LadyFest, the annual music festival that raises money for the Island’s domestic violence prevention program, will not be returning to Oak Bluffs this year as the organizers focus on planning for 2025. 

According to festival organizers Kelly Feirtag and Rosie Guerin, the prime reason for not having the festival this year is because of potential bigger and better future opportunities.  

“We have opportunities next year that are bigger and better so we figured we would take this extra time to plan it and revamp it,” Ms. Guerin said. “There’s no drama, no strife or anything, it’s just [that] we want to go bigger.” 

Organizer Rose Guerin, left, said the festival is thinking of becoming a bigger event in 2025.

Jeanna Shepard

Organizer Rose Guerin, left, said the festival is thinking of becoming a bigger event in 2025.

Jeanna Shepard

Both declined to go into detail about the future plans.

LadyFest’s first edition took place in 2017 for one night at The Ritz. Since then, it’s grown to a half-day music festival spilling out into the bustling streets of Circuit avenue. The festival is also a fundraiser avenue for Connect to End Violence, the Island’s domestic violence and rape crisis center.  

The importance of this festival is two-fold — highlighting women artists and bringing awareness to an important cause, according to Ms. Guerin. 

“We want to highlight the women in a very male dominated industry, especially in these times when there’s rampant misogyny and we’re not allowed to decide what to do with our own bodies,” she said. “The other side is that there’s an epidemic of domestic violence in this country, world and Island. The best thing we can do is let people know, just raise awareness that Connect exists and what they do and how to contact them and how other people can donate to them.” 

The festival received some pushback from Oak Bluffs businesses in 2022, with some business owners complaining about the inconvenience of the day-long road closure and festivities. In response, Ms. Feirtag made the festival only a half day, and more compact on Circuit avenue. 

Neither organizer cited the past complaints as part of the reason to not have LadyFest this year, and they plan to continue it as a cherished Island off-season event in the future. 

“It’s a community event and it’s in the shoulder season,” Ms. Feirtag said. “Rosie and I love it so much because it brings something to people that don’t go out a lot in the summer and they can come to in the fall.”