New England’s top music festival, Boston Calling, drew fans from the East Coast and beyond , filling the Harvard Athletics Complex with a ferris wheel, food vendors and multi-stage performances from May 23-25.
Boston Calling is an integral part of the local summer experience, occurring annually since 2013. This year’s lineup featured musicians from a variety of genres, including emo pop-punk band Fall Out Boy, country singer Luke Combs and early 2000s pop-punk legacy Avril Lavigne.
Though few audience members managed to stay dry as a result of scattered showers and rainstorms nearly every day of the event, many festival-goers were not deterred.
Attendees Emma Remis and Miles Rosenberg said the festival was an opportunity to enjoy their favorite artists in a safe and family-friendly environment.
“A lot of [other festivals have] things that you don’t want around children,” Remis said. “I felt like [with Boston Calling], you have a ferris wheel, you have these little things [children] can play on. They’re very strict with all their policies on what you can bring in.”
Brooke and Paige Bednarke — sisters and avid concert-goers — said they noticed improvements in crowd management and safety precautions from last year, specifically regarding the food lines.
A wide range of food vendors, many local to Massachusetts, were present at the eventfrom Blackbird Donuts to Flour Bakery and Cafe.The various options kept guests fed and hydrated throughout the festival.
“I got a pulled pork taco salad, [and it was] the best freaking salad ever,” Paige Bednarke said. “I want 14 of them.”
The food lines are typically a long wait at this event, the Bednarkes said. However, Brooke Bednarke said there was a noticeable increase in efficiency and line spacing thisyear.
“Last year, food lines took over an hour, so we left the festival and walked to Harvard Square to get dinner and walked back, and that was better than standing in line,” Brooke Bednarke said.
The Bednarkes said the pricing of the festival could deter people who want to experience live music in Boston.
“I know a lot of people that wanted to come that just couldn’t afford it,” Brooke Bednarke said. “If we’re trying to be more inclusive, I know the price point was really tough for a lot of people this year.”
Some guests travelled to the festival to see certain artists in person.
Brooke Nowicki and Anneliese McGuiere-Jackson, students at Saginaw Valley State University, attended Boston Calling from Michigan to see Fall Out Boy, Sublime and Cage the Elephant.
Dennis McCormick, originally from Stoughton, Massachusetts, was unsure what to expect of the festival. He was pleasantly surprised by the lineup, and said some artists, including Lavigne and Fall Out Boy, were “nostalgic” to see perform.
Jessica Giordano, a Boston College alum who traveled from Brooklyn for the weekend, said she and her friend made it a tradition to see Dave Matthews Band live since high school, and they have attended more than 50 of their concerts over the past 25 years.
“It’s part of our friendship,” Giordano said. “It just brings us together. We have a great time. We know all the words, so it’s a nice tradition.”
Kate Kotlyar and Holly Gustavsen contributed reporting.