers Festival (21+)
Where: Portland Expo Center, 239 Park St
When: Two sessions: Happy Hour – 1:30- 5:00pm | Evening – 6:30-10 pm
Cost: $41 for each session on Eventbrite
Any event that’s lasted 20 years is sure to be a good one. It’s longevity is no surprise considering how much Mainers love their craft beers. This is a standout of all the Portland Beer Week (Nov. 1-10) events. The cost of admission gets you an official Maine Brewers Festival glass and twelve drink tickets. This is a great deal considering $40 in a bar would get you nowhere near twelve craft beers. Beyond just the value, brewers are typically hardworking, entertaining characters, so why not spend a Saturday afternoon or evening drinking good beer with good people? Perks include local vendors, food, and live music to please all the senses. As if it couldn’t get any better, the good people of The Maine Brew Bus are offering FREE shuttles from the Festival back downtown at 5:00 and 10:00 pm. Beer, no DUIs, local characters– what’s not to love?
4. Do the Monster Mash at the 18th Annual Halloween Bash at the Mariner’s Church (21 +)
Where: The Mariner’s Church Banquet Center, 368 Fore Street
When: Saturday, 9:00 pm- 1:00 am
Cost: $20 at the door- credit cards, cash, and checks accepted
Costumes ARE required at this Halloween Bash, and with the theme being ‘Zombie Ball’, they are sure to be a sight. The band, Under the Covers (that name!), will serenade your ears and there are prizes for the best costumes. Let’s hope that all the undead don’t stay in character when it comes to dance moves.
5. Continue the Portland Beer Week fun with Peak Organic’s Bar Hop at LFK
Where: LFK, 188A State Street- Longfellow Square
When: Sunday, 7:30 pm
Cost: Pay as you go/drink
First of all, who doesn’t love puns? Bar hop– as in beer hops, not a bar crawl– classic! Secondly, with so many events for Portland Beer Week, this one is bringing something pretty unique to the bar table. Hoppy pints of Peak Organic‘s Fall Summit and IPA will be poured, with the distinct chance to “dry hop your beer right at the bar, adding three or four hop cones right to your glass.” Even if you’re not really into hoppy beers, this seems like a remarkably cool way to try something new while interacting with local brewers. Plus, this makes for a great anecdote for all the awkward holiday parties you’re about to attend in the next couple months. AND SCENE.