• HOT TICKETS

Music and Nightlife: Aaron Carter to take the stage at Asylum

AARON CARTER is only 25? How can that be? It has something to do with the huge demand for pre-teen pop singers by pre-teen audiences. The pop singer and brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter has already been working in the biz for a dozen or more years, so it just seems like he’s been around forever.

WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Asylum, 121 Center St., Portland

HOW MUCH: $15; all ages

INFO: portlandasylum.com

Art and Theater: Bowdoin launches Festival Fridays

THE BOWDOIN International Music Festival begins its Festival Fridays concert series with works by Mozart, Brahms, and Shostakovich. Featured performers include flutist Linda Chesis, the Grammy Award-winning Ying Quartet, and violinists and husband-and-wife team Ilya and Olga Kaler.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Crooker Theater, Brunswick High School, 116 Maquoit Road

HOW MUCH: $40

INFO: 725-3895; bowdoinfestival.org

Dining and Drink: Lobster, pork feast at Shady Oak Farm

FEAST ON PORK AND LOBSTER at the annual Pig Roast and Lobster Bake held the night before the big Cape Farm Alliance Strawberry Festival.

WHEN: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Shady Oak Farm, 30 Fowler Road, Cape Elizabeth

HOW MUCH: $30. Tickets are available at Jordan’s Farm, 21 Wells Road, and Alewives Farms, 83 Old Ocean House Road, Cape Elizabeth

INFO: capefarmalliance.org

Et Cetera: See toy theater at Mayo Street Arts

CONTRARY TO what Disney might tell you, the characters in “Toy Story” are not an example of toy theater. Toy theater is the term usually used to describe an art form, popular in the 19th century, where performances were put on with tiny paper cut-outs of characters. You can see it for yourself when the International Toy Theater Traveling Festival hits town.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St., Portland

HOW MUCH: $10 to $12

INFO: Mayostreetarts.org

• CHEAP THRILLS

Music and Nightlife: David Mallett in free Mill Creek Park show

LEGENDARY MAINE singer-songwriter David Mallett didn’t become legendary overnight. He works at it by playing to fans all over the state — and the country, for that matter. On Wednesday, he’ll do a free show at Mill Creek Park in South Portland to kick off the park’s summer concert series.

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: Mill Creek Park, Broadway and Ocean Street, South Portland

HOW MUCH: Free

INFO: southportland.org

Art and Theater: Abstracts, encaustics on view in Westbrook

BARBARA BRADY shows landscape-inspired abstract works and Anne Bernard displays her encaustics in a new exhibition at Saccarappa Art Collective in Westbrook.

WHEN: Reception, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Saccarappa Art Collective, 861 Main Street, Westbrook

HOW MUCH: Free

INFO: 591-7300

Dining and Drink: Greek goodies galore at festival

LAMB SOUVLAKI, LOUKOMADES, spanakopita and lots of other delicious Greek dishes await you at the annual Greek Festival. In addition to savory, homemade Greek dishes and sweet pastries, you’ll find live music and traditional dancing.

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today through Saturday

WHERE: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church grounds, 133 Pleasant St., Portland

HOW MUCH: Many plates are under $10. Homemade pastries are sold separately.

INFO: 774-0281; holytrinityportland.org/festival.asp

Et Cetera: Strawberries in the spotlight Saturday

IF YOU HAVEN’T noticed, the strawberries are ripe for the picking. Fill up on fresh berries, shortcake and the like at the South Berwick Strawberry Festival, where there will also be live entertainment and artisans.

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Central School, 197 Main St., South Berwick

HOW MUCH: Free admission; food and crafts sold

INFO: Southberwickstrawberryfestival.com