Tunes, Treats & Creative Streets: What’s Happening in Downtown New Bedford for AHA! Night on October 8

This month’s free arts and cultural event kicks off the 30th anniversary of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, including the opening of the Nathan and Polly Johnson House.

This October, downtown New Bedford will be filled with music and hands-on creativity while we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. It’s all happening on Thursday, October 8th for AHA! Night: Tunes, Treats & Creative Streets.

30 Years of People, Places, & Possibilities

Congress established the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park on November 12, 1996, to tell the stories of New Bedford’s whaling history, its working waterfront, and its role in the Underground Railroad. 

This AHA! Night we’re celebrating the park’s 30th anniversary! Kick off the festivities by picking up a 30th Anniversary Collector Card at the Visitor Center, paint it with watercolors, then fill in your card by collecting anniversary stamps throughout downtown New Bedford (4-8:00 PM). Keep filling up your card during AHA! Nights and throughout the year to create a keepsake and celebrate 30 Years of People, Places, & Possibilities. And don’t forget to return for AHA! Night on November 12, the park’s official 30th anniversary.

At the Visitor Center, the park’s 1850s Ladies will also share traditional techniques and recipes for “putting up” food for the colder months. Through costumed living history, they bring the past to life with authentic clothing, stories, and hands-on demonstrations based on real historical practices. (5:30-7:30 PM)

As part of the anniversary celebration, the Nathan and Polly Johnson House will be open to guests, courtesy of the New Bedford Historical Society. The house at 21 Seventh Street is a designated National Historic Landmark, an official partner site, and a featured site on the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Nathan and Polly Johnson, prominent African American abolitionists in New Bedford, sheltered many people escaping slavery. It was here, in September 1838, that Frederick Douglass found freedom, a new name, and, with his wife Anna, his first home in freedom. Bring your Collector Card to get it stamped after you explore this important place! (5:30-7:00 PM)

AHA! NIGHT TOURS

AHA stands for Art, History, and Architecture, and a free AHA! Night Tour covers all three. Explore downtown New Bedford’s rich culture, public art, and striking historic architecture, with stops along the way to take in some of the evening’s live experiences. Docent tours are led by our friends at New Bedford Food Tours and begin at 5:00 and 5:30 PM by the AHA! welcome table in the Star Store. Tours last approximately 45-60 minutes, and you’re welcome to hop off at any point to explore other AHA! Night activities on your own. No registration required.

Additional AHA! Night activities include:

