25th Anniversary
North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival Sept 30 and Oct 1
Celebrate! Thrive! We’re 25!
Event Name: 25th Annual North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival
Event Date: Saturday and Sunday, Sept 30 and Oct 1, 10 AM to 5 PM both days. Shine or Rain
Location: Outdoor fields, Forster Farm, 60 Chestnut Hill Rd. Orange, MA. No pets allowed on site or in parking lots. On-site parking for accessibility and carpools of three or more. Others-nearby shuttle lot.
Travel, shuttle and parking info, schedules of entertainment, activities, and exhibitors: www.garlicandarts.org
Family Friendly Admission: Half price, 25th anniversary special! $5 (Good for the weekend!) Kids 12 and under FREE. Card to Culture! EBT, WIC, ConnectorCare: FREE! Advance tickets for all strongly encouraged starting Sept 1st at www.garlicandarts.org. 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!
Get to Know the North Quabbin Region: A Journey
Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/NorthQuabbinGarlicAndArtsFestival/ Instagram: nqgarlicandartsfestival Twitter #NQGarlicandArts Postcard image available for promotional use at garlicandarts.org. Enjoy 25 fun, behind the scene festival facts here!
The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival celebrates year 25 on Sept 30/October 1 in Orange, MA. 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 from across New England.
Over 100 bountiful booths feature regional artists, farmers, community organizations, and healing arts; everyone can strengthen the economy by purchasing locally crafted and grown! 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. Be it folk, funk or bomba we’ve got you covered–and dancing! At the Spoken Word stage nestled in the forest, enjoy over 35 poets, many featured in a special anniversary compilation. Travel the garlic globe in the chef demo tent, complete with complimentary recipes. Fill your belly with local to global, savory cuisine from local farms, restaurants and food trucks. 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 (only 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’ area hosts inspiring local living workshops all weekend, from pollinators to heat pumps and more! Electric Vehicles (EV) owners offer a glimpse of their cars, tractors, bikes and even a pontoon boat, scheduled throughout the weekend. Get excited, get ready: view and print your own festival schedules of performance, demos, and workshops!
Inflation Busting, Family Friendly Admission: Half-price, 25th anniversary special! Only $5 (Good for the weekend!) Kids 12 and under FREE. Card to Culture! EBT, WIC, ConnectorCare: FREE! Advance tickets strongly encouraged and available starting Sept 1 at www.garlicandarts.org. Cash or card still welcome at the gate.
Parking is free but limited: on-site parking is for accessible tags and carpools of three or more; free nearby shuttle lot for all others. Biking encouraged!
No pets allowed (service dogs only).
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 $60,000 has been contributed to local organizations as well as socially responsible loan funds.
According to the organizers, all friends and neighbors who volunteer with love to create the festival, “Twenty-five 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.” Enjoy 25 fun, behind the scene festival facts here!
Get the whole bulb at http://www.garlicandarts.org including the 2023 schedule of exhibitors, entertainment, volunteering opportunities, and workshops and activities for all ages. While in the North Quabbin, stop in at local businesses or enjoy ample hiking or paddling. Curious about the region? Enjoy this North Quabbin journey.
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!
###
