The arrival of spring in New England is pretty much… the best, and one of the finest places to celebrate not having to wear a coat and gloves for the next six months is Vermont. That’s why the early May timing of the fourth annual Waking Windows Festival, a celebration of music, art, comedy, and food in Winooski, Vermont is pretty damn joyous. Co-curated by Angioplasty Media and MSR Presents, WW IV is happening from May 1-4 this year in multiple venues throughout Winooski, a mini-city just across the river from Burlington. Here are five reasons you should consider making the trek to Waking Windows this year:

1. There will be a lot of bands you’ve heard of, and there will be a lot of bands you probably haven’t heard but should. Speedy Ortiz, Guerilla Toss, and Krill will be there. So will the extremely awesome (cannot reiterate the awesomeness enough here) surf band Barbacoa (Vermont), the moody mountain musings of Drawing (Vermont), and an acoustic set from up-and-coming shoegaze grrl, Feral Jenny (Boston, formerly Vermont). Burlington-based cassette label NNA Tapes will be doing a showcase of artists, as will the local underground collective Friends + Family. Though artists from all over will be a part of the fest, if you specifically want to get a handle on the Vermont underground music scene, there is no more comprehensive roster than the schedule for Waking Windows.
2. Also, art. Who doesn’t like a cool pop-up co-op art shop?
3. Pizza Parties. Yeah, that’s right, performances by Fat Creeps, Speedy Ortiz, and Hello Shark will also feature…pizza.
4. Check out Winooski. Waking Windows as an annual event has definitely helped bring notoriety to the Winooski cultural scene, which even just a few years ago was almost laughably non-existent save one bar. Now there is a steady stream of new bars, tasty restaurants, and pop-up galleries that have begun to trickle into the so-called “Onion City”, making Waking Windows less of an effort to breathe much-needed life into a mostly dead city for a weekend and more of a celebration of the slow but sure revitalization that’s been made over the last couple of years or so.
5. It’s not that far from Boston, and it’s cheap. 3.5 hour drive, I-93 to I-89, boom, you’re there. $20 gets you an all-access button for the weekend. No excuses.

Check out the schedule at wakingwindows.com and get your Vermont on next weekend!