The 59th Vermont Maple Festival anchors the biggest weekend of Vermont’s spring, but there’s plenty more pulling people out of the house — an album release in the Northeast Kingdom, genre fans converging on Essex Junction, a mud run in the capital, and a cave-church concert in Brattleboro that nobody will forget. Here’s where to be.
Friday, April 24
Vermont Maple Festival Opening Day | Downtown St. Albans | Noon–6 PM
Vermont’s oldest and largest maple celebration kicks off its 59th year on Friday, with three days of maple tastings, street vendors, live music, and the kind of civic pride that only a town built around syrup can pull off. Mayor Trudy Cioffi leads the traditional maple and milk toast to open things up at noon on Main Street. The weekend only gets bigger from here. vtmaplefestival.org
Consider the Source | The Stone Church, Brattleboro | 8 PM
New York trio Consider the Source has built a devoted following by playing music that essentially defies genre — part progressive rock, part Middle Eastern jazz, part math-rock, entirely its own thing. The Stone Church at 210 Main Street is one of the better listening rooms in southern Vermont, and this is exactly the kind of show that fills it with people who came specifically for the music. stonechurchvt.com
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The Addams Family Musical | Paramount Theatre, Rutland | 7 PM
The Paramount Players take on the macabre and deeply funny Addams Family musical, running this weekend Friday through Sunday. Wednesday Addams has grown up and fallen in love with someone entirely too normal — and that’s where the trouble starts. It’s a well-constructed show with good bones (pun intended), and the Paramount stage is a natural fit. Tickets $25–$35. Shows Friday and Saturday at 7 PM, Sunday matinee at 2 PM. paramountvt.org
Nunsense | Town Hall Theater, Middlebury | 7:30 PM
The Middlebury Community Players open their run of Nunsense — the Off-Broadway phenomenon about five nuns throwing a fundraiser to bury four sisters accidentally poisoned by the convent cook. It sounds absurd because it is, and it’s been running somewhere in the world nearly continuously since 1985 for good reason. Performances run this weekend Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM, with a Sunday matinee at 2 PM. townhalltheater.org
UNBOUND vol. XIV Opening Reception | Woodstock | 5:30–7:30 PM
A free opening reception for the latest edition of Woodstock’s contemporary art showcase, featuring new work from regional artists. If you’re in the Upper Valley on Friday evening, it’s worth a stop before dinner. woodstockvt.com/events
Saturday, April 25
Vermont Maple Festival | Downtown St. Albans | 10 AM–6 PM
Saturday is the main event in Franklin County. Main Street becomes a full-scale maple fair — vendors, maple concessions, live music on the Main Stage all day — while Taylor Park hosts performances and the specialty foods show runs alongside an antique show. The headliner of the afternoon is the Vermont Maple Beverage Tasting hosted by 14th Star Brewing (3–5 PM), where you can sample craft beer, wine, cider, spirits, and maple-laced beverages from producers across the state. The Maple Ambassador Contest adds a little pageantry. This is one of the best all-day events Vermont does. vtmaplefestival.org
Vermont Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Expo | Champlain Valley Expo, Essex Junction | 10 AM–5 PM
The 7th Annual Vermont Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Expo takes over the Champlain Valley Expo grounds in Essex Junction for the weekend, drawing over 150 exhibitors — authors, artists, comic creators, cosplayers, game designers, prop makers, and fan organizations from across the region. Featured guests include Babylon 5 stars Bruce Boxleitner and Claudia Christian. Panels, workshops, screenings, and gaming sessions run all day Saturday and Sunday. Family friendly and genuinely fun, even if you’re only a casual fan. Tickets at the door or online. vtgatherings.com
Montpelier MudFest / Muddy Onion Gravel Grinder | Downtown Montpelier | All Day
Montpelier throws a full weekend at Vermont’s fifth season — mud — and Saturday is the centerpiece. The Muddy Onion Gravel Grinder sends 700-plus cyclists out onto Central Vermont’s dirt roads in 20-, 40-, and 60-mile options, starting at 7 AM, while the Vermont Gear Makers Festival sets up on School Street from 11 AM–4 PM with Vermont-made outdoor gear and apparel. Barr Hill hosts the post-race party with music, grilling, and cocktails in the afternoon. The whole city gets into it. montpelieralive.com/mudfest
Bob & Sarah Amos Album Release | Catamount Arts, St. Johnsbury | 7:30 PM
Bob and Sarah Amos have been fixtures of Vermont’s acoustic and bluegrass scene for decades, and Saturday night they celebrate the release of their new album “Two of Us” — fourteen acoustic arrangements of Beatles songs that reportedly do real justice to the originals rather than just running through the catalog. The full band joins them on stage, and a reception follows with copies of the album available. This is the kind of evening that doesn’t need a lot of selling. catamountarts.org
2026 SVA Artist Members’ Show Reception | Stone Valley Arts, Poultney | 3–5 PM
Stone Valley Arts opens its annual juried members’ show at 145 E. Main Street in Poultney with a free artists’ reception on Saturday afternoon. The exhibition runs through June 13. Poultney doesn’t always get a lot of attention on the arts calendar, but Stone Valley has been doing serious work out of Rutland County’s southwestern corner for years. stonevalleyarts.org
Fauré Foray | Capital City Concerts, Montpelier | 7:30 PM
Capital City Concerts brings Fauré’s piano quartets and violin sonata to the Chapel at College Hall on Saturday evening — an intimate chamber concert that offers something completely different from the mud-and-gravel energy downtown earlier in the day. Violinist Laurie Smukler leads the ensemble. If you want to end your MudFest Saturday on a quieter note, here’s your program. montpelieralive.com
Sunday, April 26
Vermont Maple Festival Parade | Main Street, St. Albans | Noon
The festival closes Sunday with its annual parade at noon — trucks, floats, maple royalty, and the civic cheerfulness that St. Albans does better than most Vermont towns. The grounds stay open 10 AM–4 PM, so there’s still time to grab a creemee, hit the vendors, and make a day of it before the weekend wraps up. vtmaplefestival.org
Los Lorcas Album Release + Pat Byrne | Stage 33 Live, Bellows Falls | 3 PM
Los Lorcas celebrates the release of their new album “Wild Island” at Stage 33 Live on Sunday afternoon — and “Wild Island” sounds like it earns that title, weaving spoken word and song through Andalusian ballads, blues, rock, folk, reggae, hip-hop, Americana, and jazz in pursuit of what flamenco traditions call the cante jondo, the “deep song.” Pat Byrne opens. Forty seats, $20 advance at stage33live.com, cash or check at the door. stage33live.com
Nunsense Matinee | Town Hall Theater, Middlebury | 2 PM
If you missed the Middlebury Community Players’ Friday or Saturday performances, Sunday afternoon’s matinee is your last shot this weekend. Nunsense is pure crowd-pleaser in the best sense — well-written, reliably funny, and well-suited to the Town Hall Theater stage. townhalltheater.org
St. Albans is the obvious anchor this weekend, but the rest of Vermont isn’t sitting still — get out there and find your corner of it.
Dave Soulia | FYIVT
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