Featured Events
Sep
11
Sep
13
2025 Festivals Listing
Aug
17
Discover Quincy Presents: August Moon Festival
11:00 am
The City of Quincy hosts the annual August Moon Festival as one of the city’s signature event for the month of August. A community tradition since 1987, this event was voted ‘Best Street Festival’ by Boston Magazine in 2018. This momentous holiday celebrates the harvest and the full moon, which is a symbol of prosperity, happiness, and unity. The festival features traditional and modern performances, food trucks, carnival amusements, games, cultural booths, and a street market.
QARI’s August Moon Festival is one of the most popular cultural events in the South Shore area and the largest of its kind in the Northeast, uniting over 15,000 diverse guests each year.
Visit Events Archives – Discover Quincy for more events in Quincy
Aug
23
Plymouth Waterfront Festival
10:00 am
Each August, the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce hosts this free family event along the city’s beautiful waterfront. Activities include a beloved duck race, live entertainment, the popular classic car show and more than 200 arts & crafts vendors and local non-profits. It is a perfect way to enjoy one of American’s most historic cities.
Plymouth Waterfront
Plymouth, MA
Sep
06
Seisiún: 2 Days (Sept. 6-7) of Irish Music, Arts & Cultural Festival at The Stage at Suffolk Downs
1:00 pm
Seisiún, a two-day Irish Music, Arts and Cultural Festival, is coming to The Stage at Suffolk Downs on Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7, 2025.
This distinctive outdoor gathering of iconic and emerging Irish and American performers features beloved headliners The Pogues and Boston’s own Dropkick Murphys, along with amazing artists including Glen Hansard, The Hold Steady, The Waterboys, Cardinals, The Rumjacks and Lisa O’Neill.
We have five pairs of tickets to give away thanks to our friends at the festival. Enter here for a chance to win a free pair of tix to this incredible festival or purchase your tickets now for what will surely be the Boston Irish event of the season! You can also purchase a two-day pass.
Presented in partnership with The Bowery Presents, Liam Lynch and Joe Killian, Seisiún promises a unique festival experience centered around revelry, craic, kindred spirits and community.
Entertainment – Saturday, September 6 & Sunday, September 7 – From 1 pm – 10:30 pm:
Sep
11
Rockport Music Presents: Rockport Celtic Festival
7:30 pm
Exploring Celtic Roots & Branches
Immerse yourself in a captivating weekend of music, storytelling and cultural exchange at the Rockport Celtic Festival, where tradition meets innovation in a stunning seaside setting. Led by artistic director Maeve Gilchrist, this year’s festival welcomes acclaimed artists from across the Celtic world and beyond, weaving together Irish, Scottish, Breton, and Quebecois traditions with fresh collaborations and bold new works.
Thursday, September 11 :: 7:30 PM
FESTIVAL CLUB: OPEN THE DOOR FOR THREE
An incredibly dynamic trio based between Chicago and Maine and representing the very finest of Irish Music in America. Fiddler Liz Knowles and piper Kieran O’Hare are two of the most sought-after traditional musicians on both sides of the Atlantic and, for a long time now, have paired their formidable instrumental skills with the timeless voice and guitar playing of Dublin-born Pat Broaders. The result is a dynamic, momentous sound paired with laugh-out-loud repartee between three old friends.
Friday, September 12 :: 7:30 PM
OPENING NIGHT: QUEBEC TO BRITTANY!
Don’t miss the spectacular power of Québec supergroup Le Vent Du Nord. Ferocious and fun in equal measure, this band will kick off our Friday night mainstage concert with unparalleled energy. The evening also features the innovative, Breton-inspired sounds of the trio Triton featuring accordionist Jeremiah McLane, the small-pipes of Tim Cummings and Alex Kehler on nyckelharpa. A completely unique, reed-y sound with repertoire from the Celtic region of Brittany. Artistic Director Maeve Gilchrist will also bring in regular collaborator Kyle Sanna to premier some new music for harp and electric guitar inspired by a Seamus Heaney translation of a middle English Poem on the mysticism of Hares! The evening will also include bassist Logan Coale and harpist Maeve Gilchrist.
