June 8, 2026 | By Lisa Scagliotti

Summertime in Vermont wouldn’t be complete without a slew of free concerts to take in, and Waterbury has its share and there’s much more not far away.

The Waterbury Rotary Club’s annual Thursday night Concerts in the Park will be back for a 45th season at Rusty Parker Memorial Park, starting this week on June 11 and running through Aug. 13. The first band to play is the Waterbury Community Band, which has its own series of performance dates in town and around the region this summer.

TURNmusic and Blackback Pub are teaming up to keep the decade-old Music in the Alley series going this summer with three concerts planned for Jack’s Alley on Stowe Street.

Nearby in Middlesex at Camp Meade, music will be happening twice weekly on Fridays and Sundays until Sept. 4 and 6.

Below are the lineups and links for more information on all of these shows with a few extra tips for some free events further afield and some ticketed shows.

Waterbury Rotary’s Concerts in the Park

Thursday night summertime concerts are a Waterbury Rotary tradition that members say is the longest-running free summer concert series in Vermont.

Shows return June 11 through Aug. 13, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Although the farmers market ceased operations two years ago, concert-goers are invited to bring a picnic or pick up takeout, and settle in with a chair or blanket to enjoy the tunes. Efforts are also being made to invite food truck vendors to attend this summer.

Admission is free, although Rotarians run a 50/50 raffle during the shows with the proceeds supporting the arts programming.

Organizers remind attendees that leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome. Children are asked to refrain from disruptive play during the shows, such as bike-riding and ball-throwing in the park near the performance area.

Should the weather not cooperate, listen to WDEV AM550/FM96.1 on Thursday afternoons for cancellation details or check the Waterbury Rotary Club’s Facebook page.

The concert lineup for the summer series is:

June 11: Waterbury Community Band - Traditional tunes, strong wind section
June 18: Hardscrabble - Bluegrass and acoustic covers
June 25: Gas Station Nachos - High-energy covers
July 2: Seth Yacavone Band - Bluesy hard rock
July 9: Buck Hollers - Americana and country
July 16: Atlantic Crossing - Celtic folk tunes
July 23: John Lackard - Blues & grooves
July 30: Moonbird - Covers of oldies and contemporary tunes
Aug. 6: Yankee Chank - Cajun and Louisiana dance music
Aug. 13: Party Crashers - High-energy dance band

Music in the Alley

TURNmusic and Blackback Pub present three free concerts for Music in the Alley in Jack’s Alley on Stowe Street, from 6 to 9 p.m. The Phoenix Gallery and Music Hall is the rain location.

The series has an international flair with the psychedelic Latin grooves of Sonido Mal Maïz, followed by the vibrant, cross-cultural Afro-Latin folk and rock energy of LA LOVO. International Latin jazz ambassador and legendary music educator Ray Vega closes out the series. Read more about the bands here.

Concert dates are:

June 26: Mal Maiz
July 24: La Lovo
Aug. 21: Ray Vega Afro Caribbean Ensemble

Beverages will be available for purchase from Blackback Pub. Other sponsors are Waterbury Arts, Mad River Painting, and Landmark Realty.

Waterbury Community Band

Another mainstay on the local music scene is the Waterbury Community Band whose members assemble for a mixture of local shows in town, while also traveling to perform at events around central Vermont.

The band’s concerts are free, and attendees are invited to bring a chair or a blanket and a picnic to enjoy the music.

Directed by Nick Allen, the band welcomes new and guest musicians to join in. “Show up with an instrument and a music stand, and you are in the band. We welcome all ages, and we would love to see more students!” said band officer Luther Leake. “Our music is approachable for all abilities, and we would gladly help anyone fit into the group.”

The band’s schedule for the summer is:

June 11: Rotary Concert in the Park, 6-8 p.m., Rusty Parker Park, Waterbury
June 16, 23: Tuesday concerts at 7 p.m., Rusty Parker Park
June 27: Performing in Waterbury’s Not Quite Independence Day Parade
July 7, 21: Waterbury Center Green (triangle) Park at 7 p.m.
July 25: Barre Heritage Festival Parade, 1 p.m.
Aug. 4: Joint concert with the Morrisville Band, 6 p.m., Stowe Free Library
Aug. 11, 18: Tuesday concerts at 7 p.m., Rusty Parker Park
Sept. 7: Northfield Labor Day parade at 10 a.m.

