Over the past few years, there's been an explosion of summer music festivals around New England. And we're not just talking about Boston, which has seen an unexpected uptick in cool with the addition of Boston Calling Music Festival, the bi-annual City Hall Plaza bash that celebrates its seventh edition this Memorial Day with Robyn, Sia, Disclosure, and others. From Waking Windows in Winooski, Vermont to the legendary Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, large-scale music parties new and old are providing the perfect road trip excuse for idle New Englanders.
With summer fast approaching, here's are a handful of upcoming fests certain to spice up your summer soundtrack and provide a sonic bop to the mid-year doldrums.
Waking Windows
Website: wakingwindows.com
Dates: May 6 to 8
Where: Multiple locations, Winooski, Vermont
Price: $45 weekend pass, $25 Friday or Saturday, $20 Sunday
Bands To See: Speedy Ortiz, Yacht, Waxahatchee, Protomartyr, Burglary Years
What’s The Deal: Now in its sixth year, the coolest music festival in Vermont is giving off some massive mini-SXSW vibes. This year’s three-day bash just outside Burlington features more than 100 bands and artists across a dozen venues across downtown Winooski, and while the headliners are on-point (Yacht, Speedy Ortiz, Protomartyr, Lady Lamb), the real juice here is going stage-to-stage and discovering something new. In a three-hour stretch during Saturday’s slate (6:20 to 9:30 p.m.), one can catch sets from Waxahatchee, Burglary Years, Midriffs, Dirty Dishes, Lady Lamb, California X, and Yacht.
