‘Pony’
7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday. Through Sept. 4 (no show on Aug. 28). Mechanics’ Hall, 519 Congress St., Portland, $20 to $100. portlandtheaterfestival.org
The Portland Theater Festival winds down with a play called “Pony” by Sylvan Oswald that runs for a few weeks at Mechanics’ Hall. Pony is a formerly incarcerated trans man who decides to start over in a small rural town. There, he falls for a murder-obsessed waitress while questions about his past start to bubble up to the surface. “Pony” examines generational differences, as well as class and gender, in a meaningful way.

Brunswick Outdoor Arts Festival
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Downtown Brunswick. brunswickoutdoorfest.com
There are plenty of reasons to head to the 16th annual Brunswick Outdoor Arts Festival on Saturday. The event features more than 80 exhibiting and demonstrating artisans who will be set up on the sidewalks and the Town Mall on Maine Street. Additionally, you’ll find 10 specialty product vendors and several kids’ activities, including jugglers, clowns and hula hooping. A stage will be set up in front of Bank of America, and you can catch performances by Jimmy Jo and the Jumbol’ Ayuhs (Cajun), Backwoods Road (bluegrass) and Liza & The Erratics (swing and jazz). Or you might hear roving musicians playing many genres throughout the day.

River Jam & Fringe Festival
Friday and Saturday. Downtown locations, Biddeford. riverjamfest.com
Celebrating its eight year, the River Jam & Fringe Festival is a free, two-day celebration of the arts, music and food in Biddeford. The Friday night Fringe Festival is from 5-9 p.m. on Main Street and Shevenell Park, where you’ll find all sorts of theater, dance, music, visual arts and spoken word performances. Saturday’s River Jam festival features live music and family activities including a water slide in Mechanics Park. You’ll also see Bollywood dancers, and if you’re of age, you can enjoy the beer and wine garden. Musical acts include Mehuman Music, Love By Numb3rs and Coyote Island. Several food trucks will be parked all over the place, and the evening will end on an exciting note with fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

Rails & Ales
6, 7 and 8 p.m. Friday. Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, 49 Thames St., Portland, $16 to $25. mainenarrowgauge.org/rails-ales
Who doesn’t love a train ride? Kick back in Portland’s East End aboard the Maine Narrow Gauge train as you sip a tasty beverage and take in the ocean views. If you’re 21 or older, your options are a locally-brewed beer or hard seltzer, and for everyone else, there will be sodas, fruit juices and non-alcoholic seltzers. After your adventure, head out into the night and find dinner at dozens of restaurants on and around the waterfront. The final ride of the summer is on Sept. 2.