Great Holiday Show by the POS, atmosphere and seating was perfect. The music was really nice, I…read morewould have wanted to hear more of the Classic Christmas tunes than what they chose but it was still enjoyable.

We have seen PSO shows at the Merrill. The Magic of Christmas and Star Wars a New Hope…read more Both shows were fantastic! The seats were comfortable and not too cramped. You can clearly see the stage and the instrument sounds filled the venue beautifully. The volunteers were so nice and definitely have a pep in their step. There many of them, there to greet and bring you to the general area of your seats. I say general area, because one actually brought us to the opposite end of the row were were seated. It's ok, we were there early and just walked back around. She apologized, when she saw us walking back the other way. As expected with older venues - there are a lot of stairs to traverse if you are in the balcony - this your warning. Drinks and restrooms are not available at every level, so make sure you plan accordingly. Parking is separate and it's not a bad walk - just wear comfortable shoes, so you don't twist your ankle. Security was friendly - expect the metal detectors, wanding, emptying of pockets and searching of bags. Typical for most venues. We look forward to our next show this year!

My wife and I went in for a show recently and had a fantastic time. The film that was shown was…read moresuper interesting and it was really relaxing. The narrator/host took questions after the show and was really knowledgeable about our night sky here in Maine. You could tell he had a passion for it. I try to do at least 3-4 shows a year. Totally worth the time and the price was right

John Haley is reviving this science treasure! He is also hosting a play in the dome about an…read moreautistic cosmologist's journey to create the Hubble Deep Field! From the early info, looks as though it will have intriguing images on the dome, plus the wrenching journey of a neuro-diverse girl from bullying to outstanding achievement.

Brunswick residents who love this small theater and have attended more than 12 shows over last…read moreseveral years, lately tho, the sound volume has been so high we've required headphones - bring some ear protection

It took me a long time of going back and forth on what to say in this post or if it will ever…read morematter if I put it out there. But I know it will. I have been a long time patron of this theater. 20+ years. I've seen many owners, tons of changes, the scare that was Covid-- but one thing was always consistent besides the fresh popcorn. The staff. Many of us know who I'm talking about. The projectionist- Gracia- was there for longer then I had been a patron. She ran that place from the ground up. She even crowd funded (which I supported) purchasing the theater in 2019 before it was sold from under her. She was the bones the bread and the butter of that place. It was a labor of love and watching her adapt over the years and be so consistent was such a joy. Along with her awesome t shirts. This year there was yet another change of ownership. And I have come to learn that she was discarded like her 25 years of service meant nothing. And not only that, I was lied to that she left on her own. Which isn't the case. They also let go another staff member that has disabilities but a whole lot of heart. Sam was the light of my weekend. They worked there 12 years. My heart is heavy. This place was much more than a cinema. It was community. And now it just feels cold. I will not be returning.

Maine is lucky to have several drive-ins. It's really all a matter of preference and geography (and…read moremaybe what movies are being offered; sometimes Saco really comes out with an impressive line-up!). But, I'll echo what a couple other folks have said already: PRO: $20 for a double feature for a whole carload of people is unbeatable! CON: We were in a Honda HRV (not a huge SUV) and tried to park in the third row where other vehicles our size were parked. A man came (literally) running after us to tell us we needed to move back a row because we were "too big." The fourth row was almost exclusively enormous pickup trucks. Fortunately, the ground in the fourth row had a bit of a bump, so we were able to position our vehicle on an incline and it offered fantastic views of the screen. Also, people weren't parking near the outdated microphone stands (which are spaced out for a reason), and instead we had someone park (their mega truck) so close to us that we couldn't even open our passenger door. Sooo... just a heads-up regarding where/how you park your vehicle.

Being from Texas, you only see movie drive-ins like Grease. WHO KNEW IT'S STILL A THING & WE LOVE…read moreIT! Saco Drive-In does a double feature presentation where you can come early to grab a spot via your vehicle, or you can come during the second half to watch the second movie. It is only $20/vehicle for TWO movies! You can bring your own food and drinks or you can grab something from the concession stands in the back. How it works: Park your car not too close, as you'll be struggling to see the movie from within. Turn off your engine by setting your car to ACC, as you'll have to use your radio to listen to the movie. The screen will provide you with the radio station to tune into. Turn off your headlights, and get ready to watch the movie! The awesome thing about drive-ins in Maine besides all the cost-efficient amenities, is you can enjoy your movie in the cool breeze, no humidity included. Don't forget the bug spray!

Does Maine have a higher-than-normal occurrence of local horror films due to its naturally spooky…read morecharacter? Perhaps. Damnationland 2014 provided a peek inside the minds of a few local filmmakers. Ranging from humor to surreal to straight-up-slasher, this festival was all-around fun (and not too bloody for the slightly-horror-averse like myself). For those of you expecting shaky cameras and stilted performances, think again. There wasn't a stinker in the bunch. Looking forward to an equally spooky offering next year. *at least one extra star awarded for the quality tagline "The way life should bleed"

2015 was my first experience going to this event. The State Theater is such a great facility to…read morehold this local "horror" movie feature. We did not realize just how popular this is and thought that getting to will call 30 minutes before opening would be plenty of time. We were wrong. The line was already around the corner and 1/2 way to the church. Many more people came as we waited. *a credit to event staff for repeatedly coming around to let ticket holders know this was will call/buying and they could go to the front if they already had a ticket*. My only opinion being that there should have been more than one person in the booth and split the line in two, one being buying tickets and one line for will call. It was great that they held the start of the show until the line had mostly gotten back up on to Congress St. Not knowing what to expect, we were surprised at how great the production was in each short film. For me, I will always think of what happened at my favorite coffee shop which was a featured location in Misandry. The trailer awards were great and we were happily surprised to see a finalist group we know. The overall flow and presentation was well done and the organizers did a great job. Now that we know what the hubbub is about, I'm sure this will be a yearly event for us.

