Friends of Congress Square Park

CANCELLED: Zumba Fitness Class
2019-07-30 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
***90*F weather and a fitness class at high noon don’t mix. We’ve cancelled this class due to high temperatures. Join us next week when the heat wave breaks!***

Come break a sweat in Congress Square Park with a Zumba class taught by Kristin Sutton of Avant Dance Studio. Donations are encouraged – pay what you can! Suggested donation of $5-10. Expect to dance for 45 minutes.
Zumba involves dance and aerobic movements performed to energetic music. The choreography incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo. Squats and lunges are also included.
All ages and abilities welcome!

Zumba in the Square is a series! Join us for 45-minute classes every Tuesday at noon from June 11 through August 27.

Open City Night feat. One Climate Future Initiative
2019-07-31 18:00 - 20:00
What matters to our community right now? Are we engaged in decision making processes the impact us? Are our needs and hopes being met? Do we know our neighbors? What does it mean to participate in civic life?
Open City nights in Congress Square Park are opportunities for neighbors to gather to ask questions and share information about issues important to our shared community life. Co-presented with local organizations, you can expect these evenings to be artful, participatory, informative and compelling.
All invited, all welcome.

Open City feat. Portland’s One Climate Future Initiative
Climate change is causing more rainfall, less snow, increasing temperatures, and sea level rise in #PortlandME and #SouthPortlandME. What are your top concerns and priorities? Share them to make sure they are addressed at Open City Night, Wednesday, July 31st, 6:00 – 8:00 pm. A volunteer from Portland will there to present #OneClimateFuture and get your feedback.
Our businesses, neighborhoods, and way of life are worth protecting. Knowing our future will be impacted by climate change, we have a responsibility to work together to see that our communities continue to be places of opportunity. The Cities of Portland and South Portland are taking the lead on this by developing a joint climate action and adaptation plan—One Climate Future: Charting a Course for Portland and South Portland. The goal of this planning process is to make our communities even stronger tomorrow than we are today. But we can’t do this alone. We all need to work together to make it a success.

Open City is a series hosted in Congress Square Park every Wednesday at 6-8pm from June through August. We’ll explore topics related to community life presented in artful ways that spark dialogue.

Ikirenga cy'Intore
2019-08-02 18:00 - 20:00
Join Ikirenga cy’Intore for a free concert on First Friday in August in Congress Square!

Ikirenga cy’Intore is a local Portland dancing and drumming group performing the traditional dances of Rwanda. The choreography depicts scenes of hunting, fishing and other activities while wearing traditional costumes and moving to the rhythms being created on handmade drums.

Christielle Mutoniwase started the group in 2015 to perform at cultural events and weddings and there are now ten members who invite others to sample the ancient dances at many different venues.

Portland Maine Comedy Festival Showcase
2019-08-03 18:00 - 20:00
The Portland Maine Comedy Festival and Friends of Congress Square Park present and evening of comedy! Join the PMCF and a handful of talented and funny comedians from all over the country. This show is perfect for the comedy-lovers in your family. One-liners, witty-puns and funny stories will all be present and presented at this rib-tickling event.

"Poltergeist" Film Screening
2019-08-04 20:00 - 22:00
Strange and creepy happenings beset an average California family, the Freelings — Steve (Craig T. Nelson), Diane (JoBeth Williams), teenaged Dana (Dominique Dunne), eight-year-old Robbie (Oliver Robins), and five-year-old Carol Ann (Heather O’Rourke) — when ghosts commune with them through the television set. Initially friendly and playful, the spirits turn unexpectedly menacing, and, when Carol Ann goes missing, Steve and Diane turn to a parapsychologist and eventually an exorcist for help.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

