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.
Boston Calling
Website: bostoncalling.com
Dates: May 27 to 29
Where: City Hall Plaza, Boston, Massachusetts
Price: $185 three-day GA, $60 Friday GA, $85 Saturday GA or Sunday GA
Bands To See: Robyn, Sia, Disclosure, Janelle Monae, Haim, Palehound
What’s The Deal: Boston’s crown jewel of a music gathering, 20,000 people assemble every spring and fall to admire City Hall’s brutalist architectural style and a consistently stellar lineup of headliners and up-and-comers. Were you there when the Pixies played after dark? Or when Marina and the Diamonds skillfully seduced a plaza full of teens? This Memorial Day’s affair has a Vanya pink coating to it, and we cannot wait until Robyn, Sia, and Disclosure shake the center of it all. (We’re calling it now: Dancing to “Call Your Girlfriend” during Robyn’s headlining Saturday night thrust will be our highlight of 2016.) The new third stage has more local flavor (Lady Pills, Midriffs, comedian Lamont Price), but homegrown products Michael Christmas and Palehound will really show off the 617.
