The Spring Hill Arts Gathering (SHAG) Festival is keeping a new tradition of outdoor festivals in a fantastical field in New Preston alive.
The festival runs for two weekends, July 29 through Aug. 1 and Aug. 6 – 8 at Spring Hill Vineyards, the New Preston village area of Washington in Litchfield Country. It builds on the success of the Five Senses Festival held in that area from 2018-2020. SHAG Festival founder Stephanie Ingrassia co-produced the Five Senses Festival with Pilobolus, the renowned Washington Depot-based dance/movement troupe.
During the COVID era, Pilobolus has been creating original “art safari” performances where audiences largely stay in their own cars — this year’s, “Bloom,” is happening through July 25 — but the company has also been booked to perform at the SHAG Festival, which takes place among the same distinctive outdoor sculptures and arts installations (including a cave and a silo) that Five Senses did. The Spring Hill Vineyards has recently added a barn/performance area, a professional kitchen area and expanded restroom facilities.
Like Five Senses, the SHAG Festival features a wide range of events — musicians, writers, activists, food, art installations and more. But it’s also a very different type of festival. Where Five Senses was grounded in dance, wellness and meditation, avant-garde music, unique artistic collaborations and conversations, SHAG is more of a community-based festival.
Ingrassia, a noted art collector and patron who serves on the board of the Brooklyn Museum, has lived in the village for decades. “SHAG is just as much about bringing the world to Washington as it is about bringing Washington to the world, because our community is filled with so many artists, writers, and thinkers,” she said in a statement. To that end, the final day of the festival, Aug. 8, consists of a free-of-charge “Washington Town Party” local celebration from noon to 10 p.m.
The Shag Festival begins July 29 with an invitation-only launch party featuring performances by violinist Robert McDuffie, dancing to the Bossa Nova band A Lua, and a “festive seated dinner.”
The main festival has two or three key events each day.
July 30: At 5 p.m. Graydon Carter, the former editor of “Vanity Fair” and “Spy” magazines, who now runs the newsletter Air Mail is interviewed onstage by journalist Marcia De Sanctis. The Doo Wop Project performs at 6:30 p.m., followed at 8:30 p.m. by Ariana Debose, the Broadway performer who originated the dance role of “The Bullet” in “Hamilton.”
July 31: Events organized with the Litchfield County LGBTQIA+ organization Pride in the Hills: A family-friendly “Drag Queen Story Hour” at 4 p.m., DJ Zeke at 4:30 p.m., singer/songwriter Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon at 5 p.m., drag artist/vocalist Shequida Hall at 6 p.m., transgender celebrity Mila Jam at 7 p.m., singer/songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins at 7:45 p.m. and Alex Newell (from “Glee” and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”) at 9:15 p.m.
Aug. 1: “Arts for Justice Presents Until Justice is Real,” two hours of talks and performances inspired by the art exhibition “Systemic Impact: Process and Experimentation of (Formerly) Incarcerated Artists” which is on display in the barn area for the duration of the festival. Speakers and performers include the panel discussion “Right of Return” at 4:15 p.m., artist/activist Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter at 5:20 p.m. and a talk on “Worth Rises: Dismantling the Prison Industry at 5:45 p.m. There are also family activities with the Washington Arts Association at 4 p.m. and performances by trumpeter Etienne Charles with Creole Sound at 7 p.m., modern dancer Vinson Fraley Jr. at 8:15 p.m. and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington with her band Social Science at 8:45 p.m.
Aug. 6: Brother(hood) Dance! at 4:30 p.m., Connecticut Ballet with one of its Ballet Under the Stars programs at 5:30 p.m., Music from the Sole at 6:45 p.m., Pilobolus at 8 p.m. and DJ Doctor at 9 p.m.
Aug. 7: Performances by the Brooklyn Raga Massive ensemble at 4 p.m., Innov Gnawa at 4:45 p.m., singer/songwriter Theo Kandel at 5:30 p.m., Logan Ledger at 6:15 p.m., soul singer Danielle Ponder at 7 p.m., Matthew Whitaker at 7:45 p.m., and K.T. Tunstall at 8:45 p.m.
Aug. 8: The free-for-all Washington Town Party from noon to 10 p.m. with performances by Gretchen Meyer and Charles Meyer at 4:45 p.m., The Fiddling Thomsons’ Old Time Barn Dance at 5 p.m., Jim Keller at 6 p.m. and Saints & Liars at 7:30 p.m.
Guest chef Norberto Piattoni offers different themed menus on different, and there are wine tastings courtesy of Zachys.
The Spring Hill Arts Gathering happens July 29 through Aug. 1 and Aug. 6-8 at Spring Hill Vineyards 292 Bee Brook Rd, New Preston (Washington). Day passes are $45. The day-long Washington Town Party on Aug. 8 is free. springhillartsgathering.com.
Christopher Arnott can be reached at carnott@courant.com.
