What’s Happening in Amherst?
Photo: istock
by Art and Maura Keene
You can help us make our events calendar more comprehensive by sending us your listings and including contact information and/or a link for more information. Send events listings to amherstindy@gmail.com.
SINGLE DAY EVENTS (more or less)
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7: ENDEA OWENS AND THE COOKOUT. 8 p.m., Bowker Auditorium, UMass. Grammy and Emmy award-winning bassist-bandleader Endea Owens and her band the Cookout bring their uplifting brand of jazz to the Bowker Auditorium stage. Tickets $30-$40, Students $15.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 8: NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY CELEBRATION. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Amherst College Alumni Gym. This program will provide girls and non-binary youth in grades 4-7 with a unique and welcoming opportunity to explore various sports, play, and have fun together. The participants will be divided into smaller groups to enjoy different fundamental skills in a variety of sports (no previous experience necessary). The event will feature activities led by women’s sports teams, including: squash, golf, crew, track/cross country, soccer, field hockey, softball, and volleyball. For more information, please visit athletics.amherst.edu or contact Jennifer Chuks at jchuks@amherst.edu. Register here.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 8: ALEX ROHAN BAND WITH SECIAL GUEST PRIDEFALLS. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Independent artist and songwriter Alex Rohan has always had a passion for music. He began singing at a very young age and taught himself how to play the guitar. As a teenager, he started playing at local bars and restaurants. He is also an esteemed songwriter. His repertoire of original songs breaks barriers between genres. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door.has
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9: AMHERST HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING, CONCH SHELL AWARD AND MABEL LOOMIS TODD LECTURE. 2 to 4 p.m., Woodbury Room of the Jones Library, 43 Amity Street. This year’s Arthur F. Kinney Conch Shell award will be given to the organizers of the exhibit “Cambodians in Amherst: a History of the Khmer Community.” The annual award, named after the late Dr. Kinney who was a trustee of the Society and creator of the award, honors individuals and organizations that have made a valuable contribution to the preservation and appreciation of Amherst’s history. The Mabel Loomis Todd lecture will be delivered by Dr Samuel Redman of UMass, author of The Museum: A Short History of Crisis and Resilience. All are welcome. Light refreshments will be served.
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9: THE WEDDING JESTER WITH JOHN FEFFER. 2 p.m., Yiddish Book Center, 1021 West Street. In 1970, in a small village somewhere in Croatia, a stand-up comedian confronts the director of Fiddler on the Roof over errors in the film’s script. In a former life, the comedian was a badkhen, a jester who served as the emcee at Jewish weddings, and he’s familiar with shtetl life in ways that Fiddler’s non-Jewish director couldn’t possibly know. Along the way, The Wedding Jester—an original one-man show written and performed by John Feffer and directed by Josh Perlstein—traces the history of Jewish comedy from the weddings of the Old Country to the Borscht Belt of the United States. It challenges our notions of authenticity and of what is “too Jewish” or “not Jewish enough.” And it does what any good badkhen must do—it makes audiences laugh and cry. Runtime: The performance is 60 minutes followed by a 30-minute Q&A. Tickets $15. Member/Student – $12. More information
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 11: PROTECTING OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES. 7 p.m. on Zoom. A League of Women Voters program. What can the League do to protect our immigrant communities? Please join us on Zoom on February 11th at 7:00 PM, when LWVMA will host Elizabeth Sweet, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA). Liz will discuss MIRA’s work, offer ideas about how League members can support immigrant protections, and take your questions. Register HERE. Show that you stand in solidarity with immigrants across our state and learn what we can do to help by attending this important event.
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 12: CANDELIGHT CONCERT AT FIRST CHURCH – TRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC OF QUEEN. First Church, 165 Main Street. 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Music by Listeso String Quartet. Tix: $25. More information and tix
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13: LIMON DANCE COMPANY. 7:30 p.m., Tillis Performance Hall, Fine Arts Center, UMass. One of the great modern dance companies returns to our mainstage for the first since 2007! The Limón Dance Company has been at the vanguard of dance since its inception in 1946. Tickets $35-$70 (Students $15-$20).
