Portsmouth Recreation Department

CLICK HERE to register for any Rec programs.

If Portsmouth Recreation is forced to cancel a program, a full refund will be issued by check by the City of Portsmouth. 

Program Cancellation: 

Refund requests must be submitted in writing (email is fine) and will be granted up until two weeks before the start of the program, minus a $5.00 processing fee. Refunds are issued in the form of a check and usually take two to three weeks to process. If a request is made within two weeks prior to the start of the program, refunds will be given for medical reasons or if the Recreation Department is able to fill the spot with another participant. Once a program has started, we are not able to offer a refund.

Facility Rental Cancellations:

• September - May: Must be made more than 2-weeks in advance of start date of the scheduled rental for a refund, minus a $25 cancellation fee.  
• June - August: If you have reserved a facility or field for the summer months of June/July/August, all refund requests must be made by MAY 15. Following May 15, refunds will only be issued if another rental can fill the spot you reserved.  A $25 cancellation fee will be applied, if a refund is granted.
• For non-paid rentals, the same timeline is requested.

Summer Camps Cancellation (different than the regular program cancellation policy): 

Camp Funstuff, Teen Explorers, Camp Funstuff Jr: All refund requests must be received by May 15. After May 15, refunds will only be given if the Recreation Department is able to fill the spot with another participant. All requests must be submitted in writing (email is fine). A $25.00 processing fee per child will be applied to all refunds. Refunds are issued in the form of a check, take two to three weeks to process and will be mailed to your home. 

**All summer programs are unique and may have a different refund policy. Please call/email and ask if you are in need of a refund.

Refund Request Form

Email to: bsullivan@portsmouthnh.gov

Mail/drop off to: Brinn Sullivan

Portsmouth Recreation Department

100 Campus Dr., Portsmouth, NH 03801

603-427-1547

For a brief video introduction and orientation to the Department, please click here.

On behalf of the Portsmouth Recreation Department we are pleased to offer you another season of fun and exciting programs. Our goal is to continue to offer a wide variety of recreational activities for the community. Our department thanks you for your continuous support and looks forward to seeing you all in a program soon.

Portsmouth Recreation is proud to participate in the #areuin? program.

By signing up for the #areuin? card, your student will have access to free or reduced pricing for programs run by the Recreation Department. No need to ask for help each time you want to participate. We note the discount on your account, and it will be automatically applied when you register.
Visit www.areuincard.org to apply.

For Recreation Department Programming Purposes, the term “resident” shall mean any person who presently is domiciled in the City of Portsmouth or who actually occupies residential property in the City. Any person aged 18 or below shall be considered a resident of the City if either parent or guardian meets the foregoing criteria. A person who owns real estate in the City but does not meet the foregoing definition of the term resident shall not be considered a resident. The determination as to whether any person meets the definition of resident at any time will be made solely by the Recreation Director or his/her designee. 

NEW FOR 2025: The last day to withdraw and receive a refund from a week of Camp Funstuff will be Friday, May 16, 2025. After May 16, refunds will only be granted to participants if the vacancy can be filled, minus a $25 withdrawal fee. 

When a program, activity or event becomes full, a waitlist will automatically be started by the MyRec software on a first come first served basis. Payment will not be taken when being added to the waitlist. Your wait list status will appear in your MyRec portal under “Registrations”. Residents and nonresidents can join the waitlist online, over the phone, or in person (depending on sign-up dates). If a spot becomes available, priority will be given to Portsmouth residents in the order that they joined the wait list; followed by nonresidents in the order that they joined the waitlist. 

Portsmouth Recreation staff will call or email those listed on the waitlist in the MyRec portal to notify them if a space opens. Response and payment must be made by the deadline assigned at notification to confirm your registration of the activity. 

*ACE program maintains its own waitlist by emailing cpmullin@portsmouthnh.gov

As a department, we use the MyRec.com registration platform. All program communications, receipts, team assignments, schedules, and membership details are done through this platform. When registering or updating your MyRec account, please allow notifications from the system to make sure you are getting all communications from the department.