What’s Happening in Amherst?

by Art and Maura Keene

You can help us make our events calendar more comprehensive by sending us your listings and including contact information and/or a link for more information. Send events listings to amherstindy@gmail.com.

SINGLE DAY EVENTS (more or less)

FRIDAY AUGUST 1: SUMMER MUSIC CONCERT SERIES: BAD NEWS JAZZ ORCHESTRA AND HENDERSON BLUES BAND. 5 to 8 p.m., Town Common. The Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) is proud to announce the 2025 summer music series line-up. Support local shops, retail, and experiences and enjoy a taste of our global gastronomy by sitting down to dinner al fresco or getting your favorite meal to-go and bringing it to The Common to enjoy. In addition, local beer, wine, and cider will be sold to patrons 21+ and non-alcoholic beverages will be available.

FRIDAY AUGUST 1: ALEX ROHAN WITH SPECIAL GUEST PRIDEFALLS. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Massachusetts independent artist and songwriter Alex Rohan has always had a passion for music. He began singing at a young age and taught himself to play guitar. He started to perform publicly as a teen ager. Critics call his songwriting a mix of reggae and alternative. He also pays homage to other genres with songs of a country feel with folk inspired melodies. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. See full calendar here.

BEGINNING SATURDAY AUGUST 2: OPENING OF NEW AMHERST HISTORY CENTER. 11 a.m., 45 Boltwood Walk. The Amherst History Center opens in its new space with the exhibition “Amherst Then and Now,” a photographic juxtaposition of historic anc contemporary images done in collaboration with students from Amherst Regional High School. “Eclipse Chasers” which documents the travels of Mabel Loomis Todd and David Todd to study and photograph solar eclipses. The center will be open year-round from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m.

SATURDAY AUGUST 2: JEFFREY LEWIS AND THE VOLTAGE. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Songwriter and comix artist Jeffrey Lewis began recording homemade cassettes in New York City in 1998. His critically acclaimed, unusual and word-dense songs lead to him signing to Rough Trade Records in 2001. He created a brilliant style of scuzzy urban indie-rock-folk, and has played all over the world, both solo and with bandmates. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. See full calendar here.

SATURDAY AUGUST 2 TO SUNDAY AUGUST 3: LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF AMHERST GIANT BOOK SALE. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fort River Elementary School gym, 70 South East Street. Mark your calendars for the League of Women Voters of Amherst annual giant book sale. Thousands of gently used books at unbeatable prices. Leftover day is Monday, August 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. when everything must go.

SUNDAY AUGUST 3: MEETING FOR WORSHIP WITH A CONCERN FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN PALESTINE. 6 to 6:45 p.m., South Lawn UMass (between the DuBois Library and the Campus Pond. During the annual gathering of Quakers from across New England, we invite all who share our concern about the horrific suffering in Palestine to join us in a healing space of deep communal listening. In the face of this ongoing violence and our country’s role in it, we will hold the people of Palestine, and all those who participate in harming them, in the transforming presence of Spirit. We will gather in the worship tradition of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). In silence we will listen together for the call of love and conscience, attuning to the deep truths that rise in the presence of shared care. Quakers have a long history of activism that has been grounded in and emerges from this practice of deep communal listening.We will come together at the site of the former Gaza Solidarity encampment at UMass Amherst, holding in our hearts all those impacted by the ongoing violence in Palestine, and those on this campus and beyond who witness for peace. You do not need to be a Quaker to attend. All are welcome. You need only bring your willingness to sit together in quiet caring attention and community. Brief spoken messages may arise from the silence if anyone feels deeply led to share. The power of this practice lies not in persuasion or debate, but in listening to Spirit, to one another, and to the promptings of our conscience. Please join us in this act of spiritual witness.If you are able, bring a chair or blanket to sit on.  We suggest parking in the Campus Center Parking Garage. Please arrive a bit early to settle in and be ready to start at 6:00. Valley Families for Palestine will lead stories and quiet activities for children nearby. Rain Date Monday, August 4.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6: SCULPTURE UNVEILING AT WILDWOOD CEMETERY. 5:30 p.m., Wildwood Cemetery, 70 Strong Street. Wildwood Cemetery is unveiling its first public art sculpture, Touch, sculpted by Matt Mitchell. Light refreshments will be served at the sculpture, to be located in the main entrance garden. Touch was carved from a 5-foot-tall boulder and represents two hands holding each other in the way that people hold hands when walking together or when clasping hands to feel support and connectedness. Mitchell is an Amherst artist who enjoys walking in the cemetery.