For more information about the band, email lutherleake@gmail.com.

Waterbury Arts Fest

The annual Waterbury Arts Fest happens Friday-Saturday, July 10-11, at Pilgrim Park along Railroad Street in Waterbury. Admission is free to both the Friday night block party and Saturday’s arts market.

Friday night will feature live music from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. by the Sara Whitehair Band and The Full Cleveland, along with food trucks and a beer garden. Admission is free, but a donation of $10 per person, $25 per family is suggested. Those who donate get entered into a prize raffle.

Saturday’s market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will also have live music and entertainment all day. Local youth dancers from Green Mountain Performing Arts will be first on stage, followed by musicians, including Sarah Bell, Bad Luck Bliss, and Soulstice, closing out the event at 3 p.m. Food trucks and alcoholic beverages also are part of the Saturday scene, along with hands-on art activities for kids. Free admission. More information is online at waterburyartsfest.com.

Camp Meade

Red Hen Bakery has moved out, and Woodbelly Pizza has moved in at Camp Meade on U.S. Route 2 in Middlesex. The switch hasn’t changed the summer music plans for twice-weekly free Community Concerts on the Green.

Performances are scheduled on Fridays, 5-8 p.m., and Sundays, 4-7 p.m., through Sept. 4-6.

Check the Camp Meade website, which has an events calendar and the full music lineups. Bands with upcoming June dates include Pluto Rising, People’s House Band, Sara Whitehair Band and High Summer.

Lunchtime tunes in Montpelier

If your daytime travels find you in Montpelier at lunchtime on Wednesdays, check out the free Hunger Mountain Co-op Brown Bag Lunch Concert Series that runs from July to September. Live music performances happen from noon to 1 p.m. in the Christ Episcopal Church Courtyard on State Street. Hosted by the Monteverdi Music School, the series lineup should be posted online soon.

Maple Roots Festival

The Morse Farm Maple Sugar Works in Montpelier is the venue for what will be the 6th annual Maple Roots Festival, on Saturday, July 25. About a dozen Vermont artists, bands and ensembles will perform on two stages from noon to midnight, including High Summer, the MRF All-Stars, the Vermont Jazz Ensemble and the Onion River Jazz Band.

The family-friendly event even has a special performance for kids by Linda Bassik. Food, beverages, activities, (and maple creemees inside at the Morse Farm store). Rain or shine. Admission is free, but parking passes are issued for a $35 fee per vehicle. Gates open at 11 a.m.

Much more information is online at maplerootsfest.com.

Stowe Cider

Stowe Cider’s events calendar has a mixture of free and ticketed live music performances and a steady stream of Vermont Green soccer match watch parties.

Stowe Cider is also the driving force behind what is becoming annual event at the end of the summer to support Vermont state parks. The Jam for the Parks 2026 daylong festival is scheduled at Waterbury Center State Park on Aug. 29. The lineup includes Reprise, Grateful for Biggie, All Night Boogie Band, Full Cleveland and DJ Cheetatah.

A portion of the festival proceeds will go to the nonprofit Vermont Parks Forever, an independent organization that supports state parks in Vermont. This is a ticketed event with a variety of ticket options, including VIP passes and an after-party at Zenbarn add-on. Kids 12 and under are free.

Much more information on the full summer schedule and Jam For the Parks is online at stowecider.com/fulleventslist.

*The steamboat Ticonderoga and the Lighthouse against the summer evening sky at Shelburne Museum. Photo by Sarah McElvain Lavoie*

Shelburne Museum Summer Nights

A noteworthy free summer music series is happening at Shelburne Museum. Similar to Waterbury’s Music in the Alley, the museum will offer free evening admission with a concert on one Thursday night per month in June, July and August.

The events will include live music, food trucks, gallery access, and family-friendly activities from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on June 25, July 23 and Aug. 27. Visitors can enjoy the music and food and explore the museum campus.

The concert lineup is:

June 25: The Tenderbellies, an award-winning acoustic string band based in Burlington and known for bridging traditional musical styles into a self-described “bluegrass-ish” sound.
July 23: Myra Flynn, an acclaimed American indie-soul singer/songwriter, best known for her powerful vocals and sound that blends elements of soul, jazz, indie pop and folk.
Aug. 27: Ray Vega Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble is led by the renowned jazz trumpeter, percussionist, and composer Ray Vega, who also is on the Waterbury concert circuit. Vega fans can take in another free show featuring his band’s high-energy blend of traditional jazz with rhythms from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and across the Caribbean.

