PORTSMOUTH — The 49th annual Market Square Day festival and 10K road race will be held in the city’s downtown area Saturday, June 13.
Pro Portsmouth Executive Director Barbara Massar stated road race registration and vendor booth registration are both full and closed.
Here’s a look at what you need to know before going to the event:
When is the Market Square Day 10K road race?
The race will begin at 9 a.m. in Market Square, with 1,000 runners expected to run through city neighborhoods on a course that finishes on Marcy Street with hospitality offerings at Strawbery Banke Museum.
Who are the vendors for Market Square Day in 2026?
Nearly 200 tents will line downtown streets, featuring local businesses, nonprofits and craftspeople. The food vendors will be concentrated mostly on Pleasant Street. A new food vendor for this year’s festival will be The Ramen Club, a restaurant that opened in Portsmouth in 2025. Flatbread Co. and Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club will serve from their Congress Street storefronts. Pro Portsmouth has published a complete list of all vendors.
Who are the music performers?
Here’s the schedule for the Pleasant Street stage:
- The Maine Marimba Ensemble (11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.): The ensemble is known for complex polyrhythmic arrangements of traditional and contemporary Zimbabwean music.
- NH Ukeladies (12:45-1:30 p.m.): The Ukeladies were established in 2010 as a group of mostly women who wanted to learn to play the ukulele in their communities.
- Dave Hunter and The Seven Hundred (2-2:45 p.m.): Formed in 2025 after two decades of original music making in the Northeast, the band is launching its live efforts by recapturing the best of the songs of Hunter’s former award-winning band, The Molenes, plus new songs, too.
- The Chickenshack Bluegrass Band (3:15-4 p.m.): The dynamic bluegrass band has influences from classic rock, country and beyond, with five lead singers and high-octane harmonies.
Which roads will close during the 10K road race?
Rolling closures starting at 9 a.m. during the 10K race are as follows:
- Congress Street (In front of North Church)
- Congress Street to Islington Street
- Islington Street to Summer Street
- Summer Street to State Street
- State Street to Memorial Bridge
- Bow Street to Hanover Street
- Hanover Street to Maplewood Avenue
- Maplewood Avenue to Dennett Street
- Dennett Street to Woodbury Avenue
- Woodbury Avenue to Bartlett Street
- Bartlett Street to Islington Street
- Islington Street to Essex Avenue
- Essex Avenue to Middle Road
- Middle Road to South Street
- South Street to Middle Street
- Middle Street to Miller Avenue
- Miller Avenue to South Street
- South Street to Marcy Street
- Marcy Street to finish in front of the Strawbery Banke Museum/Liberty Pole
Which streets are closed to parking during Market Square Day?
Metered parking will be enforced on Market Square Day, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
These streets will be closed to on-street parking from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.:
- Congress Street
- Market Street (Bow Street to the Square)
- Ladd Street
- Fleet Street (State St.- Hanover)
- Chestnut Street (Congress Street to Porter Street)
- Porter Street
- Church Street (State to the Square)
- Pleasant Street (State Street to the Square)
- Penhallow Street
- Daniel Street (Chapel Street to the Square)
- High Street (the Square to the Hanover Garage)
More to know about Market Square Day 2026
The logo: Artist Carolyn Vibbert’s submission was chosen as this year’s Market Square Day logo. It will appear on all 10K road race and volunteer T-shirts as well as the festival T-shirt, which will be available at the Pro Portsmouth booth in Market Square during the event, as well as on the Pro Portsmouth website in partnership with Blue Dolphin:
Volunteers: A limited number of volunteer opportunities remain available for both the road race and festival. Go to proportsmouth.org/volunteer or contact Amanda Gourgue at 433-4398 Ext. 4 or [email protected].
Sponsors: The nonprofit Pro Portsmouth says the 2026 Program Partners are Mass General Brigham Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, Ocean Properties, The Fabulous Find, and Lonza. Road Race Title Sponsor is Atlantic Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. Festival and race supporting sponsors are M&T Bank, Harrigan Insurance, Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, When Pigs Fly Bread, Marathon Sports, Alpha Graphics, Blue Dolphin, Ad Cetera Graphics, Hannaford and LMNT.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.seacoastonline.com ’
