Dorchfest

The Ashmont-Adams neighborhood of Boston, located in the southern section of Dorchester, will be hosting the fourth annual Dorchfest music festival on May 31, 2025 from 12-5 p.m. The event, which this year is promoted by Greater Ashmont Main Street (GAMS), will feature more than 50 performances from a variety of genres, including rock, funk, jazz, folk, hip hop, Indian, reggae, Latin, Afro-beats, electronic and more.

Sample of bands performing (of the 55+)

• Paul Willis, local hip hop emcee and educator returning for year four

• Richie Parsons, born and raised on 4 Westmoreland Street and performing again on the porch of his childhood home

• Jahriffe, a reggae performer committed to spreading the conscious messages of peace and love

• SambaViva, a Brazilian dance ensemble dedicated to authentically promoting Brazilian culture through dance and music, back for year three

• Willie J. Laws, a notable blues performer with a modern funky style, returning for year four

• Phil and the Flying Leap, who twists and re-imagines music across multiple genres of classic American song, in their Dorchfest debut

• Lincoln Durham, a Southern-Gothic One-Man-Band in his inaugural Dorchfest performance

A full roster of performers, including set times and stages, is available at dorchfest.com/bands.

New in 2025

For the first time, Dorchfest will kick off with a family hour from 12-1 p.m., which consists of family friendly performances and activities from local organizations. Many, though not all, of these performances will take place on Beaumont Street, which will be closed to vehicle traffic for the duration of the festival.

Family hour performances include:

• GoSkate skateboarding demonstrations and mini lessons

• Level Ground MMA demonstrations

• Freckle Face Yoga for kids

• English High School drumline performance

• Holland High School of Technology student band performance

• Petrocelli Irish Step Dancing

• Binh Dinh Academy demonstrations

• 4Star Dance Studio performance

• Face painting station

Throughout the festival, attendees will find amenities like food trucks and tents (Gourmet Kreyol, House of Seven Cafe & Bakery, Stokes BBQ, The Mix, Migs Hot Dogs, Slushy Lady, the Boston Police Ice Cream Truck, the Boston Water Truck) and Dorchfest merchandise.

Dorchfest is free and open to the public. Festival-goers who wish to take public transportation should ride buses or red line transit to Ashmont Station or Adams Village. Blue bikes are a great transit option during the festival. Performances will be held on private porches within the boundaries of Adams Street, Ashmont Street, Gallivan Boulevard and Dorchester Avenue.

For more information, visit dorchfest.com, or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.