Nia Fitness Class
2019-08-05 12:00 - 13:00
Join local teacher Erin Curren for Nia – a fun and expressive fitness class – every Monday in August from 12-1pm! Though typically done barefoot, shoes are recommended for Nia in the park. $10 suggested, class cards available.
Nia is an exhilarating, non-impact fusion fitness class that draws from the Martial Arts, Dance, and Healing Arts. Have fun while getting a great workout that is easy on the joints and connects you to your awareness in motion. Participants will learn to personalize the five sensations of fitness while exploring new movement patterns that will leave them feeling energized and grounded in the present moment, loving the gift of the body! www.nianow.com
Nia Black Belt Instructor Erin Curren has been sharing the Joy of Movement all over the state of Maine for ten years. She brings her love of improv, expressiveness and enthusiasm to each and every class. www.erincurren.com

"Ideas, not Theories" Bicycle Band
2019-08-09 18:00 - 20:00
IDEAS, NOT THEORIES, is a theatrical percussion show, the performance features original music which explores the use of unconventional instruments such as: bicycles, tap and body percussion, water, brushes, as well as traditional percussion instruments such as marimbas and drums. All of the musical works are linked together through a story line, physical theater and comedy, and original characters making the complete performance a unique, quirky and creative artistic experience.
Stay after the show to learn how to play a bike and other unconventional instruments!
IDEAS, NOT THEORIES, had its premier in Monterrey Mexico, inside the Festival de Musica Nueva 2012 and has been performing regularly since then in the U.S (Boston, NYC, Maine), Mexico and Canada.
REYNALIZ HERRERA, creator, is a professional musician, percussionist, composer and educator based in Boston but originally from Mexico. She was born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1984, where she studied and began pursuing music at the Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza, with maestro Noel Savon.
Reynaliz has performed in different countries like Mexico, US, Canada, Cuba, Spain, Germany and Italy, and has performed and collaborated with renowned ensembles such as: The National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada, The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestre de la Francophonie Canadienne, The Boston Conservatory Orchestra, Mexican Dance Group: Danza Contemporanea en Concierto, and others.

"We, Lilith" with Stage Rage
2019-08-10 17:00 - 19:00
“We, Lilith” will be a devised piece that explores the story of Adam‘s first wife and how she was unfairly kicked out of Eden told in juxtaposition with stories of modern day women and non-binary or gender fluid people. Through movement, song, stories of her told throughout the ages, and our own stories of survival and persistence, with this piece we will no longer be silent. It’s time to scream like the demon goddess herself.
Presented by Stage Rage.​​
“Stage Rage was originally conceptualized by Megan Tripaldi and Beth Somerville in Portland, ME in 2014 with the creepiest production of King Lear (at least that we had seen). From there we have been generating projects that create original concepts for established work or creating and supporting new and exciting work from local artists based on myths, legends, and stories that have been around for centuries. We want to continue asking why we return to classical works. Why do we keep telling these stories? How can we make them more relevant?”

"The Goonies" Film Screening
2019-08-11 20:00 - 22:00
A group of teenagers finds a map leading to a hidden treasure. They must overcome booby traps, natural obstructions, and a gang of desperate thieves in their race for the loot.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

Portland Swing Project feat. Imperial Hot Club
2019-08-16 18:00 - 20:00
Join Portland Swing Project for live music and swing dancing in the Square! This month, Imperial Hot Club will perform, featuring guest fiddler Gabe Terracciano.
Portland Swing Project spreads the appreciation of swing music and dance through weekly classes and events for all levels of experience. We teach, dance, perform and provide live and DJ’d music to venues throughout Maine. Absolute beginners welcome, no partner needed.

"Saving Mr. Banks" Film Screening
2019-08-18 19:30 - 21:30
Spurred on by a promise he made to his daughters, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) embarks on what would become a 20-year quest to obtain the movie rights to “Mary Poppins.” The author, P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), proves to be an uncompromising curmudgeon who has no intention of letting her beloved characters become mangled in the Hollywood machine. However, when the books stop selling and she finds herself in need of money, Travers reluctantly agrees to consider Disney’s proposition.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

CANCELLED: Saturday Snack Shop with Fork Food Lab
2019-08-24 11:00 - 14:00
***We’ve had our last snacks of the season, folks! See you next year!***

Drop by Congress Square Park for the Fork Food Lab Market Pop Up! Shop snacks and goodies from various members at Fork Food Lab. There will be a variety of goods from vegan deserts to fresh salsa. Stay tuned for detailed information on daily offerings.

