Summer fun incoming. Don’t head to the beach without sunscreen, and don’t plan your festival calendar without our guide to music during the hot season. We break down the highlights monthly in four simple categories: Local yokel, across the river, out of town and off the grid. Let the festing commence.
Local yokel
July 26-27: Cambridge Jazz Festival (Danehy Park, Cambridge)
The free jazz festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Sort of. The inaugural event took place in 2014; you have to fudge the math on account of years lost to the pandemic. The latest bill is blessed with a retrospective of the musical career of Terri Lyne Carrington, celebrated drummer, composer, producer, educator … and also the youngest person ever to get a union card in Boston (where she began her professional career at age 10)! Her educator credits include the Berklee College of Music. She’s just one of many musicians from the faculty tapped for performance duties on this Berklee-heavy bill by the college’s executive director and festival co-founder Ron Savage.
Aug. 7-9: Somergloom (Crystal Ballroom, Somerville)
“Heavy” music is an ambiguous genre descriptor. Embrace it! It’s the main adjective that Somergloom provides, and the festival, marking its fifth anniversary, knows what it’s doing. This year’s edition bounces over to Davis Square after spending last year at the Armory. Similar to previous editions, there is a gloomy prelude show on the first night at an alternate location. This time it’s Deep Cuts in Medford, with a gazey lineup featuring Slow Quit, Guhts, Lesotho and Main Era. A nice warmup for two further nights of destruction. Day 2 headliner Body Void are doomcore-plus Vermont locals. Day 3 headliner, the postmetal mavens Sumac, will arrive having played a sold-out show at an “international museum of surgical science” in Chicago a week earlier. Solid preparation.
Sept. 6-7: Cambridge Carnival (University Park, Cambridge)
A celebration of emancipation, freedom and expression. Inspired by the carnival legacy in the Afro-Caribbean tradition. Ulric Johnson might lecture on the origin of the steel pan at Pan in the Park on the first day of the fest. Otherwise the history lessons will come mostly in the way of experience. Sights, sounds, smells, tastes. Dig up a costume and join the parade (application required) along the milelong route through Cambridge, arriving at University Park. Bring the whole family for kid programming aplenty.
Across the river
June 28: Bams Festival (Franklin Park, Boston)
The largest park in Boston plays host to headliner Lalah Hathaway, a multi-Grammy-winning R&B artist who’s collaborated, recorded and shared a stage with the biggest names in the business, from Kendrick Lamar to Herbie Hancock. Her latest album “Vantablack” is a throwback soul stunner. Along with the relentless experimentation of Durand Bernarr and the hip-hop of Little Brother, that’s a top half of the bill that would be worth the price of admission, if there was a price of admission. The fest is free with registration (though the purchase of a “solidarity ticket” is encouraged). And don’t sleep on the local talent, with appearances by Ed O.G., Haasan Barclay and DJ WhySham, to name a few.
July 12: Charles River Jazz Festival (Herter Park Amphitheater, Allston)
Welcome to the new school. Everything about this festival screams fresh looks, musical innovation and creative risk-taking. The young organizers behind the event have booked an equally young and dynamic lineup of performers who want to write their own chapter in the history of jazz. Artists such as trumpeter Keyon Harrold, fusionistas Freelance and Latin-loaded Caio e Jess combine elements of classic jazz, rock, hip-hop and Brazilian sounds in ways that defy genre. Millennials and Gen Z didn’t kill Applebees, but they did create the Charles River Jazz Festival. Order yourself an Irresist-a-Bowlful of jazz at the intimate amphitheater of Herter Park.
Aug. 29-30: Boston Jazz Festival (Maritime Park, Seaport District, Boston)
The 15th edition of the festival that attracts thousands every year will feature a mix of international flavors and local staples. Pianist Charu Suri has been praised around the world for her raga-based improvisations. Singer-songwriter Wolfgang Hildebrandt is bringing his sunny jazz pop all the way from Germany. He’ll be greeted by festival veterans such as Vivian Fang Liu, Pat Braxton, WeJazzUp and more. The city blocks off a stretch of D Street so festivalgoers can roam around freely. Bring your blankets, lawn chairs and good vibes to the park, and enjoy two days of music rolling in like a cool bay breeze.
Sept. 28: Allston Village Street Fair (Harvard Avenue between Cambridge Street and Brighton Avenue, Allston)
One of the most diverse neighborhoods in Boston shuts down a section of Harvard Avenue to throw a party. You’re invited. Plenty of live music and plenty of activities for the kids, making this outdoor celebration an event for the whole family. Previous years have featured dancing, drumming exhibitions, martial arts demonstrations, balloonists, jugglers, face painting, Moonbounce rigs, food courts, vendors, giveaways and more. Rat City, we salute you.
Out of town
June 20-22: Green River Festival (Franklin County Fairgrounds, Greenfield)
The festival that started life in 1986 as a hot balloon fair has evolved into a first-class music showcase in the bucolic surroundings of the Franklin County Fairgrounds. The bill has always skewed “rustic,” but this is Pioneer Valley we’re talking about, so the down-home flavor comes as edgy and artsy as you can handle. Headliners for the three nights – Mt. Joy, Courtney Barnett and Waxahatchee – knock it out of the park with indie music takes on rock, Americana and country. If you’re passing through Greenfield, get your beer at People’s Pint, your pizza at Magpie and your pot at Smokey Leaf.
