July is officially here! Your pits are sweaty, so get out of your apartment and get to some markets. Nothing makes you feel cooler than buying local.
Spotlight:
July 20th: Pear Square Art Fair
Dorchester has entered the fray! That’s right, a new street fair is coming to Pear Square with a focus on local art and a bunch of cool things happening:
Join us down at lovely Richardson Park in Dorchester to celebrate the neighborhood of that great big giant pear at the intersection of Mass Ave and Columbia Rd for the second annual Pear Square Art Fair! Enjoy over a dozen art vendors including handcrafted leather, pottery, fused glass, paintings, and more! Artists will be making art and selling their work in the shade of Richardson Parks trees. There will be food vendors and light entertainment all afternoon from local folk, pop, and soul artists on the lawn of Boston’s oldest house, The James Blake House! FREE tours available. As the sun goes down we will enjoy performances by local RnB sensation MyCompiledThoughts (backed by Category9) and neo-soul stars Honey & The Bees (via Berklee!) as well as a revue by Boston Theater Works! Please come out and experience the fine art and music our city has to offer as well as family fun amusements! This event is in partnership with Dorchester Art Project, Dorchester Historical Society, North Dorchester Neighborhood Association, and the Oleana Foundation.
All Ages welcome!
Free!
Vending Hours 12-5 PM!
Folk, Pop, Poetry, and DJ performances 2-5 PM!
RnB & Neo-Soul band performaces 5-7 PM!
Youth theater show 7-8 PM!”
Dorchester straight up rules and I’m going to guess this event is going to be amazing.
July Calendar:
July 13: Art Beats Festival @ Davis Square in Somerville
Somerville Arts Council is bringing that July heat to start off this summer market season. The streets will be closed and the artists will be arting. From the organizers:
“On Saturday, July 14th we shut down Davis Square for craft vendors, two stages of music, dance in the Somerville Theater, and a host of great interactive peformances from 11 am to 10 pm.
This year’s ArtBeat theme is “flip”, a celebration of all things upside down, backwards and sideways. We invite artists and community members to explore how flipping things around can change your point of view. Does flipping things make them better, or worse? How does the idea of flipping things around inform a work of art or concept? “Flip” evokes many things: rapid change; inverting the status quo; changing your mind; flipping a coin; flipping houses; or turning the whole world upside down! Perhaps it’s time to flip a switch – literally or figuratively. Are there things that make you want to flip out? Does this winter make you yearn for your flip flops?”
I can think of a couple things I’d like to flip in Somerville! One being a house because I bet that’s how you make a lot of money. A street full of art, though, is not to be missed! Plus it will prep you for the next weekend when you’ll be going to 3 art markets!
July 20 + 21: JP Flea summer market in Jamaica Plain
Who needs to leave the neighborhood when you’re partying on 7/20? JP Flea returns for a double dip, a double whammy and DOUBLE YOUR TROUBLE on Saturday and Sunday. From the organizers:
“The JP FLEA is back outside for the summer at Boston’s historic and inspiring Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts (www.EliotSchool.org), who have been serving this community for over 300 years! We’ll be set up in their huge yard between Jamaica Pond and Centre St.
This market will feature 100+ local and Latin American artists, vintage/antique dealers, small businesses and various artisans from the area. We’ll also be hosting our project Mendi’s Boston, which offers both drop off and on-the-spot local repair services in the Jamaica Plain area (MendisBoston.com). Mendi’s is all about helping people invest in what they have, while getting tuned into local resources.”
Buy local and then buy JP Licks out of their ice cream right afterwards. Ya boy TWO THANGS may even be vending at that one. Come up to the book and call me Dirt Dog for a free sticker.
July 20: Pear Square Art Fair:
See above spotlight on this one.
July 20: Winter Hill Night Market in Somerville
Not much info available on this one:
“The Somerville Flea, Somerville Arts Council and Winter Hill Brewing present The Winter Hill Night Market. An all ages, free event.
Three musical acts and a bunch of vendors featuring fantastic vintage and artisan wares right next to Winter Hill Brewery.”
July 7, 14, 21 and 28: The Providence Flea in downtown Providence, RI
The Providence Flea takes place every Sunday. It will be happening outdoors through September (except for Sept. 15 due to a conflicting city marathon from 10 am – 4 pm.) It takes place across from 345 South Water St, Providence RI 02903 and looks like a straight up party.
Thanks everyone! Check back in throughout the month as this Market Season really gets into the swing of things and I’ll be updating if anything pops up! Remember, buy local, swim local, swig local, and be local!
