Fwd: Community Organization & Activity Participant ArtBeat 2026 Set-Up Information, Saturday July 18
Marilyn
From: Heather Balchunas <HBalc...@somervillema.gov>
Date: Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 7:10 PM
Subject: Community Organization & Activity Participant ArtBeat 2026 Set-Up Information, Saturday July 18
To:
Cc: Rachel Strutt <RSt...@somervillema.gov>, Iaritza Menjivar <imen...@somervillema.gov>, Lauren Fischer <lfis...@somervillema.gov>, Jessica Saavedra Eleno <jse...@somervillema.gov>
Hello ArtBeat Community Organizations & Activity Participants,
Welcome to this year’s ArtBeat 2026 celebration. Attached, you will find an alpha spreadsheet with your booth location and the number of tables/chairs ordered (if applicable). For community organizations, the location is under your organization’s name. For your convenience, I have attached a check-in map for the festival, vendor placard, and parking locations PDF. Just a reminder, since the festival takes place on the street, people bringing canopies will want to bring weights to secure the tents. If your booth is in Seven Hills Park or Statue Park, your organization name will be on your table or by your space. Please review the material carefully and let us know if there are any questions. Keep in mind you are responsible for your booth/canopy set up and send this information to any staff that will be participating at the festival.
***For reference, Seven Hills is back of the Davis Square T and Statue Park is near JP Licks.
Please plan to arrive no earlier than 10a.m. and no later than 11:30 on Sat. July 19th. Arriving earlier than 10 a.m. provides no benefit to you or the staff who must close streets and set up your booth space. If you plan to arrive after 11:30 you must walk in. (The festival grounds/street will be too busy to enter.) You should then check in at our table in front of the Holland T stop.
When you check in, your information will be under your organization’s name. ArtBeat booth assignment number is attached. If you are on Elm or Holland Street, your booth space number will be chalked on the road. While we are providing you with a general location of your booth and your specific booth number, you must still check in at the corner of Winter and Holland Streets in Davis Square.
If you need an address for GPS or Google Map use: 40 Holland Street. Link to Davis Square on Google maps http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
For pressing concerns, during that day, you may go to the SAC info table on Holland Street which is near the T.
* Parade INFO: There will be a fabulous “REVolutionary” Parade towards the end of the festival. We start staging at 4:45pm at the Elm Street Music Stage and the parade will begin at 5pm. Please let us know if you would like to participate and we will put you on our parade participant list where our parade coordinator will get in touch.
The main part of the festival will be held on Saturday, July 18 from 12:00pm to 7:00pm. Rain date is Sunday, July 19th. Vendor break-down is between 6:30- 7:00pm. The festival concludes with music at Seven Hills Park from 7-9pm.
If you are arriving by car, please unload your car then move your vehicle to one of the many lots. Removing your vehicle later in the morning will be more difficult as festival goers begin entering
the festival area. Do not park within festival grounds. Parking is available in municipal lots: on Grove St. (off Elm St.), at corner of Day and Herbert Sts, and surface lot adjacent to the Harvard Vanguard building. In addition, street parking
meters and residential parking restrictions are suspended that day. Obviously, do not park where temporary “no parking” signs are erected.
At 6:45p.m. please begin breaking down.
ArtBeat’s rain-date is Sunday, July 19th. The rain date will be called, Friday, July 17th around 12 noon. Please view our website or contact our office; the announcement will be on our machine. If you do not see anything about shifting the date, the event is on Saturday. Please don’t call us on Friday.
Tips for that Day:
Please be patient with the festival staff and other vendors. There are many new folks at the festival. It is better to provide helpful assistance or alert a festival staff member than to cause additional stress. For those who do so, it may jeopardize future acceptance into the festival.
- Bring weights/sandbags for your tents.
- Bring good signage so people know where to find you and tablecloths
- Make sure you stay hydrated.
- If you can, bring someone to help you set-up and/or have volunteer or members of your staff sign-up for shifts at your booth.
- In case of a passing shower, bring tarps.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Look forward to seeing you soon.
Take care,
Heather
Heather Balchunas
Office Manager/Art Coordinator
Somerville Arts Council
City of Somerville
Mayor Jake Wilson
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