June 28: New England Americana Fest (Bellforge Arts Center, Medfield)
America is struggling right now. Americana, on the other hand, is doing just fine. The genre embraces various dimensions of country, bluegrass, folk and blues. The festival brings together more than a dozen acts, including the cosmic country of Other Brother Darryl, the mandolin-led mayhem of Jimmy Ryan’s Wooden Leg and the melodic folk rock of Zion Rodman. If the flamenco stylings of Fauxmenco feel like an outlier, it’s just a reminder that Americana has always saved a seat at the table for the outsider. RSVP for free admission to a day of sweet sounds at the beautiful grounds of the former insane asylum.
July 12-13: Levitate Music Festival (Marshfield Fairgrounds, Marshfield)
While the festival is a few miles inland, you’ll still catch a whiff of salt in the air from all the Caribbean music on the bill. Reggae is sprinkled throughout the lineup, including the first night headliner Stick Figure and Boston’s The Elovators, who are gigging on both days. Add to that a convivial mix of rock, pop and jazz and you’ve got a fine South Shore sample platter of sound. Camping for tents or RVs is also available at Indianhead Campground in Plymouth, round-trip busing included, if you’re feeling adventurous.
Aug. 29-31: RPM Fest (Millers Falls Rod and Gun Club, Montague)
Is this the “heaviest party of the summer”? The sleepy woods of Western Massachusetts get a 120-plus decibel wakeup call. There will be all the headbanging you can handle at this three-day riot. Bands such as Ghouls, Royal Thunder (Somergloom veterans!) and Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean will peel off your face and use it as a doormat. Immerse yourself completely by opting for the camping experience. Nothing quite like concluding a night of black metal with a snooze beneath the stars while fellow concertgoers pull rips from bongs with names like Toadhumper, Fogchoice and Sir Smokes-a-Lot.
Sept. 12-28: The Big E (1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield)
You haven’t punched your Masshole card until you’ve been to The Big E. Where do we start with a two-week fair? Hear music by Busta Rhymes, The Avett Brothers, Train, Foreigner and more. Bear witness to the butter sculpture exhibit. Inspect the best produce and livestock the region has to offer. Feel the thrill of the Circus Spectacular, featuring trapeze artists, magicians and clowns. Watch trick ropers and ride a mechanical bull at Dolly’s Honky Tonk. “Mingle with Dingle!” at Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula Showcase, full of Irish crafts, spirit tastings and memorabilia. Catch a marching band parade. Every. Single. Day. Some attractions rotate in and out, so time your trip carefully.
Sept. 19-21: FreshGrass Festival (MassMoCA, North Adams)
If you need an excuse to visit North Adams at the foot of Mount Greylock, this museum of contemporary art is worth a visit on its own. FreshGrass is just the icing on the cake. Attending a festival at MassMoCA, housed on the grounds of a 19th century textile plant, is like falling through a wrinkle in time that transports you into the past and future all at once. Weave around contemporary art installations as you beer crawl your way to the next show at the next stage. Indoors, outdoors, all the doors. The festival’s bill skews bluegrass and folk, with occasional forays into world, soul and funk. Book your lodging early, because there are only so many beds in Western Massachusetts.
Off the grid
July 27 and Sept. 3: Willie Fest (The Jungle, Somerville)
Off the grid, on the Gritty. Art and politics can make for awkward bedfellows. To wit, Donald Trump anointing himself chair of the Kennedy Center board. But when the marriage of art and politics is blessed by the power of the people, who can gainsay it? DSA mayoral candidate for Somerville Willie Burnley Jr. has teamed up with local chiptuners Battlemode to organize a summer series of fundraising art bashes spotlighting local music, film events, comedy, crafts and more. The first of three Willie Fests ran Saturday at The Jungle, but it continues to be a “Hot Willie Summer.” You heard it here first, folks.
July 19: Supaps Fest (Lincoln Park, Somerville)
A punk bonanza in Somerville’s Lincoln Park, home to the Adventure Playground. The bill features a stacked lineup of premiere local noisemakers, including Nice Guys, Whyte Lipstick, Cantabbers and more. Brought to you by the omnipresent Kids Like You & Me and generous grants from the Somerville Arts Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Don’t tell Doge about this one. And the Morimoto family has a birthday party scheduled at the park the same day, so I hope little Morimoto likes punking ’til he pukes!
Aug. 16: Rat City Arts Festival (Charles River Speedway, Brighton)
Is Allston’s self-deprecating embrace of its alternate nickname “Rat City” empowering? I have my doubts. But there’s no doubting the creative spunk that this one-day event brings. The cream of the local indie and underground music scene will take the stage, including oldsoul, Beeef, Tiberius, Shallow Pools, Nurse Joy, Lavagxrl and Sam Mulligan. Will the festival run back the “rat trap beautification” competition in 2025?
A stronger
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