GREENFIELD — The Green River Festival’s move in 2022 from its longtime home at Greenfield Community College to its current location at the Franklin County Fairgrounds was the most significant change it has gone through, and this year’s event, now just days away, ushers in another big change. For the first time, DSP Shows of Ithaca, New York and Northampton is taking over the running of the festival, a job previously performed by Signature Sounds Presents of Northampton since 2013. Jim Olsen, president of Signature Sounds who has booked the music for the festival since its inception in 1986, announced in October that he had sold the festival to DSP Shows.
Now in its 38th year, the Green River Festival will run from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 23. Some 40-plus acts, including headliners CAKE, Fleet Foxes and Gregory Alan Isakov will perform on four stages, playing a wide range of musical styles. John Sanders of DSP Shows, who has been booking shows in the Pioneer Valley for the past 25 years, is stepping into Olsen’s former role as festival director.
Sanders estimates he’s booked about 5,000 shows over the course of his career, at venues that include the Iron Horse, the Shea Theater Arts Center, the Academy of Music, and the summer series at Tree House Brewing Co. in South Deerfield. “The Green River Festival is the premier outdoor event of the summer, and Jim has done a great job of programming it and building it into an incredible festival with a great reputat.
