A preview of the music festivals that should be on your radar for spring. From one-day local affairs to multiday out-of-towners. And for music fans who show up to airports five hours before their flight boards, a short list of summer dates to watch.
Saturday: Dark Spring Boston Festival (Sonia, Cambridge)
Dark Spring Boston Festival returns to Central Square with a one-day lineup of moody, goth-tinged electro rock outfits. Imagine a room full of Winona Ryders from Tim Burton’s original “Beetlejuice.” Artists include dark disco mavens Ex-Hyena, darkwavers Pilgrims, NYC surf goths Stare Away and more. Additional satellite events include a Spirit Hotel record release show at The Middle East on Thursday and a livestreamed Dark Spring Boston Preview on Wednesday via eMpTyVeeTV.
April 24-25: Waterworks 2026 (Metropolitan Waterworks Museum, Boston)
A curious event at a curious location that’s worth a trip. Waterworks is a “Festival of Experimental Sound” held inside the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum on the banks of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. A big, airy, stone structure. One of those high-minded public works built at the turn of the 20th century during Boston’s so-called “Golden Age.” The acoustics of the building are an equal partner in the experience of bleeding-edge experimental works at the far outskirts of the jazz, electronic, noise, improv and aleatoric music scene. Part of the Non-Event Concert series.
April 30-May 2: The Town and the City Festival (Lowell)
Lowell keeps popping up in the headlines of clickbait articles about “top places to live.” The Town and the City Festival (named after Jack Kerouac’s semiautobiographical novel about his childhood in Lowell) is on the long list of reasons why. The multiday music festival returns every year to the stages, cafes and galleries of “Mill City,” platforming a mix of established artists and a slew of underground acts. This year John Doe (of X) and David Lowery (of Cracker) get top billing, teaming up for a night of “intimate” and “story-rich” music.
April 30-May 3: Tunes on the Charles (Cambridge, Somerville)
There’s a new Irish festival in town: Tunes on the Charles. Information is still trickling in. The Instagram account has only eight posts. Media inquiries have so far gone unanswered. But you know the drill. This is a traditional Irish music festival in a metro area that loves its Irish heritage. Concerts, classes and good old-fashioned craic is on the menu at “on the nose” locations such as The Druid, The Burren, McCarthy’s, An Sibin and wild card Lilypad. The new festival doesn’t have the decadeslong roots of local traditions such as the annual Boston Celtic Music Festival. But with solid institutional support from Irish cultural organizations on both sides of the Atlantic, this newcomer should be ready to hit the ground running.
May 9: Somerville Porchfest (Somerville)
The one, the only: Somerville Porchfest. Arguably, one of the top torchbearers of the Porchfest phenomenon nationally. Without a doubt, the leading light of the local Porchfest scene. The Somerville version divides the city into three zones, West, Central and East, and a rolling tide of music breaks across the city in that order from late morning until dinnertime. There is perennial chatter between the Yimby and Nimby crowds about how to “fix” Porchfest. Who says it’s broken? After the Guster Affair in 2024, some streets were designated as “no shows allowed” and other streets “no cars allowed” (which local drivers dutifully ignored) in 2025. With a shakeup in leadership at the top of the Somerville Arts Council, could further changes be in store? So far all that’s been announced is more portable toilets.
June 6-7: Someday Fest (Warehouse XI, Somerville)
Someday Fest returns for a two-day stint at Sanborn Court. The celebration stretches inside and outside Warehouse XI, lending the affair a block-party-type atmosphere. Expect a healthy dose of indie music. When a pair of local fest staples (Rock N Roll Rumble, Nice Fest) bowed out in 2025, there was an opportunity for fresh ideas to fill the void. Someday Fest, an offshoot of the possibly defunct online publication Some, threw its hat into the ring with its inaugural event last year and a slew of cultural happenings since. Go have Some fun.
June 7: SomerStreets Carnaval (Somerville)
Live music, food and family-friendly activities inspired by cultures from around the world. The outdoor festival will stretch along Broadway from McGrath Highway to Pennsylvania Avenue in East Somerville. Last year’s celebration included a bounce house, street art, vintage apparel and martial arts demonstrations. The rain date is the following Sunday, June 14, if the weather doesn’t cooperate.
June 19-21: Green River Festival (Greenfield)
The Green River Festival started as a low-key musical happening at Greenfield Community College in 1986. It’s experienced multiple upgrades and expansions over the years, transforming into one of the premiere alternative music festivals in the region. The three-day festival hosts headliners Charlie Crockett, Spoon and Geese, alongside an impressive slate of talent that checks all the boxes. Rising stars, established legends, international, national and local talent. The funky backdrop of pastoral Pioneer Valley only adds to the ambiance.
June 26-28: Solid Sound (Mass MoCa, North Adams)
Solid Sound aka “Wilco-palooza.” Say no more, if you’re a hardcore fan of the ’90s alt-rock band. Different iterations of Wilco headline every night, and the band curates the rest of the bill to create a kaleidoscopic vision of the extended Wilco multiverse. Big names this year include Billy Bragg, The Breeders and Gang of Four. There’s always a healthy contingent of rising and under-the-radar talent as well. Don’t miss Sharp Pins, Prewn and Living Hour. The icing on the cake is that the festival takes place on the campus of Mass MoCa at the foot of Mount Greylock, among the rolling greenery of the Berkshires. It’s paradise, and it’s hard to find a bed in paradise, so book early.
Advance Scouting: Summer Edition
Cambridge Porchfest is confirmed for July 11-12. Cambridgeport, which served as the “pilot” neighborhood for the event last year, is getting organized to celebrate the first day of the festival. The theme for Somerville’s ArtBeat (July 18) is REVolution. I’m too dense to grasp why the “REV” is capitalized. Marshfield’s Levitate Festival (July 18-19) is a breezy, laid-back tradition put together by people who use the word “shenanigans” in their marketing copy. Nice, A Fest (July 24-26) makes good on its promise to return after a hiatus in 2025. Newport Folk Fest (July 24-26) and Newport Jazz Fest (July 31 through August 2) almost always sell out, so don’t sleep on them. Somergloom returns (August 6-8)! And though it’s far into the future, keep a place in your heart for RPM Fest (Sept. 4-6), the heavy music blunderbuss held at the Millers Falls Rod & Gun Club in Montague.
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