Allston-Brighton festival puts arts (and rats) in the spotlight

Things kick off from 3 to 10 pm Saturday, with a rain date Sunday. The Rock of Ages senior community concert is also Sunday.

• The festival doesn't shy away from the area's rodent infestation; it leans in. Pre-festival events included the annual Rat Walk rodent awareness initiative that began this week.

Organizers promise increased compensation for artists and opportunities for musicians, vendors and other artists to show off what they're best at.

• Bands Beeef and oldsoul headline this year, with Tiberius, Shallow Pools, Zion Rodman, Nurse Joy, Big Brute and others filling out the bill.
• Part of the Rat City charm is the collection of decorated rat traps painted by artists and scattered around Allston.

By the numbers: Last year, the festival booked 16 local music acts.

• 20 vendors participated, selling crafts, vintage items and other goodies.
• Over $3,000 was raised through emerging artist grants, according to organizers.
• The rats paid well, offering 65 compensated opportunities totaling over $10,000 for artists and creatives.

What they're saying: Festival founder Ricky Meinke says there's a dual mission of supporting the local creative economy and addressing Allston-Brighton's rodent control challenges through educational programming.

• "Truly, we're just a space to celebrate local artists, folks who have an affinity for Rat City and our neighborhood," Meinke told Axios.