Portland’s Resurgam festival expanding into the Old Port

Portland's Resurgam Festival Doubles in Size, Bringing Free Local Music Back to the Old Port

A free Portland music festival born in the wake of a beloved local tradition is growing up this summer, expanding from a single day along the waterfront to a two-day event that will spread stages and sounds throughout the Old Port.

The Resurgam Music and Arts Festival will run June 13 and 14, marking its first multi-day format since launching in 2022. For its first three years, the festival was held as a one-day outdoor event along Portland's eastern waterfront. This year, organizers are adding new outdoor stages in the heart of the Old Port and partnering with local bars and restaurants to host indoor concerts.

Roughly 30 performances are scheduled across the two days, with an emphasis on homegrown talent. Confirmed acts include Cilla Bonnie, The Speed of Sound, Forget Forget, Coyote Island, Raging Brass, Graham Gantner and several groups from the Maine Academy of Modern Music, known locally as MAMM.

The festival is taking over the geographic footprint once occupied by the Old Port Festival, which ran for 46 years before ending in 2019. Resurgam was created in part to help fill the void left by that event's conclusion.

"It's good to see them growing. Resurgam brings people to the area and arguably they're buying a sandwich or something else while they're here," said Cary Tyson, executive director of Portland Downtown, the organization that had organized the Old Port Festival. "We're thrilled they're doing this."

Jeff Shaw, a festival founder and executive director of MAMM, said the decision to expand came after hearing from local merchants who appreciated the surge in business the festival generated and wanted more of it.

"Portland is known for its food scene and beer scene, but it has a great live music scene and we want to celebrate that part of Portland," Shaw said. "Creative Portland has its First Friday Art Walk and this is our version of a rock walk."

The schedule is split between outdoor and indoor programming. On June 13, outdoor stages will operate from 5 to 8 p.m. at Old Port Square and on Dana Street, followed by evening shows at several Old Port venues, including 3 Dollar Deweys, Amigos, Brickyard Hollow Brewery, Gritty McDuff's, Portland Lobster Company, Ri Ra Irish Pub, The Porthole and The Thirsty Pig. On June 14, three outdoor stages will run from noon to 7 p.m. near the Ocean Gateway marine terminal, including sites at Moon Tide Park and Amythyst Park.

A pair of ticketed shows are also connected to the festival: a King Kyote concert at Live at Madrid's on the evening of June 14, and a Lady Gaga tribute show at Portland House of Music on the evening of June 13 to mark Pride month.

MAMM, which sponsors music education programs for young musicians, had operated a student and faculty stage on Dana Street at the Old Port Festival for years. That presence will return this year, with a MAMM stage back on Dana Street as part of the expanded Resurgam.

Shaw emphasized that while the festival is moving into the Old Port territory where its predecessor thrived, it is not meant to replace it. The focus, he said, remains squarely on local music and musicians.

"This is a great way for people to see and hear what local musicians are up to," said Bonnie, a Portland singer-songwriter scheduled to perform on June 13.

The city of Portland is backing the expansion with a $10,000 grant. Jessica Grondin, the city's director of communications, said the support is intended to help "bring more music, more visitors and more economic activity to local businesses while strengthening Portland's vibrant arts and culture scene."

The festival's name draws from Portland's city motto, adopted in 1832: "Resurgam," Latin for "I shall rise again." The motto references Portland's recovery from the British naval bombardment of 1775 and a major fire in 1866. Organizers also saw the name as fitting when the festival launched as pandemic restrictions on large gatherings were lifting and the city was returning to a more normal rhythm of life.

Resurgam was first held at Thompson's Point on outer Congress Street before relocating to the Portland waterfront after its inaugural year, a move designed to make the event more accessible and to provide more parking.

A complete schedule of acts and performance times is available at resurgamfestival.com.