The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival returns for its 27th year Sept. 27-28. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Forster Farm, 60 Chestnut Hill Road, Orange.
The festival is a rain or shine event, according to a community announcement. Admission is $10 for the weekend, with free entry for children 12 and under. Students, seniors and Card to Culture holders can attend for $5.
Parking is available on-site for those with accessibility needs and carpools of three or more. Other attendees are encouraged to use a nearby shuttle lot. Pets are not allowed on the festival grounds or in parking areas.
The festival features over 100 booths showcasing regional artists, farmers and community organizations. Attendees can purchase locally crafted and grown goods, supporting the local economy. The event also includes music, entertainment and spoken word performances across three stages.
A highlight of the festival is the chef demo tent, where visitors can enjoy complimentary recipes and samples. This year, a new event will feature two chefs who will gather ingredients from festival booths and compete in a cook-off. Over 50 workshops and activities are scheduled throughout the weekend, catering to all ages.
The festival promotes sustainability with a goal of being trash-free. Only three bags of trash are expected for 8,000 attendees, with the rest of the waste being recycled or composted. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own water bottles, with free drinking water available on-site. Souvenir refillable bottles and artist-designed festival T-shirts will also be available for purchase.
The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival is organized and run by volunteers. Proceeds from the event help keep it sustainable and affordable, while also supporting community grants for local art, agriculture, health, justice and energy projects. To date, over $70,000 has been contributed to local organizations and socially responsible loan funds.
For details, visit www.garlicandarts.org.
This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.