New Hampshire Summer Festivals
Ten Favorite Annual NH Summer Festivals
Nothing says summer like a community celebration, and the Granite State has plenty of great festivals to choose from. From balloon and music festivals to rubber duckie races and competitions, New Hampshire keeps the summer months alive with its many events. Here are ten of our favorite NH Summer Festivals. To promote your business in NHLiving.com – New Hampshire’s Internet Magazine, please contact us.
Ten Favorite NH Summer Festivals |
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1. Sand Sculpting Competition This annual Hampton Beach event draws participants and fans from all over the country. Hampton’s Sand Sculpting Competition started in 2000 and the festival’s events include free sculpting lessons (with advanced sign-up), and a fireworks display. |
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2. Hillsborough Balloon Festival With two daily launches and night glows, the four-day Hillsborough Balloon Festival is a great family event to catch while visiting the Monadnock region of NH. Stroll along the carnival midway, enjoy live performance from area musicians, or watch the four wheeler mud bogs and lawn tractor pulls at this annual Hillsborough festival. |
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3. Great Waters Music Festival Held on the shores of beautiful Lake Winnepesaukee, the annual Great Waters Music Festival has been showcasing both amateur and professional musicians since its inception in 1995. Past performers have included Arlo Guthrie, Wynton Marsalis and Chuck Mangione. |
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4. Fields of Lupine Festival The Lupine Festival heralds the arrival of summer in the White Mountains. During this time, the lupine flower will carpet the fields of Franconia, Sugar Hill and Easton with beautiful tones of blue and purple. Stroll through the picturesque lupine fields and enjoy art exhibits, concerts, and special events and discounts offered by many local inns and restaurants. Spring 2013 marks the 20th year of this annual event which is always held the first three weekends in June. |
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5. Pittsfield Hot Air Balloon Festival With dusk and dawn balloon launches, tethered balloon rides and evening glows, the Pittsfield Hot Air Balloon Festival is the local Rotary Club’s largest annual fundraiser. Enjoy the carnival midway, watch the fireworks, grab a helicopter ride and explore the craft fair at this popular annual festival. |
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6. Laconia Motorcycle Week Each year an average of 350,000 people travel from near and far to attend what has become one of the most popular events in the area. Motorcycle lovers and bike fans from all over the world crowd into a town only three square miles in size. The enjoyment of the races, sights, sounds, and freedom of a motorcyclist’s life is enough to keep people coming back for more. Laconia Bike Week has been a New Hampshire annual tradition since 1923. |
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7. Prescott Park Arts Festival Running since 1974, the Prescott Park Arts Festival is one of the Seacoast’s favorite New Hampshire summer traditions. This festival offers musical theatre, concerts, kid events, dance, and a youth theatre camp. Over the years, Prescott Park Arts Festival has offered more than 10,000 productions and events. |
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8. North Country Moose Festival Held in Colebrook each summer, the Moose Festival features guided moose tours, art shows, quilt shows, live music, an auto show & cruise night, moose stew cook off, and more! The kids will enjoy pony rides, the dog show and the moose calling contest. |
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9. Hampton Beach Seafood Festival Ranked one of America’s Top 100 Events, the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival started in 1988 and features more than 50 top area restaurants, nearly 100 artisans and vendors, sidewalk sales, kid activities, culinary demonstrations, a fireworks display, a lobster roll eating contest, and two stages of live entertainment. |
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10. New England Brew Fest With 30 breweries and over 100 beers on tap, festival organizers guarantee you’ll try something new at the annual New England Brewfest. Along with great beer samples, there will be vendors selling all things beer-related, a homebrewing demonstration, a variety of food for purchase, and live music. |
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