Wake Up the Earth festival
The Wake Up the Earth Festival began in 1979 when a group of local neighbors and activists banded together to stop the Interstate 95 expansion into Jamaica Plain.
The annual Wake Up the Earth Festival (WUTE) takes place each year on the first Saturday in May and is currently attended by well over 10,000 individuals of all ages. The festival began as, and still is, a celebration of what can be accomplished when people of all traditions, cultures, ages, and beliefs come together. The event features four stages that include:
- music and dance performances
- popular theater
- the Youth Stage, and
- story telling for all ages.
In addition to performances, the festival features more than 50 craft, nonprofit, and food vendors. The festival is anchored by a massive parade (with branches that start in Jamaica Plain Center and Roxbury) with several thousand people marching. A great many individuals, local artists, community groups, and schools join forces every year to create this unique community collaboration.