Wakefield Music Festival Promises to Be a New Summer Tradition

Regional bands and vendors bring good vibes Memorial Day weekend

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A new tradition is coming to South County this Memorial Day weekend. The Wakefield Music Festival, coinciding with the first RiverFire of the season, will feature the best local music, costumed characters for the kids, an air guitar competition, barbecue with a Jamaican twist, local brews, and more.

PHIL’S Main Street Grill and the outdoor stage at the Contemporary Theater Company will host the event. “Credit goes to the original downtown merchants who held block parties 20 years ago,” says Chris Simpson, executive director of the Contemporary Theater Company. “We’re honored to carry on the tradition and celebrate all the natural, cultural, and historic beauty downtown Wakefield has to offer.”

The festival’s goal is to bring the community outdoors to enjoy the bike path, the Saugatucket River, downtown Wakefield shops, and a range of entertainment. Artisans and vendors will be selling their wares along the river and PHIL’S will serve barbeque, wine, South Kingstown-based Whalers and Shaidzon beers, and more.

The Talking Dreads, a popular reggae act from southern Connecticut, headline the festival, taking the stage at 8pm. Led by Tom Tom Club veteran Mystic Bowie, the band blends rhythms from his native Jamaica with Talking Heads songs, including hits “Psycho Killer” and “Burning Down the House.” Local bands James and the Giants and Guess Method will also play, with music for kids and families beginning at 2pm with Keith Munslow & Friends.

The Wakefield Music Festival takes place May 27, with rain date May 28. Tickets are $10, and kids under 10, active-duty military personnel, and veterans are welcome at no charge. Wakefield, ContemporaryTheaterCompany.com 

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