Creative Pause: North Berkshire Cultural Tentpoles Missing 2026

Two separate staples of the Northern Berkshire cultural calendar, the Williamstown Theatre Festival and the FreshGrass Bluegrass Festival have canceled their summer 2026 seasons to reorganize their operations and programming.

 

Both organizations say they intend to return next year in new forms.

 

The FreshGrass festival of bluegrass and Americana music will pause in 2026 and return in 2027 on the weekend of Sept. 24-26 at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The organization states it will be spending the year planning for improvements for the future, including commissions, residencies, and a new music series called FreshGrass Presents.

 

Meanwhile the Williamstown Theatre Festival is cancelling this season to also regroup and undertake strategic planning and preparation to return in 2027.

 

 

In the 2005 season, the theater launched a new more concentrated season of productions and activities over three weeks. The organization sees this as a prototype format for future seasons. It is also envisioned as becoming a biennial festival when it returns next summer and will also expand into year-round programming online and in other locations.

 

While the timing is coincidental, the simultaneous moves reflect changes and challenges facing  the national and regional cultural sectors, stemming from a confluence of  economic pressures, and rapid technological, economic and social transformations throughout society. 

 

Non-profit arts organizations have always had to adapt to changing times. Some of these issues are common and perennial, including the need to raise funds, attract audiences, and remain relevant and sustainable.

 

For live theater organizations in the Berkshires and globally, the pandemic both created an immediate crisis, and intensified issues that had been building up previously. It forced the cancellation of 2020 seasons and limited the options for 2021. Nationwide, some organizations were closed permanently, while the impact for others are still being felt 

 

For the performing arts the emergence of online streaming, which provides the public with more access to entertainment at home, is another variable. It is seen as both an opportunity for theaters and a competitive challenge to live performances. This had existed before COVID, but the 2020 shutdown pandemic intensified the use of streaming as almost the only option to reach audiences.  

 

The ultimate role of new media is still unknown. According to the experiences of theaters and studies of trends, it has broadened access to potential audiences and is a potential source of revenue. However, organizations say it cannot replicate the experience of live theater, and that there are hurdles and challenges, including technology costs, copyrights and renumeration to creators and production staff and workers.

 

The performing arts have become a major stimulus for tourism and cultural activity and as important elements of the overall Berkshire economy. In recent decades that has also expanded into an increase in year-round activity.

 

Will this continue in a world where change and uncertainty have accelerated in all aspects of life?

 

While the season cancellations will obviously have a detrimental impact, it's important to keep it in perspective, according to Jonathan Butler, president and CEO of 1Berkshire, the regional economic and community development organization.

 

"The news out of Northern Berkshire is challenging," he said. "Both organizations are established contributors to the economy. We don't know what the impact will be this summer yet. We've heard from many businesspeople who are very worried, especially smaller ones who rely on visitors in the summer as customers."

 

He added that the cancellation of the WTF season will be the most significant loss overall. 

 

"FreshGrass is a few days," he said. "The impact will be in a concentrated period. MoCA is expansive in its overall activities, and their other offerings like the Solid Sound Festival will continue to draw people."

 

Butler believes that despite the short-term disruptions, the overall cultural economy continues to be well positioned for the long run.

 

"Williamstown Theatre Festival and Fresh Grass are doing this to ensure their long-term sustainability," he said. "Also, many of the issues they are dealing with are external stemming from factors that are more widespread and extend beyond the local economy"

 

He also noted that there have been numerous steps by cultural institutions to bolster their position. 

 

"I'd encourage people to consider the overall health of our cultural organizations," he said. "In recent years, a number have been expanding and investing in their programming and campuses."

 

He emphasized that overall tourism in the Berkshires is also driven by other attractions.

 

"Cultural activity is the most prominent aspect of the tourism economy here," he said. "But people come to the Berkshires for a variety of reasons such as the natural beauty, outdoor recreation, health and wellness programs and food and agriculture. It's also not only summer now but also includes the shoulder seasons and winter."

 

In terms of the general Berkshire tourism economy, Butler cited trends outlined in figures from the Massachusetts Office of Tourism, based on analysis of spending receipts from the state Department of Revenue at attractions, hospitality establishments and other related businesses.

 

He said annual visitor spending here showed yearly increases of between 3-to-8 percent from 2010 to 2019.

 

"You have to disregard 2020 because of COVID," he said. "In 2021, it bounced back close to 2019 levels. Since then we've seen either modest annual gains or plateaus."

 

Butler believes that a combination of factors have placed pressure on tourism, including the volatile and uncertain economic mood.

 

"We're going through a stretch where people have become more cautious and selective about where they spend their dollars," he said. "That includes decisions on expenses like travel and recreation."

 

He noted that international tourism to Berkshire County is also being affected by the more stringent national policies of the Trump administration toward immigration, visas other issues. 

 

"There's been a decline in foreign travel here," said Butler.

 

(A Jan. 12, 2026, article on the BBC website cited a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council which said because of concerns about security and safety and antagonism, the United States was projected to lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending in 2025, the only nation among 184 that were analyzed to show a decline.) 

 

Butler added that employers are also dealing with a shortage of workers, and some businesses have taken steps such as restaurants reducing hours. 

 

"The workforce hasn't completely bounced back from the pandemic," he said. "There is still a

percentage of people who don't actively participate in the workforce." 

 

He added that national policies on immigration and visas under the Trump administration have also reduced the labor supply.

 

Because it is diverse, the tourism economy has variations within it.

 

"For example, for several years we had relatively mild winters, which reduced the number of people coming for ski trips," he said, "But so far, this season has been colder with more snow, and ski areas are busier," he said. "That is likely to give a boost."

 

While acknowledging that the future cannot be predicted for certain, he is optimistic about the health of the tourist economy in the Berkshires. 

 

"While there may be difficulties currently, I believe the prospects are strong in the long term," he said.

 

(The next installments will look at how two theater companies are adapting to the modern environment.)