Hey Boston - Get ready for an epic weekend of sunshine, music, good vibes and more!
Luke Combs, Fall Out Boy and Dave Matthews are headlining the 2025 Boston Calling music festival, along with Sheryl Crow, Avril Lavigne and Vampire Weekend.
Boston Calling Music Festival returns Memorial Day Weekend 2025! The 3-day, 4-stage outdoor festival along the Charles River features some of the biggest names in music, starting on Friday, May 23rd with country superstar Luke Combs. Saturday, May 24th brings emo-pop hitmakers Fall Out Boy, and closing out the weekend on Sunday, May 25th will be jam band legends Dave Matthews Band.
Cage the Elephant, Sheryl Crow, Avril Lavigne, Vampire Weekend, Public Enemy, T Pain, The Black Crowes, Spin Doctors are also among the acts set to play at the festival at the Harvard Athletic Complex this Memorial Day weekend.
Saturday’s pop-punk lineup is definitely creating a lot of nostalgic buzz this year.
It's a thoroughly impressive roster of exciting new talent this year. It will be hard to choose which stage to attend as some favorites are overlapping (as usual) but that's what makes music festivals like this so compelling.
There will be more than 30 local food vendors and a 100-foot Ferris wheel, too, so there's something for everyone. Here are some helpful things to know if you're planning to attend New England's biggest music festival. ****Read our 2024 Festival recap!***
🎉 What's New at Boston Calling 2025
Beyond the amazing 2025 lineup, this year's festival also brings a few exciting upgrades and improvements worth noting. 🎶 One exciting change this year is the introduction of a state-of-the-art rotating Green Stage.
Instead of two side-by-side main stages like in previous years, the new rotating system will allow for much faster set changes, keeping the music flowing and the energy high. Expect shorter wait times between acts and even better sightlines for fans. 🎡
Another highlight for 2025 is the return of The Arena — an air-conditioned indoor venue featuring intimate performances, special sets, and cool relief from the outdoor crowds. ❄️ It's a great spot to recharge, catch some unique shows, and enjoy a change of scenery during the day.
Other updates for 2025 include new food vendors, expanded beverage options, and a refreshed festival layout to help with crowd flow. 🏕️ Whether you're a first-timer or a returning fan, Boston Calling 2025 is shaping up to be one of the smoothest and most exciting editions yet!
Where and when is Boston Calling?
Boston Calling takes place on May 23-25, 2025, at Harvard Athletic Complex with the entrance at 65 North Harvard St, Boston.
How can I get there? What about parking?
There's lots of ways to get to Boston Calling safely, however, there is no parking available on site. Please seek alternate forms of transportation.
🚃 Subway: Take the Red Line to the Harvard Square station. From there it’s an easy 10 minute walk to the main entrance..
🚶♀️🚶 Walking: The festival site is a 10-minute walk from Harvard Square, down JFK St. and over the Charles River. The main entrance is located at Gate 1 on North Harvard St.
🚗 Rideshare: You can get dropped close to main entrance, just tell them to head to Harvard Stadium in Allston. At the end of the night, follow signs to the dedicated rideshare pickup lot.
Keep in mind, the festival is located in a busy neighborhood, so organizers ask everyone to be respectful of the area.
Tickets and entry info
🎟 The Festival Box Office is located at the Main Entrance at Harvard Athletic Complex - 65 N. Harvard St, Boston. This is where you can find will call, wristband assistance, wristband replacement, and purchase tickets (if any are available). A government-issued ID is required to verify your order and pick up tickets.
Limited 1-Day and 3-Day tickets remain Purchase Tickets here.
Looking for more info on your Premium ticket? Premium Area Guides are here (GA+, VIP, and Platinum).
💳 Once you activate your wristband, organizers suggest you register for Cashless at Boston Calling presented by Chase – it’s the easy way to purchase festival food, merch, and more with a tap of a wrist.
👜 Official Bag Policy: All bags will be searched before entry. Small clutch purses and fanny packs that are 6” x 9” or smaller do not need to be clear but can have no more than one pocket. All other bags must be fully clear and made up of clear plastic, vinyl, or pvc, and be no larger than 12" x 6” x 12" only. Bags will be restricted to small purses, totes and drawstring bags only. Backpacks and bags with multiple pockets are prohibited.
💦 Stay Hydrated: Bring a reusable water bottle to refill at free hydration stations all weekend long.
Hydration packs are allowed and do not need to be clear but must be emptied of all liquid and have no more than two pockets in addition to the one holding the water reservoir.
What's Allowed? To speed up entry, leave your bag at home and get familiar with our allowed and prohibited items.
Keep your personal belongings protected and your phone charged by reserving your own locker. You can enjoy all-day access to your locker and cell phone charging stations thanks to Allianz Ticket Protection.
