BEREA, Ky. — Old Town Berea will welcome the start of summer with rhythm, art, food, and family activities during the Junebug Festival on Friday, June 5.
🗓 Date: Friday, June 5
⏰ Time:6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
📍 Where: Old Town Berea (centered around Artist Circle and North Broadway)
💲 Cost: Free
👨👩👧👦 Ages: All ages
🥁 Community Drumming Performance and Circle
One of the main features of the evening will begin at 7:00 p.m., when Pangea performs a live hand-drum set. After the performance, the event will open into an interactive community drum circle. Attendees are encouraged to join in, and no prior experience is needed. Guests may also bring drums or acoustic instruments from home.
The drum circle gives the event a participatory feel rather than making music something people only watch from a distance. For families, it also offers a low-pressure way for children and adults to take part in the sound and energy of the evening.
🎨 Interactive Stations and Local Makers
The evening will include live drumming, hands-on art activities, local vendors, food trucks, yard games, sidewalk chalk, a bubble dome, face painting, tie-dye, and live pottery demonstrations. Berea Tourism lists the event at The Cabin of Old Town Artisan Gallery on North Broadway Street and describes it as a family-oriented program of fun for all ages.
The festival will also include a community tie-dye station. Participants are encouraged to bring a 100 percent cotton shirt or small fabric item to dye. A limited number of children’s shirts will be available for a $3 donation while supplies last.
Organizers said the goal is to create a relaxed summer evening where people can make something, listen to music, and spend time together in Old Town.
“June Bug Fest is really about creating a joyful summer evening where people can slow down, make something, listen to music, and simply enjoy being together,” organizers with the Old Town Shopkeepers Collective said in the event announcement. “We wanted it to feel welcoming, creative, relaxed, and community-centered.”
Local vendors listed in the announcement include Kentucky Lilly, Everbloom, Crow and Cat Bookshoppe, and Dazo Pottery. Ceramic artist Jonathan Dazo is also scheduled to offer live pottery demonstrations.
🚗 Visitor Logistics and Parking Advice
For visitors, the event is another reason to spend an evening in Old Town Berea, where local shops, working studios, galleries, and restaurants are clustered near Artist Circle and North Broadway. For local families, it offers a free Friday night outing with several activities that do not require a formal class or ticket purchase.
Because the event takes place across the Old Town area, visitors should allow extra time for parking and be exceptionally mindful of pedestrians, young children, and increased evening traffic around North Broadway and Artist Circle.
📅 Berea Tourism Event Calendar:
https://visitberea.com/events/
🛍️ Old Town Shopkeepers Collective Info:
https://www.fireandfernglass.com/
📌 Upcoming Events in Berea & Beyond
🎨 Community, Arts & Civic
- 🎶 Richmond Centre Summer Concerts Opening Night (2139 Lantern Ridge Dr.), Friday, May 29, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- 🪑 Tools and Stools Workshop (116 Spring Circle Dr.), Saturday, May 30 to Sunday, May 31, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- 🐾 Drive-Thru Pet Vaccine Clinic (1151 Goggins Lane), Saturday, May 30, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- 🍽️ Madison County Schools Summer Feeding Kickoff (GME/BMCMS Parking Lot), Monday, June 1, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- 🏛️ Madison County Fiscal Court Special Session (135 W. Irvine St.), Monday, June 1, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- ⚽ Next Level Soccer Camp (Berea College Alumni Field), Monday, June 1 to Friday, June 5
- 🪵 Woodcarver Wednesday (Berea Welcome Center), Wednesday, June 3, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- 🎯 Madison County Skeet Club Public Hours (638 Dreyfus Rd.), Thursday, June 4, 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- 🛍️ 15th Annual US 25 Yard Sale (Regional Route), Friday, June 5 to Saturday, June 6, All Day
- 🐞 Junebug Festival (Old Town Artisan Village), Friday, June 5, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- 🎣 Free Kids Fishing Derby (Lake Reba Park), Saturday, June 6, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
🎭 Theater & Performance at The Spotlight Playhouse
🎟 Tickets and info:https://www.thespotlightplayhouse.com/
- 🌟 Annie KIDS (Spotlight Acting School), May 29 to June 7
- 🗽 Creative Arts Camp (“New York, New York”), June 8 to 12
- ⚔️ Macbeth (The Bluegrass Players), June 19 to 28
- 🎬 Film Acting Camp (Rising 6th to Age 18), June 29 to July 3