THURSDAY AUGUST 7: LAS CAFETERAS. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Las Cafeteras have taken the music scene by storm with their infectious live performances and have crossed many genres and borders along the way. Their electric sound and energy has taken them around the world. From Afro-Mexican to Americana, from Soul to Son Jarocho, from Roots to Rock and Hip Hop. Las Cafeteras take folk music to the future. Tickets $22 in advance, $25 at the door. See full calendar here.

FRIDAY AUGUST 8: OPENING RECEPTION: A SOMETHING OVERTAKES THE MIND: A MULTIMEDIA VISUAL ART AND POETRY INSTALLATION BY LIGIA BOUTON AND MATT DONOVAN. 5 to 7 p.m., Emily Dickinson Museum, 280 Main Street. A Something Overtakes the Mind is a multimedia visual art and poetry installation created by Ligia Bouton and Matt Donovan for the Emily Dickinson Museum. Through explorations of domestic objects, biographical details, found poetry, and community testimonials, the exhibition seeks to find new ways of engaging with the poet’s life and legacy. The exhibition, free to the public during museum open hours, will be installed in the ground floor of the Homestead in the house’s woodshed, laundry room, and kitchen. Visitors to the installation must first check in at the carriage house tour center. Free to the public. Registration not required.

SATURDAY AUGUST 9: JONES LIBRARY KIDS’ SUMMER READING CELEBRATION. 10:30 a.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Come celebrate the end of summer reading with a live Free to Be You and Me dance party! Joshua Sitron will be providing piano accompaniment to classic kids’ songs from the landmark “Free to Be You and Me” album with dance party breaks between singing. Joshua will be taking requests for everyone to read and sing along with in this pop-up karaoke party. Get your summer reading log checked to earn tickets to our grand prize drawing. Made possible thanks to The Friends of the Jones Libraries and the Drake.

FRIDAY AUGUST 15: SIP & SHOP NIGHT AT FLORAL AFFAIRS. 6 to 8 p.m., Floral Affairs, 172 North Pleasant Street. One of Downtown’s newest businesses that transformed Knowles Flower Shop into its next chapter invites you for a fun shopping experience in their new location an the opportunity to welcome this new business to Amherst. This will be a great opportunity to get to know the team, have some laughs, win some pries, and even take home a FREE flower. Light refreshments will be served. No purchase necessary.

SATURDAY AUGUST 16: AMHERST COMMUNITY BAND CONCERT. Featuring band classics. Sweetser Park, Downtown Amherst, 6-7 p.m. In the event of rain the concert will be relocated to the St. Brigid’s Parish Center.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 20: INTERPLAY JAZZ. 3 to 7 p.m., Kendrick Park. Lawn games with pop-up live music by Interplay Jazz 6 to 7 p.m. Savor the summer with lawn games and pop-up live music performances Wednesday afternoons/early evening brought to you by Amherst BID. Free and open to the public.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27: GREEN STREET BREW. 3 to 7 p.m., Kendrick Park. Lawn games with pop-up live music by Green Street Brew 6 to 7 p.m. Savor the summer with lawn games and pop-up live music performances Wednesday afternoons/early evening brought to you by Amherst BID. Free and open to the public.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12 THROUGH SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 14: AUDITIONS FOR AMHERST COMMUNITY THEATER’S “THE WIZARD OF OZ.” Actors, singers, and dancers ages 7—107 are encouraged to audition. There will be nine performances in January 2026. For more info about auditions, including character descriptions and audition music, or for an audition appointment, please visit amherstacts.org/auditions or contact producer@amherstacts.org.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 13: BENEFIT CONCERT FOR PIONEER VALLEY WORKERS CENTER. 7 to 9 p.m., Unitarian-Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 North Pleasant Street. Join us for an evening of inspiring pro-democracy, social justice themed music from area folk musicians Roger Tincknell, Lisa Gaughran, Katie Tolles, One Journey and Friends. The concert will benefit PVWC, a critical nonprofit organization serving immigrant workers in Western Massachusetts.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18: 12^TH ANNUAL CELEBRATE AMHERST BLOCK PARTY. 5 to 9 p.m., North Pleasant Street, Downtown Amherst. Save the date. Details forthcoming.

