The Town & the City Festival 2024 lineup has dropped. Get to know this unique local fest and a handful of acts performing this weekend.
If you’re not wise to this annual Mill City shindig, I’ll get you caught up. The Town & The City festival is a two-day music an arts festival that takes place in downtown Lowell, MA going on a few years now.
The performances and pop-ups are scattered throughout the city’s wide range of bars, cafes, galleries, and event spaces. And yes the name is taken from the famed Jack Kerouac novel, which was the author’s first.
The spirit of the Lowell-born novelist and poet is what inspires the festival. Creativity and exploration are celebrated with the diverse mix of musical genres and artforms on display throughout the weekend.
Town & The City Festival 2024: What to Know
The “Spring Celebration of Music and Art in Lowell” takes place on Saturday, August 26 and Sunday, August 27. You can access the full schedule here, broken down by which artists are at which venue on which day.
If there’s a particular act at a particular place on a particular day you want to see, go ahead and grab tickets to that gig here. Otherwise, your best bet is the two-day pass. It’s only $55, which is an insanely good value.
Town & The City Festival 2024: Who to See
Visit the festival website for more info on pass pickup, the venues, and the lineup. I’ve singled out a handful of acts performing below to get you started. Apologies in advance if it looks like I’m playing favorites.
Truth be told, I’ve chosen these acts because they’re all bands I’ve seen live. But I encourage you to embrace all the music and art at The Town & The City Festival 2024. It’s live, it’s local, and it’s inexpensive. Everyone wins!
Orbit
Orbit are a beloved Boston rock band. Their roots stretch back to the ’90s, when they had regular airplay on WFNX and WBCN. You might even remember the song I’ve shared here. See them at Warp & Weft on Friday, April 26.
D-Tension & The Secrets
D-Tension is a Lowell legend. D-Tension is a Boston legend. D-Tension is a rapper, producer, radio personality, and bandleader. There’s not much the man can’t do. He’s supporting Orbit at Warp & Weft on Friday, April 26.
Tysk Tysk Task
I first caught this Lowell-based indie grunge outfit at the 2023 Rock & Roll Rumble. They’re fronted by Samantha Hartsel, who is an absolute force of nature live. Catch them headlining The Old Court on Friday, April 26.
One Fall
Hey, you know how I just mentioned the 2023 Rock & Roll Rumble? Well, One Fall was the band that won it all. And they deserved it. Pure punk rock fury. They’re providing direct support to Tysk Tysk Task at The Old Court on Friday, April 26.
Air Traffic Controller
Back during my RadioBDC/indie617 days, ATC were pretty much our house band. They played countless sessions and events for us, and always put on a great show. Catch them headlining Zorba Music Hall on Friday, April 26.
Colleen Green
The pride of Dunstable, MA. Sure, the indie-pop artist is now based in L.A., but we’ll always consider her a Boston artist. Catch her as part of a solid indie rock lineup at Tafetta on Saturday, April 27.
