Discover Gloucester

Marvin Waller Retrospective at North Shore Arts
2026-06-10 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-09 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-07 12:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-06 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-05 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-04 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-03 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-02 10:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) and 3 more dates | North Shore Arts Association, 11 Pirates Lane, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
The Marvin Waller Retrospective at the North Shore Arts Association celebrates the life and legacy of Cape Ann fine artist, Marvin Waller (1928–1994). Born in Chicago, and ultimately settling in Rockport, Massachusetts in 1959, Waller produced numerous drawings, woodcuts, and paintings inspired by his life on Cape Ann and informed by his training in drawing the figure. This premier exhibition showcases Waller’s extensive body of work and brings renewed attention to his life commitment to the arts on display May 29 – June 20, 2026. All are welcome to attend the reception on Saturday, May 30, from 1PM – 3PM. Located at 11 Pirates Ln, Gloucester MA 01930. Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 12 – 4pm, Monday CLOSED. For more information, please email arts@nsarts.org or call (978) 283-1857.

Gloucester Stage presents BAD BOOKS by Sharyn Rothstein
2026-06-07 14:00, 2026-06-06 19:30, 2026-06-06 14:00, 2026-06-05 19:30, 2026-06-04 19:30 | Gloucester Stage, 267 E Main Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
When a concerned mother finds her son with an “inappropriate” book, an attempt to reason with the local librarian erupts into an explosive, town-wide confrontation. As tensions rise and consequences escalate, we learn that these women have more that connects them than what meets the eye. Bad Books explores the first impressions and raucous debates that divide us while forcing audiences to consider what it really means to care for our children.
Sharyn Rothstein’s poignant drama opens the 2026 Season with cunning humor and heartfelt dialogue in this regional-premiere directed by M. Bevin O’Garaº. Running from June 4 to 27, all performances are at the Natti-Willsky Performance Center – 267 East Main Street, Gloucester. Showtimes are Wednesdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm, with matinees Saturdays & Sunday at 2:00pm.

Cape Ann Artisans June 2026 Open Studio Tour
2026-06-07, 2026-06-06 | MA
Join the Cape Ann Artisans for a creative journey through ceramics, jewelry, mixed media, mosaics, painting, photography, and textiles during their free 2025 self-guided Open Studio Tours. June 6-7, 2026 and October 10-11,2026
The Cape Ann Artisans are part of a vibrant arts community, located along the scenic North Shore of Massachusetts. The Tour is self-guided and includes stops at the studios of artists in Gloucester and Rockport
2026 marks the 43rd year for the Cape Ann Artisan Tour as one of the most well-established “open studios” in the country.
Please visit us in our studios, explore our exquisite natural surroundings, and see the fine art and craft that they inspire.

Lez Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same – 50th Anniversary Celebration
2026-06-06 20:00 | The Cut, 177 Main Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Saturday 6/6/26
Doors 7:00pm
Show 8:00pm
21+, Positive ID Required
Premium Seating with cocktail service: $54.50-$59.50 + $6.95 service fee
Standard Seating with cocktail service: $49.50 + $6.95 serivce fee
Rear Floor Seating: $44.50 + $6.95 service fee
GA Standing: $34.50 + $6.95 service fee
+ $5 Day of Show
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of The Song Remains the Same, internationally acclaimed Lez Zeppelin — the all-female quartet known for delivering the most powerful and authentic Led Zeppelin experience and the only band personally endorsed by Jimmy Page, himself, announces a special concert series celebrating the iconic 1976 film and its legendary soundtrack.
Accompanied by a multimedia presentation inspired by the original movie, Lez Zeppelin will perform the soundtrack from The Song Remains the Same in its entirety. Harnessing the energy, virtuosity, and grandeur of Led Zeppelin’s storied 1973 performances at Madison Square Garden, this tribute is more than a concert — it’s a resurrection of rock history, reimagined and re-ignited for a new generation.
Lez Zeppelin-All Girls. All Zeppelin.
Lez Zeppelin is a phenomenon. Since their formation in 2004, the group has stunned audiences all over the world with the musicianship, passion and gender-bending audacity they bring to the music of Led Zeppelin. Unlike the typical “tribute band” Lez Zeppelin does not seek to imitate. Rather, they are a she-incarnation of the original. With swagger, intensity and virtuosity, these four women cover the entire canon, performing hits, deep tracks, epic compositions and acoustic numbers with utmost authenticity, as if they’d written the music themselves. Jimmy Page described it best after attending a Lez Zeppelin show in London: “They played the Led Zeppelin music with an extraordinary sensuality and an energy and passion that highlighted their superb musicianship.”

