THROWBACK: SUMMERTHING, BOSTON’S OG ARTS FESTIVAL

The idea of an enormous arts bonanza is standard these days, but at one point it was a unique Hub innovation

BY SEAN L. MALONEY

Photos by Nick DeWolf (Courtesy of the Nick DeWolf Photo Archives)

It’s festival season and Boston has been aflutter with the latest news, from the Madison Square Garden company purchasing a controlling interest in the biannual Boston Calling, to beer festivals and barbecue festivals, not to mention festivals with beer and barbecue. We’ve got two installments of Porchfest, not to mention a fiesta for marshmallow Fluff. Greater Boston loves its festivals but seems to have forgotten about the original citywide community arts spectacle that was Summerthing.

Founded in 1968, Summerthing was focused on bringing art, theater, and music into the neighborhoods. The goal was to not only provide culture but to provide opportunities for creative types and community members, to provide outlets for creative impulses and entertainment that could counteract the stresses of summertime. It was an extension of newly-elected Mayor Kevin White’s neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach to campaigning and a counterpoint to the parochial townie-ism that makes Boston, well, Boston. It began with…