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The 1932 Criterion Theatre, Bar Harbor’s beloved Art Deco cultural landmark, has unveiled its first full schedule following this spring’s milestone change of ownership. The upcoming slate of events officially gets underway Saturday, July 5, with a very special Reopening Celebration concert headlined by veteran San Francisco Bay Area rock band The Mother Hips with support from GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer-songwriter Leslie Mendelson. Tickets are on sale now HERE.
From there, the 1932 Criterion Theatre will present a diverse program of concerts and live performances from a wide-ranging array of internationally known musicians, comedians, and popular local artists. Highlights include not-to-be-missed shows by New York Times best-selling author and humorist David Sedaris (July 12), GRAMMY® Award-nominated indie-pop band Lucius (July 24), stand-up comedian and author Colin Quinn (July 26), local favorite comedian Bob Marley (August 8), critically acclaimed indie-rock band The Mountain Goats with special guest Craig Finn (August 12), a solo evening with GRAMMY® Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter, and composer Chris Thile (August 16), 8x GRAMMY® Award-winning Western Swing legends Asleep at the Wheel (August 27), Jamaican reggae and dancehall superstar Barrington Levy (August 28), beloved Boston, MA-based singer-songwriter Livingston Taylor (September 13), 3x GRAMMY® Award-winning Americana icon Steve Earle (October 11), and much more. A full schedule is below. For complete details and ticket availability, please visit www.criteriontheatre.org/events.
In addition, the Criterion will be screening an eclectic variety of classic and contemporary films including 2024’s acclaimed Lost on a Mountain in Maine (June 14-20), Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (June 21-22), the 2025 documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin (June 25-28), 2022’s blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, (July 2-4), Jonathan Demme’s seminal 1984 Talking Heads concert film, Stop Making Sense (July 6-7), 2008’s Mamma Mia! (July 18-19), the riveting 2014 rock climbing documentary Valley Uprising (July 20-21), and 2021’s acclaimed portrait of solo climber Marc-André Leclerc, The Alpinist (July 28-29), with more to be announced soon. A complete schedule and showtimes can be found HERE.
The 1932 Criterion Theatre has been a vital artistic cornerstone of the Mount Desert Island community since first opening in 1932. One of only two remaining Art Deco theaters in the state of Maine, the Criterion is the only one to have maintained its original auditorium, including its iconic floating balcony. This spring saw the Criterion renew its long-term commitment to MDI and the surrounding communities with the transfer of all assets to Harper House Music Foundation (HHMF), a non-profit public charity focused on supporting music communities and arts education. Founded by longtime Bar Harbor summer residents Stephen and Allison Sullens, HHMF pledged $1 million in operational, programming, and preservation support while also announcing plans to partner with local stakeholders to steward the Criterion’s future as a vibrant, community-centered performing arts venue. In addition, HHMF will seed the “HHMF Criterion Theatre Preservation Fund,” a donor-advised fund established with the Maine Community Foundation to accept donations to support the iconic venue and further its community and music initiatives.
“We are truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of community support for the Criterion,” says HHMF co-founder Allison Sullens. “It reminds us that together we can achieve remarkable things.”
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THE 1932 CRITERION THEATRE - 2025 SCHEDULE
JUNE
29 – Spencer and the Walrus: An Evening of Beatles Music
JULY
5 – Reopening Celebration: The Mother Hips with Special Guest Leslie Mendelson
11 – Badfish: Tribute To Sublime with Gorilla Finger Dub
12 – An Evening with David Sedaris
13 – Jammy Buffet
15-16 – Bar Harbor Music Festival presents Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love
24 – Lucius with Special Guests Spencer Albee & Zachary Bence
25 – Griffin William Sherry
26 – Colin Quinn
AUGUST
3 – The Thurston Howell Band Yacht Rock Spectacular
5 – Darlingside with Special Guest Oshima Brothers
8 – Bob Marley (Comedian)
12 – The Mountain Goats with Special Guest Craig Finn
15 – Dave Gutter & Rigometrics
16 – A Solo Evening of Music with Chris Thile
20 – The Outlaws
22 – Pink Talking Fish: A Fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish
23 – Orleans (Quartet)
27 – Asleep At The Wheel with Special Guest Jay Bragg
28 – Barrington Levy with Special Guest Mighty Mystic
29 – Mamma Mania!: NYC’s Premier ABBA Tribute
30 – Chris Janson with Special Guest Joe Lasher
31 – Tall Heights with Special Guest Louisa Stancioff
SEPTEMBER
13 – Livingston Taylor
OCTOBER
11 – Steve Earle: Fifty Years of Songs and Stories (Solo & Acoustic)
24 – TUSK: The Classic Tribute to Fleetwood Mac
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ABOUT HARPER HOUSE MUSIC FOUNDATION (“HHMF”):
HHMF is centered around grantmaking to organizations serving musicians and investments that address “need gaps” where infrastructure and funding are lacking. HHMF has collaborated with and contributed to such vital charitable and educational organizations as the Americana Music Foundation, the Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie Centers, Berklee College of Music, Backline, Music Will, the Neal Casal Music Foundation, and Newport Festivals Foundation, while also working with such notable artists as Natalie Merchant, T-Bone Burnett, Rosanne Cash and Rhiannon Giddens. For more information, please visit harperhousemusicfoundation.org.
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