Your weekly South Coast MA events guide - June 5-7, 2026. Fall River, New Bedford, Westport and beyond.
Happy Saturday, South Coasters. It’s June 6th, 2026, and summer is officially in “no excuses” mode. Oysters are being shucked, feet are hitting vineyard trails, and as always, someone is doing something spectacularly dumb. This is your Southcoast Pulse – your weekly no-BS roundup of what’s happening, what’s worth knowing, and what’s making us shake our heads across Fall River, New Bedford, Westport, Rehoboth, Tiverton, and the rest of our glorious corner of southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
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❤️ What’s Happening This Weekend
Get off the couch. Here’s what’s actually worth going to this week – with FREE events clearly marked.
New Bedford Oysterfest 2026 – TODAY, Saturday June 6
The big one. Local oyster growers descend on Cisco Brewers New Bedford for a full-on celebration of the half-shell. Two sessions: noon-2pm and 2:30-4:30pm. Your $40 presale (or $45 at the door) gets you seven oyster samples from local growers, one complimentary beer or cocktail, and a souvenir shucking knife. Because you’re going to need that knife at some point in your life.
Live music and extra oysters available on-site. Proceeds benefit the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. This one sells out – grab tickets at fishingheritagecenter.org if there’s still availability, or try your luck at the door.
Cisco Brewers, New Bedford | $40 presale / $45 door | Noon-4:30pm
Wine Run at Westport Rivers Vineyard – Sunday, June 7
Run 5k through vineyards and farms, then reward yourself with wine and dinner. That’s the deal at the Wine Run at Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery at 417 Hixbridge Rd, Westport. Race starts at 1pm, bib pickup at 11am. Post-race party from 1:30pm includes dinner, wine, and live music. Entry includes parking, timing chip, t-shirt, souvenir wine glass, wine, and dinner. Can’t run? BBQ-only tickets are available. Worth every step – or no steps.
417 Hixbridge Rd, Westport, MA | Paid | Register at westportwinerun.rhoderaces.com
Walk for Peace at Buttonwood Park – TODAY, June 6 – (FREE)
Walk for Peace at Buttonwood Park, Saturday 1-3pm. Free. Bring the kids, bring your neighbor. A simple reminder that New Bedford is a community worth showing up for.
Buttonwood Park, New Bedford | FREE | 1-3pm
Underground Railroad Walking Tour – TODAY, June 6 – (FREE)
New Bedford’s role in the Underground Railroad is no small chapter in American history. This free walking tour departs at 2:30pm from the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. Two hours of real history in your own backyard.
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park | FREE | 2:30-4:30pm
Kiss Forever – Ultimate KISS Tribute Show – TODAY, June 6
Got the rock itch? Kiss Forever hits the stage at The Vault Music Hall & Pub at Greasy Luck at 8pm tonight. Full-costume KISS tribute. If you grew up painting your face in your bedroom, this is your Saturday night.
The Vault Music Hall & Pub at Greasy Luck, New Bedford | 8pm
Your Theatre’s 80th Birthday Party Fundraiser – TODAY, June 6
Your Theatre turns 80 and is throwing itself a fundraiser at the Steeple Playhouse at 4pm today. Eight decades of community theater deserves a party. Show up, support local arts, have a good time.
The Steeple Playhouse, New Bedford | ? 4pm
Fall River Farmers & Artisans Market – Sunday, June 7 – (FREE)
Every Sunday on Purchase Street in downtown Fall River, 11am-3pm. Fresh produce, local artisans, handmade goods. Free to browse. A solid reason to get out and support local small businesses instead of handing your money to a big box store.
Purchase Street, Downtown Fall River | FREE | 11am-3pm
Walking Tour: History of New Bedford Harbor – Sunday, June 7 – (FREE)
Sunday morning, the National Historical Park runs a one-hour walking tour of New Bedford Harbor history. 10:30-11:30am. Pair it with the Farmers Market in Fall River and you’ve got yourself a perfectly respectable Sunday.
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park | FREE | 10:30-11:30am
Fabiola Mendez Concert – Thursday, June 11
Brazilian vocalist Fabiola Mendez performs at the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford on June 11 at 7:30pm. If you haven’t experienced the Zeitz for a live show yet, this is a good excuse to fix that.
Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford | ? 7:30pm | Tickets at zeiterion.org
Coastal Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Festival – Saturday, June 13
New England’s favorite wine, cheese, and chocolate festival hits on June 13. Start planning now – this one fills up.
Tickets at ticketstripe.com/CoastalWineFestival
Summer is only just getting started. Before you head to any beach this season, bookmark our 2026 South Coast Beach Pass Guide – everything you need about parking stickers, prices, secret spots, and not getting blindsided by a $40 parking fee in Westport.
🍽️ Eats & Local Flavor
Oyster Season Has Officially Arrived
If today’s New Bedford Oysterfest at Cisco Brewers doesn’t convert you into an oyster person, nothing will. Local growers, craft beer, cocktails, live music – and a souvenir shucking knife you’ll definitely use exactly once before it lives in a kitchen drawer forever. Presale at $40 includes seven samples and one drink. This is one of the best local food events of the year. Go.
Fall River Farmers Market: Show Up Hungry
The Fall River Farmers & Artisans Market is back every Sunday on Purchase Street in downtown Fall River, 11am-3pm. Local produce, handmade goods, local vendors doing their thing. Free to attend, easy to spend money at. Worth it.
Run It Off: Westport Rivers Post-Race Wine & BBQ
Sunday’s Wine Run at Westport Rivers Vineyard is half race, half party. Five kilometers through scenic vineyard trails, followed by dinner, wine, and live music. They also offer a BBQ-only ticket for those of us who’ve made peace with skipping the running part entirely. No judgment.
😊 Feel-Good & Community Wins
MA Opioid Deaths Drop Below 1,000 for First Time Since 2013 – Big Deal
This is genuinely significant. Massachusetts recorded 978 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2025 – the first time the number has fallen below 1,000 since 2013. That’s a 27% decrease from 2024’s already-improved 1,336. At the peak in 2022, the state lost 2,364 people to opioid overdoses. Expanded naloxone access, licensed recovery coaches, housing support, harm reduction programs – the data shows the work is paying off. For a region like South Coast MA that has felt this epidemic deeply and personally, this number matters. (Fall River Reporter)
New Bedford High School Celebrates Outstanding Seniors
New Bedford High School held its Annual Awards Night honoring the Class of 2026 this week – National Honor Society medals, Academy of Honors pinning, Seal of Biliteracy, scholarships, and more. Graduation season is here. Congrats to every NBHS senior. You made it through. (New Bedford Guide)
Capitol Theater Renovation is Actually Happening – Real Progress
The long-vacant Capitol Theater at 1418 Acushnet Ave in New Bedford’s North End is getting its second act. The Community Economic Development Center (CEDC) renovation has hit roughly $4 million in expenditures, with hazardous material abatement complete and crews now installing new windows and restoring historic brickwork. When done, the 24,000-sq-ft landmark will house CEDC offices, classrooms, a business incubator, a community kitchen, a clinic (New Bedford Community Health Center), a Southcoast Federal Credit Union branch, and six affordable rental apartments assigned by lottery. New Bedford’s first purpose-built movie house – open over a century ago – is coming back to life. (New Bedford Guide)
📰 Local News & Scanner Highlights
Fall River’s Telegram Arms Dealer Gets 23 Years in Federal Prison
Benjamin Hunt, 27, of Fall River was sentenced Thursday to 23 years in federal prison for drug distribution resulting in the death of a minor – plus illegally selling machine guns and drugs via the Telegram app. We’re talking 1,600+ fentanyl pills, 95 firearms and related items, 13 “switches” (machinegun conversion devices he 3D-printed himself), cocaine, LSD, MDMA, and ketamine – all shipped through the U.S. Postal Service, paid in Bitcoin.
