Friends of Congress Square Park

Crafts in the Park
2021-06-01 09:30 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Get out of the house, meet neighbors and chat — all while keeping your hands busy (or not!). You can knit, crochet, draw, paint, make jewelry, sew, or any craft where you can carry your tools. And yes, come even if you are not working on a project.

The event is weekly on Tuesdays at 9:30am and cancelled in inclement weather.

Attend part or all one event, all events, or anywhere in between. All are welcome here!

T'ai Chi
2021-05-31 10:00 - 11:00, 2021-05-26 09:30 - 10:30, 2021-05-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2021-05-19 09:30 - 10:30, 2021-05-17 10:00 - 11:00, 2021-05-12 09:30 - 10:30, 2021-05-10 10:00 - 11:00, 2021-05-05 09:30 - 10:30 (America/New_York) and 1 more date
Free Tai Chi Chih/Qigong classes will be taught in Congress Square Park May through September. All classes will occur twice weekly — on Mondays from 9:30 until 10:30 am and Wednesdays from 10 until 11 am, led by
Sara Leonard.

Old pros and those who have just started practice, as well as curious bystanders of all ages welcome!
Always FREE to the public.

*What’s Tai Chi?*
Tai chi is an ancient Chinese tradition that, today, is practiced as a graceful form of exercise. It involves a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner and accompanied by deep breathing.
A noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise and stretching, each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant motion.
Tai chi is low impact and puts minimal stress on muscles and joints, making it generally safe for all ages and fitness levels. In fact, because tai chi is a low-impact exercise, it may be especially suitable if you’re an older adult who otherwise may not exercise.

Chess in the Park!
2021-05-29 11:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Come play chess! All equipment, including masks and hand sanitizer, will be available on-site. Free and open to the public.

Blurb Club
2021-05-27 12:00 - 13:00, 2021-05-13 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
The first in a (potential) series, Blurb Club is an informal book discussion in which participants share a bit about a book they are currently reading or have recently read, and get a chance to hear similar book recommendations from other participants. Bring a lunch and get some amazing book recommendations! Sharing is encouraged but not required. The shy are welcome here.

Congress Square Market
2021-05-23 11:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
A pop-up market in Congress Square Park! Featuring some of our beloved neighborhood small businesses setting up shop open-air-style, as well as some local makers and artists. Grab a bite to eat from a nearby cafe and support local businesses and makers! Free and open to the public.

Chess in the Park!
2021-05-22 11:00 - 14:00, 2021-05-15 11:00 - 14:00, 2021-05-08 11:00 - 14:00, 2021-05-01 11:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Come play chess! All equipment, including masks and hand sanitizer, will be available on-site. Free and open to the public. Join the Meetup group here: https://www.meetup.com/congress-st-park-chess-club

Poets on the Square
2021-05-17 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York)
A poetry reading sponsored by University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA Program! Free and open to the public.

Voter Registration Event
2021-05-08 12:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Get registered to vote!

T'ai Chi
2021-04-30 10:00 - 11:00, 2021-04-28 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
Join instructor Sara Leonard for T’ai Chi / Qigong in the Park! Free and open to the public.

Thriller Throwdown
2019-10-25 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Detroit)
Join us for the 7th annual Thriller Throwdown! What started as a flash mob of 30 dancers in 2012 now has grown into an annual event with more than 70 local dancers and hundreds of spectators. The Throwdown has moved to Congress Square Park and it’s now an all-out dance party! View a recent Thriller Throwdown on YouTube.

Gather in the square and watch our zombies re-create Michael Jackson’s iconic video, then stay for a Halloween-themed dance party!

If you want to participate in the Thriller performance:

The dance party is free and open to the public. If you’d like to be trained to be a part of the Thriller Throwdown version of Michael Jackson’s classic music video, you can sign up for classes at Avant Dance and Event Center. For more information, visit Avant’s website.

Volunteer Clean Up Day!
2019-10-12 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Detroit)
Come volunteer with Friends of Congress Square Park and prepare the park for hibernation! We’ll gather from 9am until noon on October 12th to:
– Garden! Replant the hydrangeas trees and trim plants
– Clean up! Put away the umbrellas and mobile planters in storage
We’ll have all the supplies needed. Dress in layers, in clothing you don’t mind getting a bit messy. Bring work gloves if you can.
All ages and abilities encouraged!

Pumpkins in the Square feat. Jenny Van West Music
2019-10-11 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Detroit)
Join us for the 5th annual Pumpkins in the Square! Friends of Congress Square Park is welcoming Fall and celebrating a successful season with:
Live music with Jenny Van West Music
Donuts and cider!
Pumkin carving and decorating! Bring your own pumpkin or buy one at the event (suggested donation $10). We’ll have a contest to show off the creations!
Fall arts and crafts!
Fun for the whole family. See you there!

Planting Day with Yellow Tulip Project
2019-10-06 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Detroit)
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.

El Malo
2019-10-04 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit)
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!

Portland Intercultural Festival
2019-09-28 14:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit)
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.

Open City Night feat. Maine Coalition for Sensible Drug Policy
2019-09-25 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit)
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.

Metamorphosis (Waking Windows)
2019-09-21 15:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
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.
