Prescott Park Arts Festival (PPAF) is an anchor arts organization in the Seacoast of New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts with a rich history of presenting a 10-week summer season of inspiring, family-friendly arts programming including themed music festivals, concerts, a film series, dance, children’s events, and signature musical theatre. Since its inception in 1974, PPAF’s suggested donation model has reduced barriers to high-quality art, and we can proudly say that no one has ever been turned away for the inability to make a donation. A strong economic engine for the region, PPAF’s 200,000+ annual audience members inject $7.5M into the local economy by filling downtown businesses and restaurants before and after performances.
Regular Festival events include a summer-long musical theatre production with 30+ performances, a summer concert series featuring 20-25 well-known national touring acts as well as local and regional talent, and a film series introduced in 2011 that has now become a beloved family tradition.
Over time, PPAF has raised the caliber and profile of its musicals and concerts, to include equity actors and national touring acts. The Festival will continue to build upon the trust it has established with its audience by extending its track record of featuring less well-known, but immensely talented, artists. Some of the greatest Festival memories brought up by community members time and time again are of the less crowded nights, for a band they had not heard of previously, and being blown away by the talent and the shared community experience. What remains unchanged is PPAF’s deep commitment to accessibility and its pride in being the only venue in the Seacoast where families and individuals can have that type of experience with no required ticket price.
