If the ghost of Jack Kerouac were to return to the town and the city where he was raised this April, there’d likely be a band blasting tunes next to the bar in all of his favorite joints. As Lowell prepares to celebrate the 100th birthday of its hometown-hero-novelist, their support for the arts only grows stronger, starting with a new set of dates for The Town And The City Festival.
The annual festival — aptly named after Kerouac’s first major published work — returns to venues, bars, and community spaces across downtown Lowell on April 8 and 9, featuring a New England-heavy lineup of musicians and spoken word artists. The new dates represent a triumphant return for the weekend-long event, following Festival producer Porter Productions’ difficult decision to postpone the 2021 edition, initially scheduled for October 2021.
This year’s event builds upon the original 2021 lineup, which featured area acts like Tanya Donelly and The Parkington Sisters, Will Dailey, Damn Tall Buildings, Hilken Mancini and Chris Colbourn, Divine Sweater, and Alisa Amador, as well as national bands like Screaming Females, Robyn Hitchcock, and Jon Langford & Friends.
Artists recently added to the bill include Prateek, Ava Sophia, Naomi Westwater, RoseR, and The Old Rochelle, among others. The lineup even gets hyper-local at times; Daemon Chili, blindspot, D. Tension’s Secret Rock & Roll Band (D-Tension pictured above), Corner Soul, Colleen Green, and oldsoul are all longtime Lowell natives. Get the full lineup below.
Cultural hub Mill No. 5 will also host a record show at this year’s edition of the festival, offering visitors the chance to dig through crates from over 30 vendors on April 9 from noon to 5 p.m.
“We’re thrilled that we can bring attention to the Jack Kerouac centennial and the city through our festival,’ says Chris Porter of Porter Productions. “Kerouac had an impact on so many in music from Dylan, the Dead and the Beatles to Patti Smith, Tom Waits and The Doors. We’ve built a lineup that is intentionally diverse in styles and provides an opportunity for people to see talent from the city, the region and beyond.”
Single day passes are available now for $35, and two-day passes are $50; otherwise, guests can purchase tickets to the individual shows taking place at spaces like The Old Court, Warp & Weft, Zorba Music Hall, Gallery Z, and notorious Kerouac haunt, the Worthen Cafe.