Saturday Snack Shop is a series. Drop by every Saturday at 11 AM-2 PM from June 8 through August 31 to enjoy treats!

Portland Social Dance Festival
2019-08-24 14:30 - 20:00
Free Dancing in Different Styles with Lessons!
Portland has a vibrant social dance scene, and we’re thrilled to celebrate it in a two-day festival! Join Friends of Congress Square Park Saturday, August 24 for hours of FREE dancing – with lessons! – in Congress Square Park.
Featuring Danza Latina, Portland Swing Project, Tom Whitehead & the Rites of Swing and New Moon Ensemble.

Friday Night!
**FRIDAY, AUGUST 23**
6 – 8 PM
Primo Cubano & PM Salsa
Salsa Dance with Lesson
fmi: https://primocubano.com/index.html
Saturday!
**SATURDAY AUGUST 24**
2:30 – 4 PM
Danza Latina
Salsa, Bachata & Kizomba with Beginner Lessons
fmi: http://www.danzalatina2015.com
4:30 – 6 PM
Portland Swing Project
Swing Dance feat. Tom Whitehead & the Rites of Swing
fmi: https://www.portlandswingproject.com
6:30 – 8 PM
New Moon Ensemble
West African Dance & Drumming Performance & Community Dance Lesson
fmi: https://embodytherhythm.com/new-moon-ensemble/

No experience necessary. Join us for a mix of performance, lessons and open dancing!

"Mary Poppins Returns" Film Screening
2019-08-25 19:30 - 21:30
Decades after her original visit, the magical nanny, Mary Poppins, returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael’s children through a difficult time in their lives.

Join Portland Summer Films every Sunday at dusk from June through August for free screenings of classic films.
Thanks to Coffee by Design for making this series possible!

Zumba Fitness Class
2019-08-27 09:00 - 10:00
Come break a sweat in Congress Square Park with a Zumba class taught by Kristin Sutton of Avant Dance Studio. Donations are encouraged – pay what you can! Suggested donation of $5-10. Expect to dance for 45 minutes.
Zumba involves dance and aerobic movements performed to energetic music. The choreography incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo. Squats and lunges are also included.
All ages and abilities welcome!

POSTPONED: The Portland Hum (Drone Music)
2019-08-30 14:00 - 20:00
***This event has been postponed until 2020 at the artists’ request.***

Q u a p i c o presents “The Portland Hum,” an epic drone event to the heart of Portland, Maine. A six hour performance featuring six artists making ambient music without breaking the sound. The beauty of doing this event outdoors is the incorporation of Portland’s natural sounds; people’s voices, busy streets, and the rhythm that can only be found in this city. Listeners are encouraged to bring comfy seating in order to endure the varying sounds of digitally produced music, live acoustics, or singing bowls and harmonic vocals. This event is in pursuit of peaceful congregation and appreciation for the community, love for the healing power of sound, and enjoyment of dreamy music and mellow times.
“Q u a p i c o is a Portland based drone music duo, comprised of Hannah Bevens and Hans Spencer. We combine beats and tones with improvised music and visual art. Our music is produced and distributed as a podcast, available on iTunes, so that listeners can follow our evolution in an episodic format.”

