Saturday, June 3, 2023
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Hadley Town Common, Hadley, Massachusetts
Known as “the asparagus capital of the world,” western Massachusetts is still home to hundreds of working farms and many more locally-owned restaurants and breweries. Now in its ninth year, the NEPM Asparagus Festival returns to the Hadley Town Common on Saturday, June 3 to celebrate the region’s legacy of agriculture and community.
Preregister now to skip the line and be entered to win two three-day passes to the Green River Festival June 23-25, a $50 gift certificate to Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity, or four tickets to Bettye Layette at Bombyx on July 15!
Note: Thanks to everyone who has already preregistered, we’ve reached our free 1,000 scoop limit with our partners at Flayvors of Cook Farm. We hope you’ll visit them on site to buy a cone or two and support this generous local business!
Festival Map
Schedule
| 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Fun and games for the whole family! |
| Take a break with PBS Kids and Stand Out Truck | |
| Asparagus Valley Pick Game | |
| Farmers & Makers Market | |
| Free ice cream from Flayvors of Cook Farm with preregistration | |
| 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Food trucks |
| 10:15 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Meet Curious George and Molly of Denali* |
| 10:30 a.m. | MISTER G and the Global Citizen Ensemble |
| 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Book signing with Margot Douaihy, author of NEPM Book Club pick "Scorched Grace" |
| 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Beer, wine and cider in the Beers & Spears tent |
| Noon | The Fabulous 413 Live! |
| 1:30 p.m. | Wally Hibbard Memorial Asparagus Bunching Contest |
| 2:30 p.m. | Poor Monroe on the Rooted in the Valley Stage |
| 4 p.m. | The Wolff Sisters on the Rooted in the Valley Stage |
| 5:30 p.m. | Soul Magnets on the Rooted in the Valley Stage |
*Please note, appearances by PBS Kids characters will be staggered and are subject to change.
Valley Grass & Family Fun
Kid-friendly performers include Grammy award-winning bilingual artist MISTER G and the Global Citizen Ensemble with Marcos Carreras, director of music at the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts Magnet School.
And, there will be appearances by PBS Kids characters like Curious George and Molly of Denali!
Beers & Spears
Our Beers & Spears tent will feature local beers, ciders and wines from New City Brewery, White Lion Brewing, Building 8 Brewing, Element Brewing & Distilling, Abandoned Building Brewery, Artisan Beverage Cooperative, Black Birch Vineyard, Loophole Brewing, Forestopia, and Four Fantoms Brewing Company.
And, we'll have all the asparagus you can eat and more from local food trucks and restaurants, including Holyoke Hummus Company, The Wing Man, Esselon Café, Vibesman's Jerk Shack, Dean's Beans, Crooked Stick Pops, Flayvors of Cook Farm, Jaju Pierogi, Sun Kim Bop, Cocina Lupita, Vegan Pizza Land, Thai Chili Food Truck and Ginger Love Cafe.
Live Music
The Rooted in the Valley Stage, curated by Signature Sounds, will feature a selection of great musical acts, including gritty and raw folk-rock outfit The Wolff Sisters, New England Music Award-nominated bluegrass act Poor Monroe, and local old school funk and neo-soul band Soul Magnets.
Farmer & Makers Market
Meet over 100 local food, crafts, cultural, non-profit and agricultural vendors at the Farmers & Makers Market.
Bicycle Valet & Parking
The Hadley Town Common is on the Norwottuck Rail Trail and attendees are encouraged to ride bikes to the festival and take advantage of MassBike’s free bicycle valet service.
If you drive, parking is available on the north and south sides of the common. Please go to the north side of the common first. We will direct you to the south side if the north is full. Do not park on the street, and heed no parking signs.
Suggested Donation
The NEPM Asparagus Festival is a free event for all to enjoy with a suggested donation of $5 per person or $20 per family to support public media in western Massachusetts. Preregister for the festival to skip the line at the gate — and get a free ice cream from Flayvors of Cook Farm!
Or, become a new member of NEPM with the Asparagus Festival Pass. You’ll get access to PBS Passport, an NEPM tote bag and pair of socks, an NEPM Kids Day T-shirt, stickers, and a bottle of water to keep you hydrated — all for only $60.
The NEPM Asparagus Festival is sponsored by Greenfield Savings Bank, River Valley Co-Op, Pekarski’s Sausage, the Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council, Northeast Solar, PV Squared, TommyCar Auto Group, USA Waste & Recycling, Valley Solar and Flayvors of Cook Farm.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette, MassLive/The Republican, El Pueblo Latino, and Reminder Publishing are media sponsors.
A special thank you to the Town of Hadley and Flayvors of Cook Farm!
NEPM will be recording video and audio for future use at this event.