Saturday, September 13 :: 11 AM
SALON: THE CREATIVE PROCESS
In this hour-long presentation, we chat with artist in residence Liz Knowles and award-winning author Ben Shattuck about how Shattuck’s writing, the New England seascape and existence on the fringes of genre and sound have influenced Knowles’ music-making. Liz’s band, Open the Door for Three, will also discuss the presence of Irish Music in America and how it impacts the evolution of the music as a whole.
Saturday, September 13 :: 1 PM
CHANTEY SING WITH DAVID COFFIN
Bring your voices to a boisterous Chantey Sing with David Coffin. Sing along on the chorus of a hauling, stamping, heaving, capstan, what-have-you chantey. No experience required and lyrics will be provided. Let’s rattle the rafters!! Location: First Congregational Church Fellowship Hall, Rockport, MA
Saturday, September 13 :: 7 PM
CELTIC BAROQUE
Tonight, we hear music from Ireland, Quebec, Germany and New England with an interweaving thread of Baroque Music and techniques. At a time when Telemann and Bach were composing fugues in continental Europe, the Bardic harping tradition was alive and vibrant in Ireland resulting in a whole repertoire of Irish harp tunes that are now carried via pipes, fiddles and a host of different instruments. We have the stunning sounds of Montreal-based violist Alexis Chartrand, bringing his unique Gut-bow approach to traditional Quebec repertoire. In contrast, the GRAMMY-nominated violinist Christina Day, along with theorbist Michael Leopold, performs one of Heinrich Biber’s Mystery Sonatas. Artistic Director Maeve Gilchrist will also bring in longtime collaborator Kyle Sanna and bassist Logan Coale to premier some new music for harp and electric guitar inspired by a Seamus Heaney translation of a middle English Poem on the mysticism of Hares! Don’t miss this richly imaginative evening of 17th century inspired exploration in a completely contemporary fashion!
Saturday, September 13 :: 9:45 PM
FESTIVAL CLUB: CEILIDH!
Grab a drink at the bar, bring your dancing shoes and join host Maeve Gilchrist for an exhilarating evening of fiddle music and dance! Enjoy the traditional session hosted by Abbie MacQuarrie along with some surprise special guests. And be prepared to grab a partner and dance as Abbie teaches some easy-to-learn traditional Ceili-dances. Pure-drop fun!
Sunday, September 14 :: 12 PM
WORDS & MUSIC: THE CELTIC SPIRIT
A meditative Sunday hour with poetry, prose and music.
Sunday, September 14 :: 5 PM
WHERE THE SEA MEETS THE LAND
It has become a tradition that on the final day of the festival we acknowledge our home in Cape Ann and the rich nautical history of this stunning part of New England. We will welcome back the inimitable David Coffin along with the small pipes and accordion of Jeremiah McLane and Tim Cummings. In addition, this year, we are thrilled to be presenting a brand new collaboration between our artist in residence, Liz Knowles and critically acclaimed author Ben Shattuck’s newest collection of stories ‘The History of Sound’. This new piece of music, commissioned in the name of Brian O’Donovan, blends the spectacular depths of Liz’s fiddle with Kyle Sanna’s electronics, Maeve Gilchrist on harp and cellist Mike Block.
Sep
13
Spectacle Live Presents: Lowell Irish Festival
All Day
FREE ADMISSION!
Located at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, the Lowell Irish Festival features a family- friendly and fun-filled day of live Irish music from national, regional, and local acts, Irish-inspired culinary and beverage offerings, artisan vendors, family activities, Irish step dancing, and more!
The day-long event, taking place September 13, 2025, is spread out across the Auditorium grounds – inside and outdoors – and is open to families and groups of all ages free of charge, taking its place as one of the Mill City’s great annual cultural events.
Sep
14
Boston Local Food Festival
11:00 am
The Boston Local Food Festival is an annual celebration of the bounty and diversity of our local and regional foods. With nearly 100 farms, food vendors, activities, informational booths, cooking demonstrations, and more, there is something for the whole family!
This event is a joyful day of community, food, and fun. Enjoy Chef demos, Seafood Throwdown, Family Fun Zone, touch tank and petting animals, farm products, and so much food!