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13: From Land Grab to Native Sovereignty: Indigenous Futures at Land-Grant Universities. 4 p.m. on Zoom. Tristan Ahtone of Grist magazine and K. Wayne Yang (a.k.a. la paperson) of the University of California San Diego will engage in an expansive dialogue on the historical and present-day relationships of U.S. universities to Indigenous peoples, reflecting on how universities can be accountable to the land and to Indigenous peoples. Ahtone will build on his work in Land-Grab Universities and Misplaced Trust to discuss the connections between universities, Indigenous land, and climate change, with land-grant universities profiting from fossil fuels, mining, and other industries on lands stolen from Indigenous nations. Author of A Third University Is Possible and co-author of “Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor,” Yang will explore how universities can recognize and respect Native sovereignty, including through free enrollment for Native students, rematriation of land, and Indigenous community-driven action research. The conversation, including opportunities for audience engagement, will be facilitated by Abigail Chabitnoy, award-winning poet and faculty at the Institute of American Indian Arts and the UMass English Department. Part of the 2025 Feinberg Series.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15: ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL HONOR BAND CONCERT. 7 p.m., Tillis Performance Hall, UMass. The UMass Amherst Department of Music and Dance will host hundreds of talented high school musicians from over 70 schools on Saturday, February 15 for the 39th Annual High School Honor Band. This annual program provides hundreds of New England’s finest wind and percussion students the opportunity to rehearse and perform wind band literature of the highest caliber while learning from UMass faculty and world-renowned guest conductors or composers. Free and open to the public.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15: OH HE DEAD, WITH VIRG. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Washington DC’s Oh He Dead brings their funky, poppy rock vibes wherever they go. Led by CJ Bowlin’ Johnson and her golden pipes, the five-piece group includes lead guitarist Alex Salser, John Daise on the bass, Adam Ashforth on drums, and VIRG on the keys. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 18: UNDERSTANDING ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA. 6:30 p.m., Woodbury Room, Jones Library, 43 Amity Street. Join us for a presentation on Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Learn about the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, the early warning signs of dementia, risk factors, the importance of early detection, new treatment options, and local resources. Presented by the Alzheimer’s Association. Meghan Lemay, M.S. is the Regional Manager for the Western Mass office of the Massachusetts/New Hampshire chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25: BOOK DISCUSSION OF ERASURE. 7 p.m., Jones Library, 43 Amity Street. Join Professor Jimmy Worthy from UMass-Amherst and Jones Library staff member Linda Wentworth for an in-depth discussion of the selected title for this year’s Jones Library’s “on The Same Page” commuity read program. Jimmy Worthy is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 28: AUTHOR EVENT: ON THE SAME PAGE WITH PERCIVAL EVERETT. 5 p.m., Johnson Chapel, Amherst College. Join us for The Making of American Fiction, featuring actor Jeffrey Wright ’87, author Percival Everett, and writer/director Cord Jefferson in conversation with Amherst College President Michael A. Elliott, with remarks by Jennifer Acker ’00. Percival Everett is a Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California. He is the author, most recently, of James, winner of the National Book Award in 2024. Other books include Dr. No (finalist for the NBCC Award for Fiction and winner of the PEN/ Jean Stein Book Award), The Trees (finalist for the Booker Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction), Telephone (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), So Much Blue, and I Am Not Sidney Poitier. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the writer Danzy Senna, and their children. This is a ticketed event. Registration is required for this event due to limited seating. Please register as soon as possible to reserve your spot for this event and to request tickets (free of charge). Note: the event is now full but registration will put you on the wait list. REGISTER HERE.
ONGOING AND MULTI-DAY EVENTS
EVERY MONDAY EXCEPT HOLIDAYS: AUTOHARP WORKSHOPS. 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Senior Center, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Join Marie Hartwell-Walker and autoharp players throughout the country who participate on Zoom. Participants on Zoom also welcome.
TUESDAYS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY: AMHERST NEIGHBORS LUNCH IN TOWN. 12 to 1 p.m., Community Room, Amherst Police Station, 111 Main Street. The Lunch in Town series continues in January and February. A mixture of regulars and newcomers show up every week. Come join with a bagged lunch. There will be no gathering on January 28. Canceled if the town closes for weather.
FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: COUNCIL ON AGING SENIOR LUNCH. Noon. Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk.
FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH. RAINBOW COFFEE HOUR. 10-11 a.m. Amherst Senior Center, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. The Rainbow Coffee Hour is a new LGBTIA+ social coffee group for ages 50 and above. Join us for this welcoming space to socialize. No format, no agenda, just community. The July coffee hour will be held on July 11, due to July 4 being the first Tuesday of the month.
SECOND TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH: ARTIST SOCIAL AND CRITIQUE. 6 to 8 p.m., Local Art Gallery, Mill District, 91 Cowls Road. All local artists, both beginners and established, are invited to attend our Artist Social and Critique that meets every 2nd Thursday of the month in The Local Art Gallery from 6-8pm. Help us create a safe space for a supportive and constructive artistic feedback while expanding your connections to other artists. Artist social time from 6 to 6:30 p.m., Artist critique from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Share digital images by emailing to gallery@cowls.com in advance. For information, contact Shannon Borrell at gallery@cowls.com or 413-835-0966.
EVERY WEDNESDAY: WEEKLY WEDNESDAY MARKET. 10 to 11:30 a.m., Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Since its launch in May 2024, the Wednesday Market has served over 700 community members. The Market is open to all, and there’s no registration and no questions asked. Just come and enjoy. We distribute fresh produce, dairy, prepared food, and delicious treats.
EVERY WEDNESDAY: BEGINNER BIRDING. 9:00-9:30 a.m. Notch Visitor Center, 1500 West Street. For ages 12 and up. An easy, level, 1/4-mile guided hike to discover more about birds: their behaviors, needs, habitats and significance. Listen, observe, sketch, photo or journal. Free
LAST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH (EXCLUDING JULY AND JANUARY): NORTHAMPTON JAZZ WORKSHOP. The Drake. 44 North Pleasant Street. 7:30 p.m. Free (donations accepted). Featuring the Green Street trio with a special guest. Featured set at 7:30 followed by an open jam session. Bring your axe. Full calendar of events here.
LAST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: CRAFT AND CONVERSE. Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road. 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Are you tired of creating in solitude? Looking to connect with other artistic individuals? Grab your sketchbook, knitting bag, or water color gear and join our monthly coworking group! Craft and converse, hosted by Easthampton artist Kaia Zimmerman, is held the last Wednesday of every month from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. This welcoming, intentional space is designed for community members to come together for a casual, social evening while pursuing their own creative projects. Drop-ins welcome, but registration encouraged for any weather-related changes in schedule. Bring your own arts or crafts project (BYOA) to work on. Ages 16+.
EVERY WEDNESDAY : CAFE. Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Are you or a loved one experiencing memory loss? At the Amherst Senior Center, we understand memory changes and have developed a new program based on the popular Memory Café format. Our Café offers fun, relaxation, and of course, snacks. This program is perfect for caregivers, people with mild memory loss, or anyone in the community who enjoys good conversation and strong coffee. Each Café opens with a coffee and conversation hour, followed by a group activity. Join us on Wednesday, November 30th for a performance by our special musical guests, “Healing Hearts with Harmony” at 11:00am. Come for the coffee, stay for the connections! Email seniorcenter@amherstma.gov or call 413-259-3060 with questions.