Shelburne Museum is open daily through Oct. 25. More information: shelburnemuseum.org.

Lake Morey & Dog Mountain

Sure, they’re a little farther afield, but if you’re looking to explore around Vermont and catch a free concert while sampling some different food trucks, Lake Morey and Dog Mountain are two destinations to consider.

Both sets of concerts are presented with Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury.

Lake Morey Resort hosts free shows on Thursday nights this summer starting June 18 and running until Aug. 20. Their lineup includes some big names this year, including Adam Ezra Group, Guster, Larkin Poe and Collective Soul. Shows are at 8 p.m. The resort offers day passes and a room discount if you don’t want to drive home after the concert. Details online at lakemoreyresort.com/music/concerts.

Catamount Arts sets an entire other world of free concerts in motion each summer with its Leavitt AMP St. Johnsbury Music Series at Dog Mountain and in downtown St. J. The result is a schedule this year with eight Sunday free concerts at Dog Mountain (July 12 through Aug. 30), and three Friday concerts downtown (June 26, July 31, Aug. 28).

Sunday concerts are at 5 p.m.; Friday shows start at 7 p.m.

The Dog Mountain events include food trucks and vendors, and the venue is, of course, very, very dog-friendly. The downtown scene has a street fair setup.

See the full schedule and more details online at catamountarts.org/shows-and-events/levitt-amp-st-johnsbury-music-series.

*The Do Good Fest attracts thousands to the National Life headquarters in Montpelier every summer. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti*

Get tickets for more summer music

Looking for more? There are many, many more shows to catch this summer if you are willing and able to pay for tickets.

Do Good Fest

National Life Group’s Do Good Fest is one of the best bargains, with admission starting at a suggested $10 donation ($12.57 with fees). The annual event is always a fundraiser and proceeds this year will go to organizations dedicated to youth mental health.

The July 11 festival starts at 2 p.m. with live music until dark, ending in a fireworks show. A Vermont student band that wins the Beats For Good competition gets the opening spot on the bill. Voting for that closed recently, but the winner has not yet been announced. Both a Harwood Union High School band and a multi-school band with several Harwood members were in the running. (This post will be updated once the winner is announced.)

The lineup then kicks in with performances by Augustana, Smash Mouth, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Neon Trees. Food trucks abound, and a multitude of nonprofit organizations have booths to share information about their work. All proceeds will benefit National Life’s Peace of Mind Fund in support of organizations dedicated to youth mental health.

Get all the details and tickets online at dogoodfest.com.

Outdoors for orchestras, show tunes

If classical is your jam, check out the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s summer concert schedule that includes a performance in the meadow at the Trapp Family Lodge on July 5. The VSO returns to Trapp’s on August 5-8 for several Sound of Music concerts featuring the iconic Rodgers and Hammerstein score from the musical and film. There’s also a way to attend for free: Volunteer to help with parking, checking tickets, handing out programs, etc. To learn more and sign up, email volunteercoordinator@vso.org.

On Aug. 14, the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra sets up under the tent at Moose Meadow Lodge in Duxbury for its annual Summer Pops concert. The program is brimming with jazz, classical, Broadway and big-screen tunes.

That comes on the heels of the 6th annual Broadway in Vermont event July 20 at Moose Meadow Lodge, organized by Vermonter Merritt David Janes, a prolific Broadway performer who assembles a cadre of his colleagues to visit Vermont to perform some of their favorite selections and share some of their personal stories. More on both of these shows at moosemeadowlodge.net.

Zenbarn

The calendar is always packed for Zenbarn’s stage in Waterbury Center with some of Vermont’s top bands and a variety of acts on the touring circuit. Summer shows are plentiful, with cover charges varying by date. See the full summer lineup at zenbarnvt.com where more performers are being added every week.

More from Seven Days

Finally, for more links and details on some of Vermont’s biggest summer shows, check out the recent roundup by Seven Days that includes the Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green at Shelburne Museum, Burlington Waterfront and Champlain Valley Expo Midway Lawn shows, Spruce Peak Summer Arts, the Stowe Jazz Festival and Strawberry Jam in Stowe.

Mark your calendar for summer’s free concerts (& more)