Celebrating and supporting New England local food producers and businesses with the festival, the annual Boston Local Food Festival has been hailed as one of Boston’s top 10 food events since 2010.
Find more details at: Boston Local Food Festival — Boston Local Food
Sep
20
Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race Festival
9:00 am
ALL TERRAIN HUMAN POWERED SCULPTURES.
From the crossroads of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics comes a spectacular racing spectacle!
Kinetic Sculptures are all-terrain, human-powered, art sculptures, engineered to race over road, water, mud and sand. Kinetic sculptures are amazing works of art; many are animated with moving parts like blinking eyes, opening mouths, heads that move side to side and up and down. These machines of art are usually made from what some people consider “junk” or better put, recycled materials. Each kinetic team has a theme and consist of pilots, pit crew and support crew. Spectators are encouraged to either watch from the sidelines or follow the race on their bikes (obeying all traffic laws that apply).
The Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race (LKSR) is an annual STEAM event held on the third Saturday of every September in Lowell, Massachusetts. Kinetic sculptures are human-powered, all-terrain sculptures made from new and repurposed materials and engineered to race over streets, water, mud, and sand. LKSR strives to inspire artists, engineers, performers, and visionaries of the future by promoting the synthesis of the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) fields, disruptive innovation, and physical activity.
The race is open to all ages and works with students from local schools and after-school programs, artists, engineers, bike enthusiasts, and anyone with a spark of creativity and a sense of adventure. The LKSR is the only race of this kind in New England with its roots stemming from the Kinetic Grand Championship in California and the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race.
Oct
04
Quincy 400 Presents: Food Truck and Music Festival
12:00 pm
Join in the Quincy All Day Celebration on Saturday, October 4 from Noon – 6pm on Coddington Street from Quincy High School to Thomas Crane Public Library and at the Coddington Building for the 9th annual Quincy Food Truck & Music Festival!
Enjoy food trucks, dessert trucks and beverage trucks!
On the Main Stage:
12-1:45 pm: Angelena And The Unit
2:15-3:30 pm: Ginamark Band
4:30-6 pm: Special Headlining Performance by Journey with former lead vocalist Steve Augeri
Kids Entertainment on Thomas Crane Public Library Lawn:
12-12:45 pm: Little Groove
1-1:15 pm: Flagship Drumline
1:30-2:15 pm: Matt Heaton & The Outside Toys
2:45-3:30 pm: Philip Alexander And The Wild Things!
3:34-4 pm: Flagship Drumline
– 12-6 pm: Gaming Truck
– Free Jacks Rugby Team Members (kids sports activities & autographs)
– Rotary Club (Meet Josh the Otter and enjoy coloring fun)
– Lions Club Truck (Free eye exams offered and drop off your unused glasses and sunglasses).
Visit Quincy400 for more details.
Visit Events Archives – Discover Quincy for more events in Quincy.
Oct
09
Lowell Celebrates Jack Kerouac
All Day
Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Inc. (LCK!) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote a better understanding and appreciation of Jack Kerouac’s life and literature. Founded in 1985, LCK! sponsors literary programs year round, including a festival in the first weekend of October. We also produce a spring program tied to Kerouac’s March 12th birthday, as well as other educational and cultural activities. LCK! volunteers help maintain Kerouac Park and Jack Kerouac Commemorative in Downtown Lowell.
About the Festival
The October Festival features tours of Kerouac’s Lowell places – including many sites describes in his Lowell-based novels-panel discussions, reading, jazz and folk music, films, open mike events, as high poetry competition, book signings, and more. Kerouac fans and scholars from across the United States and around the world travel to Lowell for the festival.
Participants
Writers, musicians, and scholars who have participated over the years include Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Robert Creeley, David Amram, Gregory Corso, Anne Waldman, Patti Smith, Michael McClure, Ray Mazarek, Herbert Huncke, Ann Charters, Douglas Brinkley, Willie Alexander, Diane DiPrima, Regina Weinreich, Ed Sanders, Joyce Johnson, Ann Douglas, Sterling Lord, and John Sinclair.
