'Outside the Box' Festival Coming to Boston Common

By Jake O'Donnell

A new free performing arts festival is coming to Boston Common starting Saturday.

The first Outside the Box Boston Festival will run Saturday, July 13 through Sunday, July 21.

The lengthy list of performers at the festival is available online at outsidetheboxboston.org. Among the notable musical performers are the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Buffalo Tom, Los Lonely Boys, Taj Mahal Trio and Gentleman Hall among others.

There will also be dance, family and interactive, spectacle art, culinary and theatre performances as part of the festival. The schedule for the festival is available here.

According to their website, Outside the Box aims "to unify the community, but to make art accessible to everyone. From theater to dance, the symphony to independent bands, classic to cutting-edge—whatever your preference, Outside The Box will intrigue you, draw you in, and introduce you to new talent."

Festival founder Ted Cutler said he hoped that with the festival, "We add the arts to what people think of when they think of Boston.”

But not everyone is excited about the festival and its possible impact on the Common.

According to Boston.com, Friends of the Public Garden President Anne Brooke wrote in a letter that the festival "threatens to cause serious damage to the oldest and largest of our parks."

She told the Globe that the Friends oppose the permitting of the festival and are  working "to ensure that appropriate mitigation measures are in place."