Holyoke Rocks
The enterprising staff at Gateway City Arts always seems to be revving its engines, pushing the canal-side arts center to host the most fun and interesting programming in a rapidly-evolving downtown Holyoke. This weekend, they’ve outdone themselves. Western Massive is a new two-day, all-ages music festival featuring more than 40 acts, plus local food and drinks at the in-house biergarten. Three rooms of music will host area performers like The Alchemystics, Mammal Dap, The Gaslight Tinkers (pictured above), DPR, Jeff Bujak, The Problemaddicts, and Shanti Starr and the Afrobeat All-Stars. Come for the afternoon springtime sun, stay for a casual outdoor dinner … then stay even later to dance through the night shift, as a rotating cast of the Valley’s coolest musical characters paint this canal town red.
Western Massive: Friday 6 p.m. to 1:45 a.m.; Saturday noon to 1:45 a.m. $50 for a 2-day pass. Gateway City Arts, 92-114 Race St., Holyoke. (413) 650-2670.
— Hunter Styles, hstyles@valleyadvocate.com
