Live music, food trucks and more

EXETER — Five local bands will be hitting the stage this weekend as part of the Exeter Arts & Music Festival, including the 2022 Rock Act of the Year award winner Cold Engines.

The event, put on by Town Exeter Arts Music (TEAM), will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 20. It will feature live music, artist vendors, kids activities, food trucks, and more.

“We’re excited to have this festival back up and running and are looking for the community to come out and support,” said Scott Ruffner, executive director of TEAM.

This year’s festival will take place at two locations due to ongoing construction in Swasey Parkway.

The main music stage, food trucks and kids activities will be located at Town House Common on Bow Street, adjacent to the Municipal Parking Lot and across the street from the police station. The Artist Market and singer-songwriter tent will be located at the front portion of Swasey Parkway, where the roadway meets Water Street.

The Exeter Arts and Music Festival 2023 will take place at Town House Common and at the entrance of Swasey Parkway.

Ruffner said the two locations “encourages people to spend time exploring all of what we have to offer in downtown Exeter.”

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Who will be performing at Exeter Arts & Music Festival?

The main stage at Town House Common will feature a diverse group of musicians playing everything from jazz to classic rock.

“We always try to make it a diverse lineup and champion different genres of music to give people a kind of a complete experience,” Ruffner said. “We don’t want it all to be the same kind of music.”

Seacoast-based classic rock band Tim Parent & The Grim Bros kicks the event off at 11 a.m. followed by Marcus Rabb, Phillips Exeter Academy Musical director, and his quartet at 12:30 p.m. performing classic jazz.

At 1:45 p.m., students and staff from the Musical Arts Academy in Exeter will hit the stage showcasing young vocalists and musicians at the school.

Exeter’s own singer-songwriter Chad Verbeck and his trio Wood, Wind & Whiskey takes the stage at 2:30 p.m. with their energetic blend of acoustic rock, classics, originals and jams followed by Cold Engines, fronted by Exeter resident David Drouin, at 4 p.m.

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Festival puts spotlight on singer-songwriters

The singer-songwriter tent at Swasey Parkway will feature Laura Lee at 11 a.m., Artty Francouer at 12 p.m., Bob Moore at 1 p.m., Elijah Clark at 2 p.m. and Liz Ridgely at 3 p.m.

“It a chance for musicians to play their own original songs,” Ruffner said.

Two artists to watch out for, according to Ruffner, are Liz Ridgely and Laura Lee.

“Liz Ridgely is an artist in her 20s that recently moved back to the Seacoast during the pandemic. She’s phenomenally talented,” Ruffner said “Laura Lee is from Massachusetts and she writes amazing songs.”

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What will the food trucks be serving?

From Puerto Rican to Middle Eastern, food trucks and vendors will be dishing out food to satisfy more than just one taste bud. The food vendors include Cafe El Camino, Memories Ice Cream, Fat Pockets and Cosmic Kettlecorn.

Snack booths include Kona Ice, Healthy Nut Snacks and gluten-free treats from Daniella’s Dandies.

Who are the art vendors at the festival?

More than 30 artisans will be featured at the festival, selling everything from leather goods to scenic paintings.

The artist vendors include Lush Industrial, Dibballs, Tiny Home Made, Kanth, Math Art, Sea Spray Love, Ashley Mary Craftery, Nicole Ellis Artist, Wackadoodle Photography, Stuck in the Studio, Atomic Beet, Marc Fournier Art, Jones Art Studio, Hot Cross Puns, Saidypoo Art, Alexandra Pires, LabHouse Perfume, Whittum Art, Betsy Heron Design, Tamara Deonka Art, The Artful Carver, Crowns And Daisies Leather Shop, H. Monique Design, D R Cote Art, Theresa Tammik Art, Artful Harper Studios, Flood Tide Flies, Meraki Pressed Flowers, Hart To Art Glassworks, Willow Road Watercolors, Watercolor By Cheryl, Claudia Jasalavich, Just Jenna J Things, Sunny Days Illustration, Twist of Fate Pottery, Mary Banach Baskets, New England Prints, Emily Peterson Art and Atomic Beet.

Are there any activities for the kids?

There are plenty of activities for kids including face painting and henna tattoo. The Parks and Recreation Department will also have all of their lawn games available such as cornhole and board games like Jenga.

“We always feature some type of (young) performers,” said Ruffner on making the festival children-friendly. “We are working with Musical Arts Academy, and we also allow a couple of (young artists) to set up their vendors in the kids’ section of the park and sell their original work.”

What is the cost of admission?

The suggested donation is $10 per person and $20 per family. Donations can be made ahead of the event at Cash and Venmo donations will also be accepted the day of the event.