ONGOING AND MULTI-DAY EVENTS

EVERY MONDAY EXCEPT HOLIDAYS: AUTOHARP WORKSHOPS. 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Senior Center, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Join Marie Hartwell-Walker and autoharp players throughout the country who participate on Zoom. Participants on Zoom also welcome.

EVERY TUESDAY: RACIAL JUSTICE VIGIL 4:00 p.m. -4:30 p.m., downtown Amherst in front of the Bank of America.

FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: COUNCIL ON AGING SENIOR LUNCH. Noon. Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk.

FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH. RAINBOW COFFEE HOUR. 10-11 a.m. Amherst Senior Center, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. The Rainbow Coffee Hour is a new LGBTIA+ social coffee group for ages 50 and above. Join us for this welcoming space to socialize. No format, no agenda, just community. The July coffee hour will be held on July 11, due to July 4 being the first Tuesday of the month.

EVERY WEDNESDAY : CAFE. Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Are you or a loved one experiencing memory loss? At the Amherst Senior Center, we understand memory changes and have developed a new program based on the popular Memory Café format. Our Café offers fun, relaxation, and of course, snacks. This program is perfect for caregivers, people with mild memory loss, or anyone in the community who enjoys good conversation and strong coffee. Each Café opens with a coffee and conversation hour, followed by a group activity. Join us on Wednesday, November 30th for a performance by our special musical guests, “Healing Hearts with Harmony” at 11:00am. Come for the coffee, stay for the connections! Email seniorcenter@amherstma.gov or call 413-259-3060 with questions. 

EVERY WEDNESDAY: WEEKLY WEDNESDAY MARKET. 10 to 11:30 a.m., Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Since its launch in May 2024, the Wednesday Market has served over 700 community members. The Market is open to all, and there’s no registration and no questions asked. Just come and enjoy. We distribute fresh produce, dairy, prepared food, and delicious treats. 

EVERY WEDNESDAY IN APRIL: DROP-IN VACCINE CLINIC. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Amherst Public Health Department, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Free flu and COVID shots while supplies last. Individuals over 65 are eligible for a COVID booster this spring. Protect yourself and others. Stay healthy! For more information, email publichealth@amherstma.gov or call 413-259-3077.

EVERY WEDNESDAY: BEGINNER BIRDING. 9:00-9:30 a.m. Notch Visitor Center, 1500 West Street. For ages 12 and up. An easy, level, 1/4-mile guided hike to discover more about birds: their behaviors, needs, habitats and significance. Listen, observe, sketch, photo or journal. Free

LAST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH (EXCLUDING JULY AND JANUARY): NORTHAMPTON JAZZ WORKSHOP. The Drake. 44 North Pleasant Street. 7:30 p.m. Free (donations accepted). Featuring the Green Street trio with a special guest. Featured set at 7:30 followed by an open jam session. Bring your axe. Full calendar of events here.

LAST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: CRAFT AND CONVERSE. Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road. 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Are you tired of creating in solitude? Looking to connect with other artistic individuals? Grab your sketchbook, knitting bag, or water color gear and join our monthly coworking group! Craft and converse, hosted by Easthampton artist Kaia Zimmerman, is held the last Wednesday of every month from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. This welcoming, intentional space is designed for community members to come together for a casual, social evening while pursuing their own creative projects. Drop-ins welcome, but registration encouraged for any weather-related changes in schedule. Bring your own arts or crafts project (BYOA) to work on. Ages 16+.

WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS, AND SATURDAYS JUNE THROUGH NOVEMBER: AMHERST MOBILE MARKET. Wednesdays 3 to 6 p.m. in North Amherst, Thursdays 3 to 6 p.m. at Colonial Village, and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at East Hadley Road. The Amherst Mobile Market not only makes affordable produce available within walking distance of residents who struggle to access healthy food, but also puts decision-making in the hands of low-income, BIPOC community members and builds the capacity of those community members to take on leadership roles.

EVERY THURSDAY : AMHERST ARTISANS’ MARKET.  3 to 7 p.m., front lawn of the Amherst History Museum, 67 Amity Street. The Amherst Artisans’ Market features local artists, crafters and food vendors.

