2023 Celebrate Milford Festival Gets Boost From Cultural Council

MILFORD, MA — The Celebrate Milford festival will return this spring, and will feature a new performance stage sponsored by a grant from Mass Cultural Council.

Celebrate Milford returned in 2022 for the first event since before the pandemic. The event will be held in 2023 on May 20 (rain date: May 21) featuring music, food, a beer tent and the traditional youth parade. Thanks to the cultural council grant, this year's performances will include a new section showcasing multicultural artists.

Here's more from a Milford Cultural Council news release:

The Milford Cultural Council (MCC) has received a grant of $2,500 from the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, through its Festivals & Projects Program.

This grant signifies that the Milford Cultural Council provides significant public value through its programs and services. The council applied for this grant to help fund its upcoming Multicultural Performing Arts Festival Stage, which will launch Celebrate Milford’s performance schedule in the Town Park band shell on Saturday, May 20. The Multicultural Performing Arts Festival Stage will begin at 10:30 a.m. featuring 90 minutes of music and dance. The rain date for Celebrate Milford is Sunday, May 21.

“I am pleased to see that the Milford Cultural Council was awarded a $2,500 Festivals & Projects grant from the Mass Cultural Council” said state Rep. Brian Murray (D-Milford). “This strengthens our state and local partnerships to further enhance the multicultural events which a community like Milford can offer to an increasingly diverse population.”

"Congratulations to the Milford Cultural Council for securing a $2,500 Festivals & Projects grant from the Mass Cultural Council. Particularly at this moment, art and culture are necessary for our communities, uniting individuals and embracing the rich diversity and joy of humanity. I’m thrilled that Milford’s diverse cultures will be showcased and celebrated at this year’s Celebrate Milford event and look forward to the full festivities next month," said state Sen. Becca Rausch (D-Milford).

The Milford Cultural Council invites all members of the community to celebrate our cultural and artistic diversity by gathering at Celebrate Milford to enjoy this showcase of local performing artists. Like many Massachusetts communities, Milford is a melting pot. The council hopes to help foster understanding of the different voices living among us through a demonstration of various music, dance, and literature. The council will be supplementing the performing arts stage with a nearby tent featuring lists of recommended reading, multicultural coloring pages, displays of native clothing and crafts, and more.

The Mass Cultural Council has a budget of $15.7 million, including an appropriation of nearly $14 million from the state of Massachusetts and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. The agency also runs the Mass Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment. Mass Cultural Council funds reach every community in the Commonwealth.

The Milford Cultural Council seeks to promote excellence, inclusion, education and diversity in the arts, humanities, and sciences to foster a rich cultural experience for all Milford residents. The council welcomes ideas, recommendations, and feedback regarding programs and events funded or sponsored by the council. Interested Milford residents are encouraged to attend meetings which are held every third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. typically in Room 14 of Town Hall. Comments and requests for information can be emailed to the council at CulturalCouncil@TownofMilford.com.