Category: Festival News

Levitate Music and Arts Festival’s signature summertime celebration returns this year on July 7th, 8th and 9th at the Marshfield Fairgrounds in Marshfield, MA.

This particularly special edition marks the 10th anniversary of an event that has grown to be New England’s premier music and arts festival, as well as celebrating 20 years of the Levitate community and brand. What started as a 10th Anniversary celebration of the beloved has grown to a nationally recognized festival with tens of thousands of tickets sold each day. “It’s humbling to be hitting the 20 and 10 year milestones of Levitate Brand and Levitate Music and Arts Festival,” says Levitate Co-Founder Daniel Hassett. “We set out to provide a different kind of festival for our town, and New England, back in 2013- championing our local musicians and artists and building a community who believe wholeheartedly in making the world a more creative and connected place. We’re excited to use this milestone to dig into our roots and expand our arts and mural programming, partner with more local vendors than ever, doubling our kids programs and expanding our greening efforts.” The eclectic, eco-driven and family friendly event will again present its recognized blend of world-class artists and emerging local acts, diverse food trucks, artisan vendors and wide ranging experiences from live art installations to kids activities.

The illustrious Brandi Carlile will make her first appearance at the festival, and as an artist known for celebrating the value of community, her ethos is perfectly aligned with Levitate. Trey Anastasio, a New England stalwart and lead singer of Phish will return to the festival to perform with his solo band. After ten years of incredible growth and annual performances since the inaugural Levitate Festival in 2003, American-reggae artist Stick Figure will headline in its hometown and energize the mainstage again at this year’s festival. Other notable artists on this eclectic bill this year include Goose, Ziggy Marley, Rebelution, Peach Pit, The Heavy Heavy, Celisse and Lucius.

Levitate was founded in 2003 as a community-focused surf and skate shop that steadily grew through local support and grassroots marketing. Over the past 20 years, these original core values of community, creativity and a connectedness to nature have been woven through all aspects of Levitate’s growth — from the development of its apparel line to their highly sought-after kids outdoors and creative summer camps; the expansion of its flagship store to an outdoor restaurant, music and events venue; the continued success of their signature festivals, Levitate Music & Arts Festival, and Levitate Flannel Jam, and most recently – the launch of the non profit Levitate Foundation 501(c)(3).

“I couldn’t be prouder of what Levitate has become” says Co-Founder and Artist director of Levitate, Jess Hassett. “The line-up is full of amazing female artists including Brandi Carlile, Lucius, Celisse, and Melt. Pro-skater Nora Vasconcellos will be exhibiting her incredible skills and our arts and mural program will feature a bigger and more diverse group of brilliant artists than ever before. It was thrilling to design the poster this year knowing how far Levitate has come and how the community has been behind it and has made what Levitate is today.”

In addition to the eclectic music lineup that has come to be expected at Levitate Festival, all three days will feature visual artists bringing large scale murals and live paintings to life, as well as 60+ local craft and artisan vendors offering hand-blown glass, locally thrown pottery and original artworks. 2023 will feature the largest gathering ever of these artisans

More than 30 food trucks are welcomed to the event grounds the weekend of the festival. All are locally sourced, offering a plethora of options such as farm to table, barbeque, handmade pizza, delicious baked goods and smoothies.

Additionally, Levitate Music & Arts Festival is a family friendly event and features many activities for kids to engage in. The kids zone operates each day of the festival and is run by Levitate Camp Counselors. Encouraging creativity and sharing their love of the outdoors with the next generation is at the core of Levitate’s mission and the largest kids program to date is planned for the festival’s 10th Anniversary.

Levitate Music Festival’s dedication to an eco-friendly approach reached new records in 2022 with the elimination of single use plastic at all of their bars, along with the addition of wood recycling from the site build. Additionally, thanks to their dedicated green team, the team was able to exceed their marks on clean recycling and composting stats and is excited to expand that success in 2023.

One percent of each ticket sold will be contributed to the Levitate Foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to cultivate vibrant communities by creating and conserving access to music, art and the outdoors

Tickets are on sale now. Visit Levitate’s website for more information.