Portland, Maine is buzzing this week, so let’s map out a game plan for listeners who want to make the most of it.

Tonight, you can lean into some reflection and quiet at the annual Blue Christmas Service at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Portland. According to the Diocese of Portland’s event calendar, this gentle, contemplative gathering is designed for anyone who finds the holidays a little heavy, with candlelight, music, and space to honor grief and complicated feelings while still tapping into hope and community.

If you’re craving something louder later on, Flask Lounge on Spring Street has its True Bass B2B’s night. The Flask Lounge events calendar lists this as a late-night electronic and bass-heavy dance session running from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., perfect if you want to trade holiday stress for a dark room, deep beats, and a cheap drink.

Looking ahead to Friday, holiday magic gets a little fancier at Stevens Square Theater on Stevens Avenue, where Visit New England highlights Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings. Picture a chamber ensemble bathed in candlelight, classic carols echoing around an intimate neighborhood theater, and you tucked into a cozy seat with friends before or after dinner in Woodfords Corner.

Saturday is your big night out downtown. Ticketmaster lists A Hometown Holiday with 12/OC and Friends at the Cross Insurance Arena, a full-on holiday concert featuring the Maine country band 12/OC with guest performers. Expect big sing-along choruses, original tunes with a local flavor, and the kind of crowd energy you only get when the hometown heroes take a big stage. It’s a great anchor for a whole Old Port night: grab dinner on Commercial Street, hit the show, then warm up afterward at a Wharf Street pub.

For families or anyone who just wants to soak in some seasonal atmosphere, the city’s own assets help fill in the gaps. Portland’s recreation listings show Troubh Ice Arena hopping this week with local hockey and skating sessions; while some slots are league play, public skate blocks are a classic way to glide into the weekend, then head over to the Old Port for lights, shopping, and hot chocolate.

However you shape it, you can build a week that moves from quiet candles to pulsing dance floors, from string quartets to arena country, all within a few square miles of Portland’s waterfront.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI