The Wake Up The Earth Parade (Egleston Square branch) makes its way to the festival.

Let’s Wake Up the Earth! WUTE Festival and Parades on May 4

The annual Wake Up the Earth Festival and Parades are one of the best days of the year in Jamaica Plain -- and the festival is this Saturday. This year is the 41st Wake Up the Earth Festival! The festival has a fascinating creation story. It began in 1979 when a group of local neighbors and activists came together to stop the Interstate 95 expansion into Jamaica Plain -- and won their fight! Organized by Spontaneous Celebrations, the parades are boisterous, creative, with bands, stilt walkers, dancing, giant puppets, and of course, dogs in costumes!

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JP Event to Reclaim Inauguration Anniversary for Inclusion, Immigrant Rights

It’s been nearly two years since the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States and January 20 is the actual anniversary – and it’s when local activist group Boston For All is “reclaiming this day in the spirit of goodwill, community, and inclusion.”

With District 6 City Councilor Matt O’Malley, Boston For All is inviting the community to join them at ‘Fun For All,’ a completely free community fun fair that will include a professional storyteller, a singalong, activist art activities facilitated by local artists and circus arts training with teachers from the Commonwealth Circus Center. There will also be opportunities for participants to write and draw messages for those held in detention centers. While this event is about enjoyment and fun, it does have a serious side, as it will also serve as a fundraiser for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a national organization providing free legal services for immigrant children. KIND has been at the forefront of efforts to assist migrant children separated from their parents. Representatives from KIND will be on hand to provide information about their work. “I am thrilled to be partnering with Boston For All for their first Fun For All event which promotes fun, kindness and inclusion while contributing to an important cause,” said O’Malley.

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Photos: 35th Annual Jamaica Plain Lantern Parades

The cold arrived just in time for Jamaica Plain's annual Lantern Parades this past weekend. Participants, some donning costumes, met at Jamaica Pond's Boat House on Saturday and Sunday, and paraded around the pond with lanterns in tow at dusk. You don't have to be young, or with a youngster (at least in a photo) to enjoy Jamaica Plain's lantern parades. This is the 35th year for the annual tradition presented by Spontaneous Celebrations and the Friends of Jamaica Pond. Some participants wore scary costumes, and the classic skeleton outfit never goes out of style.

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Cristian, 13, lights lanterns for the Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade on Oct. 18.

Jamaica Pond Lantern Parades on Oct. 20 & 21; Lantern Making Workshops All Week

The very popular annual Jamaica Plain Lantern Parades are on Saturday and Sunday. There are also several lantern making workshops this week for kids (and adults). This is the 35th year for the annual tradition presented by Spontaneous Celebrations and the Friends of Jamaica Pond. It truly is one of Jamaica Plain's most beloved events that attracts hundreds of kids, adults and dogs. Before the parade, people gather by the Jamaica Pond Boat House, and hang their lanterns to display for all to enjoy the varied designs.

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Spontaneous Celebrations Music is Healing Fair on August 4th

Join Spontaneous Celebrations on August 4th for a community, arts and wellness fair. This all day free event will include musicians, artists, performers, and wellness practitioners. This celebration is family friendly and everyone is welcome. This event is from 10 am to 4 pm and being held at Spontaneous Celebrations (45 Danforth St.).

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Parent & Child Summer Dance Classes

Dance this summer with your little one! JP Dance Co-op is hosting a monthly summer session of its "Parent & Child: Intro to Movement" class (boys & girls, ages 3-4) – and it’s all about FUN! This session will consist of four 1 ½ hour classes at the beginning of each month (June-September):

DATES: June 3, July 1, August 5, September 9 (1x a month, Sundays)

TIME: 10 - 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: 45 Danforth St, 2nd floor, Jamaica Plain, MA

Parent and child will be introduced to dance and will learn how to express themselves through movement. Class will include a mixture of Ballet barre, Modern basics, improvisation and free play. Each class will be centered around a theme.

A scene from the South Street Parade at Wake Up The Earth 2015

40th Wake Up the Earth Parade and Festival on Saturday

The earth has certainly had quite the slumber this winter and while we've had warmer days recently it's time to Wake Up the Earth with the annual parade and festival this Saturday! This year is the 40th Wake Up the Earth Festival! The festival has a fascinating creation story. It began in 1979 when a group of local neighbors and activists came together to stop the Interstate 95 expansion into Jamaica Plain -- and won their fight! Thus the festival is "a celebration of what can be accomplished when people of all traditions, cultures, ages, and beliefs come together to make a difference," according to Spontaneous Celebrations' website.

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Bread & Puppet’s Play ‘The Basic Bye-Bye Show’ Opens in JP on April 19th

Bread & Puppet Theater returns for four shows starting April 19th at Spontaneous Celebrations with its new play, "The Basic Bye-Bye Show." The play is a manifesto inspired by Albrecht Dürer’s apocalyptic woodcuts and the daily news. "The Basic Bye-Bye Show originally set out to define and illuminate the need for basic bye-byes in our culture, but has progressed to respond to the event of regular mass shootings, in particular the recent massacre in the Florida high school," said director Peter Schumann. “The theme is the birth of the gun by the 2nd Amendment Holy Cow, presided over by James Madison, which leads to the routine occurrence of horror and ends with the funeralization of that ill-conceived symbol of a free people.”

The play expands on the traditional bye-byes of funerals and train stations by turning the saying of bye-bye into a political act. It helps us say bye-bye to the gun -- as a practical tool for massacre-making, as a symbol of "freedom," as an instrument of political influence, and as an economic dependency.

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Calling All Singing Families: SingPositive Open Rehearsal on Jan. 28th

Does your family like singing? Maybe you'd like to join an intergenerational family choir. If you're interested then you should attend SingPositive's open rehearsals at Spontaneous Celebrations in Jamaica Plain this Sunday. There's no commitment and don't worry about singing on key. SingPositive includes more than 25 families making music together on Sunday afternoons.

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Twins Veronica (left) and Victoria, 9, light lanterns in preparation for the Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade on Oct. 18, 2014. The girls are involved in Spontaneous Celebrations’ La Piñata program, a traditional music and dance group directed by Rosalba Solis.

34th Annual Jamaica Plain Lantern Parade Oct. 21st & 22nd

One of the greatest JP traditions is the annual Lantern Parade around Jamaica Pond. Children, adults (and dogs!) gather to enjoy music, food and drink, design their own lanterns, and then walk around the pond with their glowing creations. People are welcome to gather at the Jamaica Pond Boathouse from 5:30 to 9 pm. The parades starts at 6 pm on both Saturday, Oct. 21st and Sunday, Oct.

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