Piscataqua Riverfest: Saturday July 11th, 2026!
Strawbery Banke Field Portsmouth NH 10AM - 4PM
The nonprofit Gundalow Company’s Piscataqua Riverfest is Portsmouth’s annual celebration of our rivers and bays featuring a traditional boat show, kids’ entertainment, food trucks & beer garden, music, historical live demonstrations, hands-on activities for all ages, dockside tours and great local vendors.
Piscataqua Riverfest is FREE to the public thanks to our LEAD Sponsor
What to expect
We are currently growing our list of 2026 exhibitors, vendors, entertainers and scheduled tours, demonstrations and more. We are welcoming back many past participants and a few new ones including Miss Alli, a dynamic performer for children of all ages.
Here is a look back at some of the offerings from our 5th Annual Piscataqua Riverfest in July of 2025
A collection of stunning wooden boats from wherries, dories, skiffs, sailboats, peapods and a cabin launch whose owners welcomed children to climb aboard!
Free entry into the Strawbery Banke Museum all day!
Maritime demonstrations including a blacksmith, oar making, science experiments, and more!
Local non-profit partners with hands-on fun for all ages, local business vendors, nautical photography, crafts, games, books & more!
Whoa Nellie Food Truck, Fresh Fox Point Oysters , Kona Ice & Gina’s BHQ Ice Cream Cookies
A beer garden served by Maeve’s Mobile Cocktail Hour with local brews.
Dockside tours of the Gundalow Piscataqua from Prescott Park
Special Dockside Tour of the Mickey Finn at the Public Dock in Prescott Park; the Mickey Finn is a custom yawl built by Paul Rollins, the master shipwright of the current Gundalow PISCATAQUA.
Local musicians Carol Coronis & EJ Ouellette
Lindsay & Her Puppet Pals
Children’s Music from Sammie Haynes
Face Painting for free from Moore Color Face Painting
Entertainment for our Piscataqua Riverfest is sponsored by Gray Construction.
Contact information, Parking & Directions
The Piscataqua Riverfest is organized by the Gundalow Company in Portsmouth, NH. You can reach our Event Coordinator at 603-433-9505 or [email protected]
This event is held in multiple locations:
- The primary site for Piscataqua Riverfest is on the grounds of the Strawbery Banke Museum – 14 Hancock St, Portsmouth, NH - with entrance gates at Marcy Street by Puddledock Restaurant and Hancock Street. Go to Google Maps.
- Gundalow sails depart from the Sheafe Warehouse dock, at the end of the Water St. alley in Prescott Park
Visiting boats and other demonstration locations will be provided as the event schedule is confirmed.
Pets
From Friday afternoon July 10th through the end of Piscataqua Riverfest at 4pm Saturday Jul 11, 2026 the grounds of Strawbery Banke are closed to pets of any kind, including regular dog park guests. Actively working service animals assisting their humans are of course welcome.
Bikes
Parking
- There is not a main parking lot for the Piscataqua Riverfest, but there are many available lots in the area. Please see the City’s parking information page for locations, prices, and limits:
https://www.cityofportsmouth.com/publicworks/parkportsmouth - Portsmouth has two parking garages downtown.
- Please read all street and parking lot signs carefully to understand potential limits and costs.
- For ADA parking: Multiple ADA parking spaces are at the north end of Prescott Park. Limited ADA parking may be available in the Strawbery Banke parking lot. Water St has 2 additional spaces for ADA-only. Note that time limits (typically 3 hours) apply to all spaces, so please check the specific limits for where you park. For more details see https://accessnavigators.com/portsmouth-nh/
- Please note that the Strawbery Banke parking lot is not available for general parking and Water St is permit-only.