MASSACHUSETTS

An international festival of native arts and culture featuring indigenous artisans, products, and performers from around the world. Shop for handmade art, jewelry, clothing, crafts, decor, tribal rugs, and much more. Enjoy free music performances, presentations, educational displays, craft-making demonstrations, and ethnic cuisine. Time : 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission : Free Information: http://bazaar.cs.org

This celebration combines a spectacular line up of music on three stages, food, crafts, a dance tent, a wide array of kid's activities and entertainment. This year, the festival celebrates the music of Woody Guthrie on the occasion of his 100th birthday with a special performance by Arlo Guthrie and the Guthrie Family Reunion. Hot air balloons and balloon rides help make this the Pioneer Valley's biggest outdoor event of the summer. the LIneup of musicians includes Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Richard Thompson, Rubblebucket, David Wax Museum, CJ Chenier, Rebirth Brass Band, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express, Chris Smither & The Motivators, The Pimps Of Joytime, Winterpills, Brown Bird, Elizabeth Cook, and more. Information: www.greenriverfestival.com

Jacob's Pillow, America's longest-running dance festival, brings audiences, dancers, choreographers, composers, teachers, experts and novices together to enjoy the art of dance. Fifty dance companies perform on three festival stages. Ticket prices vary. Information: www.jacobspillow.org/festival. Events include:
June 16: The Season Opening Gala opens the 80th Anniversary Festival with style.
June 20-24: From Brazil, Mimulus blends winning social dance, contemporary choreography, and imaginative visual design in the U.S. premiere of Por Um Fio (By a Thread). Australian circus-arts company Circa performs daredevil acrobatics, aerial work, and moving physical theatre.
June 27-July 1: Morphoses performs a stylish world premiere by acclaimed Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg. Back by popular demand, Kidd Pivot returns with Dark Matters, the theatrical thriller.
July 4-8: Vertigo Dance Company, from Israel, performs Mana, a compelling, athletic exploration of contrast. LeeSaar The Company blurs the lines between reality and perception through a physical and sensual dance language.
July 11-15: Tero Saarinen Company performs Borrowed Light, Saarinen's powerful, moving work inspired by the Shakers, with live music by The Boston Camerata. The Men Dancers: From the Horse's Mouth brings together today's most extraordinary male dancers and choreographers in an exclusive homage to Pillow founder Ted Shawn.
July 18-22: The Hong Kong Ballet makes its Pillow debut in a gorgeous program of works, merging exquisite classical technique with contemporary vision. Luna Negra Dance Theater performs exciting new contemporary dances with the powerful energy of Latino and Afro-Caribbean dance styles.
July 25-29: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company returns with Story/Time, narrated by Jones and set into motion by his renowned company of incredible dancers. The Pillow is pleased to present the full company debut of Jessica Lang Dance, an engagement full of Lang's gorgeous, lyrical contemporary ballet works.
August 1-5: Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet performs a diverse program including Carmina Burana to Carl Orff's famous score. Contemporary dance artist Jonah Bokaer and ballet superstar David Hallberg perform together.
August 8-12: Trey McIntyre Project returns with its winning brand of contemporary ballet including a new work based on the seminal 1970s series Free to Be...You and Me. John Heginbotham, an acclaimed Mark Morris Dance Group performer, dances with his own company Dance Heginbotham in lively, witty works.
August 15-19: Compagnie Käfig brings a sensational program showcasing astonishing acrobatic skills and virtuosity in a combination of athletic samba, hip-hop, and capoeira dance styles. Liz Gerring Dance Company performs Gerring's new work she dreams in code, an intensely physical and poetic dance.
August 22-26: The 80th Anniversary Festival concludes with a week of stunning works by the historic Joffrey Ballet performing to the music of Philip Glass and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Back by popular demand, Doug Elkins and Friends' Fräulein Maria is a hilarious and brilliant take on The Sound of Music, set to the original film score.

Spend Memorial Day Weekend in the cultural heart of New England, at Northampton's award-winning Paradise City Arts Festival. This spring's show includes 250 craftsmen and artists, a exciting benefit silent auction, sensational cuisine by Northampton's best chefs and live music by regional and national luminaries. Admission; Adults, $12; seniors over age 64, $10; students, $8; children under age 12, free. Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Monday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

This festival is a three-day celebration of the arts in Falmouth and the Upper Cape. Festival opens with a Town Dance on Friday, 7-9 p.m. There is a special Rock Fest on Saturday, 6-9 p.m. The weekend includes continuous entertainment with 60 performances of theater, dance and music for all tastes, like jazz, classical, folk and fiddle, show tunes. Fifty-one artisans and crafts people display and sell their wares. Held rain or shine. Free admission. Information: 508-548-2892 or visit www.artsfalmouth.org.

