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Blackstone River Theater Summer Solstice Festival
Looking for a great family-friendly outdoor music festival without having to travel hours to find it? Blackstone River Theatre (BRT) has your solution as they move their programming outside to present the 7th annual Blackstone River Theatre Summer Solstice Festival at Diamond Hill Park in Cumberland, on Saturday, June 17. The Summer Solstice Festival will run from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with four stages that focus on Celtic and world music, dance and culture. There will also be more than 40 craft and food vendors and a children’s activity area. Rain date is June 18.
Calling the festival a natural extension of Blackstone River Theatre’s year-round programming, Russell Gusetti, BRT executive director and festival producer, is looking forward to returning to Diamond Hill Park where more than 1,100 people came to last year’s event.
Featured entertainers include long-time BRT favorites as well as many acts that will be new to area audiences. This year sees three music stages plus a stage dedicated to Irish dance traditions, all running continuously throughout the day. There will also be a session tent area where patrons are encouraged to bring their own instrument and sit in with festival performers.
Festival performers – most doing two sets each – include the Atwater-Donnelly Trio, Kevin Crawford, Cillian Vallely & Patrick Doocey (from the group Lunasa), the Eastern Medicine Singers, Archie Fisher (from Scotland), The Gnomes, The Jeremiahs (from Ireland), Les Poules à Colin (from Quebec), Robbie O’Connell & Rose Clancy, Pendragon, and Torrin Ryan, Kyle Forsthoff & Benjamin Foss.
There will also be nonstop Irish step dance featuring 70 dancers from Tir Na Nog Irish Dance. A children’s area will feature traditional music for children with Mary King & Phil Edmonds, as well as sand art, henna, face painting, and a circus skills area with Marvelous Marvin.
Admission is $15 adults, $10 seniors, $5 children ages 6-15, children under 5 free. For information, visit www.riverfolk.org/brtssf or call Blackstone River Theatre at (401) 725-9272.
For a video sample visit: https://tinyurl.com/SummerSolsticeFest
Also returning will be the popular after-festival Music Session on Saturday, June 17, 8:30-11:30 p.m., back at Blackstone River Theatre itself, 549 Broad St., Cumberland. This separate admission, limited ticket event, features virtually all the festival performers playing in a casual setting with complimentary food and a cash bar. Tickets are $20.00 and advance purchase is strongly recommended.
