North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival Returns Oct 1 and 2!
24 and Back for More!
Two Days of Peace, Love and Garlic
Event Name: 24th Annual North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival
Event Date: Saturday and Sunday, October 1 and 2. 10 AM to 5 PM both days. Shine or Rain
Location: Forster’s Farm, 60 Chestnut Hill Rd. Orange, MA. No pets allowed on site or in parking lots.
Travel and parking info, schedules of entertainment, activities, and exhibitors: www.garlicandarts.org
Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/NorthQuabbinGarlicAndArtsFestival/ Instagram: nqgarlicandartsfestival Twitter #NQGarlicandArts
Colorful image: jpg postcard image available for promotional use at garlicandarts.org
Admission: $10 (Good for the weekend!) $5 seniors, students, EBT cardholders. Kids 12 and under free. New: advance sales at www.garlicandarts.org, or cash or card still welcome at the gate.
Come prepared: No ATM on site, bring a water bottle for free water, and a bag to carry great goods!
The 24th Annual North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival in Orange MA returns October 1 and 2 for two days of peace, love, and garlic! The family friendly “festival that stinks” is renowned for exceptional art, local farm products, fabulous food, endless entertainment, and inspiration for a hopeful future. Held on a historic farm amid fall foliage, the event attracts and unites many thousands locally and across New England.
Great music, entertainment, and spoken word emanate from three stages and the rolling fields. The line-up of performers is testimony to the culturally diverse and abundant talents of the region. Over 80 bountiful booths feature regional artists, farmers, community organizations, and healing arts; everyone can strengthen the economy by purchasing locally crafted and grown! Travel the garlic globe in the chef demo tent, and fill your belly with farm fresh and savory cuisine in four food courts. Over fifty engaging workshops and demos, activities and performances are scheduled throughout the weekend. Garlic games abound on the main field, including the famous raw garlic-eating contest. Your kids will love the free art-making tent! Orange is the New Green: trash free (less than three bags for 8,000 people!) with everything else recycled or transformed into fertile compost to make gardens not garbage. Bring your own bottle for the free drinking water provided, or buy a souvenir refillable one along with an artist-designed festival tee shirt. The ‘Portal to the Future’ at the north end of the festival site is the place to visit for all things renewable energy, with inspiring local living workshops all weekend. New! Electric Vehicles (EV) from cars to tractors to bikes are scheduled through the weekend. Get excited, get ready: view and print your own festival programs of performance, demos, and workshops at garlicandarts.org!
Inflation Busting, Family friendly admission: $10 (Good for the weekend!) $5 for seniors, students, or EBT cardholders. Kids 12 and under free. NEW: save time, advance tickets available on-line at garlicandarts.org. Cards and cash still welcome at the gate.
Parking is free but limited so please carpool: on-site parking is for accessible tags and carpools of three or more; free nearby shuttle lot for all others. No pets allowed (service dogs only). Biking encouraged! Garlic lovers are hot, but no smoking on the festival site or shuttle bus lines. The festival is volunteer organized and run; proceeds keep the event sustainable and affordable, and support the festival’s community grant program for local art, agriculture, health and energy projects. Over $55,000 has been contributed to local organizations as well as socially responsible loan funds, and the festival donates hundreds of entry passes annually to organizations that serve low income local residents.
According to the organizers, all friends and neighbors who volunteer with love to create the festival, “The festival spirit remained strong and connected during the pandemic hiatus. We created a virtual festival and a marketplace for artists. We are thrilled to bring back the full, beloved event in 2022! Twenty four years ago we dreamed up an idea to celebrate the beauty and bounty of our region, so often-overlooked, and ignite the cultural and agricultural economy of the North Quabbin. Five co-founders each put 20 dollars on the table over a shared meal to initiate the first Garlic and Arts Festival, along with faith in the power of community and creativity, and a ‘let’s just do it’ attitude. More than ever, people of all walks of life need places to come together in celebration and gain inspiration for resilient lives and communities, and a saner world.”
Get the whole bulb at garlicandarts.org including the 2022 schedule of exhibitors, entertainment, and workshops and activities for all ages. Come find out why some say the festival is one of the 17th most popular events in the universe! While in the North Quabbin, stop in at local businesses or enjoy ample hiking or paddling.
A volunteer committee of friends and neighbors, and Seeds of Solidarity Education Center, a non-profit organization, organize the North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival. Supporters include the Forster/Stewart Family, over 100 exhibitors, and about 200 community volunteers the festival weekend!
