Boston Calling 2024: ‘It would be a shame if we didn’t play a song about Boston’

All weekend long, we'll be sharing the best photos, videos, and stories from Boston Calling 2024.

Believe it or not, Memorial Day weekend is already upon us, which means Boston Calling 2024 is here.

The city’s premier music festival will bring more than 50 artists to the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston this weekend, with English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, folk-country artist Tyler Childers, and arena rock stars The Killers headlining Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s lineups, respectively.

Whether this is your first or your tenth time at Boston Calling, our guide to Boston Calling 2024 will give you all the information you need to make the most of your festival experience.

Even if you’re not going to make it to Lower Allston this weekend, Boston.com will be at the festival grounds all three days providing live updates on the best performances, the must-try food, the forward-thinking fashion, and more.

Be sure to check back throughout the weekend as we add photos, videos, and interviews featuring all your favorite artists at Boston Calling 2024.

The Wolff Sisters lead foot-stomping, head-nodding crowd in gritty, soulful folk-rock set

Friday, 4 p.m.

The Wolff Sisters immediately got the crowd foot-stomping and head-nodding with their gritty and soulful folk-rock set. The trio hails from Hyde Park, and are real life sisters – a fact the band mentioned in their performance, to cheers from the crowd.

The band opened with their latest single, “Hurricane.” Rebecca played soulfully on acoustic guitar, with Kat playing up and down octaves on keys, and Rachael strumming high-power solos on electric guitar. All three on lead vocals and harmonies.

The sisters got the crowd excited and cheering just before their second song and ode to Boston, “Boston Town.”

“It would be a shame if we didn’t play a song about Boston,” Rebecca said to the crowd, which let out several “wahoo’s” in return.

The band’s sound has been described as meeting at the “crossroads of Americana, roots, and ’60s rock ‘n’ roll,” The Boston Globe reported in 2019, when it named their album “Queendom of Nothing” one of the fall season’s 15 best albums.

Kieran Rhodes brings his A-game to the Boston Calling Stage

Friday, 4 p.m.

Singer-songwriter Kieran Rhodes just took on Boston Calling — two weeks after graduating from Berklee College of Music.

The self-taught musician, who previously appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” was the weekend’s first performer on the festival’s Allianz Blue Stage, and his performance did not disappoint.

Opening the performance with “Getaway Car,” it was clear that Rhodes is talented in more ways than one. The singer stuck to his piano for most of his set, giving him the chance to showcase his skills on the keys. He then went into his latest single, “Song Within A Song.”

Rhodes performed “Disengage,” a song about his struggles with depression, in the middle of his set, earning a strong round of applause from the crowd. He flipped his baseball cap around, a reminder that before he taught himself music, he was a varsity baseball player.

More and more festival goers came to the Blue Stage as Rhodes’ set progressed, and his excitement was palpable. He ended his run with a song about making dreams come true — something the audience watched happen in real-time for Rhodes.

A look inside the two-story, interactive House of Dunkin’ at Boston Calling

Friday, 2 p.m.

Dunkin’ is back at Boston Calling with their revamped House of Dunkin’ activation, offering music (and donut) fans free iced coffee, munchkins, giveaways, and a new “aura photo booth” to have your flavor read.

The two-story pink and orange building attracted lines as early as 1:30 p.m. for its iced coffee drink and interactive stations.

The local company served up four types of free iced coffee to satisfy sweet-tooth coffee lovers as well as those with a more simple palette. Visitors could choose from a classic black iced coffee; a blueberry donut iced coffee with cold foam; an iced coffee “remix,” which is flavored with chocolate hazelnut truffle; and butter pecan iced coffee. Some of the drinks included foam designs with the Boston Calling logo.

To compliment the coffee drinks, bags of chocolate glaze and blueberry cake Munchkins were distributed and eagerly consumed by visitors.

On the first floor of the House, Dunkin’ displayed an aura photo booth where visitors answered a few music-related questions before being matched with one of four flavor auras. Afterward, they headed to the sampling bar to test out the corresponding iced coffee flavors of their auras.

Fans snapped photos in front of a life sized donut display and sprinkle-themed entrance, and took in views of the festival grounds from a cozy lounge on the second floor.

In the lounge, visitors could get decked out in Dunkin’ bling at three interactive stations. At a custom charm bracelet-making station, fans could create their own Dunkin’ and Boston Calling designs, while those looking for a quick makeover headed over to the glam station for glitter, face gems, and butterfly clips in Dunkin’ colors. At an air brush tattoo station, fans could get their faces and body tattooed with glittery Dunkin’ and Boston Calling tattoos.

Ed Sheeran visits Boston Children’s Hospital ahead of Boston Calling

Friday, 2 p.m.

From watching the Celtics at TD Garden to brightening the day of young children in Boston, Ed Sheeran is making the most of his time in the city.

Ahead of his closing set on Friday at Boston Calling 2024, the English singer-songwriter stopped by Boston Children’s Hospital on Thursday to visit with patients and pose for photos.

