Greetings! Massachusetts is rich in arts and culture, so it's no surprise that exciting events, exhibits and festivals are held in the state's 16 regions all year long. Find out more below! 

Plan your next cultural getaway to Massachusetts!

At Big E's Supermarket in Downtown Easthampton, a  shovel toting, overall wearing, fruit and vegetable carrying bear greets you out front. This farmer inspired bear, created by artist Amalia FourHawks, is one of 40 life-sized fiberglass bears, creatively transformed by local and nationally known artists, on display throughout Easthampton's downtown all summer long! The Easthampton Bear Fest is a public art outdoor exhibit that raises money for the arts in this western Massachusetts home to a growing community of artists and their studios. Find your pick of local produce  at one of the dozen farmers markets in the area.  Plan your trip over a weekend to experience the Ko Festival of Performance at Amherst College. Click here and here for more to do in Amherst and Northampton this summer!   

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For nearly eight decades, the Fitchburg Art Museum has turned the spotlight on local talent each summer, when it stages its annual Regional Exhibition of Art and Craft. The juried show, open to artists living within a 25-mile radius of Fitchburg, consistently offers a dazzling peek into local creative talent! Awards are presented by a panel of judges, and visitors are invited to vote for their favorite piece for the "popular prize." The Regional Exhibition runs through September 2nd. For details, visit www.fitchburgartmuseum.org.  

 

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Musical Mondays are held at Featherstone Center for the Arts from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Monday in summer! Featuring great local bands playing on Featherstone's outdoor stage. Bring the whole family, a picnic dinner, lawn chairs, maybe even a Frisbee to throw around! $7 for adults; children under 14 FREE!  Call 508-693-1850 or visit www.featherstoneart.org for a full schedule.   

 

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With more time on our hands in July, put those hands to work creating art...not just viewing it! At Spellman Museum's "Happy Birthday, USA" party on July 4th, kids can create a flag mosaic from postage stamps. During summer evenings at Palettes, adults can eat, drink, and paint a masterpiece in a festive atmosphere. At Whimsy, families can spend hours together painting a clock, decoupaging a purse or mosaicing a picture frame.  

 

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The 4th Annual Nantucket Garden Festival on July 25-28 celebrates gardening through world-class speaker engagements, informative workshops, exquisite garden tours, and children's workshops & activities! The 2012 Garden Festival emphasizes education and celebration of horticulture and design through sustainability and artistry. For more information, visit www.nantucketgardenfestival.org.

 

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Come see the world's best-loved musical Annie, playing at the famous North Shore Music Theatre July 17-29! Experience the dark and delightful Carnival, playing at the intimate Gloucester Stage Company from July 5-22. Or check out something new at the Firehouse Center for the Arts where Much Ado About Something, a free outdoor event by Shakesperience Productions, is playing July 15th. For more cultural activities North of Boston, visit www.escapesnorth.com.

 

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Visit the authentically-restored 1809 Hedge House on the Plymouth waterfront as part of a Historic House Tour! This gracious Federal mansion with unusual octagonal rooms was lived in by local merchants and entrepreneurs in the early years of the new nation. Wednesdays through Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. Cost is $5, $2 children. Hedge House Museum is located at 126 Water Street in Plymouth. Click here for more information.    

 

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Greater New Bedford Summerfest, set for July 6-8, is New Bedford's annual International Folk Music and Arts Festival! Enjoy various stages of performers at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, including traditional folk music and dance, contemporary acoustic, National and International acts. The festivities also include a juried arts & crafts fair, festival food vendors and activities for kids!     

 

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The 26th annual Lowell Folk Festival will take place July 27-29 in downtown Lowell!  The largest free folk festival in the U.S., the Lowell Folk Festival offers continuous live music from around the world on six stages located throughout the downtown, a wide selection of ethnic food stalls, live folk craft demonstrations, lectures on global foodways and children's crafts and activities. Visit www.lowellfolkfestival.org for a full schedule of events. 

 

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Enjoy free admission at the Worcester Art Museum (yes... FREE!) during July and August! The Worcester Art Museum (WAM), which opened to the public in 1898, is world renowned for its 35,000+ piece collection of paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, photography, prints, drawings, and new media. Accessible to all, the works span 5,000 years of art and culture ranging from ancient Roman mosaics to colonial silver, Impressionist paintings, and contemporary art. Visit www.worcesterartmuseum.org for more information.

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The Annual Boston HARBORFEST will be held June 28-July 4, showcasing the historic city's colonial and maritime heritage. Featuring concerts, historical tours, reenactments, and over 200 festival events around Boston's historic downtown and waterfront districts. Also, the annual Fourth of July Boston Pops Esplanade Concert kicks off the evening of July 4th, with conductor Keith Lockhart and a special celebrity guest. The concert is followed by a spectacular fireworks display over the Charles River!    

 

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On June 29-July 1, enjoy the annual  Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Pow Wow, a three-day celebration at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds in East Falmouth that is an immersion in Native American culture! The annual Auto Event will return to Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich on July 7th. On July 20-22, the 30th Annual Greek Cultural Festival will be held at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Centerville. And, for information on Cape-wide Fourth of July activities, including parades and fireworks, click here!  

 

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The Springfield Museums offers "LEGO® Castle Adventure," which allows children to explore a castle filled with LEGO® bricks and build their own castle; "Tiffany Lamps: Articles of Utility, Objects of Art" and "In Company with Angels: Seven Rediscovered Tiffany Windows," a celebration of Louis Comfort Tiffany's contributions to decorative lighting and the stained glass windows of angels; and "Stickwork: Outdoor Sculpture by Patrick Dougherty," an outdoor exhibit that features sculptures made of tree saplings. All this summer! 

For more information on Greater Springfield, click here.