10 Reasons to Start Making Summer Plans in Western Mass.
Pines Theater at Look Park | Northampton
As winter begins to fade into spring, it’s time to start making your summer travel plans! While you might think of the Cape or North Shore beaches when you think about summer in Massachusetts, there couldn’t be a more exciting and pleasant time to visit western Massachusetts. We’ve got everything from top-notch music festivals to relaxing getaways from the busyness of everyday life. In 2016 many of our signature events celebrate milestone anniversaries, too, making this year one not to miss.Save some dates, grab some tickets and make your reservations today!
Northampton Pride turns 35
May 7, 2016 - Long-known for not just welcoming but celebrating the LGBT community, Northampton is home to a Pride Day worth traveling for. Always a festive day, Northampton’s celebration kicks off Pride season in the Northeast. 2016 is Pride’s 35th anniversary, promising to be the best-ever celebration of inclusion and diversity in western Massachusetts.
260 artists on display in one place at the Paradise City Arts Festival
May 28-30, 2016 - Spend Memorial Day Weekend at a world-class arts fair right in the cultural heart of New England. Every year 260 carefully selected artists and makers from every corner of the country descend upon Northampton for three days of astounding visual arts, eye-popping design, scrumptious food, fabulous live music and great fun at the Paradise City Arts Festival.
Cultural Chaos returns to Easthampton
June 11, 2016 - Save the date for the block party of the summer in western Massachusetts! 2016 marks the third year for this signature event in the Cottage Street Cultural District. With the road closed to traffic, Cultural Chaos is the perfect opportunity to soak up all the music, art, food and beer coming out of Easthampton.
Pedals to Pints adds new event
June 18 and August 13, 2016 - Combining a passion for cycling and local beer, Pedals 2 Pints is a fun annual ride touring and sampling at the breweries of western Mass. alongside the brewers themselves. The Classic Ride is June 18, featuring five different routes with stops at up to 10 breweries. Later this summer, Pedal 2 Pints introduces the Hop Yard Ride on August 13 with local hop farm Four Star Farms in Franklin County.
The Taste of Amherst turns 25
June 16-19, 2016 - Amherst has so many delicious culinary offerings that it would be easy to spend weeks eating your way around town. If you don’t have that kind of time, the Taste of Amherst, a four day festival of food and family, gives you the opportunity to sample the town’s food scene all in one location on the Town Common.
Green River Festival celebrates 30 years
July 8-10 - With 2016 marking 30 years for this western Massachusetts festival (and the first year camping is offered!), this is not the year to miss the Green River Festival presented by Northampton’s Signature Sounds Recordings. Last year’s festival earned recognition from Rolling Stone, USA Today and The New York Times as being an essential, must-see festival. It’s a celebration of world class music, great local food, beer & wine, a handmade craft fair, and lots of family games and activities. To top it all off, there are four hot air balloon launches and an iconic Saturday night balloon glow.
Yidstock’s fifth year celebrating new Yiddish Music
July 14-17, 2016 - For the fifth year Yidstock brings the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music to the stage at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. The 2016 headliner will be Grammy Award-winning Klezmatics, whose performance sold out at last year’s festival.
Good Stock Farm’s Exclusive New England Getaways
July 15-17, August 12-14 and September 16-18, 2016 - Recently named one of the “Best Cooking Classes Around the World” by Food and Wine Magazine, Good Stock Farm offers guests the opportunity to work with James Beard Award-winning chef Sanford D’Amato. For a more immersive culinary experience in western Massachusetts, Good Stock offers three-day getaways that feature lengthier cooking classes and market trips to really utilize what’s in season. The getaways are limited to only eight participants. Here’s a hint about how popular these are: a getaway for October 21-23 is nearly sold out!
Snow Farm launches Farm-to-Studio Week
August 21-27, 2016 - There are great workshop getaways all summer long at Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program, but one week in late August will highlight the bounty of the local harvest in western Massachusetts. All workshops will have a culinary connection. There will additionally be hands-on culinary instruction from local farmers and chefs from western Mass. as well as a Friday night farm-fresh dinner under the stars featuring the culinary items you created during the week.
Amourasaurus II features Josh Ritter and Mavis Staples
August 27-28, 2016 - Outdoor music is what summer is all about, and Lake Street Dive’s Amourasaurus Festival fills the warm air with musical favorites at the beautiful Pines Theater at Look Park. In its second year, the festival has expanded to two days and has announced major headliners Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band and Mavis Staples, with more to come.