upcoming EVENTS
All events are at the CHMM unless otherwise noted. Please check below for details.
PLEASE NOTE: The Custom House is a historic structure and is not handicap accessible. Most events take place on the second floor and there is no elevator in the building.
Interested in having your event at the Custom House? Schedule a free consultation
Saturdays | June 27 - September 5 | 9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Revolutionary Summer Saturdays
Revolutionary Summer Saturdays are back for the third year! Join us for free outdoor and indoor programming for kids ages 3 and up.
Nautical crafts, lawn games, a 20 foot inflatable pirate ship slide, giant bubbles, face painting, scavenger hunts, and more!
Sponsored in part by Newburyport Bank and the Arakelian Foundation.
Stay tuned for more information on Community Partners.
Please note: there will be no kids program on July 4th.
Thursdays | July 9, 16, 23 & August 13, 20, 27 | 5 pm
Port Preserved: How Newburyport was Saved from the Federal Bulldozer - A walking tour with John Macone
In the 1960s, Newburyport’s downtown was in crisis. After years of decay, economic depression and abandonment, a radical change was needed to revive the struggling city. Urban renewal – demolishing the old downtown and replacing it with a sprawling shopping center and spacious gas stations – was seen as the answer. Why didn’t it happen?
This walking tour tells the remarkable and inspiring story of how Newburyporters fought against the bulldozing of their historic downtown and saved it for future generations to cherish. The tour is presented by John Macone, former editor of the Newburyport Daily News and the editor and contributing writer of the book “Port in Progress,” a 2007 publication that chronicles Newburyport’s redevelopment.
Tours leave from the Custom House Maritime Museum at 25 Water Street in Newburyport. Rain dates are the following Friday.
Sundays | July 5 - August 30 | 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Music on the Promenade
Presented by the Custom House Maritime Museum, and in partnership with the Firehouse Center for the Arts, this free summer music series on the museum’s lawn begins July 5th and continues every Sunday from 4–6 p.m. through the end of August. Local musician John Tavano has assembled an outstanding lineup of musicians performing a wide range of genres, from “Songs of the Sea” and “Latin Jazz” to “Steel Drums” and contemporary favorites.
Bring your own lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy music on the back lawn of the museum, just steps from the Merrimack River.
July 5: Stellwagen Acoustic Duo
July 12: Jack Garvey and Buzzard Bay Buccaneers
July 19: Bossa Jazz Trio: Bossa Nova and jazz blend
July 26: Chuck Walker Trio
August 2: EJO Wrecking Crew
August 9: Steel drums - Zach Field Studio
August 16: Grove Street
August 23: Ocaroline - Traditional 17th-century Irish music
August 30: Mark Young Acoustic Duo
Thursday, July 9 | 5:30 pm - reception | 6:30 pm lecture
Newburyport and the Declaration of Independence presented by Alex Cain
PLEASE NOTE: The date of this lecture has been changed to Thursday, July 9th
Join us for a talk on the arrival and first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Newburyport. Alex Cain will also speak in depth on the museum's recently acquired patriotic textile (pictured left), a rare 1833 copy of the Declaration and Jane Stuart's portrait of George Washington, both currently on loan to the museum.
Alexander Cain graduated from Merrimack College in 1993 with a degree in economics and New England School of Law in 1996 with a juris doctorate in law. He is a well respected and highly sought-after speaker who frequently lectures on the military and social influences of April 19, 1775.
Alex has worked with both major and local production companies as a consultant and advisor to ensure historical accuracy is properly maintained during the production process. He has published multiple research articles that have shed new light on the Battles of Lexington Concord, privateer operations during the Siege of Boston and the loyalist refugee experience during the American Revolution.
Alex has also published two books – We Stood Our Ground: Lexington in the First Year of the American Revolution and I See Nothing but the Horrors of a Civil War.
Sunday, July 19 | 2 pm @ Market Square, Newburyport
Reading of the Declaration of Independence
July 19th marks the anniversary of the Declaration's arrival in Newburyport, where it was read to the public in Market Square. Join the Custom House, the Museum of Old Newbury, and other community partners for a recreation of the reading as well as other readings throughout the downtown.
For museum members: after the readings, there will be a private party on the Custom House lawn starting at 6 pm. There will be a special viewing of a 19th century copy of the Declaration of Independence and private tours of two tall ships on the river behind the Custom House.
Sunday, July 19 | 6:30 pm | CHMM lawn
Members Party
MEMBERS: join us for fun, music, games, and festivities to end a day celebrating the Declaration of Independence and Newburyport. Food provided by Kefi Catering and music by the Bossa Jazz Trio and the Portermen.
Tickets are $30 for individuals and $50 couples. RSVP at the link below.
Thursday, Sept. 17 | 6:00 pm @ Ipswich Country Club
Seafaring Soiree Gala
The Custom House Maritime Museum's third fundraising gala returns this year, this time at the Ipswich Country Club. More information about auction items and ticketing coming soon.
The Masters Raffle is back! Purchase raffle tickets below to win coveted tickets to the Masters Golf Tournament.
Year-long programs brought to you, in part, by
