Student and Educators Day
What If… students and educators could experience TEDxPortsmouth for FREE?
On Thursday, May 7, 2026 you can!
Seacoast area educators are invited to bring groups of engaged students in grades 8-12 to a unique behind-the-scenes opportunity to experience TEDxPortsmouth during our full dress rehearsal, the day before the official event.
In rehearsal, we run the show top to bottom, in order, from 12:00 -4:30 pm, including authentic moments where we pause to adjust lighting or tech, allow a speaker to gather their thoughts and hear feedback, and watch many of the backstage professionals doing their essential work to ensure a seamless event. At rehearsal, there’s plenty of room in The Music Hall for school groups, and the speakers and performers benefit from practicing in front of a live crowd.
Groups that have attended our main event in the past have been led by Librarians, English teachers, National Honor Society groups, principals/heads of school, and writing and stage production educators.
A unique educational opportunity
TED talks have become a valuable stream of supplementary learning in classrooms. They are even more powerful when all of the speakers live or work in our local communities and in most cases are willing and able to visit student classrooms. Many TEDxPortsmouth speakers have 10,000+, 100,000+, and even 1M+ YouTube views of their truly big ideas worth sharing. Our talks are popular online, but our event is a ‘must-attend’ in the Seacoast. Our in-person event at The Music Hall sells out each year (900 seats!) And thousands log in to watch our talks live.
For years, we have provided free tickets to local schools to allow small groups of students and educators to attend our event. The challenge has been creating opportunities for more students to access the experience of TEDxPortsmouth, despite space and cost limitations. Both schools and TEDx have wished for more– and we are thrilled to bring this new opportunity to you!
Want to experience TEDx but can’t attend Students & Educators Day?
View the free TEDx main event livestream (9am-3pm on Friday May 8th) from your classroom, little theater or auditorium. We can share the speaker schedule with participating teachers days in advance to pinpoint the timing of talks that you feel would be most engaging for their students– we shout out to participating schools and classrooms from the stage when possible!
Learn more about our non-profit organizations at TEDxPortsmouth.com & TheMusicHall.org
If you have any questions, please let us know.
We hope to see you on May 7th!
~TEDxPortsmouth & The Music Hall