Family Pride Picnic
2026-06-06 11:00 - 13:30 | Cape Ann Museum Green, 13 Poplar Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Saturday, June 6, 2026
11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Janet & William Ellery James Center, CAM Green
Free and Open to the Public.
Parking is first come, first served.
Celebrate Cape Ann Pride Weekend with the whole family through books, art, and music! Bring your own picnic blanket and spread out on CAM Green while enjoying Rainbow Story Time and music from Jammin’ with You. Get your face painted and enjoy free art activities with CAM Education Staff.
Image Credit: CAM staff photo.

Queens at the Castle
2026-06-05 18:00 - 22:00 | Hammond Castle Museum, 80 Hesperus Ave., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Get ready for a night of glitz, glam, and fierce performances in a setting like no other! Join us for Queens at the Castle, a high-energy, laugh-out-loud evening hosted by one of Boston’s most iconic Queens and featuring three of the region’s top drag performers.
Meet Your Host: Kris Knievil
A beloved fixture of Boston’s drag scene since the late ’90s, Kris Knievil returns to the Great Hall as our Host of the Night! Kriis is known for her buxom blonde allure and commanding stage presence. As the program director at Boston’s storied drag bar, Jacques Cabaret, Kris brings years of experience and charisma to the stage, ensuring an evening of laughter and entertainment. bostonspiritmagazine.com
Featuring Performances By:
Alana Thicc: Get ready for a performance that’s as bold and dynamic as her name suggests. Alana Thicc returns, bringing energy, sass, and a whole lot of talent to the stage, promising to captivate the audience with every move.
Chanel the Angel: A glamorous queen with a heart of gold, Chanel the Angel returns to our stage, combining vintage Hollywood elegance with modern flair. Her performances are a blend of powerhouse vocals and cheeky humor, making her a standout in the cabaret scene.
Doriann Blanch: A Puerto Rican-born drag diva based in Boston, known as The Beauty Enchantment, Doriann is making her Queens at the Castle debut! She is a prominent figure in the Boston scene at iconic parties like “Drag Me to Brunch” at Carrie Nation,” “LatinX Wednesdays” at Legacy and RuPaul’s Drag Race viewing parties at Dani’s Queer Bar.
This event is strictly 21 & over. I.D. will be required upon admission. There are three different ticketing options: General Admission, Table of Four, and Table of Six
General Admission:
– $50 per guest
– Drinks will be available to purchase
– Enjoy admission to the performance
Table of Four:
– $300 per table
– Enjoy a private table for up to four guests
– Signature cocktail drink tickets for you and each of your guests
– A curated platter will be waiting on your private table to enjoy at your leisure
Table of Six:
– $450 per table
– Enjoy a private table for up to six guests
– A signature cocktail drink ticket for you and each of your guests
– A curated platter will be waiting on your private table to enjoy at your leisure

No Static Plays Steely Dan
2026-06-04 20:00 - 23:00 | The Cut, 177 Main Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
The 10 members of No Static have performed the music of Steely Dan since 2005. Thousands of Dan lovers young and old have experienced the excitement they bring to every performance. Appearing at first-tier venues across New England and beyond, this talented band has earned the admiration and affection of critics and fans alike.
Based in Boston, No Static is one of the top Steely Dan tribute bands in the country. These dedicated musicians specialize in expertly performing the music of Steely Dan, re-creating that amazing bluesy jazz-rock sound invented by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. As Dan fans know, this is no small feat. The music is complex, spanning genres, requiring precise attention to musical detail, with subtle grooves, sophisticated vocal harmonies, iconic solos, and time and key changes popping up when least expected. Steely Dan is not an easy band to pay tribute to.
No Static has been nailing it for over 20 years now and their sold-out shows tell the tale. With passion and warmth they cover the breadth of Steely Dan’s great catalog, attracting some of Boston’s finest musicians, and working with guest performers including Steely Dan band members Walt Weiskopf (saxophonist) and Jon Herington (Music Director/guitarist).

