3rd Arts Wayland Expo Hits Town Center In May

WAYLAND, MA — The third annual Arts Wayland Expo returns in May, featuring a roster of local and national musicians and performers and more at the Wayland Town Center.

The 2024 expo follows shortly behind the 2023 event, which was held in September after a rain daily last May. This year, the Dwayne Haggins Band will headline the free, all-day event on the Town Green.

In addition to Haggins, the expo will feature Grammy nominee and Carnegie Hall dancer and vocalist Bárbara Martínez, flamenco virtuosos the Laura Sánchez Dance Troupe, well known local band Bigfoot and the Wayland School of Music faculty and students. The Wayland High School Honors Jazz Ensemble will kick off the performances at 1 p.m. on the day of the expo.

Next to performances, the expo will feature food and drinks from Cousins Maine Lobster, the Taco Dude, Castle Island Brewing, Kona Ice and Chillwagon Ice Cream. There will also be an artists tent and marketplace and activities for kids.

The idea for a local arts exposition came in 2019 when Wayland students Joss O'Heron, Ellie Barenboym and Kyra Spooner — who were then in middle school — got permission to ask Town Meeting for approval to produce a music festival. Due to the pandemic, the event wasn't held for the first time until May 2022.

The free expo runs 1 to 7:15 p.m. on May 18; find more details at www.artswayland.com. This year's rain date will be May 19.