EVERY THURSDAY: IRISH MUSIC SESSION. The Amherst Public House, 40 University Drive. 4-7 p.m. Fiddle, Flute, Tin Whistle, Guitar, Mandolin, Bouzouki and more. Jigs, Reels,Hornpipes, Polkas, Slides, and Waltz’ from around the Celtic world.
EVERY THURSDAY: STITCH CIRCLE. 4 to 6 p.m. Mill District Local Art Gallery and General Store, 91 Cowls Road. Grab your needles, venture to the General Store, and join us for our first Stitch Circle. Knitters, quilters, embroidery artists, and crocheters are all invited. Free.
FIRST AND THIRD FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH: VETERAN’S COMMUNITY BREAKFAST FOR ALL -8 a.m – 9 a.m. Large Activity Room, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. At each breakfast (bagel/donut/coffee), a veteran or veteran ally, will tell his or her personal story regarding military service. Generation after generation reveals that those going to war to defend our country come back spiritually and morally wounded, regardless of the bodily consequences of combat. We want to bring veterans together for food and friendship to help coalesce a spirit of camaraderie to enable authentic, veteran-oriented communities to flourish. WELCOME: Veterans, Spouses, Caregivers, Amherst Community Members. Let’s Build a Thriving Veterans Community. There are 387 Veterans in town! Sponsored by CRESS. FOR MORE INFORMATION: CALL THE CRESS OFFICE, (413) 259-3370 OR GENE HERMAN, VIETNAM VETERAN, (240) 472-7288 – CRESS VETERAN’S OUTREACH VOLUNTEER.
SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS: LIVE JAZZ AND GOOD EATS AT THE BLACK SHEEP. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Black Sheep Deli, 79 Main Street. Frist and third Saturdays: Masala Jazz, Second, Fourth and Fifth Saturdays: Simmer Music Presents, Sundays: the Catalytics. Tip Jar.
SECOND AND FOURTH SATURDAYS JANUARY THROUGH MARCH: WINTER FARMERS’ MARKET. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Bangs Community Center., 70 Boltwood Walk. The Amherst Farmers’ Market is excited to announce the launch of its Winter Market at the Bangs Community Center, right in downtown Amherst. The Winter Market will run from 10 am to 2 pm every Saturday in December and on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of January, February, and March. This new venue offers a spacious and familiar environment for local farmers, artisans, and crafters to showcase their goods to the community.
NOW THROUGH TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25: RESISTANT RHYTHMS: THE GRAPHIC WORKS OF ALEXIS KUHR. Herter Gallery, UMass. The posthumous retrospective of the work of the former chair of the UMass art department, curated by her colleague Young Min Moon, will run Jan. 30-Feb. 25, with an opening reception scheduled for Jan. 30 and a curator’s talk set for Feb. 12.
NOW THROUGH SATURDAY MARCH 1 – NEW WORK BY DANIEL FELDMAN AT GALLERY A3. Depth be Depth, a new exhibit by Daniel Feldman will open at Gallery A3 on Thursday February 6 and continue through March 1. Feldman passed away unexpectedly on November 21, 2024. He had finished all the work for this exhibition before he died and was eagerly looking ahead to February to share it in his first exhibit at Gallery A3. Most of Feldman’s works from the past decade are composed as diptychs, or visual “segments,” as he referred to them. Each segment has a foundation in photographic images that he shot as raw material, and he used Photoshop as the medium to dramatically transform and layer that photographic information. He felt that his digital tools in many ways transcended the freedom that oil painting had given him over two decades before. Gallery Hours and More information
