Feast & Field
The Details
SPECIAL EVENT ON JULY 9th: ETIENNE CHARLES
Panel Discussion: 5pm
Join us for a panel discussion with our special guest Etienne Charles before his performance. Hear about his motivation behind his current project and join the discussion of the interesting Gullah Geechee culture and it's connection to American history.
Regular Weeks
Gates open: 5:30
Music sets: 6-7pm & 7:30-8:30pm
Food & drink available starting at 5:30
Event takes place Rain or Shine - we have a 40X60 tent for intimate, rainy nights.
Some picnic tables & seating available; your own chairs or blankets welcome!
No outside food or alcohol permitted
About Feast & Field
Feast & Field is a weekly celebration of music, food and community held in the Fable Farm Orchard in Barnard, Vermont - every Thursday - from late May thru September. The Feast & Field Music Series is run by BarnArts and the Feast & Field farmers provide locally sourced food and drink, much of which is harvested and produced right in Barnard.
BarnArts and the Feast & Field LLC are an unusual partnership of a nonprofit and local businesses. BarnArts provides the music, but the Feast & Field Farmers (Fable Farm, Eastman Farm and Kiss the Cow) provide the land, the food & drink, and also act as our Thursday hosts in the beautiful Fable Farm Orchard. What unites us is a love of community, locally-sourced food, an exceptional music series, and the beautiful Vermont outdoors!
Our new Music Program Manager, Victoria Johnson, curates our music series to be a world-class lineup that balances genre, gender and race, and features regional and international bands, while staying true to our home-grown heart. Vermont-led bands fill 50% of our line-up.
Our vision of Feast & Field includes serving the community and making sure that everyone can attend the gathering, which is why our tickets are sliding scale $5-25 per person, free for kids 12 and under. BarnArts and Feast & Field LLC split the gate revenue but both groups' expenses are only partly met by the gate funds. Please consider sponsoring the Music Series or supporting BarnArts with a donation or becoming a friend of Feast & Field to further each groups sustainability and mission.
Feast & Field 2026 Schedule
July 9th - Etienne Charles
Etienne Charles is a performer, composer and storyteller from Trinidad. A 2015 Guggenheim Fellow & 2022 Creative Capital Awardee, Charles is focused on connecting the African diaspora and drawing lines to regions at the roots of migrations; his Gullah Roots project is his most recent expression. His lush trumpet sound, varied compositional textures and pulsating percussive grooves enable him to invoke trance, soothing and exciting listeners while referencing touchy and sometimes controversial subjects in his music.
Etienne Charles' events with BarnArts are funded in part by the Crossroads: Touring New England program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the six New England state arts agencies.
This project is also supported in part by a grant from Vermont Humanities, in partnership with the Vermont 250th Commission.
Special events will accompany his visit, including a panel discussion before the music on July 9 and a virtual discussion on July 3.
July 16 - Wormdogs
A roots/Americana band at the core, their high-energy sound ranges from bluegrass rock-n-roll to country & freak folk with a fiddle, upright bass, two guitars, and drums. The band writes songs in a wholeheartedly collaborative effort, with each member trading off on vocal duties. Going on their 9th year, this Burlington-based band started out of mutual respect, friendship, and love of one another's musicianship.
July 23 - Kotoko Brass
A celebratory and energetic synthesis of music, people, and cultures, Kotoko Brass features musicians from Ghana, Antigua, Japan, and the United States playing together in unity. Drums provide the heart and soul of their sound — merging syncopated African percussion polyrhythms with hard-hitting dance grooves. Horns blend traditional sounds of New Orleans with West African brass band, and guitar, keys, and bass evoke highlife, afrobeat, and reggae.
July 30 - Shady Rill
Patti Casey and Tom MacKenzie are two of central Vermont’s musical gems. Patti is an award winning songwriter with a voice that will melt your heart and Tom’s banjo and voice are a perfect complement. As Shady Rill they explore everything from French Canadian dance tunes, to Tin Pan Alley, to Old Time Country, and a healthy dose of originals.
