Boston Calling Music Festival is a Boston-based music festival. The festival was initially produced by Crash Line Productions, a Boston-based entertainment production company. Subsequently, the festival has been produced by Boston Calling Events, which was purchased by the Madison Square Garden Company in 2016, and by 2023 was owned by Live Nation Entertainment.[3]
The festival debuted in May 2013 at City Hall Plaza and took place twice a year, in May and September, through 2015. In 2016, the festival transitioned to being held annually in the second half of May, and since 2017 its venue has been Harvard Athletic Complex in the Allston neighborhood of Boston
Boston Calling was created by Brian Appel and Mike Snow, who had been colleagues at the now defunct independent alternative rock station WFNX Radio. The festival had initially been conceived as an event associated with the station but when WFNX was purchased by Clear Channel and stopped broadcasting in 2012, Appel and Snow continued development, seeing an opportunity to fill a gap as Boston had previously not had a large music festival.[4] Appel and Snow considered it in important that Boston Calling be an urban festival, with Appel saying "[it was] critically important that [we] were in the city limits and that it was T-accessible and that we weren’t on the far reach on the outskirts of town that would make it challenging for people to get to". This complicated planning due to traffic and security considerations, and required extensive coordination with Boston city government.[5]
The festival debuted in May 2013, for two days over Memorial Day weekend at City Hall Plaza.[6] The festival was notable as the first major event in the city since the Boston Marathon Bombings, and was received positively, selling out early and collecting praise for the musical performances and smoothly run logistics. The second iteration of the festival was held the following September, establishing a twice-yearly format used through 2016. The festival's first two editions were two-day events. In its second year, Boston Calling expanded to three days.[7]
Due to the proximity to the Marathon Bombing, early iterations of the event saw heightened security. In August of 2014, DigBoston reported that during the 2013 festivals, the city of Boston had spent $650,000 to test IBM software that monitored concertgoers from existing security cameras, leading to criticism for not notifying concertgoers.[8] Participants in the test were reportedly able to search for people by head color, skin tone, clothing texture, and baldness. The program could monitor the number of persons at the event and whether anyone was in a restricted area.[9]
In 2016, a controlling interest Boston Calling Events, was purchased by the Madison Square Garden Company and the festival transitioned to being held annually in the second half of May. In 2017 its venue changed to Harvard Athletic Complex in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, with the new space allowing the addition of more music stages and the inclusion of non-music performers.[10] The festival reportedly attracted 20,000–22,000 fans with its earlier editions, eventually drawing roughly 40,000 festival goers in 2017.[11][12]
2020–2021 Cancellations
On March 31, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 Boston Calling Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] The organizers offered refunds for tickets, as well as the option to roll tickets over to the 2021 festival. When the 2021 festival was also cancelled, the same options were available.[14]
2022–2025
In 2022, the festival returned, with headliners Metallica and Nine Inch Nails, with Nine Inch Nails headling back-to-back shows after a cancellation. By 2023, the festival was a subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment .[3][15]
In 2024, the event was criticized for overcrowding and potentially unsafe conditions as festival goers moved between stages, with attendance on Sunday estimated at 40,000 up from only 16,000 the day prior. Organizers later issuing a statement addressing dangerous conditions and promising to "create a better environment for everyone."[2]
In response, the 2025 festival used a single main stage, and the on-site indoor arena was opened to festival attendees for the first time in six years to add access to an air conditioned indoor space for festival goers.[16]
2026 hiatus
On June 20, 2025, festival organizers announced a hiatus for 2026, for unspecified reasons, with plans for the next edition to be held June 4–6, 2027.[1] Days later, Boston mayor Michelle Wu stated in a radio interview that organizers felt other Boston activities during 2026—including United States Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) celebrations and several 2026 FIFA World Cup games (scheduled for Gillette Stadium south of Boston)—were expected to place "a lot of strain on hotel rooms and events and sponsorships."[17][18]
Past Lineups
Boston Calling was held twice a year, in May and September, during 2013–2015. The festival's first two editions were two-day events. In its second year, Boston Calling expanded to three days.[19]
2013
Spring
The first Boston Calling, held May 25–26, 2013, featured:[20]
The 11th edition of the festival was held on May 27–29, 2022, at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The headliners this year were Metallica who headlined on Sunday, and Nine Inch Nails headlining both Friday as a replacement for The Foo Fighters who cancelled due to the death of long-time drummer Taylor Hawkins and Saturday as a last minute replacement of The Strokes after they cancelled due to COVID-19. The festival was evacuated for approximately two hours on Saturday due to severe weather.[20][24][25]
After an estimated 16,000 people attended the Saturday show, attendance on Sunday was estimate at 40,000, which strained logistics and led to organizers later issuing a statement addressing dangerous conditions and promising to "create a better environment for everyone."[2]
The festival used a large, single main stage, referred to as the green stage, rather than the two separate green and red main stages used in prior years. To improve transition times between sets, the green stage incorporated a rotating stage design.[32] In addition to the green stage, the festival maintained the smaller, blue and orange stages. Additionally, the on-site indoor arena was opened to festival attendees for the first time in six years. Through a partnership with the Berklee College of Music, the arena showcased student musicians Tiril Jackson, Devon Gates & Friends, Su Yavuz, Srisley, Solaya + The Effect, Manuela Sanchez Goubert, and Aniye in addition to serving as an air conditioned indoor space available to festival goers.[33]
↑ "COVID-19 Update". Boston Calling. March 31, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2020. we have made the difficult decision to cancel Boston Calling 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic
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