NOW THROUGH FRIDAY MARCH 7: UNFOLDING CONVENTION BY JASON WOLFE. Augusta Savage Gallery, UMass. Born in Queens in 1979, Wolfe currently lives and works in western Massachusetts. His exhibit of “bold, abstract paintings created by unfolding the conventional form into the unknown,” will run through March 7. Opening reception, Friday, February 7, 5 to 7 p.m. Information.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13 THROUGH SUNDAY MARCH 16: “TU DAU, WHEREFROM” BY XUAN PHAM. Hampshire College Art Gallery. Born in Ho Chi Minh City, interdisciplinary artist Xuan Pham emigrated to Omaha, Nebraska at the age of seven. Her artistic practice is shaped by a legacy of way and her experiences as an immigrant. Working with layers and grids, Pham traces the interconnections of trauma, migration, and race with Asian American and. Immigrant communities. Her art explores how the political and psychological dimensions of grief influence racial identity formation in the United States. Information.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13 THROUGH FRIDAY MAY 9: IS ANYTHING THE MATTER? DRAWINGS BY LAYLAH ALI AND HIGH FIVE/TAKE FIVE. UMass Museum of Contemporary Art. “Is anything the matter?” includes more than one hundred drawings by Ali dating from 1993 to 2020. Though the drawings range in format – including ink, colored pencil, soluble crayon, colored marker and mixed media works – each piece explores Ali’s ongoing interest in the amalgam of race, power, gendering, human frailty and murky politics. High Five / Take Five” is an interactive exhibition featuring five art works from the museum’s permanent collection. Each piece will be accompanied by a prompt that asks participants to engage their senses, look closely and respond to the artworks through drawing, listening and writing. Gallery Talk: Wednesday, February 19, 4 to 5 p.m. More information.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15 THROUGH SATURDAY FEBRUARY 22: WINTERFEST Get Ready for Winter Fun! WinterFest Amherst 2025 is Coming! Mark your calendars! The magical Amherst WinterFest returns from February 15th to 22nd, 2025. This week-long celebration promises a variety of exciting events for people of all ages, making Amherst the place to be during the winter season.
WinterFest Highlights:
• Kick-off with the 2nd Annual WinterFest Games at Mill River Recreation Area.
• Grand Finale: Witness the dazzling spectacle of Fire and Ice and Luminaria on the Town Common.
• Enjoy a variety of FREE events happening daily throughout Amherst, both downtown and throughout town. A full listing of events can be found here.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 17 THROUGH WEDNESDAY APRIL 30: MULTIVERSE: AN EXHIBIT FEATURING MULTIPLE ARTISTS. Hampden Gallery, UMass. curated by D. Dominick Lombardi, from Feb. 17-April 30. “Multiverse” focuses on the recognition, conscious or subconscious, and interpretation of the concept of the multiverse in contemporary visual art. Showcasing digital art from Europe and the Americas juxtaposed with analog works by artists from the northeastern U.S., Lombardi gives visitors the opportunity to see and discuss previously unimagined possibilities. A reception and curator’s talk with Lombardi is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. on Friday April 4. Information.
SATURDAY MARCH 1 THROUGH SATURDAY APRIL 5: YOUTH ENTREPRENEURIAL WORKSHOP. 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. for five Saturdays, Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. For grades 6-12. The DEI Department, in association with the Black Business Association of Amherst Area, is excited to announce their first program: A Youth Entrepreneurial Workshop! Young people in grades 6-12 are encouraged to join us for this free five-week program where they will learn the skills needed to develop a business and actively create and sell their own products, getting hands on experience in the process. Materials and snacks will be provided. Sign up here and we will be in touch by mid-February with an additional details. If you have questions, you can email Philip Avila at avilap@amherstma.gov.
THURSDAY MARCH 27 THROUGH FRIDAY MAY 9: (OFF) BALANCE: ART IN THE ATE OF HUMAN IMPACT. UMass Museum of Contemporary Art. The Graduate Curatorial Exhibition, co-curated by Adeyemi Adebayo, M.F.A. studio arts candidate, Eva Barajas, M.A. art education candidate, and Bo Kim, M.F.A. studio arts candidate, invites viewers to explore the intricate ways we interact with, interpret and shape our environment and challenges audiences to reflect on themes of transformation, human intervention and the tension between destruction and conservation. Opening reception Wednesday, March 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. Information.