News Release
Photo by Baby Viking Photography, courtesy of The Click
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Presented in partnership between the National Park Service, the Friends of Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters, the New England Poetry Club, and the Berklee College of Music, the festival offers a dynamic mix of artistic expression in one of the region’s most beautiful and historically significant settings.
This year’s festival features an exciting lineup of events, including readings by world-renowned contemporary poets and musical performances by professional ensembles and emerging artists alike. New in 2025, the festival expands to include dance, with a featured performance of The Skeleton in Armor, a new work inspired by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s historical ballad.
The 2025 festival also looks ahead to a milestone in American history: the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. As part of the lead-up to this national commemoration, the National Park Service reaffirms its mission to provide opportunities for reflection, learning, and inspiration. The National Park Service seeks to honor the nation's founding ideals while fostering conversations about their relevance today.
In keeping with this vision, the 2025 festival theme, “We (Too) the People,” explores the evolving legacy of the Declaration. The parenthetical “too” honors those historically excluded from the signers’ vision—women, people of African descent, and Indigenous peoples—whose enduring struggles for equality and recognition are now an essential part of American history.
2025 Summer Arts Festival Highlights Include:
June 1 – Student Poetry Awards with the New England Poetry Club
June 8 – Dance premiere of The Skeleton in Armor by Alexandria Nunweiler
June 15 – Latin jazz and Cuban music by the Finesse Duo (Gabriella Joya & Maria Medina)
July 6 – Poetry reading by Robert Pinsky, former U.S. Poet Laureate
July 13 – Erhu (Chinese violin) performance by Yu Chun Chan
July 20 – Poetry readings by Stephanie Burt and Diannely Antigua, Poet Laureate of Portsmouth, NH
July 27 – Jazz concert by guitarist Peter Smith, a Longfellow descendant
August 3 – Poetry reading by Richard Blanco, Obama’s second inaugural poet
August 10 – Golden Rose Award presentation and poetry reading by Martha Collins
August 17 – Electric violin and pedalboard performance by Bedroom Blindness (Omer Kochba)
August 24 – Cello performance by Luke Walker
September 7 – Contemporary chamber music by Juventas New Music Ensemble
Bring a blanket, enjoy the garden, and gather for an inspiring summer of art, history, and community. All events are free and open to the public. For the full schedule and event details, visit Longfellow Summer Arts Festival
About Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
Longfellow House – Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site preserves a remarkable Georgian house whose occupants shaped the country. It was a site of colonial enslavement and community activism, George Washington’s first long-term headquarters of the American Revolution, and the place where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his canon of 19th-century American literature. For more information about tours, events, and special programming, visit www.nps.gov/long.
Last updated: May 20, 2025