SIDEWAYS DOOR 4
a weekend of ecstasies & escape routes
September 19 - 21, 2025 in Holyoke MA
LOCULUS presents the fourth annual-ish SIDEWAYS DOOR festival September 19 - 21, 2025! SIDEWAYS DOOR brings together local and visiting artists for three days of performances, classes, and talks in Holyoke MA. This year we will also be celebrating our 10 year birthday!
FULL WEEKEND PASSES AVAILABLE!
All tickets are offered on a sliding scale - please pay what you are able, all ticket sales go to paying artists.
FRIDAY 9.19.25 - OPEN LEVEL DANCE CLASS + DANCE PARTY
8pm | The Divine Theater - 92 Race St, Holyoke | $15 - 30 in advance, $18 - 35 at the door
Kick off the festival and celebrate our 10 year birthday with us! We will start the night with NIGHT MOVES, our open level dance class. NIGHT MOVES always ends with a short dance party but this time we'll keep it going all night with DJs Matt Krefting and Jake Meginsky.
SATURDAY 9.20.25 - MOVEMENT WORKSHOP
11am - 1pm | LOCULUS Studios - 80 Race St, Holyoke | $15 - 30 in advance, $18 - 35 at the door
Sinking into Mudbound- Improvisational Dance Workshop Facilitated by Jungwoong Kim
“Mud… lining fingernails, encrusting children’s knees and hair, sucking feet like a greedy newborn on the breast.” — Hillary Jordan, Mudbound
In this 2-hour improvisation dance class, we will explore—individually and collectively—the qualities of mud and how the body embraces and responds to them. Open to everyone: beginners, dancers, and artists from other fields. Comfortable clothing recommended.
SATURDAY 9.20.25 - PERFORMANCES
6pm | PULP Gallery - 80 Race St, Holyoke | $15 - 40 in advance, $18 - 45 at the door
Grab your map at PULP and wander through a series of performances along Holyoke's second canal by Sunburned Hand of the Man, LOCULUS, Katherine Kain, Niki Farahani, Ben Hersey, and Tori Lawrence + Co. The evening will culminate with a performance in the gallery by Mobius.
SUNDAY 9.21.25 - ARTIST ROUNDTABLE DINNER
4:30pm | The Guilded Brick - 380 Dwight St, Holyoke | $35 - 60
Ticket include a multi-course meal, drinks, and dessert.
Tickets for this event close Monday September 15th!
Our second Artist Roundtable brings together three artists/organizations working across dance, conceptual art, design, and event curation. Each presenter has been asked to speak about their work and practice through the lens of an influence or collaboration. Presentations will be given over the course of a communal home-cooked meal with plenty of time for questions and conversation built in.
Food by Alex Torres
Presentations by LOCULUS, Gina Siepel, and Peter Treiber Jr.
This program is supporting in part by a grants from the Holyoke Local Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency; The City of Holyoke Tourism Advisory Committee through the Mass Gaming Commission; and the ValleyCreates program of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. This program is fiscally sponsored by Holyoke Media.
PAST FESTIVALS
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Saturday 7.31 // Northampton Center for the Arts
CLASS
with Angie Hauser + Chris AikenPERFORMANCE
featuring Jay Keery, Sara Smith, Lauren Horn // Subira vs. Movement, and LOCULUSSunday 8.1 // 10Forward, Looky Here, and John Doe Jr. Records
ARTIST FAIR
Featuring: INTERBEING // Esther White // Blue Angel Flame Co. // Esther Clark Ceramics // Sara Smith // Isa Reisner // Threshold Academy // Psyched on High // Tekhne Press // Liam Halvorsen // +moreWith Live DJS:
th1rdm1nd // Matt Krefting // HEARTBALLOON // zaza runtz
Community Generated Zine at Looky Here on the RISOGRAPH
create a riso print to be included in a riso-printed LOCULUS zine assembled at the end of the day
Experimental solo sets at John Doe Jr. Records
MENTALDRIFT // CRUUDEUCES // SWEETNESS THE POINT OF SONG
PERFORMANCE
featuring Solo Termite, Dan Cashman + Ben Hersey, Son of Earth, and LOCULUSMonday 8/2 // 10Forward
MOVIE NIGHT
co-curated with Otis Wheelerfeaturing Born In Flames (1983) by Lizzie Borden
and short works from the most recent Loculus Journal:
Overworld by Constance Harris, Laura Conway, Brittney Banaei, + Anton Kreuger
UnderCover by Ulduz Ahmadzadeh
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FRIDAY 6.23.23
Performance at Holyoke Media
Karinne Keithley Syers // Leah Fournier + Amelia Heintzelman // LA Samuelson // Laila J. FranklinParty at Fame Lounge/Eatery
with DJ Matt KreftingSATURDAY 6.24.23
Classes at LOCULUS Studios
Laila J. Franklin & LOCULUSPerformance at Anchor House of Artists
AJ Cornell // Elsa // Tyler Rai // Otis Wheeler //Wendy Woodson // organic mom // LOCULUS with Baldwin/Gelineau/Meginsky TrioSUNDAY 6.25.23
Workshop at Looky Here
Community book making workshop hosted by LOCULUS and Sarah LanzilottaReading at Looky Here
Max Gonen // Sammy Lê // Caroline Rayner // Brendan McCauley // Jayson Keery // Dāshaun WashingtonThis program was supporting in part by grants from the Holyoke Local Cultural Council, Northampton Arts Council, Greenfield Arts Council, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council.
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FRIDAY 9.20.24
Performance at PULP
Julia Handschuh + Anna Hendricks // Greg Kelley + Yoona Kim // LOCULUS // Jimena Bermejo + Jeff Huckleberry // Ron SchneidermanSATURDAY 9.21.24
Movement Class at Loculus Studios
Mara PoliakPerformance at Holyoke Media
Nat Baldwin // LOCULUS // Arien Wilkerson / GLORYHOLE // Bobby LaBitch + Kieran Lally / American Ballet TheatreFestival Party at FAME
DJ Matt KreftingSUNDAY 9.22.24
Class at Loculus Studios
Tori Lawrence + Co.Artist Roundtable: presentation and conversation at The Guilded Brick
Food by Maghan Baptiste
Presentations by
Deborah Goffe / Scapegoat Garden // Rick Myers // Kathy Couch // Damany Gordon + Theresa Cooper Gordon / Genuine Culture LLCThis program was supporting in part by a grant from the Holyoke Local Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, as state agency, by Mass Cultural Council's Festivals & Projects grant, and by The Community Foundation of Western Mass. This program is fiscally sponsored by Holyoke Media.