Summer at The Carle: Sunset Thursdays
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst
Thursdays July 3 – August 28 from 5 – 8 p.m.
Enjoy breezy, late Thursday evenings at the Eric Carle Museum while you picnic on the beautiful grounds and take in the rhythms of live jazz and global music performed by local artists, co-presented by the Northampton Jazz Festival. Before the concert, check out fun programs for all ages and thought-provoking exhibitions including The Art of Grace Lin: Meeting a Friend in an Unexpected Place.
Chester Theatre Company: A Hundred Words for Snow
Thursday, July 3 – Sunday, July 13
In this play by Tatty Hennessy, 15-year-old Rory discovers that her father was planning a trip for the two of them to the North Pole before he died. So, she picks up his ashes, her passport, and her mother’s credit card, and sets out to make good on his plans. Layered, complex and as beautiful as snowfall, Hennessy’s play is an epic Arctic adventure about adolescence, grief, love, and being an explorer in a melting world.
Jazz!
Mohawk Trail Concerts
Charlemont Federated Church
Friday, July 4 at 5 p.m.
This free concert features John Clark, horn, Avery Sharpe, bass, and Jerry Noble, piano. After a spectacular concert in 2023, these three local musicians return for Mohawk Trail Concerts annual Fourth of July concert. You may know that Avery is the Friday night host of NEPM’s Jazz à la Mode.
SooBeen Lee, violin and Sahun Sam Hong, piano
Mohawk Trail Concerts
Charlemont Federated Church
Saturday, July 5 at 5 p.m.
This is a ticketed classical concert with music by Mozart, Brahms, Webern and Schumann on the program.
Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. with the Ils Sont Partis Band
De La Luz Soundstage, Holyoke
Saturday, July 5 at 7 p.m.
Head to Holyoke for a spicy evening of Creole cuisine, Cajun waltzes and high-energy, foot-stomping rhythms with Two-Time GRAMMY Award Winner, Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. Buckwheat. At 17, Buckwheat Jr. began his musical journey by joining his father’s band. Over time, he became a skilled multi-instrumentalist, mastering the accordion, Hammond B-3 organ, and more, ultimately stepping into the role of frontman for the Ils Sont Partis Band, a group founded by his father. Following the passing of his father in 2016, Buckwheat Jr. continues to lead the Ils Sont Partis Band.
Dino Trail Week
Saturday, July 5 – Sunday, July 13
Dino Trail Week is a week of performances, films, talks, exhibits, and activities inspired by dinosaur footprints in the Connecticut River Valley. Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Piti Theatre, the Beneski Museum, the Trustees of Reservations, Springfield Science Museum, Wistariahurst, and the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce are all presenters.
Related Activity: NEPM’s Dino Map Adventure
Available year-round!
The Dino Map Adventure gives you the opportunity to discover the unique dinosaur story of the Pioneer Valley. There are seven sites for you to explore at your own pace, each with a podcast that tells the stories of historical figures who found the fossils you’ll be examining and explains the geological forces that made the Pioneer Valley the perfect place to preserve dinosaur footprints.
Tanglewood: All Beethoven Program
Tanglewood, Lenox
Sunday, July 6 at 2:30 p.m.
Spend part of your Fourth of July Weekend at Tanglewood, in the shed, or on the lawn. The all-Beethoven program, conducted by Boston Symphony Orchestra music director Andris Nelsons, starts with his Leonore Overture No. 2. Then, pianist Yefim Bronfman joins the orchestra for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3. The concert finishes with the towering Symphony No. 5. At-home option: listen to it live on Classical NEPM.
The Noble Heine
Bombyx, Florence
Sunday, July 6 at 7 p.m.
“New Songs for an Old Poet” is a series of four concerts organized by long-time Valley vocalist Peter Shea, who is also the principal performer. The series presents an enormous variety of songs, all of them musical settings of the great nineteenth-century German-Jewish poet Heinrich Heine, whose verses have been set to music more than any other poet. All are works that Shea has in some way helped to bring into the world, either by suggestion, commission, or premiere, as part of his thirty-year project on Heine. This week’s concert showcases 21 Heine settings by local pianist and composer Clifton J. ”Jerry” Noble, Jr.
Michael Franti & Spearhead
The Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing Company, South Deerfield
Tuesday, July 8 and Wednesday, July 9
Doors open at 5 p.m.
The Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing Company in South Deerfield is a magical, verdant outdoor concert environment. Bring your own chairs and plan to treat yourself to delicious Tree House beer and pizza. Michael Franti is a globally recognized musician, activist, and award-winning filmmaker celebrated for his high-energy live shows, inspiring music, worldwide philanthropic efforts, and unshakable optimism. These two nights in our region are part of his very large Welcome To The Family Tour.
