GREEN RIVER FESTIVAL OFFERS CORNUCOPIA OF CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES FROM MUSIC TO GAMES JULY 8-10 IN GREENFIELD, MA WITH MUSIC, ART GARDEN, HAY BALE MAZE, PARADE, GAMES, HOT AIR BALLOON RIDES, & MORE

LATIN GRAMMY & PARENTS’ CHOICE AWARD WINNER MISTER G TO PLAY JULY 9
AND OTHER FEST BANDS TO PLAY 2ND SETS FOR KIDS AS WELL

In addition to an incredible lineup of music for adults featuring
Dawes, Shovels & Rope, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Shakey Graves, and more,
Green River Festival is packed with activities for children and
families.

Called a “kid-friendly, bilingual rock star” by the Washington Post
and “irresistible” by People Magazine, Latin GRAMMY and two-time
Parents’ Choice Award-winner Mister G will perform on July 9.
Mister G has headlined at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Getty
Museum, and The National Zoo, and has played at New Orleans Jazz &
Heritage Festival and Austin City Limits.

Saturday, one of the festival bands will lead a Mardi Gras parade
around the fairgrounds at 5:30pm. A swimming shuttle will run to the
Green River from 2-6 Saturday and Sunday. For the first time this
year, the festival will offer a hay bale maze, bouncy house, and an
expanded lawn games section on Saturday and Sunday.

There will be an Art Garden from noon to 6pm Saturday and Sunday under
the tent in the lower field. The festival will provide an abundance of
quality art materials, inspiring ideas, and plenty of work/play space
to get creative. On Saturday, the Art Garden will focus on making
processional flying creatures, masks and music-makers for the Mardi
Gras parade. On Sunday, it will introduce a variety of new mixed media
projects using paint, fabric and upcycled materials. The Art Garden is
a community supported art-making place located in Shelburne Falls, MA.

Lastly, and not just for kids, hot air balloon rides are an integral
part of the Green River Fest experience since its inception. For
little ones who might be scared of heights, tethered rides are
offered, which take about 5 minutes and see the balloon rise above the
field while held to a stationary point. Tickets can be purchased that
day on the field at $10 for kids and $15 for adults.

GREEN RIVER FESTIVAL AUDIENCES SOAR WITH HOT AIR BALLOON RIDES OVER THE PIONEER VALLEY

 

 

 

30^TH ANNIVERSARY OF FEST OFFERS SHOVELS & ROPE, PETER WOLF, TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND,

DAWES, SHAKEY GRAVES, LOS LOBOS, AND MORE

 

Besides a phenomenal musical lineup, Green River Festival is the only major music festival that offers hot air balloon rides. For the 30^th anniversary edition of the festival July 8-10, balloon launches will happen in the evening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and in the morning on Saturday and Sunday. Rides last about an hour. For those who want to dip their toes in the water before jumping in, there will also be tethered balloon rides available, weather permitting. They are about a 5 minute ride and can be purchased that day on the field. And don’t worry about Indiana Jones syndrome; according to balloon meister Paul Sena, “The landings are soft and pleasant.”

 

The 30^th anniversary edition of the Green River Fest features Dawes, Shovels & Rope, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The North Mississippi All Stars, Peter Wolf, Winterpills, Los Lobos, Shakey Graves, And The Kids, The Felice Brothers, Amy Helm, Madisen Ward and Mama Bear, Margo Price, and many more on three stages plus camping.

 

 

 

Originally two separate events, the music festival and hot air balloon festival merged in the late 1980s to become the fest that NY Times, USA Today, and Rolling Stone have praised.

 

The full balloon rides are sold at $225/person in advance, and includes a 1 day pass to the festival. They can also be purchased at the festival for $250. Tethered rides are $10 for kids and $15 for adults.

 

30TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREEN RIVER FEST INSPIRES LOOK BACK AT ITS ORIGINS, MERGING LEGENDARY BANDS & HOT AIR BALLOONS IN IDYLLIC SETTING

With the 30th edition of the Green River Festival coming up July 8-10 in Greenfield, MA with Dawes, Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Shovels & Rope, Shakey Graves, and many more, the concert’s producer and Signature Sounds Recordings head Jim Olsen was inspired to look back at the fest’s origins. The first festival took place in 1986 as a free one day event at Greenfield Community College to celebrate the 5th anniversary of local radio station WRSI (now known as The River). The free show was headlined by NRBQ, who are returning this year. The then-unknown band 10,000 Maniacs performed (featuring a very young Natalie Merchant).

The following weekend the Franklin County Chamber Of Commerce held the first Upcountry Hot Air Balloon Festival. The following year the two events merged and eventually became the Green River Festival, which is now known nationally for its merging of bands, hot air balloons, childrens’ activities, and more.

In its now-thirty year history, the fest has earned acclaim from USA Today, Rolling Stone, and NY Times and has hosted Dr. John, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Steve Earle, The Punch Brothers, tUnE-yArDs, Buddy Guy, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Avett Brothers, Norah Jones, and many more. Last year’s fest set a new attendance record with 14,000 tickets sold in 2015. The Green River Festival will take another leap forward in 2016 with the addition of camping at the Franklin County Fairgrounds.