Please note: ACA requires proof of full COVID-19 vaccination by all individuals who are eligible to receive the vaccine (ages 5+), to participate in all its indoor, in-person programs, events, and activities. For a full list of ACA COVID-19 policies, please visit our COVID-19 Updates page.
Jug Band Festival

Ticket Info:
Advance Tickets: $25
Advance ticket sales closes at 12pm on Friday, May 1
At the Door: $30
What’s Jug Band Music?
It’s bluesy, jazzy, and fun! With roots from Appalachia, New Orleans, and Africa, jug band music started in the south (notably Louisville Kentucky and Memphis Tennessee) in the 1920’s and 30’s. Highly popular "back in the day", jug bands such as Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers and the Memphis Jug Band incorporated a variety of conventional and home-made instruments (such as spoons, washtub bass, and washboard), and, of course, featured jug-blowing as a rhythmic backbone. Jug band music could have quietly slid into obscurity if not for a revival in the 1960’s by notable musicians such as John Sebastian, Jerry Garcia, Jim Kweskin, and Maria Muldaur. Today, the genre is alive and well, as you’ll get to hear and see when you come to the festival.
The Great Northeast
Jug Band Festival
Saturday, May 2, 2020
Arlington Masonic Temple
19 Academy Street, Arlington, MA 02476
New England’s ONLY Jug Band Festival will highlight traditions from the 1920’s and 30’s, and the modern evolution of this good-time music.
This event features free workshops and activities for the general public at the Arlington Center for the Arts, then guests are invited to grab some dinner and then head across the street for the ticketed concert presenting performances by four of the region's best Jug Bands! This event also features Emcee Kenny Raskin!
Event Schedule:
3:00-5:30PM | Free Workshops & Jam
@ Arlington Center for the Art, 20 Academy St
Swing Guitar for Folkies
w/ Chris Welles (Outrageous Fortune Jug Band)
History of Jug Band Music
w/ Ed Loechler (High Maintenance Jug Band)
Seventh (Chord) Heaven: Three-string Mandolin Chord shapes for Jug Band Chord Progressions
w/ Michael Buonaiuto (The Squeakeasy Jug Band)
Jug Band Petting Zoo
Explore making music on a variety of home-made instruments including Spoons, Bones, Washboards, Washtub Bass, and Jugs!
Jug Band Jam! (4:30 - 5:30)
Jasmine Moran and The Squeakeasy Jug Band
-- Dinner Break --
6:30-10:30PM | Performances
@ Arlington Masonic Temple | 19 Academy St
(This portion of the event requires paid admission)
6:30 - Doors Open
7:15 - Music Begins!
featuring introductions from Emcee Kenny Raskin
The Squeakeasy Jug Band
High Maintenance Jug Band
Outrageous Fortune
The Busted Jug Band
• FINALE • All-Band Jam!
Check out some of the highlights from the first annual event: