BASIC Berkshires

Day of the Dead with MASS MoCA
2024-11-01 17:00 - 23:59 (America/New_York) | MASS MoCA, 1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, 01247, United States
Public program, free with registration:
Join us for our annual celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the Mexican holiday of remembrance for those who have passed away. Bring your friends and family members to contribute to an altar with your own ofrenda including photos or tokens of past loved ones and participate in one of our art making activities. Enjoy Mexican specialty foods while you listen to the music of student performers throughout the night right in the MASS MoCA lobby.
At 5:15pm MASS MoCA’s Senior Manager of School Programs Rebecca Cuscaden Marvin will present a special-edition Family Storytime. Then, join us in the R&D Store at 6pm with writer and curator Elizabeth Ferrer for an in-depth look at a pioneering Chicano photographer, Louis Carlos Bernal, who preserved the legacy of his Southwestern community.
MASS MoCA presents Día de Los Muertos in collaboration with Latinas413 and other community organizations in Berkshire County.
More information here: https://massmoca.org/event/dia-de-los-muertos/

Bilingual Storytime
2025-01-08 18:00 - 19:00 | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 012201
Join library staff and Pittsfield CFCE for a program of songs, rhymes, crafts, and read-aloud books. Take home a free book for each child to build your at-home library. Ideal for families with children of a variety of ages. This program is presented in English and Spanish.
Children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult 18+ at all times.
For more information call the Children’s Library: 413-499-9480, ext. 203
Sponsored by the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum.
Attendance at library programs constitutes consent to be photographed; photos may be used in print or electronic publicity for the Berkshire Athenaeum.

Know Your Rights morning workshop
2025-01-14 09:00 - 12:00 | BerkshireSouth, 15 Crissey Road, Great Barringon, 01230
Come learn about your rights as an immigrant, individual and family emergency planning, and risk reduction! Workshop will be in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation into English. Flyers below.

Know Your Rights evening workshop
2025-01-14 18:00 - 21:00 | Lee Middle and High School, 300 Greylock St, Lee, MA 01238, USA, 300 Greylock St, Lee, MA, 01238, United States

Tax Preparation Workshop in Spanish
2025-02-12 17:30 - 19:00 | Greylock Federal, 75 Kellogg Street, Pittsfield
Come learn about…

The importance of filing taxes, regardless of immigration status
SSNs vs ITIN numbers
Reporting income accurately
Who counts as dependents
Avoiding penalties due to lack of health insurance
Risks of tax fraud

Led. by Gloria Escobar, Catheryn Chacon, and Lorean Dus

Paquito D’Rivera Quintet
2025-04-05 20:00 - 23:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
NEA Jazz Master, composer, and reedist Paquito D’Rivera brings to life the eclectic fusion of his extensive travels with unparalleled improvisations, multinational rhythms, and original orchestrations. D’Rivera has won a combined 16 Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards (5 Grammy and 11 Latin Grammys). He is celebrated both for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer.

Shakespeare & Company Free Community Day
2025-05-24 11:00 - 16:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Shakespeare & Company will hold its second-annual free Community Day on Saturday, May 24 from 11 am – 4 pm, Memorial Day Weekend! This event features live demonstrations and performances, scavenger hunts, film screenings, food trucks with lunches and snacks for purchase, and dozens of other local nonprofits sharing the many ways we all serve the Berkshires – and beyond. For more information, call the Box Office at 413.637.3353 or visit shakespeare.org.

Norman Rockwell Museum: Summer Saturdays for Families
2025-06-14 11:00 - 15:00 | Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Glendale Road Route 183, Stockbridge, MA, 01262, United States
June 14 @ 11:00 am EDT – 3:00 pm EDT
Join us for fun and interactive programming inspired by the art of Norman Rockwell and Walter Wick, creator of the I Spy books for children. Try your hand at making art inspired by these beloved illustrators. You’ll want to return again and again with a variety of fun and engaging experiences for the whole family; it’s the perfect way to spend some quality time together on your Saturdays this summer!
Free with Admission, Drop-in – no reservation required.
https://www.nrm.org/events/summer-saturdays-for-families/
https://www.nrm.org/visit/#hours

World Premiere: Lawrence Goodman’s The Victim
2025-06-19 19:00 - 2025-07-21 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
The World Premiere of The Victim by Lawrence Goodman runs through July 21 at Shakespeare & Company. Three women, three interconnected monologues: a successful New York doctor (Stephanie Clayman) whose racial diversity training has gone horribly wrong. A health aide grappling with racism during the COVID-19 pandemic (Yvette King). A Holocaust survivor (Annette Miller), facing her own horror and finding her way back to love and healing. Who gets to call herself a victim? Who is the perpetrator? Staged at Shakespeare & Company in 2024 as a reading in the Plays in Process series, The Victim is about identity, our blindness to others, and the human capacity for cruelty and compassion.

Board Game Night / Noche de juegos de mesa
2025-07-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Hot Plate Brewing Co, 1 School St, Pittsfield, 01201
Join the library and our friends from Mana Crypt at Hot Plate Brewing Co. for Board Game Night! Mana Crypt and the Berkshire Athenaeum will provide a curated selection of new and favorite games for attendees to choose from and play (you can also bring your own or select a game from Hot Plate’s ongoing supply). Bring friends along to play, or make new ones at this casual game night!

FREE magic show at the Mahaiwe on 8/4!
2025-08-04 17:30 - 19:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Join in for an event filled with laughter, wonder and endless surprises as renowned magician Bill Blagg presents Family Magic!
With over 60 minutes of non-stop magical fun, Family Magic is specifically designed to entertain and engage audiences of all ages. Bill Blagg’s unique blend of comedy, audience participation, and mind-bending magic will keep you on the edge of your seat eagerly anticipating what’s coming next. Prepare to be amazed as ordinary objects come to life while others vanish in the blink of an eye, and you could even be chosen to float in mid-air!
Family Magic is a unique blend of interactive entertainment and awe-inspiring magic that guarantees an unforgettable adventure for all ages. Join in for this magical family event which is sure to create unforgettable memories with your loved ones!

Community Day at The Mount
2025-08-10 11:00 - 17:00 | The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home, 2 Plunkett St, Lenox, MA, 01240, United States
Featuring live music, readings and performances, a resource fair, book exchanges, children’s activities, and food trucks, Community Day at The Mount’s celebrates the vibrant, multicultural diversity of the Berkshires.

On-farm Botanical Inks Workshop
2025-09-20 10:00 - 16:00
Spend the day foraging seasonal botanicals and learning how to transform them into artist-quality natural inks. The workshop includes a guided farm walk, harvesting from the dye garden, and hands-on ink-making in the barn studio. No prior experience required—perfect for artists, nature lovers, and anyone curious about plant-based color.
Full details and registration: www.farmandfieldny.com/workshops
Where: Farm & Field, a 200-acre farm in Chatham, NY
Contact: jill@farmandfieldny.com
Phone: 973.879.6252

“Mickey’s Christmas Carol” (1983)
2025-12-13 13:00 - 16:00 | Indigo Room, 20 Castle Street, Great Barrington, 01230
Animated family favorite “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” will play on loop for free at the Mahaiwe’s new Indigo Room during Great Barrington’s Holiday Shop, Sip, and Stroll. Familiar Disney characters retell Charles Dickens’ timeless story of holiday spirit. (Rated G, 26min.)

Free screening of “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)
2025-12-19 19:00 - 21:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
The Mahaiwe presents a free screening of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ per annual tradition. Frank Capra directs James Stewart and Donna Reed in this classic holiday favorite about community, love, and hope. (Rated PG, 2h 10min.)

Berkshire Opera Festival's Community Sing-Along
2026-01-10 14:00 - 16:00 | St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 67 East Street, Pittsfield, 01201
Berkshire Opera Festival is excited to invite you to our third annual Community Sing-Along!
​This free, fun-filled event brings everyone together to sing beloved opera choruses by composers like Mozart, Verdi, and Wagner—alongside BOF choristers and members of our wider Berkshire singing community.
​Singers of all experience levels are encouraged to join in. Whether you’re a seasoned vocalist or just love to sing for fun, you’ll fit right in. For ages 13+.
The event is free, but registration is required. We’ll send you the music and helpful details ahead of time—no preparation needed, just come ready to sing and enjoy a joyful afternoon of music-making.

Berkshire Opera Festival's Winterreise
2026-03-07 20:00 | Studio E, Linde Center for Music and Learning, Tanglewood, 3 West Hawthorne Road, Lenox, MA, 01240
A rejected lover. A frozen landscape. A profound loneliness. Hailed as the greatest song cycle ever written, Schubert’s Winterreise follows a wandering protagonist on his quest for comfort on a winter’s night. But this is not merely a trek through snow and ice—it is an intimate odyssey into the depths of the soul. Join internationally acclaimed baritone Jarrett Porter and Artistic Director Brian Garman as they take you on this deeply moving and cathartic journey.
For information on discounted tickets, contact Sarah Prouty at sprouty@berkshireoperafestival.org.
This program is funded in part by a grant from the Lenox Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Discounted tickets to BOF’s production of Winterreise are generously sponsored by Adrian & Christine Slywotzky.

Berkshire Opera Festival's Free Family Concert: Once Upon an Opera
2026-04-12 14:00 - 15:00 | Indigo Room, 20 Castle Street, Great Barrington, 01230
Back by popular demand! Berkshire Opera Festival’s Free Family Concert returns with a lively mix of opera favorites and instantly recognizable melodies. This fun, one-hour interactive performance invites kids and adults to experience live opera up close—perfect for a memorable family outing. This unforgettable afternoon of music is free and open to all ages, but you’ll want to reserve your seats today as seating is limited. Once Upon an Opera is recommended for children of all ages with accompanying caregivers.
Event Details:
Sunday, April 12 at 2:00 PM
Indigo Room, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
20 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA
Duration: 1 hour (no intermission)
Free (reservations encouraged)
Register here:
https://www.berkshireoperafestival.org/onceuponanopera

Berkshire Native Jordan Loder – Homecoming Concert, May 15 in Great Barrington
2026-05-15 19:00 - 20:30
Kirtan with Jordan Loder featuring Jurian Hughes
Internationally touring kirtan artist Jordan Loder, a proud Berkshire native, will perform a special homecoming concert on Friday, May 15, 2026 at Better Yoga Berkshires in Great Barrington.
The evening of devotional, meditative music will feature special guest Jurian Hughes, senior Kripalu faculty member and beloved teacher of yoga, voice, and intuitive movement, providing responding vocals.

Date: Friday, May 15, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM Doors at 6:30 PM
Venue: Better Yoga Berkshires, 40 Railroad Street, 2nd Floor, Great Barrington, MA 01230

Tickets: $22 in advance / $30 at the door (advance purchase strongly encouraged)

Community Day
2026-05-23 11:00 - 16:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
FREE EVENT
Community Day
Saturday, May 23
11 am–4 pm
Tina Packer Playhouse & the Grounds
Shakespeare & Company announces its third-annual Community Day, a free, family-friendly celebration on Saturday, May 23, from 11 am to 4 pm at the Shakespeare & Company campus in Lenox. Community Day invites guests of all ages to enjoy live performances, demonstrations, and music; interactive activities for all ages; film screenings; food trucks with fare for purchase, and opportunities to learn about more than two dozen nonprofit and community organizations serving the Berkshires and beyond.
Learn more at shakepeare.org or call 413.637.3353!

Shakespeare & Company Presents: Fireflies
2026-06-19 19:00 - 2026-07-19 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Shakespeare & Company Presents: Fireflies by Matthew Barber, Directed by Daniela Varon.
From the author of Enchanted April, retired schoolteacher Eleanor Bannister lives alone in tiny Groverdell, Texas, settled into her routines and secure in her standing as the town’s most respected woman. When a hole in her roof brings Abel Brown—a charming, smooth-talking drifter—onto her doorstep, he offers to repair the house and quietly begins to upend her carefully ordered life. As an unexpected late-life romance flickers to life, gossip spreads and doubts surface. Can Abel be trusted, or is he not quite who he seems? Either way, the whole town is watching.
Come Join us at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre from June 19 – July 19th at 2pm and 7pm!
Tickets are on sale now at Shakespeare.org, or by calling the box office at (413) 637-1199

Farm & Field presents Tracing Paths~ Step into the studio & landscape with artist Jill Duffy
2026-06-25 11:00 - 2026-06-29 15:00
Farm & Field presents Tracing Paths, a new exhibition of paintings by Jill Duffy curated by Linda J. Park and installed in the hayloft gallery of the farm’s 200-year-old barn in Chatham, NY.
Rooted in walking paths across the farm, the work is created with handmade wild inks & vine charcoal, and natural pigments gathered and processed on site using traditional pigment-making practices. Also on view are works by artist-in-residence Reinhardt.
Part of Upstate Art Weekend · June 25–29
Opening Reception
Thursday, June 25 · 5-8 PM
Complimentary natural wines and seasonal refreshments
OPEN HOURS
June 25 – 29
Thursday, June 25 11 AM-8 PM
Friday & Saturday, June 26 & 27 11 AM-5 PM
Sunday, June 28 11 AM-3 PM
Monday, June 29 By appointment
Special Programming
Friday · 11 AM-12 PM Guided color foraging walk
Saturday · 3:30 PM Artist talk with complimentary wine & beverages
Sunday · 2-3 PM Natural pigment and ink demonstration using seasonal botanicals
Visitors are invited to explore the exhibition, adjacent studio and pigment lab, self-guided trails across the 210-acre farm, and farm store throughout the weekend.

All programming is complimentary and open to the public.
Farm & Field
338 Punsit Road
Chatham, NY
More information: farmandfieldny.com
Instagram: @farmandfieldny

Shakespeare & Company Presents: Twelfth Night
2026-07-04 19:00 - 2026-07-26 21:00 | Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre, 70 Kemble St. Lenox, MA 01240, Lenox, MA, 01240, United States
Shakespeare & Company Presents: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Directed by Kate Kohler Amory

July 4-July 26 at 7 pm at the Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre

Shipwrecks, disguises, and mistaken identities spark the joyful chaos of Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s most playful romantic comedy. Love runs amok, wit flies, and nothing is quite what it seems in this sun-soaked tale of music and mischief. Performed outdoors July 4–26 at one of Newsweek’s Top 10 Outdoor Theater Venues in the U.S., this summer production invites audiences to relax, laugh, and revel in Shakespeare under the open sky.
Tickets are $40-$99 and on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at (413) 637-3353

Shakespeare & Company and Spirit of the Circus Presents: Circus & The Bard: The Next Chapter.
2026-07-16 11:30 - 2026-07-26 17:00 | Tina Packer Playhouse, 70 Kemble St., Lenox, 01240
Circus & the Bard: The Next Chapter bounces back July 16–26 at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm at the Tina Packer Playhouse!

Co-created by Allyn Burrows, Robin Eldridge, and Pedro Reis, Co-directed by Allyn Burrows and Pedro Reis

Shakespeare & Company and Spirit of the Circus reunite for a playful mash-up of jaw-dropping circus acts paired with Shakespeare’s beloved characters. When high-flying feats meet the Bard’s words, sparks fly, laughs abound, and something truly magical happens.

Tickets are $35 for adults, $22 for ages 13-22, and $15 for ages 3-12. Tickets are on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at (413) 637-3353

Join us on Wednesday, July 22, and Thursday, July 23, for relaxed, sensory-friendly performances.
What is a Sensory-Friendly Performance?
Sensory-friendly performances are adapted to be less overwhelming and to welcome individuals with a range of sensory needs, including people who are neurodivergent; those with cognitive, social, or physical challenges; first-time theatergoers, and others. These performances offer pre-show materials such as story synopses and “what to expect” guides, along with reduced-intensity lighting and sound, dimmed house lights, and clear theater maps. Performances are relaxed; audience members are free to come and go, and total quiet is not expected. These shows are open to all patrons.

Ron Ramsay’s Berkshire Music Salon Series at NRM
2026-07-16 17:30 - 19:00 | Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Glendale Road Route 183, Stockbridge, MA, 01262, United States
Planned in conjunction with Norman Rockwell’s Museum’s American Stories: Revolution to Rockwell, this three-part musical salon series will explore how artists and songwriters have shaped the American imagination over the last 250 years. Featuring acclaimed Berkshire performers Ron Ramsay and Samantha Talora, each thematic salon blends storytelling, history and a wide range of musical genres including patriotic songs, jazz standards, pop classics, and Broadway favorites.
Terrace seating (weather permitting)
July 16: Inventing America: From Revolution to Rockwell
August 20: American Mirror: Rockwell and the Moral Imagination
September 3: Visions of a Nation: Who Gets to be America?

Shakespeare & Company Presents: Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
2026-07-30 14:00 - 2026-08-23 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Shakespeare & Company Presents: Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune

By Terrence McNally, Directed by Nicole Ricciardi

July 30-August 23 at 2 pm and 7 pm at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre

Set over the course of a single late night in a small Hell’s Kitchen apartment, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune is a tender, funny, and deeply human play about two people standing at the edge of connection. Frankie, a guarded waitress, and Johnny, an earnest short-order cook, work together at a Manhattan diner. After their first date, they find themselves in bed—and talking through the night.
What unfolds is an intimate conversation filled with humor, vulnerability, and longing. Johnny, a hopeful romantic, believes he may have found something rare and real. Frankie, shaped by past disappointments, keeps her defenses firmly in place. As they circle each other—sometimes clashing, sometimes connecting—the play reveals the quiet courage it takes to risk love after life has left its marks.
Accompanied by the soft glow of Debussy’s “Clair de lune,” playing on the radio at Johnny’s request, McNally’s play blends gritty realism with gentle romance. Both funny and achingly honest, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune explores loneliness, resilience, and the possibility that even late in the night—and later in life—love may still be waiting.
Tickets are $40-$99 and are on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at (413) 637-3353
Content Advisory: Frankie & Johnny takes an honest, often funny look at two adults on the late-night hours of a first date. Please be advised that the production includes moments of sexual intimacy and brief nudity.

Shakespeare & Company Presents - Shake It Up: The Remix
2026-07-31 19:00 - 2026-08-03 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
A blend of modern music and Shakespearean verse. Co-created by Allyn Burrows and Jacob Ming-Trent, Directed by Allyn Burrows

July 29-August 2 at 3:30 pm, 6 pm, and 7 pm at the Tina Packer Playhouse

The hit that had audiences on their feet returns—revved up and remixed. The Tina Packer Playhouse transforms once more into the Elephant Lounge for Shake It Up: The Remix, an exuberant mash-up of modern music and Shakespearean verse. Audiences are invited to clap, sing, stomp, and dance in the aisles as the players unleash a breathless, rocking revue

Tickets are $25-$78 and are on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the box office at (413) 637-3353

Shakespeare & Company Presents: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Directed by Ariel Bock
2026-08-13 19:00 - 2026-08-30 22:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Shakespeare & Company Presents: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Directed by Ariel Bock

August 13-30 at 2 pm and 7 pm at the Tina Packer Playhouse

Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most searching play—a gripping story of grief, conscience, and the cost of action. Haunted by his father’s ghost, a young prince must navigate a world of secrets, power, and betrayal, where nothing is as it appears. By turns thrilling, darkly funny, and deeply human, this August production brings Shakespeare’s language to life with clarity, physicality, and immediacy.

Tickets are $40-$99 and on sale now shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at 413.637.3353
Free Youth Tickets are sponsored by the Harvey and Virginia Kimmel Family Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation. Learn more at shakespeare.org.