"5 Year Supper" Anniversary Party & Community Meal
2019-08-31 18:00 - 20:00
Friends of Congress Square Park is marking our 5th anniversary this season! We’re celebrating the thousands of people who helped create this one-of-a-kind place by throwing a casual picnic party. Delicious local food, outstanding local artists – including live music… All free and all fun. Join us!
Bring your own food and picnic with us, or get a tasty BBQ dinner from Moe’s Original BBQ (pay what you can donation).
Live music featuring Kafari (6-7 pm) and Sylvain’s Acadian Aces (7-8 pm).
‘Kafari’ is the alias of Portland, ME based ambient loop master, pianist, and rhythm bonesman Ahmad Hassan Muhammad. Kafari seamlessly weaves together jazz, electronic music, ambient music, and hip hop in his experimental manipulations of loops taken from old jazz recordings. His most recent release ‘Knockturnes’ is a dreamy, hypnotic tribute to the legendary Bill Evans trio. Using his keyboard controller, Kafari manipulates the pitch and tempo of old jazz samples, altering them nearly beyond recognition and transforming them into etheral backdrops for keyboard and saxophone improvisations.
Sylvain’s Acadian Aces keeps the ‘cajun flame alive in old Acadie with an energetic brand of raw, rootsy ‘cajun music derived directly from the source. The vocal power of guitarist Robert Sylvain and charismatic fiddler Hawk Kallweit supplies a one-two punch that’s instantly compelling and distinctive. With Maine’s own true accordian ace Junior Stevens on button-box, and the unstoppable combination of Tom Jacques on upright bass and Kris Day on drums, Sylvain’s Acadian Aces deliver heart-wrenching lovesongs and electrifying dance numbers that can bring even the most stoic New Englanders to their feet. Rooted in classic cajun two-steps and waltzes, the repertoire also folds in elements of creole and zydeco traditions along with original Americana and rock ‘n roll sensibilities.

Create with ME Festival hosted by Dead Flow It Society
2019-09-04 19:00 - 21:00
***This event has been delayed by one hour due to weather. Join us from 7-9pm!***

Join us in Congress Square Park for a continuing series of open creative workshops and performances! This event encourages collaborative participation from the crowd for all age groups, and skill levels with art, poetry, dancing, crafting, and music. Throughout the night there will be live local art vendors, open workshops, and end with two headlining acts. Whether you are watching or participating, you are sure to leave with inspired creativity!
This event is hosted by The Dead Flow It Society. Kyler Henningsen and Nathan Lapointe are co-founders of Dead flow it Society and Family Banned Records. Both groups aim to support artists and enable them to maximize their potential through their creative work and in the community. Family Banned has pledged to give 25% of profits to charity. Mr. Henningsen is a father, coach , poet , artist, former board member of the Maine Artist Collective and front man for the rock group “Soul or Power.” Mr. Lapointe is an Actor, musician, singer, producer, and hip hop artist. He performs regularly locally as Unique Unknown. His new album, professionally produced for radio, “Just Another Day” will be the first released under Family Banned Records.

Threaded. The Runway Show. With Jacob A. M. Powers & Friends
2019-09-06 18:00 - 20:00
Threaded. The Runway Show. With Jacob A. M. Powers & Friends
An urban runway show that clashes the gritty stylings of budding Portland-based painter Jacob A. M. Powers, with the beauty and grace of fine art and fashion. The set and clothing will be designed in-house by Powers and his team. Music, lights, and beauty… Portland at it’s finest.

Jacob A. M. Powers is a Portland native and self taught painter working in mixed media with salvaged material. He uses written word, fine detail and crude brush strokes to create surreal and figurative works that poke fun and question the world around him. Looking to become a permanent fixture in the Portland landscape, Powers is always looking for new challenges to facilitate greater connection to others and beautify public and private space alike. He first debuted his work in March of 2018 throwing his own independent, solo exhibition by the moniker “1905.” Since then Powers has hung 6 installations in restaurants and galleries in the downtown Portland area.

