Labor Day weekend features an abundance of activities starting with the 42nd Gloucester Schooner Festival, which features land and sea attractions, along with Saturday night fireworks — and music all around Cape Ann.
The final summer Gloucester Block Party is Friday, Sept. 4 from 6 to 10 p.m. along Main Street with attractions for all ages.
On Saturday, Sept. 5, the “Concerts on the Boulevard” event returns featuring Brick House, starting at 5:30 p.m. on the stage at the intersection of Centennial and Western avenues on Gloucester’s waterfront. Fireworks start around 9:15 p.m. and are set off over the Outer Harbor from Stage Fort Park. Time may be adjusted slightly if necessary due to weather. A warning shot will be set off five minutes before the start of the show.
The organizers are still in need of donations to help fund the fireworks and concert. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. A link to donate is available at https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/Q8KFFQRQ7KTLA; or Venmo at: @TheGloucesterFund; or by check, payable to The Gloucester Fund with “fireworks” in the memo and mail to: The Gloucester Fund, 44 1/2 Main St. Unit 1, Gloucester, MA 01930. Visit “Gloucester Fireworks” Facebook page for updates.
Some of the 24 schooners scheduled to be here for the annual Gloucester Schooner Festival will start to come into the harbor Thursday.
Dan Albani, executive director of Maritime Gloucester, said that a number of the vessels are offering public sails over the weekend. Details on options and the festival schedule may be found at https://www.maritimegloucester.org/schooner-festival.
“Whether it is your first time to the festival, or your 42nd time, nothing beats getting on these vessels under full sail,” Albani said.
Vessels also can be viewed up close at dock, including at Seven Seas Wharf, the I-4, C-2 lot off Rogers St. where temporary floats have been added, and Maritime Gloucester on Harbor Loop, which hosts the event.
On Sunday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m., Gloucester’s National Historic Landmark schooner Adventure, which celebrates 100 years in 2026, will lead the Parade of Schooners, with great viewing at the waterfront off Stacy Boulevard.
Final summer carillon concert
A popular summer tradition concludes for the summer with the final free carillon concert on Friday, Sept. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Good Voyage, at 142 Prospect St., Gloucester.
This concert features the premiere of a Gloucester-inspired church bell composition by an orchestral composer for opera and ballet, Mary Bichner, who composed the work using her sound-to-color synesthesia, which she described as a neurological condition that allows her to “see” splashes of specific colors when she hears their corresponding pitches sounded.
The Boston-based composer wrote “Nossa Senhora,” which will be performed for the first time in Gloucester at the Friday concert. This is her first carillon piece, which is written in the key of A-flat major “to match the vivid colors found in the church’s interior and exterior.” For Bichner, A-flat presents as warm vibrant red; C natural, for vibrant yellow or gold; and E-flat for cobalt blue.
“The piece was named ‘Nossa Senhora (Our Lady)’ in honor of the Portuguese fishermen that immigrated to Gloucester with their families and built the original church in 1892. Inspired by the long-standing tradition of The Virgin Mary being the protector of seafarers, ‘Nossa Senhora’ is meant to evoke a calm, gentle prayer whispered by devout fishermen in the midst of a tumultuous storm upon the waves,” according to a program note.
This is a family-friendly concert and all are welcome. Our Lady’s Guild will offer cold drinks, chips and snacks, and ice cream for sale, along with various raffles. The programs for the season were prepared by Luann Pallazola, Cynthia Cafasso and Thomas Dort.
Cape Ann Guitar Society shows
Cape Ann Guitar Society’s Folk Week continues Friday, Sept. 4, featuring Wood & Bone at the outdoor tented stage at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, 257R Granite St. in Rockport. The opening act will be Kicked off the Bus, starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by the main act for this night of Americana music. Led by singer-songwriter Jesse Joseph, Wood & Bone features a rotating cast of collaborators, with core members Joe Wilkins (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Dennis Monagle (drums, vocals), and Dylan Sullivan (bass, vocals).
On Saturday, Sept. 5, the Henry Acker Trio performs at 7 p.m. at MAGMA (Movement Arts Gloucester MA), at 11 Pleasant St. in Gloucester, for an evening of manouche, also known as gypsy jazz. Acker, a powerhouse jazz guitarist, performs in the style of Django Reinhardt and traditional jazz.
The festival concludes with Ramon Tasat on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 4 p.m. at St. Anthony’s by the Sea, 21 Farrington Ave. in Gloucester. Tasat, a vocalist and musician, sings in Hebrew, Ladino, Spanish, Italian and English, and specializes in Sephardic music.