LCK! has formed partnerships with many educational, cultural, social, and civic organizations in Lowell. Our activities are coordinated by volunteers and paid for by individual donations, corporate gifts, grants, and sale of books and T-shirts.
Oct
18
ICC Presents: Boston Irish Beer Festival – 6th Annual
All Day
Featuring Ireland’s leading beers, stouts, & ciders! Favorite Irish foods
– Irish whiskey & liqueurs samplings!
– Two Live Irish music stations & local bands all day long!
Enjoy: Guinness, Magners & craft breweries, Irish Food, vendors including Mulligan Gear, JTC Jewelry, Kendra Scott & more, New England Revolution Mascot & The Battalion, The Vikings – Two Shows – Tug-O-War, archery, Family friendly with kids activities including face painting, petting zoo, kids sing-along and arts & crafts.
SCHEDULE: Stage 2: Tent Stage
11am-1:30pm – Friday Night Session Group
11:30am-12pm – Petrocelli Academy of Irish Dance
1:30-4pm – Slainte
2:30-3pm – Forbes School of Irish Dance
4-6:30pm – Devri
4:30-5pm – Harney Pender Keady Academy of Irish Dance
7:30-8pm – O’Shea-Chaplin Academy of Irish Dance
6:30-9:30pm – Closing Act: DJ Andy T
SCHEDULE: Stage 1: Field Stage
11:30am-2pm – Erin’s Guild
2:30-5:30pm – The Lindsays
Check back for more details. Coming soon!
Oct
18
34th Annual Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival
11:00 am
FREE ADMISSION!
Historic Bowen’s Wharf in downtown Newport, RI, will host the 34th annual Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival, on October 18th and 19th, 2025. Named one of the “10 Fabulous Fall Festivals on the Coast,” by Coastal Living Magazine, this event is an open invitation for all to come back to the waterfront after the rush of the summer season!
Honoring the “Harvest of the Sea,” the Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival offers fresh, local seafood. Fish tacos, lobster rolls, stuffies, chowder, fried calamari, clams, oysters, signature cocktails and cold beer accompany continuous live music, and family fun, all beneath the Wharf’s colorful tents. Other neighboring restaurants and fisherman’s associations serve up their most celebrated seafood dishes as well as a few dishes for landlubbers and kids. Frozen lemonade, donuts, and kettle corn for your sweet tooth. Cafe-style seating is set up throughout the Wharf and proceeds from festival bars benefit Oliver Hazard Perry, RI’s 200-foot official sailing education vessel.
As you savor some delectable dishes, relax and enjoy the beats from area musicians. Live folk, surf rock, Caribbean and blues music are just a taste of what you’ll hear. Bring your dancing shoes because these bands promise to get your feet moving!
Bring the whole family and join the many locals and devoted visitors over the course of this two-day event.
Oct
24
Poe in Lowell Festival
All Day
Boston-born short story master Edgar Allan Poe visited Lowell three times in the 1840s and apparently loved the city. Lowell is returning the love with the 2nd Annual Poe in Lowell Festival on October 24-26, 2025.
Activities include book readings and lectures, live music, art exhibits, film screenings, a walking tour of Lowell and a pop-up Poe shop.
This year’s festival is in partnership with Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!
More schedule updates to come!
Thursday, Oct. 2
Poe in Lowell and Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Prelude
‘Poe in Lowell: Kindred Spirits’ 6:30 p.m. lala books, 189 Market St., Lowell, Mass.
Lala Books and Lowell Writers’ Group presents Meg Smith, creator of Poe in Lowell and member of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, in a reading of works by both authors, as well as from her original works. Join us in celebrating the spirits of Poe and Kerouac and Lowell’s haunted history! Includes poetry open mic. Free.
Friday, Oct. 24
7 to 9 p.m. “Poe in Lowell: The Lovely Darkness” at Dragonfly Cafe,Thorndike Exchange, Lowell, Mass.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
An evening of poetry, music and movement, with special musical guest Everly Estelle; spoken word artists Rikhav Kothari, Jennifer Martinelli, Meg Smith, and more guests to be announced. Poe-inspired performance by Morgana Mirage. Special door prize; complimentary tickets with paid admission.
