McCoy Tyner and Ravi Coltrane performing at the 2005 Newport Jazz Festival
Similar to agricultural and county fairs, and summer theater, the season for music festivals and summer concert series starts in June, peaks in August and early September, and extends into early fall. These are held outdoors, in open-air pavilions, and even tents. So whether you are sitting on a chair or on a blanket on the lawn, summer is the season to get out and see great live musing – everything from chamber music, to blues, folk, jazz, symphony, and rock.
Newport, RI is home to the region’s most famous music festival, the world-renowned Newport Jazz Festival. All six states feature music festivals big and small for your listening pleasure. Following is a listing of the New England music festival and major summer concert series.
New England Summer Music Festivals
Following are the major music festivals througout New England by state.
Connecticut Music Festivals
- June: Mystic Sea Music Festival, Mystic, CT
- June: New England Fiddle Contest, Manchester, CT
- June-September: Music Mountain Summer Music Festival, Falls Village, CT
- July: Gathering of the Vibes Music Festival, Bridgeport, CT
- August: Litchfield Jazz Festival, Goshen, CT
- August: Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival, Norwich, CT
- September: CT Folk Festival and Green Expo in New Haven, CT
Maine Music Festivals
- June-August: Bowdoin International Music Festival, Brunswick, ME
- July: Bar Harbor Music Festival, Bar Harbor, ME
- July: North Atlantic Blues Festival, Rockland, ME
- July: Ossipee Valey Music Festival, S. Hiram, ME
- August: American Folk Festival, Bangor, ME
- August: Portland Chamber Music Festival, South Portland, ME
Nona Hendryx at the BeanTown Jazz Festival
Massachusetts Music Festivals
- July: Green River Music Festival, Greenfield, MA
- July: Lowell Folk Festival, Lowell, MA
- July: Greater New Bedford Summerfest Folk Music and Arts Festival, New Bedford, MA
- July: Plymouth Harbor Folk Festival,n Plymouth, MA
- August: Essex Music Festival, Essex, MA
- August: Martha’s Vineyard Jazz Festival, on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard
- August: Merrimack Valley Jazz Festival, Lowell, MA
- August: Naukabout Music Festival, East Falmouth on Cape Cod, MA
- August: Salem Maritime Festival, Salem, MA
- September: Cape Cod Music Festival, East Falmouth on Cape Cod, MA
- October: Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival, Boston, MA
New Hampshire Music Festivals
- July-August: Great Waters Music Festival, Wolfboro, NH
- July-August: New Hampshire Music Festival, Plymouth, NH
- August: Bach Festival, North Conway, NH
- August: White Mountain Boogie ‘N Blues Festival, Thornton, NH
- September: Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, Portsmouth, NH
Rhode Island Music Festivals
- July: Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI
- July: Newport Music Festival, Newport, RI
- August: Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, RI
- August/September: Rhythm and Roots, Charlestown, RI
Vermont Music Festivals
- June: Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, Burlington, VT
- June: Roots on the River, Bellows Falls, VT
- July-August: Manchester Music Festival, Manchester, VT
- August: Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival, Randolph, VT
- August: Peacham Acoustic Music Festival, Peacham, VT
- September: Grand Point North Music Festival, Vurlington, VT
New England Summer Concert Series
There are probably hundreds of concert series throughout the six New England states on town greens, in parks, and other local outdoor venues. Listed below are the major concert series. Many of these are held either outdoors or in open-air pavilions. Some are even held in tents.
- Bangor Waterfront Pavilion, Bangor, ME
- Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, MA
- Cape Cod Melody Tent, Hyannis, MA
- City Center, Danbury, CT
- Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA
- Indian Ranch Summer Concert Series, Webster, MA
- Ives Concert Park, Danbury, CT
- Lowell Summer Music Series, Lowell, MA
- Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion, Gilford, NH
- Open Air Summer Family Concerts, Norwich, VT
- South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset, MA
- Sunset Music Series at the Newport Yachting Center, Newport, RI
- Tanglewood, Lenox, MA
Picture credits: The picture of the Newport Jazz Festival is from the Wikimedia Commons. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. The picture of Nona Hendryx was taken by Phil Farnsworth and was provided by the Berklee College of Music Media Relations department.
New England Summer Music Festivals and Major Summer Concert Series,