• Visit the New Bedford Main Library’s Youth Services for free tarot card readings by Maureen and a Spooky Doodles Workshop with local author and art educator Cara Bean. Families can also shop the Friends of the Library’s Book Sale and check out Art From Inside, the new exhibit on the 3rd floor. (3-6:00 PM)
• See this year’s display of jack-o’-lanterns carved by community members at the Great Pumpkin Parade at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum. Enjoy lawn games in the garden and a scavenger hunt with prizes inside the mansion, and stay for an AHA! Moments performance by the Toe Jam Puppet Band at 5:30 PM. (4-8:00 PM)
• Young adults ages 16-25 are invited to take the mic at the Beyond House Young Adult Access Center’s open mic, with poetry, spoken word, rap, acoustic music, karaoke favorites, and a youth talent spotlight every 30 minutes. (4-8:00 PM)
• Come by if you dare! Step into YouthBuild New Bedford’s spooky photo booth, snap a photo, and have a frightfully fun time. (4-7:30 PM)
• Enjoy free admission to the New Bedford Whaling Museum galleries. Go on a scavenger hunt to find the whales, climb aboard the Lagoda, the Museum’s half-scale model of a whaleship, or explore galleries filled with art, artifacts, and stories from New Bedford’s maritime past. (4-5:00 PM)
• Ahoy, mateys! Gather your crew for the Cardboard Boat Regatta Challenge at Bristol Community College. Using only cardboard and tape, design and build a vessel, then put it to the test to see which boats stay afloat and carry the most treasure. All are welcome, and no experience is needed. (4-8:00 PM)
• It’s open lab night at New Bedford Research and Robotics. Tour the lab, meet the robots, and paint a 3D-printed clay plant pot while supplies last. (4:30-6:30 PM)
• Drop by 3rd EyE’s community incubator for an evening of creativity, connections, and community conversations. Enjoy hands-on activities and resources with Little Alchemy Lab, South East Recovery Learning Community, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern MA, Clear the Lens, and The Foster Families Program. There will also be a Free Wall and Window Gallery activation and 15 Songs 15 Scenes: Visualizations of Mr. Z, a visual art exhibit by The ZYG 808. (4:30-6:30 PM)
• Enjoy free admission to the New Bedford Art Museum and explore agriCULTURAL: A Biennial Exhibition, featuring work by artists who are farmers, farmers who are artists, and artists deeply inspired by agriculture (5-8:00 PM). Then join Reel Talk with Professor Mocha for a screening of Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner, with pre- and post-film discussion. (8-9:30 PM)
• In anticipation of Leif Erikson Day, join the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center for Norwegian Heritage Night, a celebration of Norwegian history and culture. Discover the important role Norwegian immigrants played in developing New Bedford’s commercial fishing industry, and enjoy traditional costumes, art demonstrations, and family-friendly craft activities. The Center’s exhibit space will be open for free throughout the event. (5-8:00 PM)
• There are seven ways to explore and create at the Star Store, inside and out: a printmaking workshop with artist Taylor Hickey supported by DATMA; a bilingual paper embroidery workshop with Paulinarte Art & Writing Collective; the opening of Salty Stitches, a textile exhibition by Cheryl Deane, with a hands-on embroidery activity; the American Dream exhibition featuring ten artists; Ben Berke’s Dead Whale City screenprinting pop-up; folklore creature tracking with the Trustees’ Mobile Adventures team; and monster rock and black cat painting with the New Bedford Art Museum’s ArtMOBILE. (5-8:00 PM)
• Decorate pumpkins and enjoy guitar music and singing with Dan and friends at Pilgrim United Church of Christ and Mercy Meals & More. (5-7:00 PM)
• Celebrate harvest season by learning how to craft a traditional corn husk doll at the First Unitarian Church. Corn husk dolls have been made for centuries across the Americas. (5:30-7:30 PM)
• Keep your eyes peeled for hidden pumpkins around downtown! Bring a pumpkin labeled with a raffle ticket to Nativity Preparatory School for a chance to win a local gift card and a special painted pumpkin. You can also decorate a pumpkin in the Nativity Prep lobby while supplies last. (5:30-6:30 PM)
• Come visit Serlingpa Meditation Center and try out a brief talk and meditation about planting the seeds for the harvest you want. (5:30-7:00 PM)
• In an AHA! Seaport Session, Tamari performs live at Luisa Édit/House of Gamboa, one of downtown’s newest women’s boutiques. Listen to this award-winning independent vocalist while celebrating new businesses, fashion, music, and community. (6-7:00 PM)
• Area artists reveal the spooky side of their work at Arts Illuminated, a live art talk show and sale hosted by The New Bedford Light at the Steeple Playhouse, with interviews by local art entrepreneur Devin “Nived” McLaughlin. Stay for the Afterglow reception to meet the artists and explore their work. (6-8:30 PM)
• The Zeiterion’s Jazz Jam returns to the Speakeasy with Emmanuel “Manny” Escobar and Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor. Musicians, vocalists, visual artists, and audience members are welcome. Note: The first 30 minutes will be dedicated to young people/students offering their talents in the jam. (6-8:00 PM)
• Catch a free improv comedy show from Badger Management at the Workers’ Arts Center. Seats are first-come, first-served. (6-6:45 PM)
• Listen to the Buttonwood Brass Band from 6-8:00 PM during their AHA! Night residency at the Harbor Hotel.
• Anomaly Poetry’s open mic night returns to 3rd EyE. Begins at 7:00 PM and continues until 9:00 PM or until the poems run out, whichever comes first!
• Catch a live performance by Jill McCracken at The Art Box Frame Shop. McCracken has earned several Boston Music Awards nominations and won the New England Music Awards’ Soul/R&B Act of the Year. (7-8:00 PM)
• Experience Love Moves: The Healing Power of Dance with dancer, wellness instructor, and yoga teacher Jaelynn William at Sangha Yoga NB, a movement-based flow that builds from grounded and slow to playful and rhythmic. For this AHA! Moment, doors open at 7:00 PM, and class begins at 7:30 PM. (7-9:00 PM)
• Grab a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants and bars in downtown New Bedford.
• Downtown boutiques and galleries will be open late so you can browse and shop.
• AHA! After Dark experiences include Karaoke Night at Bento’s with DJ Big Chan (8-10:00 PM), the Neal McCarthy Trio at Pour Farm Tavern (8-11:30 PM), AAAHHHhhh After Dark with Wamptronica in the Zeiterion Speakeasy (8-10:00 PM), and Karaoke at PLAY Arcade (8-midnight).

AHA! NIGHT FAST FACTS

• AHA! Nights are always free and open to the public.
• Look for the yellow flags! Most participating locations will prominently display a yellow AHA! flag to help you find AHA! Night activities.
• Park for free on AHA! Nights at the Elm Street and Zeiterion Garages.
• Museums, galleries, and shops will be open late.
• Find the most up-to-date schedule on the AHA! website. (Events are added every day!)
• On AHA! Night, a printed program can be found at the AHA! Welcome Table in the Star Store, the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Visitor Center, the New Bedford Art Museum, the New Bedford Free Public Library, and the Zeiterion.

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. AHA! is now an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Learn more and support AHA! Donate at ahanewbedford.org/donate.

AHA! Moments is supported in part by the Art is Everywhere grant funded by the City of New Bedford, through its Arts, Culture & Tourism Fund and is facilitated by New Bedford Creative at the NBEDC. The New Bedford Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, also supports AHA! Moments, as well as Seaport Sessions and the Docent Program.