Tickets $10 in advance, through Oct. 22; $15 at the door. Purchase advance tickets here.
Saturday, Oct. 25
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Poe in Lowell Pop-up Shop
St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, 8 Kirk St., Lowell, Mass. Look for a gift for a special spooky someone, and that someone could be you! With local authors Haunted Lowell, Matthew H. Jones, R.C. Mulhare, and Meg Smith. Original, handmade crafts and arts by Ocellus Ceramic Designs, Midnight Mews, and SuWaniArts. Free admission. Entrance on Kirk Street.
Noon to 1:30 p.m. Harnessing the ‘How’ of Horror: Edgar Allan Poe’s Eternal Appeal.
Pollard Library, First Floor, 401 Merrimack St., Lowell. Join us for a lively conversation about Edgar Allan Poe’s imprint on history, literature and pop culture. With Andrew Cook, Lowell native, and English teacher at Pinkerton Academy, specializing in horror and mystery. Free; limited seating. Advance reservation recommended.
3 to 5 p.m. Poe in Lowell Black Cat Bop and Shop, Lazy Cat Lounge, 177 Merrimack St., Lowell, Mass. Stop in, spend some time with the enchanting felines of Lazy Cat Lounge! With activities and prizes for all ages. Bring donations to help kitties that need a home! You might just fall in love with one of them … or all of them! 1/2 hour sessions. $15 adults/$10 kids, bring cat food, litter, blankets, toys donation & get a complimentary beverage. Raffle basket Poe In Lowell ticket with cat room admission! For other info on Lazy Cat Lounge, visit lazycatloungelowell.com.
7 to 9 p.m.: Poe in Lowell: A Dream Within A Dream. Whistler House Museum of Art/Lowell Art Association, 217 Worthen St., Lowell, Mass.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
An evening of poetry, music, and enchantment at the historic home of artist James McNeil Whistler.
Performance takes place in the Parker Gallery.
Performance poetry and music with special guest poet Latina Bohemian, and special guest musical artist, Eddy Dyer. Enjoy a haunted performance interpretation of “A Dream Within A Dream,” with Gabby Davis, and graceful goths. Janet Catherine Johnston, and more to be announced! $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Table of up to 6 can be reserved for $80. For reserved table, email poeinlowell.gmail.com.
Sunday, Oct. 26
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Short story brunch and “Beauty and Strangeness” arts reception, lala books, 189 Market St., Lowell, Mass.
Join us for a relay-style reading from Edgar Allan Poe classic short stories, and celebrate the ‘Beauty and Strangeness’ exhibit, on view Oct. 1-31 at lala books, Lowell’s premier indie bookstore. Fran Coughlin, Meg Smith, Claire Conroy and John Keough read from Poe’s short stories.
Light refreshments served.
2 p.m. Poe in Lowell presents “The Pit and the Pendulum”
Owl Theatre at Middlesex Community College, Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center, 240 Central St., Lowell, Mass.
Join us for a screening of Roger Corman’s classic horror movie, inspired by the story by Edgar Allan Poe. Starring Vincent Price and Barbara Steele. Admission is free; donations help support Poe in Lowell event programming. Refreshments available for sale. Sponsored by Middlesex Community College.
Exhibits through October
“Poe in Pop Culture: The People’s Poet” Oct. 1-31, Pollard Memorial Library, 401 Merrimack St., Lowell, Mass.
The writings of Edgar Allan Poe have touched millions around the world, and continue to leave an impression on pop culture. Enjoy this exhibit of Poe-inspired items, including dolls, film, books and more! While visiting, enjoy Lowell’s beautiful public library, artwork and architecture, and dwell among the spirits, including Jack Kerouac, who spent many a time within its halls. Free. Ground floor, Colburn Street entrance. Library hours at lowelllibrary.org.
“Beauty and Strangeness” lala books, 189 Market St., Lowell, Mass.
Artistic visions of Poe’s works, and limitless gothic imagination by contemporary creatives. On view Oct. 1-31. Free, available through regular store hours. Hours and store info available at lalabookstore.com.
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