Barrington Stage: Fuzzy
St. Germain Stage, Pittsfield
Tuesday, July 8 – Sunday, July 27
With this world premiere, Barrington Stage continues its tradition of daring theatre with a teeny-tiny musical about the great big things in life. Fuzzy is a furry little puppet who has come home to take care of his ailing mother. What begins as a reluctant reunion becomes a touching tangle of the complex ties that bind us.
Doris Duke Theatre Opening
Jacob’s Pillow, Beckett
Wednesday, July 9
Free Ribbon cutting at 7 p.m.
Ticketed Watch Party in the Ted Shawn Theatre at 8 p.m.
Free Dance Party at 9 p.m.
It’s a big, exciting day for dance in our region! Occupying the site of the former studio theater, which was destroyed by fire in November 2020, the reimagined Doris Duke Theatre is set to become one of the most technologically advanced theaters in the world dedicated to dance. The 7 p.m. ribbon cutting is free and open to the public and you can get tickets for the 8 p.m. watch party happening in the Ted Shawn Theatre. Watch performances by iconic choreographers, cutting-edge tech collaborations, powerful movement and music, and remarks from dance leaders. It all culminates in a free-and-open-to-the-public dance party at 9 p.m. Or, you can register for the free live stream.
Parties in the Park: Free Outdoor DJ Series
Pulaski Park, Northampton
Wednesdays, July 9 – August 27 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Spend your Wednesdays dancing outdoors in downtown Northampton. Pulaski Park becomes the place to move and groove with a different flavor of music and dance each week. Hosted by local favorite Studebaker Hawk, the free series features a rotating cast of DJs spinning everything from rare grooves and reggae to boogie and disco. First up on July 9 is the Queer Dance Party in the Park with Lefox.
FIREWORKS!
Amherst Independence Day Celebration
McGuirk Alumni Stadium, UMass
Thursday, July 3 at 5:30 p.m., fireworks at dusk
Did you know that last year Amherst was named the 6th best Fourth of July fireworks? Head to UMass for dazzling fireworks, food vendors, and a range of family-friendly activities. The Amherst Community Band, Masala Jazz, and DJ Benny Black will provide the music.
South Hadley
Michael E. Smith Middle School
Thursday, July 3 at 5 p.m., fireworks at 9:30 p.m.
Food trucks, vendors, performers and community partners include Bruiser's Bar-B-Que, Batch Ice Cream, Crazy Arepas, All Purpose Bakery, Lemonade Clamshell, Thai Chili Street Food Hub, JND Amusements, United Methodist Church, Happy Face Painter, Manuel Amusements, Rockwall, Archery, DJ Kstylez & the South Hadley Community Band.
North Adams
Noel Field
Friday, July 4
Baseball and fireworks! A perfect combo. For an evening of all-American fun, grab some tickets to the annual 4th of July Steeple Cats game, and stick around for the fireworks, which start immediately afterward, at approximately 9:30 p.m.
Star Spangled Springfield
Riverfront Park, Springfield
Friday, July 4 from 6 – 10 p.m.
Ranked third best fireworks in Massachusetts in 2024! Star Spangled Springfield celebrates Independence Day music, delicious food, family-friendly activities and an exciting fireworks display. The activities are held in Riverfront Park. The fireworks are displayed from the Memorial Bridge and can been seen for miles.
Williamstown
Friday, July 4 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Williamstown has a whole big day planned with yoga on the lawn of the Williams Inn, a hometown parade (followed by Brass-O-Mania on the steps of the Williamstown Post Office), a hot dog cookout, reading of founding documents, a Sundance festival short film tour, and more. It ends with fireworks at the Taconic Golf Club at 9 p.m.
Greenfield
Beacon Field
Saturday, July 5 at 5 p.m., fireworks at 9:35 p.m.
Before the fireworks, enjoy music by Well Suited, Janet Ryan and Stright Up, the Greenfield Community Band, and more.
At Home Option: A Capitol Fourth 2025
Watch Friday, July 4 at 8 p.m. on NEPM TV
Repeats at 9:30 p.m.
A Capitol Fourth celebrates our nation’s 249th birthday with a live broadcast from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol The all-star event features patriotic and musical performances across genres, including pop, country, R&B, classical, and Broadway, with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of premier pops conductor Jack Everly, capped off by a fabulous display of fireworks for America’s biggest birthday party.