By Cooper Formica
This passing Memorial Day weekend marked the twelfth annual Boston Calling music festival in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since the festival’s debut in 2013, it has become a staple of the New England music scene, featuring an annual lineup of well-known acts from the region, including Passion Pit, Metallica, and Kendrick Lamar, who have all headlined the festival over the years.
This year was no exception, as the lineup of 50 artists over the event’s three-day stretch had an abundance of different acts, ranging from T-Pain and Luke Combs, who headlined the opening of the Festival on Friday, May 22. At the same time, Fall Out Boy, Avril Lavigne, Vampire Weekend, and Dave Matthews Band headlined the latter and closing days of the festival.
In recent years, the festival has doubled down on its commitment to helping promote local artists by selecting exclusively local artists to open the festival’s main stage and dedicating a stage exclusively to Berklee College of Music Students. In a 2022 article for Boston.com, Boston Callings cofounder Brian Appel stated he “hoped the festival would shine a spotlight on local and regional artists like never before”.
The commitment goes far beyond just the lineup of musicians performing at the festival. This year, the festival has decided to work heavily with local restaurants as food vendors.
One of the most popular vendors at this year's festival was the Cambridge-based restaurant Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, which returned to the festival for the 12th time this year. Roxy’s owner and former WERS host, James Sabitino, heavily credits the publicity from the festival for helping grow his business over the years.
The New Haven-based pizza icon Sally’s Apizza made its debut at the festival this year. The New Haven staple has recently expanded into the Boston area, opening a location in Woburn last year, and currently has several other locations slated to open this year. Sally’s Executive Chef Brett Langsoford was thrilled for the brand to make its first appearance at the festival. Declaring in our interview, “Boston is about to be a pizza town”.
