Fun Things to Do This Summer — from the arts to outdoor adventures

Now’s the time for hikes, farmers markets, outdoor concerts, and arts festivals.

One of the best things about a Berkshire summer is how much there is to see and do. Discover the sights, sounds, and events of the season with our roundup of what’s happening in 2025!

Theatre & Dance

Award-winning plays and world premieres delight audiences on Berkshire stages into September.

Williamstown Theatre Festival (July 17-August 3) centers the 2025 season on Tennessee Williams—with star-studded productions of Camino Real and Not About Nightingales—and opens a new late-night venue in North Adams. Barrington Stage Company lights up four performance spaces with a mix of new works, comedies, and established plays (June 25-August 31). Discover more new works at WAM and Great Barrington Public Theater. Don’t miss Berkshire Theatre Group‘s Dying is No Excuse at The Unicorn Theatre (August 7-August 30). Over at Shakespeare & Company, this summer’s offerings from the Bard include Romeo and Juliet (July 12-August 10) and The Taming of the Shrew (August 14-24), plus the return of Shake It Up: A Shakespeare Cabaret (July 1-6). Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (June 25-August 24), celebrates the opening of the reimagined Doris Duke Theater in July. Love musical theater? Mac-Haydn Theatre has an exciting lineup through August 31.

Music

From classical to jazz to popular music and buskers, there’s a summer music festival or concert series with your vibe in mind.

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center brings live music and comedy acts (including Rosanne Cash, Paul Reiser, and LeAnn Rimes) to its main stage, and emerging artists to its new Indigo Room venue next door. Berkshire Busk! (weekends June 27-August 30) returns to downtown Great Barrington and Berkshire Mountain Distillers. At MASS MoCA, LOUD Weekend (July 31-August 2) caps off the immersive three-week Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival. Over at Tanglewood (June 20-September 5), this year’s Popular Artist series features iconic pop, rock, folk, and jazz acts plus Prairie Home Companion (June 21), John Mulaney (June 29), and NPR’s Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me (August 28). Legendary hip-hop artist, Nas, joins the Boston Pops on June 27. The Boston Symphony opener is July 5. Looking for more outdoor concert experiences with a view? Check out Bousquet‘s Mountaintop Concerts or Catamount‘s Summer Music Series. For the latest updates on what’s playing in the Berkshires all season, visit our events calendar.

Tour historic homes and gardens, such as Chesterwood. Credit: Great Sky Media.

Art & Featured Exhibitions

The permanent collections and visiting exhibitions at Berkshire art museums attract visitors from around the globe.

Clark Art has indoor and outdoor exhibitions opening this summer including Isamu Noguchi: Landscapes of Time (July 19-October 13), Berenice Abbott’s Modern Lens (July 12-October 5) and ground/work (June 28, 2025-October 12, 2026). Over at MASS MoCA, catch New York State of Mind, curated images from a private collection of music photography (opens June 28). Chesterwood offers three new exhibit spaces in the renovated main residence, plus its 47th annual outdoor sculpture show, Global Warming/Global Warning (June 7-October 3). There’s more art outdoors at Norman Rockwell Museum (July 12-October 26), the Berkshire Arts Festival at Ski Butternut (July 4-6), and The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home (May 24-October 19).

Taste Berkshires

The Berkshires is a foodie’s delight, from farm-to-table restaurants to wineries, craft breweries, and distilleries.

In a region with a long agricultural history, it’s no surprise that Berkshire restaurants proudly feature the seasonal bounty of local farms and food makers on their menus. Be sure to sample the tastes of the Berkshires at our farmers markets, creameries, tasting rooms, and grocers. And don’t miss the return of Tasting Notes: The Tanglewood Wine & Food Festival (August 16).

Photo by Christina Lane Photography.

Explore Outdoors

There’s no shortage of scenic places for an outdoor adventure in the Berkshires.

Discover a new hiking trail with the Berkshire Natural Resources Council app, experience the thrill of ziplines, mountain coasters, and aerial adventure parks, or take a peaceful paddle on a pristine Berkshire pond. Wherever your adventures take you, be prepared for the unique weather and terrain of the Berkshires with a visit to local outfitters Nature’s Closet, Arcadian Shop and Berkshire Bike and Board. BerkshiresOutside helps you find beaches, tent (and glamping) sites, parks, playgrounds, and more.

There’s something for every type of traveler in the Berkshires all summer long! Find more ways to eat, play and stay with our Guide to the Berkshires and other planning tools.

Funded, in part, by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism

Return to the Berkshire Blog.