CAM Talk: Artist Conversations Across Time: From Cape Ann to Rembrandt in Rothko’s “Thru the Window,” by Elliot Bostwick Davis
2026-06-03 14:00 - 15:00 | Cape Ann Museum Green, 13 Poplar Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Janet & William Ellery James Center, CAM Green
13 Poplar Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
CAM Members $5, Non-Members $10.
Registration Required. Parking is first come, first served and carpooling is encouraged.
By the late 1930s, Mark Rothko stood at a threshold—geographically, artistically, and personally. Having spent summers on Cape Ann, in Massachusetts, he was immersed in the home life of the Averys and Gottliebs, practicing artists whose studios, routines, and shared ambitions offered living models of artistic life beyond New York. At the same moment, Rothko was absorbing the legacy of earlier painters who had grappled with the meaning of the artist’s vocation, most notably Rembrandt.
This talk explores Rothko’s Thru the Window (1938-39) as a meditation on the nature of creative space. Bringing together the artistic life observed on Cape Ann, the art-historical memory of Rembrandt’s Artist in His Studio, and tensions within Rothko’s own marriage to artist-turned-designer Edith Sachar, the painting emerges as a theatrical staging of artistic identity in formation. The window becomes both aperture and boundary—a site where present artistic conversations and inherited traditions converge.
This lecture is presented in conjunction with the museum’s upcoming exhibition, Avery, Gottlieb, & Rothko: By the Sea, offering context and insight into the artists and themes in the exhibit. For more information about upcoming lectures for the exhibition, please visit the Events Calendar.
Elliot Bostwick Davis is a former curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the John Moors Cabot Chair at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she was responsible for leading the curatorial program for the acclaimed Art of the Americas Wing designed by Foster+Partners, and Director of the Norton Museum. She has published extensively on American art, including on Fitz Henry Lane, Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, Horace Pippin, Loïs Maillou Jones, Norman Lewis, and Jamie Wyeth. Her most recent book, Edward Hopper & Cape Ann: Illuminating an American Landscape (Rizzoli/Electa, 2023) was a #1 Amazon Best Seller. Davis was a 2022 Fellow in Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative, and served as Senior Editor, Arts and Culture for Harvard’s Social Impact Review until 2024. Her current book, The Field Guide to Awe & Joy: Discovering Art That Makes Us Happier, builds on her work on art and well-being, including a recent essay, “Art Museums as Catalysts for Human Flourishing,” recently published in the Visual Arts Volume for the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project (Oxford University Press, 2024). Davis is currently serving as Guest Curator for the exhibition, Stuart Davis: Call and Response, appearing at The Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, PA, and the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester MA in 2028. She received her A.B. cum laude from Princeton University, and holds a Master’s from New York University, and a doctorate in art and archaeology from Columbia University.
Image Credit: Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606–1669), Artist in His Studio, c. 1628. Oil on panel. 93/4 x 12 ½ in. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Zoe Oliver Sherman Collection given in memory of Lillie Oliver Poor, 38.1838.

PRIDE BLAST OFF with The Illustrious Blacks, presented by Cape Ann Pride & Magma
2026-05-30 20:00 | The Cut, 177 Main Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Blast off into Pride month with the Illustrious Blacks, NYC’s Afro-Electro-Disco-Space-Punks here to deliver you into intergalactic ecstasy! The duo the New York Times called “Bed-Stuy’s favorite creative couple” grace the clubs of Ibiza, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, UK, and Canada with their blend of DJing, performance art, and live music tracks …. and now they return after their jaw-dropping Gloucester debut last year for the Cape Ann Pride Weekend. Hostess extraordinaire Dr. Viola Voila will tantalize with her captivating performances and keep the party vibes flowing. DJ opener Salomon delivers deep, danceable tracks to get the party started.
Dr. Viola Voilà (she/her in drag) or Dr. Kasey Calebaugh (he/him out of drag) enjoys a wide range of musical endeavors as a violist, Suzuki music educator, and drag entertainer. They completed a Doctorate of Music Arts degree in Viola Performance from the Hartt School, graduating with the Regents’ Honor Award – the most prestigious award that the University of Hartford bestows on graduate students. They regularly film drag story hours and interview local residents at Ipswich Community Access Media, perform with the Cape Ann Symphony and Nonconformist Orchestra (the first and only transgender/non-binary, LGBTQ+ and minority inclusive professional orchestra), and serve on the Ipswich Cultural Council Board. As an active LGBTQ+ professional, they have been invited to speak at numerous high schools, perform for Hamilton-Wenham HRC Pride Picnic, World Pride DC 2025, & actively produce content with the Trustees.

