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.