Ogunquit Beach summer preview 2024: Pride, shops, eateries, shows and more

OGUNQUIT, Maine — The seaside town named the world’s top vacation spot for 2024 is ready for the summer, with new restaurants and shops to check out and not one, but two, back-to-back festivals that will kick off the season.

Ogunquit Pride returns May 31 to June 2 and the BonAire!, celebrating all things Ogunquit, returns Friday, June 7, to Sunday, June 9.

Ogunquit Playhouse, Jonathan’s, and the Leavitt Theater have a full slate of shows, including the world premiere of “My Best Friend’s Wedding” at the Playhouse.

Here is a look at what's new at Ogunquit Beach in 2024:

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Ogunquit Pride 2024: Here are the details

Ogunquit Pride returns Friday, May 31, through Sunday, June 2.

The weekend will begin with a meet-and-greet at Meadowmere Pub at 74 Main Street that Friday at 5:30 p.m.

On Saturday, a flag-raising and a crosswalk-unveiling will be observed at 10:30 a.m. at Veteran’s Park, with former Maine Speaker of the House Mark Fecteau attending. As well, there will be a picnic and artisan craft fair at Dorothea Jacobs Grant Common and a party at Perkins Cove, all starting at 11 a.m.

Lastly, on Sunday, a Drag Brunch will be held at Nikanos Mediterranean Bar and Grille at 173 Main Street at 10 a.m. The festival will wrap up later with a reception at The Ogunquit Playhouse.

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Ogunquit Playhouse: 'Waitress,' return of Sally Struthers and more

The curtains have officially been raised for the Ogunquit Playhouse 2024 season, with the premiere of “Waitress,” a musical based on the film of the same name, on May 9. The show, about a waitress who sees her way through matters of the heart through baking pies, will run at the theater through June 8.

Next on the Playhouse’s playbill will be “Crazy for You,” a “tap-dancing Gershwin extravaganza” that will grace the stage from June 13 through July 13. The musical will feature the return of actress Sally Struthers, the beloved Playhouse veteran last seen playing two roles in the theater’s production of “Tootsie” last fall. Set in the 1930s, the musical is a tribute to the timeless songs of George and Ira Gershwin.

From July 18 through Aug. 17, “A Little Night Music,” a tribute to the late composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, will give theatergoers a walk on the wild side with its story centered on a midsummer party where everyone is swapping partners, having affairs, and rekindling lost love.

With “Little Shop of Horrors,” which will debut Aug. 22, the Playhouse will pivot from sweet nostalgia to the macabre, all the while continuing its season-long theme of matters of the heart.

The story, set in the skid-row region of New York City, boasts a love triangle involving a nebbish who works at a floral shop, the sweet woman named Audrey whom he loves, and a bloodthirsty Venus flytrap that comes between them.

The musical will chomp its way through the rest of the summer, with a final show set for Sept. 21.

From Sept. 26 through Oct. 27, the Ogunquit Playhouse will present its final show of the season, the world premiere of “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” a stage adaptation of the 1997 hit romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts.

Tickets for these shows are priced between $50 and $130, depending on where one sits and which show during the week one attends.

During an interview earlier this spring, General Manager Deborah Warren described the range of the upcoming line-up at the Playhouse as “thoughtful.”

“They speak to our times right now,” she said. “We want to see things that are incredibly produced – wonderful musicals that spark joy, great storytelling, classic shows that you just fall in love with . . . People want to feel great in the theater.”

Bonaire! Three-day festival celebrates all things Ogunquit

BonAire! celebration returns Friday, June 7, to Sunday, June 9, and is bigger than ever.

The annual event celebrates Ogunquit’s unique history and today’s culture, with a focus on the contributions of the arts, fishing and LGBTQ+ community.

According to Alice Pearce, the executive director of the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce, the three-day event will include live music at the beach stage, a chowder-tasting in Perkins Cove, a Plein Air demonstration, and children’s activities at the local playground.

Perkins Cove will be the place to be when the festival starts on June 7. The evening will include opportunities to enjoy hot bowls of chowder and to listen to local music artist Maddie Ryan perform.

From there, Saturday will bring three artisan fairs at the Dorothea Jacobs Grant Commons, the Dunaway Center, and the Ogunquit Village School Playground from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The trio of fairs will be held at the same places and times on Sunday.

Also on Saturday, Plein Air, an immersive approach to watercolor painting, will be held at Perkins Cove from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Live music and food trucks will also highlight the afternoon and carry the festival into the early evening.

Lastly, on Sunday, children’s activities will be offered at Rotary Park in Perkins Cove from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pastor Brian Shore will give a Blessing of the Fleet at Perkins Cove Bridge at 12:15 p.m.

Ogunquit Playhouse summer lineup: 'Waitress,' return of Sally Struthers and more

'Giant fireworks show' on the Fourth of July

Ogunquit is known for its Fourth of July fireworks.

“We have a giant fireworks show, which I’m told is one of the very best in southern Maine,” Pearce said. “It’s a dazzling show.”