EVERY THURSDAY: STITCH CIRCLE. 4 to 6 p.m. Mill District Local Art Gallery and General Store, 91 Cowls Road. Grab your needles, venture to the General Store, and join us for our first Stitch Circle. Knitters, quilters, embroidery artists, and crocheters are all invited. Free.

THURSDAYS JULY 3 THROUGH AUGUST 31: LIVE JAZZ AND GLOBAL MUSIC AT THE ERIC CARLE MUSEUM. 5 to 8 p.m., Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art announced its new Sunset Thursdays series, a collaboration with the Northampton Jazz Festival. The first performers in the series are Ben Malnyoski Plus 2 on Thursday, July 3, and Ryan Hollander and Allan Bezama on Thursday, July 10. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and picnic dinners. Music is free with a museum admission. For a full list of performers and for more information about Sunset Thursdays and other summer programming at the Eric Carle Museum, visit carlemuseum.org/visit/events/summer-carle. The concerts are free.

EVERY FRIDAY: HANDS OFF OUR STUDENTS STANDOUT. 4 pm – 5:30 p.m., Kendrick Park, Amherst. https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/778646/

FRIDAYS JUNE 27 THROUGH AUGUST 1: SUMMER MUSIC CONCERT SERIES. 5 to 8 p.m., Town Common. The Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) is proud to announce the 2025 summer music series line-up. June 27: Harvest and Rust: A Neil Young Experience and Willy Nelson songs with Matt York. July 11: Special triple feature in partnership with Amherst Cultural Council LeFever, Lonesome Brothers, and BR413. July 18: The Gems Tones and Masala Jazz. July 25: UMass Jazz in July Program All Stars Concert. August 1: Bad News Jazz Orchestra and the Henderson Blues Band. Support local shops, retail, and experiences and enjoy a taste of our global gastronomy by sitting down to dinner al fresco or getting your favorite meal to-go and bringing it to The Common to enjoy. In addition, local beer, wine, and cider will be sold to patrons 21+ and non-alcoholic beverages will be available.

FIRST AND THIRD FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH: VETERAN’S COMMUNITY BREAKFAST FOR ALL -8 a.m – 9 a.m. Large Activity Room, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. At each breakfast (bagel/donut/coffee), a veteran or veteran ally, will tell his or her personal story regarding military service. Generation after generation reveals that those going to war to defend our country come back spiritually and morally wounded, regardless of the bodily consequences of combat. We want to bring veterans together for food and friendship to help coalesce a spirit of camaraderie to enable authentic, veteran-oriented communities to flourish. WELCOME: Veterans, Spouses, Caregivers, Amherst Community Members.  Let’s Build a Thriving Veterans Community.  There are 387 Veterans in town! Sponsored by CRESS. FOR MORE INFORMATION:  CALL THE CRESS OFFICE, (413) 259-3370  OR GENE HERMAN, VIETNAM VETERAN, (240) 472-7288  –  CRESS VETERAN’S OUTREACH VOLUNTEER.

EVERY SATURDAY THROUGH NOVEMBER 23: AMHERST FARMERS’ MARKET. 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Town Common. Established in 1972, the Amherst Farmers’ Market is widely recognized as one of the best places for local food, fun, and community offering farm to table produce and selections from your local growers and Valley producers. Come out for the food, music, events, and community offerings.

SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS: LIVE JAZZ AND GOOD EATS AT THE BLACK SHEEP. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Black Sheep Deli, 79 Main Street. Frist and third Saturdays: Masala Jazz, Second, Fourth and Fifth Saturdays: Simmer Music Presents, Sundays: the Catalytics. Tip Jar..

THIRD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH MAY THROUGH OCTOBER: CARS AND COFFEE AT THE MILL DISTRICT. 8 to 11:30 a.m., Mill District, Cowls Road. Cars and Coffee is back—and it’s bigger than ever! This FREE community event invites car lovers of all ages to enjoy an exciting morning filled with cool cars, coffee, and family fun. Spectators get a free drip coffee token and information on entering our raffle for a $50 gift certificate to the Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery. There will also be an on-site playground and coloring activities to keep the kids entertained. Trophies awarded for the top cars in several categories. Pre-register your vehicle here.