Messages and Meditations with Mike and Courtney in the Salt Cave
2026-05-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Revive Wellness, 232 Main Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Some nights offer more than insight—they offer a shift. In this intimate 2-hour gathering, you’ll be guided through a unique experience designed to help you receive meaningful messages, reflect on where you are, and walk away feeling more grounded, clear, and connected. With only 10 spots available and several experienced readers, every participant will receive a personal reading through mediumship or card readings. Whether you’re carrying something heavy, standing at a crossroads, or just feeling the pull for something deeper, this evening is a chance to pause and listen. We’ll begin with a short grounding to set the tone, then move into readings that often touch on what you didn’t realize needed to be heard. To close, we’ll drop into a gentle guided meditation to help you process and integrate what came through—so you leave not just with insight, but with peace. You don’t need to believe in anything in particular—just come with an open mind, a little curiosity, and a willingness to be present.

“Out By the Ocean” Kick-Off Party for Cape Ann Pride 2026
2026-05-28 17:00 | Drift Gloucester, 3 Main Street, Gloucester, MA, United States
We are so thrilled to be able to share that we will once again be guests of the very generous folks at DRIFT Gloucester for our “Out By the Sea: Cape Ann Pride Kick-Off Party,” on Thursday, May 28, 5-7 PM, no cover, no tickets, just community joy.
We are so grateful to all those at DRIFT Gloucester for their early and steadfast support as we plan for our third Cape Ann Pride!

Jimmy Tingle: Humor and Hope for Humanity
2026-05-24 19:30 | The Cut, 177 Main Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
In Humor and Hope for Humanity, Jimmy takes us on a very funny and soul-searching journey from his Boston roots as an aspiring comic and street performer to network television, Harvard, a run for political office and up to the present 2026 moment.
– Humorist for 60 Minutes II
– Harvard Commencement Speaker
– Three time “Best of Boston” Winner
As seen on HBO, PBS, NPR, FOX, MSNBC, 60 Minutes, and Comedy Central
“Jimmy Tingle is a master storyteller! His humor, wit and intelligence shine. His story is not just about laughter; it’s a testament to the power of humor as a tool for change.”
– Yani Perez, all about SOLO
Critical Acclaim for Jimmy’s First Solo Show, “Uncommon Sense”:
“More than a comic wit…so cheerfully intelligent that he makes his audience optimistic in the face of reality.”
– The New York Times
“No Cheap Shots, Just “Sense.” Jimmy Tingle’s one-man show doesn’t capitalize on political crisis. Instead his uplifting Uncommon Sense draws honest laughs.”
– Los Angeles Times

Booty Vortex
2026-05-23 20:00 | The Cut, 177 Main Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Get ready! Some of the finest, funkiest musicians from across New England have banded together to play the groovy tunes from the ’70s. These timeless disco, funk songs will have you shakin’ what yo’ mama gave ya! And the heat these players/singers bring is guaranteed to knock you off your feet! If there’s a hole in your life, if your dancing shoes are staring at you woefully from the back of the closet, or if you just love to dance, then you need to spend some time in the Vortex. Renew your spirit, get your groove on, and experience the power of Booty Vortex!

Dead to the Core - May Show
2026-05-22 20:00 - 23:00 | The Cut, 177 Main Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Dead to the Core is Sam Bouve (Bass), Sean Galbraith (Guitar), John Spurr (Drums), Phil Todisco (Guitar), and Scotty King (Keys). This collective of North Shore original artists, songwriters, and producers came together in 2020 to honor the timeless catalog of the Grateful Dead with a fresh and innovative approach. Dead to the Core celebrates the Dead’s spirit with inspired playing, infused with unrestrained improvisations, and a real good time.
Dead To The Core is The Cut’s 2026 Resident Band – they will play a show every month in 2026, culminating with a New Years Eve show on 12/31/26. Don’t forget to bring your punch card and get a stamp for each show you attend. Collect them all (Feb-Nov) and get free tickets to the NYE show!

Tea & Tranquility
2026-05-17 15:00 - 17:00 | Revive Wellness, 232 Main Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Nurture your body, mind and spirit in this heart-centered afternoon of rest and renewal.
Gentle Yin-Yoga
Reiki energy healing
Herbal tea & seasonal wellness discussion

Leave feeling grounded, supported, and inspired-with simple practices to carry into your daily life.