Aug 6 - MINC
MINC is a dynamic seven-piece soul/pop group of young students, brought together and nurtured at the Vermont Governors Institute for the Arts. They deliver a vibrant fusion of soul, funk, and pop with inspiration from Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Couch, Foo Fighters, & Snarky Puppy. Fronted by vocalist Satori Rossi and backed by a rotating cast of skilled instrumentalists, MINC is one of Vermont’s standout youth acts with energetic & genre-blending performances.
Aug 13 - BOWMEN
BOWMEN is the latest evolution of Bow Thayer, joined by guitar maverick Krishna Guthrie and anchored by a dynamic rhythm section: honky-tonk heavyweight Eric George on bass & River Thayer on drums and percussion. Thayer’s songwriting moves effortlessly through roots, rock, and global influences, driven by an undercurrent of freedom and unity — a fitting ethos for a band proudly calling Vermont home. It’s seasoned musicianship meeting fearless exploration.
Aug 20 - High Drive
High Drive (Beth Telford, Justin Park, and former member Eli Mansur) bring high energy Celtic music to the Upper Valley. Their music features sets of toe-tapping dance tunes from the Celtic traditions, as well as songs from various sources that speak to them. Together they bring a sense of warmth, sensitivity, and life to dance music and songs alike. Their approach to music is creative, responsive, and grounded in tradition. Bring out those dancing shoes!
Aug 27 - Billy Wylder
Billy Wylder features Avi Salloway and an inspired cast of singular artists who have performed across six continents and Coachella, Newport Folk Festival, New Orleans Jazz Fest, & Carnegie Hall. Billy Wylder’s music exists in a fluid realm where art-rock, folk, and desert blues become raw material, refracted through a global-psych lens. Echoes of Talking Heads, Beck, and Tinariwen surface throughout, but the band’s sound is uniquely immersive, with hypnotic rhythms and songs that unfold like ecosystems.
Sept 3 - Fabiola Méndez
Fabiola Méndez is a Puerto Rican cuatrista, singer, educator, and Emmy-nominated composer. Her artistic vision and original music explore her culture, ancestry, and identities. She's performed at venues such as the NPR Tiny Desk, Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, Celebrity Series of Boston, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, & Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. She’s also collaborated with the likes of Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, & Pedro Capó.
Fabiola's performance is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.
Sept 10 - Quincy Saul Research & Development Band
With a name inspired by Herbie Hancock's legendary Mwandishi group, the R&D Band convenes local musicians to launch toward global and galactic horizons featuring fine cabinetmaker Pete Michelinie on drums, astrophysicist Lukas Saul on bass, and ecosocialist organizer Quincy Saul on piano and clarinets. Expect music on the world-soul-jazz-funk-family continuum with originals and classics and surprise cameos from artists renowned and unknown.
Sept 17 - Pride Night with Bemya & DJ kellarella!
Pride Night will open with singer-songwriter, Bemya, and then segue into a Queer Dance Party with DJ kell for an extended night of dancing under the stars!
Bemya Nymh is a Montpelier-based vocalist and live looper who performs original music both written & improvised. The vibe ranges from ethereal to rowdy as Bemya ruminates on what it means to be a modern human in this miraculous natural world. Expect a rich and vulnerable emotional landscape, adoration of trees and animals, and mischievous gibberish.
kell arbor (fae/faer) is a DJ, organizer, edu-tainer and kitchen witch. kell runs the QDP at Babes Bar and brings the party pop. Fae also works for VT CARES providing harm reduction work across VT.
Sept 24 - Equinox Closing Festival with Sonido Mal Maiz
Celebrate the great season of Feast & Field with a closing festival featuring Sonido Mal Maiz and including special family activities and a spirited bonfire. Sonido Mal Maïz is a Vermont based musical group that explores the psychedelic side of Latin music, weaving modern and traditional rhythms from Central and South America. The poetic lyrical storytelling incorporates the complexity of myths and legends while the music emanates a passion and fire that is ignited in their collective heart. This coalescence of explosive and complex sounds will make you dance & celebrate and will heal your soul.
Visit the Feast & Field Collective website for more information about the the event and its history.
Also, you can pre-order your food!
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