Hampton Beach Memorial Day weekend 2024: Music, shows and more on tap

HAMPTON — Memorial Day will mark the start of the 2024 season at Hampton Beach with live music on the Seashell Stage and the first of many firework displays scheduled for this summer.

Fireworks are slated to be set off from the sand at Hampton Beach Sunday night, according to the Hampton Beach Village District following a performance by the Continentals on the Seashell Stage. Hampton Beach Village District Commission Chair Chuck Rage said about 90% of the businesses on the beach will be open this Memorial Day weekend. Restaurants like the Boardwalk Café, Bernie’s Beach Bar and L Street Tavern will have special events happening.

The success of the weekend, business owners say, will depend on the weather.

“The weekend is looking fairly decent,” said Traci Schaake, manager at the Boardwalk Café. “We’re geared up and ready to go.”

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Memorial Day fireworks hinge on plover nesting

Fireworks at Hampton Beach for the 2024 season are scheduled to kick-off at 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Last year saw the return of Memorial Day fireworks after the display was canceled due to nearby nesting piping plovers in 2021 and 2022.

The plovers, a protected species, began nesting closer than usual to the fireworks in those two years, causing them to be canceled. Last year, New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said the birds had moved further north and south from the fireworks launch site that is located near 200 Ocean Blvd., giving the green light for the shows to resume last May.

Rage said he had not heard from state officials on the status of the birds’ nesting this year. Town officials have said the birds likely first nested close to the fireworks in the summer of 2020 because no one was allowed on the beach due to COVID-19.

Brendan Clifford, a biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game, said his department is still watching the plovers closely in regard to their nests and proximity to fireworks.

“We are monitoring the activity of the birds right now, and as new birds arrive, we are monitoring that too and seeing if they are establishing nests,” Clifford said. “We will be in talks with (New Hampshire State) Parks on whether or not fireworks would be recommended.”

Those in the hospitality industry say the fireworks are critical to a successful Memorial Day Weekend. Beachgoers often watch from their outdoor tables at restaurants like the Boardwalk and Sea Ketch.

“That’s going to be a big bonus for us,” Schaake said.

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Village District, businesses gear up for live music, special events

Eastern Sound will take the Seashell Stage Saturday at 7 p.m., followed by the Continentals on Sunday night at the same time. Live music will be available at restaurants and venues around the beach as well, with the band Ripe playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bernie’s Beach Bar. Other places with music include the Boardwalk, McGuirk’s, L Street Tavern and the Sea Ketch.

Saturday’s Seashell Stage performance will be preceded by a special presentation at 6 p.m. there honoring local veteran Frank Loopley who turned 100 years old this spring. Loopley, who served in World War II, is considered like family to many on the beach, according to Lisa Martineau, marketing director for the Village District.

“Even people that don’t know him personally know the man on the scooter who wears a World War II hat,” Martineau said. “He is Hampton Beach.”

Other special events include a fundraising raffle at L Street Tavern for a 2010 Harley Davidson Roade Glide motorcycle built by Paul Yaffe. L Street owner Jake Magro said the proceeds will go to a woman struggling with a rare and aggressive form of Alzheimer’s disease at 57 years old. Tickets are $25 each with five tickets available for $100.

Businesses opening for the season this weekend include the Big Bad on Ashworth Avenue, which is holding the grand opening of its new tent Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. Swell Oyster Company’s Shuck Shack will also be open for the first time at 3 D Street Friday from 12 to 9 p.m. with its new raw bar and patio.

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Police to step up patrols at Hampton Beach

Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno said his department will increase the number of patrols at the beach this weekend with the help of outside departments like the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office. He said there will be a “hyper focus” on the routes coming into town like Route 101 and Interstate 95.

Reno said he and public safety officials were scheduled to meet at the Seashell Stage Friday for a press conference about activity this weekend. He said police will be trying to get ahead of any violent behavior by addressing drinking early in the day. He said most problems are caused by alcohol and day drinking with altercations and disruptions happening in the night.

“If you’re underaged and consuming alcohol, you’re going to get arrested,” Reno said. “There’s no tolerance for open containers of alcohol on the beach or in the town.”

Like business owners, Reno said the weather plays a big part in how Memorial Day goes for beach activity. With weather projected to be sunny this weekend, he said he hopes visitors to the beach respect the law and remain peaceful.

“We want people to be here and enjoy themselves,” Reno said, “But we want them to do so safely and lawfully.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach Memorial Day weekend 2024: Music, shows and more on tap