History of Boston Calling Music Festival in Timeline

Boston Calling Music Festival is a music festival held in Boston, Massachusetts. It began in May 2013 and initially occurred twice a year at City Hall Plaza, attracting up to 22,000 attendees. In 2017, it transitioned to an annual festival held at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston to accommodate more stages and include stand-up comedy. By 2017, the festival had grown to attract approximately 40,000 attendees.

May 2013: Boston Calling Music Festival debut

In May 2013, the Boston Calling Music Festival debuted in Boston. It was held twice a year, in May and September, at City Hall Plaza and attracted 20,000–22,000 fans.

September 2013: City of Boston tests IBM software

In September 2013, the city of Boston spent $650,000 to test IBM software that monitored concertgoers from existing security cameras.

2013: First Boston Calling

In 2013, the first Boston Calling was held May 25 and 26.

August 2014: DigBoston reports on the IBM software test

In August 2014, DigBoston reported on the city of Boston's testing of IBM software at the festival in September 2013. Videos from the test were found online, and the city was criticized for not notifying concertgoers.

2014: Fourth Boston Calling

In 2014, the fourth Boston Calling was held September 5, 6 and 7.

2015: Fifth Boston Calling

In 2015, the fifth Boston Calling was held May 22, 23 and 24.

May 2016: Move to Harvard Athletic Complex announced

In May 2016, Boston Calling announced that it would move to the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston in May 2017 and transition to one festival per year.

2016: Seventh Boston Calling

In 2016, the seventh Boston Calling was held May 27, 28 and 29.

May 2017: Move to Harvard Athletic Complex

In May 2017, the Boston Calling Music Festival officially moved to the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston, transitioning to a single annual festival.

2017: Eighth Boston Calling

In 2017, the eighth Boston Calling was held May 26, 27 and 28 for the first time at the Harvard Athletic Complex.

2018: Ninth Boston Calling

In 2018, the ninth Boston Calling was held on May 25, 26 and 27 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The headliners were Eminem, The Killers and Jack White.

2019: Tenth Boston Calling

In 2019, the tenth edition of the Boston Calling was held on May 24, 25 and 26 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The headliners this year were Twenty One Pilots, Travis Scott, and Tame Impala.

March 31, 2020: 2020 Boston Calling Festival cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

On March 31, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 Boston Calling Festival would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers offered refunds for tickets, and the option to roll tickets over to the 2021 festival.

2021: 2021 Boston Calling Festival cancelled

In 2021, the Boston Calling festival was also cancelled. The same options were available for ticketholders from 2020.

2022: Eleventh Boston Calling

In 2022, the eleventh edition of the Boston Calling was held on May 27, 28 and 29 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Metallica headlined on Sunday, and Nine Inch Nails headlined both Friday as a replacement for The Foo Fighters and Saturday as a replacement of The Strokes. The festival was evacuated for approximately two hours on Saturday due to severe weather.

2023: Twelfth Boston Calling

In 2023, the twelfth edition of the Boston Calling was held on May 26, 27 and 28 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The main headliners this year were Foo Fighters, The Lumineers and Paramore, with co-headlining slots taken by Alanis Morissette and Queens of the Stone Age. Yeah Yeah Yeahs cancelled due to illness.

2024: Thirteenth Boston Calling

In 2024, the thirteenth edition of the Boston Calling was held on May 24, 25 and 26 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The main headliners were Ed Sheeran, Tyler Childers, and The Killers, with co-headlining slots taken by Leon Bridges, Trey Anastasio, and Hozier.

June 2025: Festival hiatus announced

In June 2025, it was announced that the festival was going on hiatus and would not return for 2026.

2025: Fourteenth Boston Calling

In 2025, the fourteenth edition of the Boston Calling was held on May 23, 24 and 25 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The main headliners were Luke Combs, Fall Out Boy, and Dave Matthews Band, with co-headlining slots taken by Megan Moroney, Avril Lavigne, and Vampire Weekend.