NOW THROUGH AUGUST 2: CALL AND RESPONSE: PAINTINGS BY EVE PYE. Gallery A3, 28 Amity Street 1D. Gallery hours are Thursday–Sunday, 2:00–7:00 p.m. There will be a free, in-person art forum on Thursday July 17 at 7:30 p.m at the gallery. More information

NOW THROUGH TUESDAY AUGUST 28: INTENTION: A PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION. Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road.  This summer, we invite you to reflect on your intentional, positive contribution to your community. Maybe it’s a small moment of kindness. Maybe it’s a big moment of activity. Every moment matters; every gift
has value. What do you offer? What is your word? Grab your painting clothes, come paint a piece of cardstock with your word on it. Then add it to the Front Window Gallery exhibit. Pick up your artwork on Wednesday, August 27. All ages. Store hours. Free. Donations for Amherst Survival Center.

NOW THROUGH AUGUST 29: A JOURNEY STICHED WITH LOVE: FIBER ART BY PAM LEDOUX. “A Journey Stitched with Lov,e,” an exhibition of quilts by local artist Pam Ledoux, will be on display at the Town Hall Art Gallery, 4 Boltwood Avenue, through the end of August. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

NOW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 7: PORTRAITS IN RED: MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BY NAYANA LAFOND. D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield Museums. In her powerful series of portraits, artist and activist Nayana Lafond sheds light on the crisis affecting Indigenous peoples, particularly women, who are eleven times more likely to go missing than the national average. Each portrait depicts a missing or murdered Indigenous person, a family member, or an advocate, rendered in shades of gray and marked by a vivid red handprint—the only color visible to spirits—to raise awareness, inspire action, and honor the lives and stories of those impacted by this crisis. Lafond, a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, graduated from Amherst High School and lives in Western Massachusetts. After studying at the Massachusetts College of Art, she became a full-time painter and has served as a curator and community arts organizer for over twenty years. Visit her website.

NOW THROUGH SUNDAY JANUARY 4: RETROSPECTIVE: THE ART OF GRACE LIN: MEETING A FRIEND IN AN UNEXPECTED PLACE. Eric Carle Museum, 125 West Bay Road. Grace Lin’s first picture book, The Ugly Vegetables, was published in 1999 to glowing praise. Twenty-five years later, she has created more than 30 titles, including board books, early readers, and middle grade novels, garnering Caldecott, Newbury, and Geisel honors along the way. Lin is a dedicated advocate for diversity in children’s book publishing, with a popular TEDx talk, “The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf” and created the video essay, “What to do when you realize classic books from your childhood are racist?” for PBS News Hour and New England Public Radio. This career retrospective of more than 80 works celebrates all aspects of Lin’s creativity with original art, sketches, manuscripts, and videos.

NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 1 : A SOMETHING OVERTAKES THE MIND: A MULTIMEDIA VISUAL ART AND POETRY INSTALLATION BY LIGIA BOUTON AND MATT DONOVAN. Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Emily Dickinson Museum, 280 Main Street. A Something Overtakes the Mind is a multimedia visual art and poetry installation created by Ligia Bouton and Matt Donovan for the Emily Dickinson Museum. Through explorations of domestic objects, biographical details, found poetry, and community testimonials, the exhibition seeks to find new ways of engaging with the poet’s life and legacy. The exhibition, free to the public during museum open hours, will be installed in the ground floor of the Homestead in the house’s woodshed, laundry room, and kitchen. Visitors to the installation must first check in at the carriage house tour center.

AUGUST 7 THROUGH AUGUST 30: UNITED WE STAND. ART FOR DIVIDED TIMES. The exhibit showcases 45 works by 37 artists from New England and New York, and media include drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, mixed media, and fiber works. “Gallery A3 began more than two decades ago, as artists in the community responded to the attacks of 9/11,” Hite states. “Now, with our 10^th Annual Juried Show coming at another momentous time in our country’s history, it is exciting to see how the responses to the theme of UNITED WE STAND range from personal to political, abstract to conceptual, and humorous to iconic imagery.”  Gallery A3 is located at 28 Amity Street 1D. Gallery hours are 2 p.m.- 7 p.m. Thursday – Sunday. There will be an opening recption at the Gallery on Thursday, August 7 from 5-8 p.m. There will be a free, art forum on line on Thursday August 21 at 7:30 p.m. Register here for the link. More information