This month-long celebration of the Cape's rich maritime history includes lighthouse & walking tours, nautical art exhibits, maritime lectures, boat-building exhibits and kayak excursions. The centerpiece of the month-long series is the Annual Cape Cod Maritime Festival on May 18 at the Hyannis waterfront in Aselton Park. Festival events include wooden boat displays in and out of the water, boat-building demonstrations, harbor cruises, crafters and artists, musical performers, kids' activities, walking tours, a raw bar and more. Events of past Maritime Days have included kayaking tours, the Chatham Maritime Festival, a Tour of Plein Air Painters in Historic Bass River, open house at Old Harbor Life-Saving Station. a bird watching marathon, and more.
Information at http://www.ecapechamber.com/MaritimeDays

This three-day festival features an extensive plant sale of perennials, Proven Winners Edible Collection herbs and veggies, new 2012 specialty annuals, tropicals and succulents. Enjoy free lecture programs, guided wildflower garden walks and special exhibits. On Friday a luncheon accented with herbs is served. Lunch reservations are required at $17. Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Information and schedules: www.thorntonburgess.org

Afternoon and evening dance sessions on Saturday and Sunday featuring Southern and Northern drums; traders featuring Native American crafts, supplies and handmade items; overnight camping available for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Information: http://bit.ly/JzEMA7

Northern and southern drums, seminar, gourd dance, afternoon and evening intertribal dance sessions, children’s activities, Saturday evening feast, artifact sale, traders, and more! Overnight camping available. Bring lawn/camp chairs for seating. Held rain or shine. American Indianist Society, 4H Camp Marshall, 92 McCormick Road Spence 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Adult and youth over age 15, $5; youth age 14 and younger, $2 508-528-6885

During Wool Days the sheep of Old Sturbridge Village get their annual hair cuts and historians demonstrate how wool is processed, from shearing, scouring, and carding to dyeing, spinning, and weaving. Try your hand and test your history IQ at the textile exhibit. Memorial Day is also our official kick-off to summer activities like period games, 1830s base ball and French & English tug-of-war contests. Time: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: Adults, $224; seniors over age 64, $22; children age 3-17, $8. Information: http://bit.ly/IoNkeB

Spend the afternoon perusing the work of over 80 artists at the Coolidge Corner Arts Festival. This free public showcase for the arts will feature nationally recognized artists as well as accomplished and emerging artists from New England working in an array of media, from jewelry, fiber, glass, ceramics to photography, watercolor and mixed media. The Brookline Food Festival also happening at Devotion School from noon to 4 p.m.. Small portions will be served by Brookline restaurants such as The Fireplace and Zaftigs. Each restaurant will have its own area with tasting portions of up to three items. Tasting tickets will be sold for $2 each. Time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Information: http://coolidgecornerartsfestival.com

Street performers, world-class jugglers, clowns, storytellers, mimes, acrobats, dancers, storytellers, and others will perform on the cobblestone streets of the Faneuil Marketplace. Time: All day. Cost: Free. INformation: www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/

The largest free folk festival in the nation is happening once again this summer. The Lowell Folk Festival has brought an international array of folk music, ethnic foods, craftspeople and artisans to New England every summer for more than 20 years. Don’t miss the lineup of top-notch performers this year. Time: Friday, 6:45 – 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon – 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 7 p.m. Cost: Free. Information: www.lowellfolkfestival.org.

Thousands attend to enjoy great live music, art, fine crafts, food from Newburyport's best restaurants and Kid's Korner featuring entertainment for children and families and the ever popular Teddy Bear Parade. Location: Downtown Newburyport Time: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Cost: Free. Information: www.newburyportchamber.org.

In addition to world-class classical music with renowned musicians, the festival in 2012 brings back the summer pop, folk, and world music series, and and new jazz festival. Also, free community events and engaging educational opportunities. Information and schedule: www.rcmf.org/festival_home.html

Whaling City Festival has been running for 42 years. Over 150 thousand people visit the festival every year. At the festival you can shop over 200 flea market and craft vendors and eat at one of the 26 food vendors. Enjoy music and entertainment from local bands and local radio stations. The festival wouldn't be complete without taking a ride on one of many Mark Fanelli's Carnival rides. The festival will feature food vendors, craft and flea market dealers, live entertainment, and so much more. Time: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Cost: Free. Information: www.whalingcityfestival.com