Festivities

Directions & Parking

The festival entrance is located at 145 N. Harvard St., Allston, MA. We are a minimal waste event and recommend taking the T (MBTA Red Line stop) to the Harvard Square station and it is only a 10 minute walk. To get there, walk up JFK Street and over the Harvard Bridge. Bus routes 66 & 86 are also very close. Find the best MBTA route HERE.

You can also take the Commuter Rail into the Boston Landing Station on the Worcester Line, which is a 1.1 mile walk. Commuter rail information can be found HERE. Rideshare is also encouraged.

PARKING
There is no street parking in the area and City of Cambridge and Boston officials will ticket and tow. Currently there is no parking available on Friday evening. Parking is $10 at the Harvard University Athletic Complex on a first come-first served basis. a Parking pass for Saturday can be purchased in advance here.

Vendors

There will be lots of delicious spicy food on sale from our Boston Jerkfest vendors. All restaurant and food truck vendors will offer at least one jerk item on the menu for sale–after all, we are a JerkFest! Also featured our jams, jellies, and specialty foods, as well as arts and crafts. Did we mention rum cake? Our Spice Lane will feature a variety of local hot sauces, spicy nuts, spicy jams, and spicy sweets. We promise that it will be a uniques experience for you.

Apply HERE.

Rum and Brew

The Rum & Brew Tasting is for 21+ festival attendees and features live music and unlimited tastings of rum, craft beer and a variety of Caribbean themed libations. A highlight of the Rum & Brew Tasting is the Cocktail Throwdown featuring Boston’s hottest Mixologists who will stir up the best “Irie” drinks made from products featured at the Rum & Brew Tasting. Get your Rum & Brew tickets here. Are you a brewer and distiller and want in this year? Apply for our Rum & Brew Tasting event on Friday, July 12th, 2024 here.

Chef Demos

Boston JerkFest will showcase a Chef Demo Stage offering Seafood Throwdown and the Jerk Cook-off competitions, each with two chefs vying for the best jerk dish. Our partners include North American Marine Alliance, Red’s Best, and Sustainable Food and Culture, Inc. and World Farmers.

The Seafood Thowdown at Boston Jerkfest is part of a Boston-wide campaign in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and aims to raise awareness about sustainability, seasonality and health benefits of cooking with local dayboat seafood available in our community. Check out the 2023 Chef Champs.

Live Music

A featured music stage will offer a place for local artists to jam to the tunes of reggae, soca, steel drums, world music, latin rhythms and more. The 2024 line up is coming soon!

Family Fun

Boston Jerkfest is a family-friendly festival filled with activities for children and adults of all ages! The Kids & Culture stage offers face painting, story telling, and arts and craft activities. Want to get involved or volunteer? Sign up here.

Card To Culture

We are proud to participate in the Card to Culture program, a collaboration between Mass Cultural Council and Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, and the Massachusetts Health Connector, by broadening accessibility to cultural programming. EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders receive 1/2 off admission price to the annual Boston JerkFest for the Saturday festival on July 13, 2024. Children 12 and under receive free admission with an an accompanying adult. This special discount is limited to 2 adults, for SATURDAY ONLY and limited to 150 tickets total available for EBT, WIC and ConnectCare cardholders. Email info@bostonjerkfest.com to access the discount code.

July 12th & 13th, 2024