Try Your Hand International Calligraphy Festival
2019-09-07 10:00 - 13:00
Did you ever wish you could write in another language? Or have beautiful penmanship in your own? Here’s a chance to Try Your Hand at an international calligraphy event at Congress Square Park!
People from around the world will show you how to write in their native script, such as Cyrillic, Japanese, Arabic. You’ll also have a chance to try Medieval and Modern Latin alphabet calligraphy. You’ll learn a few words and perhaps a proverb from the different cultures and be able to make a keepsake pendant with your choice of two languages. Come out and do something different at Congress Square Park!
Supplies will be provided and instruction is free.

Dance Party for Everyone!
2019-09-07 18:00 - 20:00
Come join Ed King, Rosanne Graef and all your friends from Congress Square Park for a whole lotta shakin’ to 50 years of hits, misses and dance crazes. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Lace up your blue suede shoes and high-heeled sneakers and let’s do a little dance!

Contra Dance with Portland Intown Contra Dance featuring Lake Effect with Katy Heine
2019-09-13 18:00 - 20:00
Join us for dancing in Congress Square Park!
If you can walk, you can contra. Truly. It’s an easy, enjoyable, and accessible dance form for most people. Contra dance is community social dancing to live music. It’s lively, joyful, welcoming, modern, traditional, and fun!
No partner is needed – you dance with everyone! Our community is diverse and intergenerational, so you know you’ll meet a lot of different people as you make your way down the line. Live music will be provided by Lake Effect, the fiddle and guitar duo of Upstate New York featuring musicians Matthew Sloboda and Chuck Abell. For more information connect with them on Facebook! Come enjoy some lively music, smiling and spinning people, or save us a dance!
Hosted by Portland Intown Contra Dance.

POSTPONED: Play Me a Story with Portland Stage
2019-09-14 14:00 - 15:30
***Risk of rain and lower temperatures means we need to postpone this event until 2020. Stay tuned for a new date!***

Join us for a fun, interactive, and family friendly theatre event hosted by Portland Stage!
Experience the Fun & Magic of Theater with Play Me a Story! Enjoy a performance of children’s stories, then participate in an acting workshop with professional theater artists. Build literacy, encourage creativity and spark dramatic dreams!

"SAMSARA" Film Screening with PMA Films
2019-09-14 19:00 - 21:30
Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders. Samsara is a 2011 American non-narrative documentary film, directed by Ron Fricke and produced by Mark Magidson, who also collaborated on Baraka (1992), a film of a similar vein.
This film is made possible due to a collaboration with The Portland Museum of Art and PMA Films.

Swing Night with Portland Swing Project
2019-09-20 18:00 - 20:00
Join Portland Swing Project for live music and dancing in Congress Square Park! All are welcome and no experience is necessary for lively fun!
Portland Swing Project spreads the appreciation of swing music and dance through weekly classes and events for all levels of experience. They teach, dance, perform and provide live and DJ’d music to venues throughout Maine. Absolute beginners welcome, no partner needed.

Metamorphosis (Waking Windows)
2019-09-21 15:00 - 21:00
Metamorphosis hosted along Congress Street!
Over four ever-growing annual festivals, Waking Windows Portland has hosted more than 250 bands, 50 authors, 35 DJs, dozens of special events and performances, artist projects, films, comedians, and so much more, across 20 different venues through Bayside and Congress St. It’s been a beautiful and wild ride. Ecstatic, joyful, transformative…
This year, we’re presenting something a little different. We’re calling it Metamorphosis.
Seasons change. So do cities and everything in them. Celebrations can bring people together. People together can change place, the spaces we occupy, the streets we walk together. People together can make the world smaller. That’s what we’re after.
Music. Art. Performance. Poetry. Prose. Endless truth-telling.
From the transcendent rhymes of Boston rapper, poet, and self-described champion of “the queer, black, orphaned, hood kids and them” Oompa and the otherworldly melodies of Sub Pop psych-folk songwriter Death Vessel, to the radical rural storytelling of true Maine original Carolyn Chute and the immersive world of New Fruit co-founders’ new performance project Cavatica, to interactive family arts activities with Love Lab Studio and the overflowing crates of vinyl at the Portland Record Fair…

Saturday, September 21st.
Participation. Exploration. Community.
We hope to see you there!