For details and tickets, visit capeannguitarsociety.org.
Dance from India on stage
Windhover Center for the Performing Arts closes is performance season with “Samāgata: Solo Dances from the Indian Tradition” on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. at its tented outdoor stage at 257R Granite St, Rockport.
“In the Indian tradition, music, poetry, dance, painting, sculpture, literature, legend and myth are all inseparably linked in a vast tapestry of art and aesthetics. Samāgata is a coming together — of the dance and dancer, of the artist and the audience, and of three different dance forms from the Indian tradition: Mohiniyattam, Odissi and Bharatanatyam,” according to a program note. “The event offers a rare blending of classical Indian dance forms and includes performances by New England artists Sapna Govindan, Soumya Rajaram and Priya Bangal.”
A brief questions-and-answer will follow the performance. Guests are welcome to bring a picnic and enjoy the grounds before the show. For tickets, visit www.windhover.org.
Three artistic visions in new exhibit
The next exhibition at Cosmos Gallery, “Landings 3 Visions,” features three New England artists — Tom Glover, Vanessa Michalak and Jan Roy — at 20 Pleasant St., Gloucester. A public opening reception takes place Friday, Sept. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. and an artist talk is Friday, Sept. 11, at 5 p.m.
“Each is an accomplished contemporary landscape artist, and together their paintings explore the territory between observation and interpretation. Land, sea, forests, rocks, harbors, boats, and the built environment provide the elements; their three visions explore what happens between seeing a place and making a painting of it,” according to an exhibition statement. “Seen together, the three artists reveal how elastic the centuries-old tradition of landscape painting has become. Glover distills the physical experience of a place; Michalak releases its energy through color and mark; Roy reorganizes it toward abstraction. None abandons the visible world. Each makes something distinctly personal from it.”
The exhibition runs through Oct. 11
Call for art in benefit auction
Sawyer Free Library is preparing for its annual 2026 Sawyer Free Library Silent & Live Art Auction on Sept. 18. Artists are invited to submit two pieces for consideration through Sept. 11, for review by the Art Auction Committee, and selected artists will be notified following the jury review process. Submissions are welcome in a variety of media, including painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, fiber arts, mixed media, jewelry, woodworking, etc. Returning and first-time artists are encouraged to participate.
The evening Sept. 18 will celebrate the region’s artistic talent while supporting the completion of the library’s Building Renovation Campaign.
For details on contributing works or attending the event, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org, or call 646-644-5037.
Gloucester’s Acropolis: Then and Now
On the weekend of Sept. 11-13, the Jonathan Bayliss Society will host a variety of talks, walking tours, and other activities that will take a fresh look at Gloucester’s “Acropolis,” the historic hillside neighborhood around City Hall that has been the cultural, educational, and civic center of the city since the late 1800s.
The annual conference focus this year is “Gloucester’s Acropolis: Defining the City Then and Now.” On Sept. 11, the first event will feature an afternoon walking tour that highlights the religious institutions of the area and how they evolved over time with new generations. Later that evening, Gloucester’s rich history will be brought to life by 11 readers sharing short newspaper excerpts, from 1848 to recent times, about events that made headlines, “both serious and amusing.”
Saturday’s program features three illustrated talks on the architectural evolution of the neighborhood, the history of Sawyer Free Library, and a Gloucester mayor’s experiences. Following the talk, there will be a guided tour of City Hall’s New Deal murals.
The final program Sunday afternoon features short presentations by representatives of Cape Ann Museum, exploring through slides and anecdotes the influence of the museum in the community, with a glimpse to the future.
These programs are open to all, though events fill up; advance registration required at: www.jonathanbayliss.org/acropolis.
Around the corner
Rockin’ 4 Vets brings its Guitar Monsters showcase to the The Cut in Gloucester on Thursday, Sept. 24, with special guest Dave Amato, longtime lead guitarist for REO Speedwagon, who performs with Grammy-nominated guitar masters Jon Butcher and Johnny A.; this concert benefits The Open Door in Gloucester. Guitar Monsters is a powerhouse celebration of guitar-driven music. For tickets, visit thecutlive.com.
Around Cape Ann is a column devoted to events happening on Cape Ann and artists from Cape Ann performing elsewhere. If you would like to submit an item, contact reporter Gail McCarthy at 978-675-2706 or gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com at least two weeks in advance.
Gail McCarthy may be contacted at 978-675-2706, or gmccarthy@northofboston.com.