• HOT TICKETS

Music and Nightlife: Festival packs a musical punch

MORE THAN 50 bands are playing over a four-day period in Bangor this weekend. That’s quite an explosion of music in one town, isn’t it? No wonder they call it KahBang. Scheduled acts include The Deftones, Wale, Bad Rabbits, Bassnectar and many more. The annual KahBang Festival runs through Sunday, but the music is Thursday through Saturday.

WHEN: Music starts at 5 p.m. Thursday and 12:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and ends around midnight each night.

WHERE: Bangor Waterfront Pavilion, 1 Railroad St.

HOW MUCH: $35 to $105

INFO: kahbang.com

Art and Theater: Leisner, Arnold open quartet’s season

THE PORTLAND STRING QUARTET opens its 19th season with a concert featuring the Portland debut of one of the world’s leading classical guitarists, David Leisner, and renowned soprano Tony Arnold. The program includes music by Boccherini, Hindemith and Dvorak.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: Abromson Community Center, University of Southern Maine, 80 Bedford St., Portland

HOW MUCH: $30; free for ages 21 and younger; $10 student rush tickets

INFO: (800) 320-0257; pcmf.org

Dining and Drink: Italian treats abound at St. Peter’s festival

FEAST on classic Italian foods such as pizza, Italian sausage, cannoli, pizzelle and Italian cookies at the 87th annual St. Peter’s Italian Street Festival.

WHEN: 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: 72 Federal St., Portland

HOW MUCH: Free admission, but bring cash for food

INFO: 773-7746

Et Cetera: Probing a solar system mystery

NASA JUST landed another rover on Mars, but just as intriguing is the IBEX probe launched in 2008 to explore the mysterious membrane enclosing our solar system. This full-dome show documents the mission.

WHEN: 11 a.m. Thursday; 7 p.m. Friday

WHERE: University of Southern Maine Southworth Planetarium, 96 Falmouth St., Portland

HOW MUCH: $5 and $6

INFO: usm.maine.edu/planet

 

• CHEAP THRILLS

Music and Nightlife: Mallett Brothers for free

SUMMER WON’T LAST forever, so get your free outdoor concerts while you can. The Alive at Five series in Monument Square continues Thursday with The Mallett Brothers Band (alt-country) and CuLLu (reggae).

WHEN: 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: Monument Square, corner of Congress and Elm streets, Portland

HOW MUCH: Free

INFO: portlandmaine.com

Art and Theater: Paluska to show sculptures, paintings

DUANE PALUSKA, founder and director of ICON Contemporary Art in Brunswick, will show his own work featuring small sculptures in wood and a group of paintings related to the sculptures.

WHEN: Opening reception,4 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Through Sept. 8.

WHERE: ICON Contemporary Art, 19 Mason St., Brunswick

HOW MUCH: Free

INFO: 725-8157

Dining and Drink: Get a sense of grub aboard sailing ships

SEE HOW food was prepared on wooden sailing ships in the mid-1800s during a cooking demonstration by food historian Susan McLellan Plaisted.

WHEN: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. It’s an ongoing demonstration, so you can show up anytime during the three-hour period.

WHERE: Cushing Point Museum, Bug Light Park, 1 Madison St., South Portland

HOW MUCH: Free

INFO: 767-7299; sphistory.org

Et Cetera: Smirkus kids prepare for takeoff

CATCH up-and-coming circus talent as the Circus Smirkus students bring their traveling show to Kennebunkport and perform amazing acrobatic feats.

WHEN: 1 and 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday

WHERE: Rockin’ Horse Stables, 245 Arundel Road, Kennebunkport

HOW MUCH: $16 to $19

INFO: 216-7075