Activities in Congress Square Park
Saturday, September 21st | free | all ages
FAMILY ARTMAKING
3:00 – 5:30 PM Family arts activities with Love Lab Studio
Bird enthusiasts of all ages are invited to celebrate Metamorphosis by building, designing, and decorating Maine’s migratory birds.

MUSIC
4:00 Skulken
4:50 Angelikah Fahray
5:45 Hannah Epperson
6:40 Cavatica
7:20 Dead Gowns
8:20 Ian O’Neil (of Deer Tick)

For more information on all programming for this year, visit Waking Windows Portland’s website.

Open City Night feat. Maine Coalition for Sensible Drug Policy
2019-09-25 18:00 - 20:00
What matters to our community right now? Are we engaged in decision making processes the impact us? Are our needs and hopes being met? Do we know our neighbors? What does it mean to participate in civic life?
Open City nights in Congress Square Park are opportunities for neighbors to gather to ask questions and share information about issues important to our shared community life. Co-presented with local organizations, you can expect these evenings to be artful, participatory, informative and compelling.
All invited, all welcome.

Open City feat. Maine Coalition for Sensible Drug Policy
Maine Coalition for Sensible Drug Policy brings “Lead with Love” to Congress Square Park on August 7th from 6-8pm to highlight policies and approaches to Maine’s drug crisis that lead with love and public health, instead of criminalization and stigma. Expect art making, music, love letter writing to people impacted by drug use and more.
Members of the Maine Coalition for Sensible Drug Policy include Maine People’s Alliance, Health Equity Alliance, Maine Family Planning, the ACLU, and Portland OPS.

Open City is a series hosted in Congress Square Park every Wednesday at 6:8pm from June through August. We’ll explore topics related to community life presented in artful ways that spark dialogue.

Portland Intercultural Festival
2019-09-28 14:00 - 20:00
The Portland Intercultural Festival (PIF) is being organized through the Friends of Congress Square Park in association with the Root House organization and local artist AFRiCAN DUNDADA. This event is a celebration of the richness of Portland’s Black and Brown creative community as well as showcasing new and unexpected artists with diverse backgrounds and strikingly unique music and visual art.
In the afternoon, expect interactive creative work shops. In the evening, musical and spoken word acts will take the stage.
Schedule
2:30 – 3:30 pm – Workshop with Youth Voices Matter
3:30 – 4:15 pm – International Open Mic
4:30 – 8:00 pm – Performances by artists including Unique Unknown, Signature Soul, AFRiCAN DUNDADA and Malcolm Henry

Join us for an all day experience sure to widen your perspective and put swivel in your hips. Come create and turn up with us.

El Malo
2019-10-04 18:00 - 20:00
Join us for music and dancing in Congress Square Park with El Malo!
El Malo is a contemporary Latin-Rock band out of Portland, Maine. They play a blend of classic salsa tunes and original instrumental Latin music that is sure to get any crowd up and dancing! No matter what your usual playlist may be, El Malo promises to create a musical common ground among its viewers! Come enjoy a diverse setlist of relaxing drum beats to lively horn section solos!

Planting Day with Yellow Tulip Project
2019-10-06 12:00 - 14:00
Join us for the 4th annual community yellow tulip planting ceremony in Congress Square park! Come plant tulips in the Square and hear speeches, poetry, and musical performances from representatives of the Yellow Tulip Project!
The Yellow Tulip Project focuses on smashing the stigma that surrounds mental illness and building a community where people realize there is help and hope out there. The YTP is meant to let people know that “Hope Happens”. Their message is simple and clear: come together- plant hope gardens-build community, talk about mental health and smash the stigma- and we are proud of the way that The Yellow Tulip Project is spreading to communities across the US.
For more information or to get involved check out their website.
