I AM NB Story-telling Series kicks off the AHA! Night Calendar in February and March
AHA! Nights return to downtown New Bedford on the second Thursday of each month, February through December, in 2026. This year’s AHA! Night themes include familiar favorites such as Pride (June 11th), Kids Rule (July 9th), and Made in NB (November 12th). It also marks the return of February and March’s I AM NB, a storytelling series, which began in 2025, highlighting the undertold stories of New Bedford and celebrating Black History and Women’s History months, respectively.
AHA! 2026 CALENDAR
FEBRUARY 12th: I AM NB – Storytelling Series
MARCH 12th: I AM NB – Storytelling Series
APRIL 9th: Project Planet
MAY 14th: Preservation. Celebration.
JUNE 11th: Pride
JULY 9th: Kids Rule (Adults Too!)
AUGUST 13th: Summer in the Seaport
SEPTEMBER 10th: NB Cultures
OCTOBER 8th: Tunes, Treats & Creative Streets
NOVEMBER 12th: Made in NB
DECEMBER 10th: NB Festive
Each month, the AHA! theme sets the tone for that evening’s AHA! Night, with programming partners across downtown holding events and activities that directly or loosely tie in with the topic. AHA! Nights are always free and full of art, creativity, music, and community. Details of each monthly program are announced closer to the event date. The latest schedule is always available on the AHA! website.
FEBRUARY AHA! NIGHT: An AHA! Takeover of The Z!
AHA!’s 2026 schedule kicks off on Thursday, February 12th, with part one of the two-part I AM NB – Storytelling Series. On this one special night, the AHA! and Z teams have partnered to activate the entire Zeiterion in celebration of its grand reopening, providing experiences throughout the building.
Storytellers of all kinds (musicians, poets, novice and professional spoken word artists) are invited to step up to the microphone in The Z’s new Speakeasy (6-8 PM) to share a personal or New Bedford story during an open mic session. The program will have a special emphasis on Black history in honor of Black History Month. Sign-ups will be available on the night of the event. The Jazz Jam duo, Blair Taylor and Manny Escobar, will host and provide musical accompaniment, and will be joined by Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor from Oversoul Theatre Collective. The public is invited to bring an instrument to jam as well. When the stories conclude at 8 pm, Mwalim will take over as DJ, creating a club vibe for AHA! After Dark. The Speakeasy cash bar will be open throughout the AHA! festivities.
In addition, visitors will be able to tour the newly restored and renovated building, pop into the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s rehearsal in the main theater and test out the theater’s new seats, stop by Dance Clinic’s pre-competition rehearsal in the new Gail Davidson Movement Studio, and explore pop-up activities in both the Baker Family Lobby and Bristol County Savings Bank Lounge (2nd floor), including WNB One Radio broadcasting live, making your own friendship bracelets, a living museum of women artists, hands on rowing demonstrations, digital art with SketchyGOichie, and more. Please note that some spaces have limited capacity.
Additional downtown programming partners are planning even more for the first AHA! Night of the year. Check out the latest schedule on the AHA! website at ahanewbedford.org/next-aha.
ABOUT AHA NEW BEDFORD
AHA! New Bedford provides and promotes free arts and cultural experiences for all across downtown New Bedford. For over 25 years, AHA! has helped build and promote a creative economy that, alongside other arts organizations and supporters, transformed downtown New Bedford into a cultural epicenter of Massachusetts’ South Coast. Programming has expanded to include music, film, storytelling, block parties, art markets, and more. Learn more at ahanewbedford.org.