Sheeran’s appearance marked the third time he has visited Children’s on behalf of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation.

​​”Thank you, Ed, for your incredible support and for making such a positive impact on families in the hospital!” Children’s Hospital wrote on Instagram. “Yesterday was… perfect.”

The songs to know at Boston Calling 2024

Friday, 1:30 p.m.

Let’s be realistic: With 50+ acts on the bill at Boston Calling 2024, you probably haven’t heard every song from every artist playing this weekend.

To get you ahead of the curve, we’ve created a list of the top songs to know from each artist performing at Boston Calling before the festival kicks off.

Our Spotify playlist, which features more than 70 songs and nine hours of music, was picked by combining recommendations from the Boston.com staff with some of the artists’ most-streamed songs.

Boston Calling 2024 playlist here. If you’re looking for other pre-festival fun, try our Boston Calling 2024 quiz.

Here’s the Friday schedule for Boston Calling 2024

Friday, 1 p.m.

The festival grounds are officially open, and the music will start in 45 minutes with Divine Sweater on the Red Stage.

Before Ed Sheeran closes the night out from the Green Stage at 8:40 p.m., other top artists in Friday’s lineup include Young the Giant (7:40 p.m., Blue Stage), Leon Bridges (7:05 p.m. Red Stage), and “I Hate Boston” singer Reneé Rapp (5:55 p.m., Green Stage).

Here’s the full list of set times for Friday at Boston Calling 2024.

Renee Rapp, Ed Sheeran spotted at Celtics game

Friday, 12:30 p.m.

Ahead of their Friday performances at Boston Calling, Renee Rapp and Ed Sheeran sat courtside at TD Garden to watch the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 126-110 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Pictures posted on the Celtics’ Instagram showed Sheeran sporting green sneakers seated next to Rapp, whose anthem “I Hate Boston” apparently didn’t preclude her from attending.

Along with Rapp and Sheeran, the Celtics also counted Run DMC rapper Darryl McDaniels among the famous faces seated in “celeb row” during Thursday night’s game.

Everything to know for Boston Calling 2024

Friday, 12 p.m.

We’re one hour away from the gates opening at the Harvard Athletic Complex for Boston Calling 2024, and a little less than two hours from Divine Sweater kicking off the music at 1:45 on the Red Stage.

As you prepare to head to Allston, be sure to check out our full guide to Boston Calling 2024, which has information on some of the best artists to see, the best food at Boston Calling, rules on what not to bring to the festival, transportation logistics, and more.

Below is a small sampling of some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions, which are addressed more fully in our comprehensive guide.

How do I get to and from Boston Calling 2024?

The easiest way to get to the festival is to take the MBTA Red Line to Harvard Station. From there, it’s a straight shot to the festival: Take John F. Kennedy Street, cross the Anderson Memorial Bridge, and you’ll see the festival entrance on the right side of the street. In total, the walk takes ten minutes.

If you’re not near the Red Line, you can also take the Commuter Rail to the Boston Landing station, which is 1.1 miles from the festival. The 66 and 86 bus routes also stop at Harvard Stadium. For transportation directions from your specific location, use the MBTA Trip Planner.

How can I avoid long lines at Boston Calling?

Boston Calling is a large music festival, so you’re inevitably going to run into crowds at some point during the day. But as someone who has attended every single edition, I’ve learned a few helpful tips along the way.

1. Pre-register your wristband

In an effort to speed up lines for concessions and merch, Boston Calling 2024 is an entirely cashless festival.

Festivalgoers can register their wristband either before or during the festival to connect it to a credit or debit card through the Boston Calling website. Vendors will also accept credit cards.

2. Buy artist merch early

The biggest lines at previous editions of Boston Calling have been for the official artist and festival merchandise, which can be purchased just inside the entrance.

Boston Calling 2024 has added a second merch kiosk to help minimize the issue, but if you’re set on getting a Reneé Rapp tank or a Killers tee, you might want to consider setting aside the first 30 minutes of your time at the festival to make your purchase.

3. Learn the festival map, and take the road less traveled

Another way to avoid any bottlenecks is to familiarize yourself with the festival map (see below) before heading to Allston on Friday.

The layout remains basically the same from previous festivals, with a few small tweaks. You enter from the corner of Soldiers Field Rd. and N. Harvard St., then proceed to the entrance.

If you’re headed to the Red or Green stages, proceed straight, where you will pass a number of food options and brand activations. If you want the Blue or Orange stages, make a left toward the merch stations.

There is always less traffic on the path from the Blue Stage to the Red Stage (located on the far left of the map below). It’s not only a more direct path, you’ll also pass local artists on the Orange Stage you may not have known about.

Can I still buy tickets to Boston Calling 2024?

You can still purchase tickets of almost every type on the Boston Calling website. The only day with limited availability is Sunday, which has sold out of GA and Platinum tickets.

Single-day tickets cost $196 for GA, $320 for GA+, $499 for VIP, and $1399 for Platinum. All of the listed prices already include fees, so you won’t have the usual unpleasant surprise of prices jumping when you get ready to pay.