The OPF. Where people come by the tens of thousands to buy local art, drink, listen to music, ride…read morerides, eat a corn dog or funnel cake... you know the typical festival happenings. For some reason, although it's no one's fault, the OPF seems to have the rainiest or hottest weather of the summer. I think the June in Maine is always a toss up. The highlight of this event is vast amount of local artisans and craftsman who sell their homemade items. I also like the kickoff event of the Shoestring Theater Puppet show at 11 am. Going early may be the best time to grab some freebies and some handcut fries... You beat the heat and the intense crowds. This year I took a LYFT ride down... ProTip. For me, this festival is OK. The prices are high, the streets are packed, parking is a s**t show, and by the end there are many highly intoxicated twenty-somethings. Maybe this would have been my jam back in the day, but unless I'm working downtown, I'm probably not going to go.

Old Port Fest is a staple event in Portland come June. In reading a variety of other reviews,…read morepeople have reflected on how it can get incredibly busy and crowded, and it certainly can, however, I appreciate what the Old Port Festival offers Portland. The Old Port Festival includes a variety of local artists, food trucks, and entertainers, so the fact that the Old Port Festival is highlighting what locals have to offer, then I am okay with the mass amounts of people that are out and about on this day. Along with the various offerings and music at Old Port Festival, there are also some restaurants with drink deals, or bars that get busy, but again, it's highlighting what Portland has to offer. I typically spend my time during the Old Port Festival at the Porthole where they also highlight local talent to play music, and they have a great outdoor deck to enjoy the weather. Overall, I appreciate what the Old Port Festival offers Portland, and I will be a supporter every year.

What a happy "accident"! We were in Freeport to pick up a…read morecouple of things and saw the Maine Oyster Festival was happening just outside of the toy store we were in. The way they have the ticketing process set up is great in that you only have to worry about money when buying the tickets. Each ticket is $3 and each oyster is 1 ticket. The unfortunate part about this system is if the place you want to try runs out...you have a $3 ticket that you may have to "settle" for using elsewhere. They had fun festival swag as well - tshirts and bags etc. Each booth had such friendly staff. Engaging and happy to talk about their product, their company and their history. Kind of like a beer festival. We were there on Saturday and by 3ish, there were a couple of booths that had run out or were running out, so get there early. They also had other vendor booths! They had Ruby on the Hill - delicious baked breads! Sweet Monkey Business - Best Shortbread cookies in Maine, IMHO, Kimchi and Empanada Club. There were not a lot of booths selling beverages - which made it tough because it was hot and pretty much fully sun exposed in the festival area. Thank goodness we found the boyscout booth! It's a smaller area, so not a ton of walking. It's all standing - no seating options. There were plenty of port-a-potty options as well. Fun festival for Oyster fans for sure!

The Maine Oyster Festival takes place in the parking lot of Freeport LLBean. It was a blast…read more trying the oysters. You buy tickets for $3 each. Each oyster is one ticket. I tried 9 different oysters and found that the Butterfield Seafare were the best. They give you plenty of condiments and it is not too much walking. The staff from each farm were eager to educate me on their oysters. The whole mood was upbeat and happy even with the rain.

My wife and I came to Live At Madrid's for our first event here and were impressed. It was for a…read moreconcert and despite not being the headliner we came for a local pop-punk band called Broadwing. Besides them it also featured another local Portland band called Turner (they did a fantastic cover of Zombie by The Cranberries). Then the headliner happened to a be a New York based band currently on their 10th anniversary tour called Keep Flying. Upon entering they have a great amount of space for the venue size with a large bar area as well as a handful of tables. Staff who checked our tickets and the bartenders were friendly. Speaking of the bar I would say I was actually surprised and thought the drink prices were pretty good for an event venue. My wife and I both got a gin based cocktail with mixer (shoutout to locally made Goldie's Gin by Portland Distilling Company). I had with cranberry juice and my wife with lemonade and it came to just $26. I honestly expected it to be more from an event venue. Was great to enjoy our drinks at a table and sit down before the show started. The overall setup of the venue was done well and we got to be up close to the bands which was fantastic. Didn't feel overwhelmingly crowded and acoustics sounded good so no complaints. Can't wait to check out more events/concerts at this venue! Support local music as well as local venues!

Went to an event here the other night and was super impressed! The bar is large with lots of room…read moreto grab a drink. The inside is nice and open and great for networking. They have different areas you can go to as well. The appetizers were amazing as well. Overall a great new addition to the event space in Portland with live music as well!