Four Major Institutions Partner for New HUBweek Festival

Boston Photo via Shutterstock

Get ready to add a big new festival to your 2015 calendar.

The Globe revealed Friday morning that it’s collaborating with three major local institutions—MIT, Harvard, and Mass General—to launch a brand-new innovation-centric festival, HUBweek, in October 2015. The interdisciplinary festival will take place in Boston and Cambridge and focus on technology, education, medicine, and the arts.

The plan is for HUBweek to include everything from hackathons to lectures to performances and art exhibits, with one idea being to transform Fenway into a gigantic classroom for master classes with renowned presenters. TED talk at Fenway, anyone?

But don’t expect HUBweek to be a total geekfest.

The Globe points to South by Southwest and Art Basel Miami as strong models for the event, which aims to highlight the innovative spirit of the city through fun, interactive programming.

“More than a conference, HUBweek will be a celebration of the world-changing ideas and solutions that have long been Boston’s hallmark,” said Harvard President Drew Faust in a press release.

“By uniting so many of the region’s leading institutions, HUBweek itself embodies the open, collaborative spirit that has helped make Greater Boston and Cambridge a hotbed of innovation and new ideas,” said MIT President L. Rafael Reif.

The event will be handled by an executive committee of reps from all four partners, led by executive director Brendan Ryan, former chief of staff to Gov. Deval Patrick.

HUBweek will take place October 3-10, 2015, around Boston and Cambridge, including in the Innovation District and on the campuses of MIT and Harvard.