If it rains, the display will take place the next evening, on Friday, July 5, according to Pearce.

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Jonathan's: Paula Poundstone, Arlo Guthrie, Judy Collins and more

Judy Collins, Paula Poundstone, Howie Day and a host of folk, blues and tribute shows are coming to Jonathan’s this year.

Recent Grammy winner Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. will also make a stop July 11 at the popular venue’s listening room, as well as "The Voice" winner Sawyer Fredericks (May 19) and comedians Bob Marley (June 16) and Tom Cotter (June 28).

Caitlan Etchevers, sales manager and daughter of Jonathan’s owner Jonathan West, said the 240-seat venue gives patrons a rare opportunity to see big-name artists in a small space.

Poundstone returns July 12 with her irreverent brand of standup comedy. Etchevers said Poundstone not only loves Jonathan’s, but Ogunquit itself. She said Poundstone can often be seen in town during her annual stop.

“She’s become a great personal friend of my father,” Etchevers said. “She wants to be in Ogunquit because it’s a special place for her now.”

Tribute bands continue to be popular at Jonathan’s, Etchevers said. Little Lies, a tribute to Fleetwood Mac, will be there for the first time Sept. 1. Others on the schedule include The Joni Project - Celebrating the Music of Joni Mitchell (Aug. 9), Johnny Cash Tribute Show (Aug. 10) and Memories of Patsy – The Patsy Cline Tribute Show (Sept. 19).

“The tribute bands... that continues to be a very popular trend for our patrons,” Etchevers said.

Leavitt Theater: Silent films, drag shows and live performances

At the Leavitt Theater at 259 Main Street, the season already is well underway, with a full calendar of live music, standup comedy, Buster Keaton’s silent films, and drag shows scheduled now through the end of summer.

Numerous bands are slated to perform at the theater throughout the summer. Such live entertainment will include Live Jazz Trio, blues and folk singer Eric Fernald and 13 Scotland Road, a blues and acoustics group. Also performing are folk and country singer Dan Blakeslee, rock bands Elroy and The Dirty Boys, and Dueling Pianos.

Also this summer, there will be presentations of “Burlesque Beyond the Beach” with the Rev. Legs Malone. As well, there will be tribute shows celebrating the music of Donna Summers, Frank Sinatra, Little Walter, and Taylor Swift.

Leavittfest, a four-day weekend celebration featuring more than 30 bands, will return in late August. Tickets for the popular event are available online now.

'Art in Bloom' returns to Ogunquit Museum of American Art

The annual “Art in Bloom” event will return to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art on Shore Road from Friday, June 21, through Sunday, June 23.

The event is the museum’s showcase of more than a dozen floral sculptures created by local garden clubs, florists, and independent floral designers. The event is included with the price of admission to the museum.

Now through July 21, the museum is offering its first art exhibition of the year, “Anthony Cudahy: Spinneret.” For Cudahy, 34, of Florida, this is his first solo exhibition in the United States. More than 30 of his paintings are on display.

According to the museum, “Spinneret” takes its name and inspiration from the silk-producing organ that spiders use to spin their webs.

The museum will run its next summertime exhibition, “Lee Krasner: Geometrics of Expression,” from Aug. 1 through Nov. 17. The exhibit will highlight the early career of Lee Krasner, placing her work within the context of her peers. Krasner, who died in 1984 at age 76, had a strong voice in New York City in the 1930s and 1940s, according to the museum. The activist produced her most notable works during a “period fraught with socio-economic turmoil and political upheaval,” the museum adds.

Perkins Cove Kitchen, Bobbles & Lace open in Ogunquit

Perkins Cove Kitchen, located at the Inn at Perkins Cove, or the former Hartwell House Inn, is now open, serving up its philosophy, “Life’s too short for boring food,” with a variety of Maine-inspired cuisine and drinks.

Located at 312 Shore Road, the new restaurant is open for breakfast and brunch, Friday through Monday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. As well, the restaurant serves dinners on Fridays and Saturdays, from 5 to 9 p.m.

Bobbles & Lace Ogunquit is a new women’s boutique at 31 Perkins Cove Road. According to its website, the shop’s mission is to “celebrate and empower an inclusive community where every woman can have the confidence she deserves.”

“We are a proud team of women who share a commitment to creating a unique and personalized shopping experience, with the desire to build long-lasting relationships with every client that walks through our doors,” the shop says.

With its array of spring clothing, denim and dresses, the shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

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Two-Cent Sale returns to Ogunquit

The Rotary Club of Ogunquit will return with its annual 2-Cent Sale at the Dunaway Center on School Street on Thursday, July 18.

According to Pearce, who is a member of the organization, this is the event’s fiftieth anniversary and will be attended by some who were there for the inaugural one in the 1970s.

“It’s a well-known and anticipated fundraiser that’s so much fun that guests actually plan their vacations around the event,” Pearce said. “It generally raises $10,000 to $15,000, which Rotary then reinvests in needs in our regional community.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Ogunquit Beach summer preview 2024: Pride, shows, new shops and more