SomerStreets Coming To Gilman Square In September

SOMERVILLE, MA — Gilman Square is set to become a hub for music, art and family activities when SomerStreets: Gilman Square Arts and Music Festival returns on Saturday, Sept. 12. Co-hosted by the Gilman Square Neighborhood Council and the city's Somerville Arts and Culture Division, the event is scheduled for 12 to 5 p.m. at Edward Leathers Park.

The event is described as a family-friendly celebration featuring live music from local artists, circus activities, and food. The celebration will feature interactive performances by Esh Circus, entertainment from Cate the Great, pumpkin painting with Neighborhood Produce, food from Nibble Kitchen vendors and other local favorites, and a beer garden hosted by Winter Hill Brewing Company.

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Live music is scheduled throughout the event, beginning with children's musician Matt Heaton from 12 to 12:45 p.m. Ska punk band Pink Slip will perform from 1 to 1:45 p.m., followed by R&B, gospel and folk artist Dom the Composer from 2 to 2:45 p.m. Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band will take the stage from 3 to 3:45 p.m. with a mix of Balkan, Klezmer, funk and Honk music. FM Collective will close out the music lineup from 4 to 4:45 p.m. with Latin, hip-hop, and jazz.

SomerStreets is designed to be Somerville's version of the Open Streets concept, which closes city streets to vehicles and opens them for walking, dancing, running, music, and other activities. The program is intended to promote easy access to physical activity and help reconnect residents with neighborhoods and businesses while turning space usually used by automobile traffic over to people.

This year's Gilman Square festival will temporarily move to Edward L. Leathers Community Park at 108 Walnut St. and portions of Walnut Street due to ongoing construction along Pearl Street. Walnut Street will be closed between Pearl and Medford Streets to make room for the festivities, while Skilton Avenue will also be closed.

SomerStreets' inaugural year was in 2010, when it was launched as an expansion of Shape Up Somerville, which had been operating for the previous eight years with the overarching goal of combating childhood obesity and promoting physical activity. SomerStreets takes inspiration from the Colombian initiative Ciclovía. It is designed to be Somerville's version of the Open Streets concept, which closes busy city streets to vehicles and opens them for walking, dancing, running and music. The program is intended to promote easy access to physical activity and help reconnect residents with neighborhoods and businesses while turning space usually used by automobile traffic over to residents.

The event is free and open to the public. In the event of inclement weather, a rain date is set for Sunday, Sept. 13.

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