Who is playing? -- Boston Calling Headliners 2025
Country superstar Luke Combs, Emo-pop hitmakers Fall Out Boy, Jam band legend Dave Matthews., as is Sheryl Crow, Cage the Elephant, Avril Lavigne, Vampire Weekend, Public Enemy, T Pain, The Black Crowes, Spin Doctors, and many more.
Check out the full lineup below.
What is the Food Vendor Lineup?
There’ll be something for everyone — Dumpling Daughter, Lily P’s Fried Chicken, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Tasty Burger, Blackbird Doughnuts, El Jefe’s Taqueria, Greco, Flip The Bird, Naco Taco, PieSons Pizza, The Smoke Shop BBQ, Love Art Sushi, FoMu, Zinneken’s Waffles, and lots more.
The food stands are mostly all on the right side of the venue. The layout is smart and efficient. There are also a small number of food stands over near the orange tent, that includes a number of picnic tables and The House of Dunkin. restaurants.
Official Festival App and Map
Download the official festival app to stay up to date with festival updates and performance notifications.
Click here to download on iOS, or here to download on Google Play.
Get a lay of the land! Before arriving, be sure to check out our Official 2025 Map to get familiar with the festival grounds at Harvard University's Athletic Complex.
🎡 New!! Boston Calling 2025 Stage Update: A Rotating Main Stage!
New for 2025: Boston Calling is debuting a state-of-the-art rotating Green Stage, replacing last year’s two side-by-side main stages. This exciting upgrade means much shorter set change times between performances — as one artist wraps up, the stage will simply rotate to reveal the next act.
The new setup is designed to keep the energy high, reduce crowd congestion, and give fans better sightlines throughout the day. It’s a smart improvement that should make moving around the festival a lot smoother and the experience even more enjoyable.
Pro Tip: If you're aiming for prime viewing spots at the Green Stage, expect a steadier flow of fans moving in and out this year — no long pauses between acts to re-set. Grab your spot early if there's a must-see set on your list!
The Orange Stage is smaller and sits tucked away on a tennis court. This stage features many up and coming <b>local Boston bands</b>. (Yay local bands!! )
🛖 The Arena is Back for 2025!
The Arena at Boston Calling 2025 is an indoor, air-conditioned venue located near the festival's main entrance at the Harvard Athletic Complex. It offers attendees a comfortable space to relax and enjoy performances away from the outdoor stages.
This year, the Arena features a special collaboration with Berklee College of Music, showcasing nine performances by talented student jazz musicians throughout the weekend. Berklee artists continue to get great reviews every year!!
The Arena's 2025 lineup includes:
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Friday, May 23: Tiril Jackson, Devon Gates & Friends, Su Yavuz
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Saturday, May 24: Srisley, Solaya + The Effect, Su Yavuz
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Sunday, May 25: Manuela Sánchez Goubert, Aniyé, Su YavuzVanyaland+16AM - BOStoday+1
In addition to these performances, the Arena serves as a spacious, temperature-controlled area for festival-goers to regroup and recharge during the event.
Viewing Tips
There are really no bad spots to see the shows. If you want to be closer up for the headliner stages you can do that, but the setup also allows for you to stand / sit further back on the turf/field for a more spread out chill experience. (Like, you can actually sit and still see).
photo courtesy of Boston Calling (Red Stage will be replaced with a rotating Green Stage)
The sound is great and the large screens allow viewing from most areas. No need to "get as close as you can" in the pit area unless that's your goal.
photo courtesy of Boston Calling
Blue stage has plenty of space and they've covered the grass with a type of flooring. There are side areas near the Ferris wheel that are a bit raised for good viewing and lots of grassy areas in the back that also afford a good view.
Orange stage is SRO and much smaller, since it's on a tennis court.
In addition to the outdoor stages, don't forget to check out The Arena — an air-conditioned indoor venue hosting special sets and performances throughout the weekend. ❄️ Perfect for cooling off and discovering emerging artists.
Lockers
There are a large number of lockers that you can rent on site if you don't feel like carrying your stuff around.
Bathrooms
There are an ample number Portable bathrooms throughout the grounds. Bathroom setup and logistics made sense and were quite good overall. You are in good hands.
Merch Stands
There are 2 Boston Calling merch stands near the front gate. The one closest to the gate entrance is bigger and has the longer lines. If you continue back toward the Blue Stage area, you'll find a second merch stand with shorter lines.
Can I still buy tickets?
Do you still need to get festival tickets? Limited 1-Day and 3-Day tickets remain Purchase Tickets here.
Weather forecast
The weather is looking great this weekend, in the high 70s and low 80s with the sun shining. We all deserve a high quality long weekend of weather, music and fun.
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Stacey Sao has been the Managing Director of the family-friendly events and activities website, BostonCentral for well over 20 years. She continues to enjoy discovering and exploring new places to visit in the Greater Boston area.