Vermont’s festival season is winding down, but there are still outdoor parties on the horizon to look forward to, folks. You might just bring a hoodie is all.
Grace Potter’s annual Grand Point North returns to Burlington’s Waterfront Park this weekend, September 18 to 20, and the Waitsfield native tops a pretty killer bill. In addition to headlining Friday and Saturday, Potter welcomes some big names, including legendary singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, indie-rock outfit Portugal. The Man, folk rockers Dawes, roots act the Devil Makes Three and bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles. The party carries on to Sunday, which features sets from Grateful Dead tribute act Dark Star Orchestra and New Jersey jam band Dogs in a Pile.
As in previous iterations of the fest, Potter made sure to include the local scene. This year’s homegrown lineup features the multicultural ensemble All the Rivers, indie rockers Jesse Taylor Band, singer-songwriter Frankie White and power trio Rose Asteroid.
“Our goal is to show festival-goers that there’s more to our brave little state than great skiing and Instagram-worthy scenery,” Potter said in a press release.
For tickets and more information, visit grandpointnorth.com.
If you didn’t get enough jazz at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival or the Stowe Jazz Festival, I have good news! Middlebury is getting in on the hepcat action. Town Hall Theater and Jazz Middlebury team up to present the inaugural Middlebury House of Jazz Festival.
The three-day event goes down October 9 to 11 with a bill featuring Grammy-winning guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli, the Miles Donahue Quartet, and Mathis Picard Trio, as well as some local flavor courtesy of the Lara Cwass Band and Ray Vega’s Afro-Caribbean Ensemble.
“This festival is about experiencing exceptional jazz up close,” Town Hall Theater executive and artistic director of Lisa Mitchell said in a press release. “We want audiences to hear internationally celebrated artists in an intimate setting, discover emerging talent, meet musicians, learn from them, and experience the extraordinary range and joy of jazz over one weekend.”
The festival will also feature workshops taught by some of the musicians, including “Mathis Picard Master Class: The Art of Creation & Creativity,” held on Sunday, October 11, on the Rothrock Main Stage.
To learn more and snag tickets, visit townhalltheater.org.
Hip-hop producer and beatmaker Rico James’ new project is an interactive love letter to music and the local scene in general. Nope, it’s not an LP or a mixtape — James has dropped a video game called Rico’s Vinyl Quest.
Set in a stylized version of Burlington, the pixel-art adventure sends players all over the city in an attempt to find rare records. That’s right, it’s a crate-digging game! While searching for new sounds, players can engage with many challenges — think beat matching, pizza building and freestyle DJ scratching.
The best part, according to James, is that the game is a work in progress and still growing. He’s finished most of the first two levels, but there’s more to come. Hop over to ricojamesmusic.com to access and play Rico’s Vinyl Quest.
This article appears in Performing Arts Preview • 2026.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