Hunt operated multiple Telegram accounts under fake identities from 2022-2024, selling to customers across the country. A minor died from fentanyl he distributed. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin handed down 23 years plus five years of supervised release. No amount of cryptocurrency anonymity was going to save this one. (Fall River Reporter)
Tragic Pedestrian Death on Mill Street, New Bedford
Bristol County DA Thomas Quinn identified Amy Asker, 67, of New Bedford as the victim of a fatal pedestrian strike on Mill Street on June 4. A cab had just dropped her off near her home when cab footage shows her wandering into the roadway as a tractor-trailer was passing. The operator remained on scene and cooperated with investigators. Massachusetts State Police continue the active investigation. Our thoughts are with her family. (WBSM)
Karen Read Drops 87-Page Lawsuit in Fall River Courthouse
The Karen Read saga is far from over. On June 4, Read filed an 87-page civil complaint in Bristol Superior Court – right here in Fall River – suing the Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police Department. The suit alleges a “culture of bias and corruption” in both agencies. Bombshell text messages were released with the filing, prompting statements from the Norfolk County DA, Canton PD, and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police. This one’s going to be a slow-motion freight train for months. (WHDH)
Six Dogs Abandoned in Crates on Reynolds Ave, Rehoboth
Someone left six small dogs in crates on the side of Reynolds Avenue in Rehoboth early Friday morning – dumped in two separate groups near Glenmore Lane and near #150. Rehoboth Animal Control Officers recovered all six and brought them to the Rehoboth Animal Shelter. If you recognize the dogs or have any information, contact Patrolman Nicholas Bellavance at 508-252-3722 ext. 1173 or nbellavance@rehobothpd.org. Whoever did this deserves to sit in a crate on the side of the road for a while.
Westport Shooting, Multiple Arraignments in Fall River Courts
A teen was injured in a Westport shooting this week; a man connected to the incident was arraigned in Fall River Superior Court and released on personal recognizance on firearm charges. Separately, an 18-year-old Fall River teen was released on personal recognizance on drug and firearm charges after a CAST Unit Detective arrest. South Coast courts were busy. Speaking of which – this classic story of the Fall River dealer who folded when a cop bluffed about having a dog (there was no dog) remains one for the ages.
🤦 Stupid Criminals Corner
Ma’am, Those Are Pre-Chewed Fries
Out of Southbridge – technically outside our usual territory, but this one is simply too South Coast energy to skip. Kaylie Santos, 22, a former McDonald’s manager, has been charged with Distributing Food with a Harmful Substance after a viral video appeared to show her chewing french fries, placing them back in a customer’s fry box, and handing it through the drive-thru window.
The customer? Her ex’s new girlfriend. Santos was caught on video allegedly saying, “When your girlfriend wants French fries today, right.” before serving the tainted order. Court documents also allege she spit into the container.
She pleaded not guilty at arraignment Friday. Pretrial hearing set for July 31. Listen – heartbreak makes people do questionable things. But there are other options. (Fall River Reporter)
🔍 Mystery & Unbelievable Story of the Week
‘Chelsea Jane Doe’ Finally Has a Name: Tiffany Bradley
In one of the most haunting cold case breakthroughs in Massachusetts history, the victim known for 26 years only as “Chelsea Jane Doe” has been identified as Tiffany Bradley, a 16-year-old from Allentown, Pennsylvania.
On November 13, 2000, Bradley’s dismembered remains were discovered in a blanket in a Chelsea parking lot. She had been decapitated, cut in half, and had her hands removed. Additional remains were found buried at Nahant Beach. Eugene McCollom, then living in Lynn, quickly confessed and was convicted of second-degree murder in 2005. He is serving a life sentence.
And yet, despite the killer being behind bars, Tiffany Bradley remained unidentified for 26 years. She was believed to be a victim of human trafficking, brought to the Boston area from Pennsylvania just days after she was reported missing. Traditional identification methods – composite sketches, fingerprints – all failed.
The breakthrough came in 2026 through investigative genetic genealogy by the FBI’s Cold Case Team, working alongside Massachusetts State Police and partner agencies. Her family can finally say her name. FBI officials said at the announcement: “We can finally say her name, Tiffany Bradley.” She was a joyful athlete who played basketball and was active in ROTC. She deserved better than 26 years of anonymity. At least now she has her name back. (New Bedford Guide)
Thanks for reading Southcoast Pulse. If something in here made you laugh, rage, or actually get off the couch – mission accomplished. Share this with a neighbor. Forward it to the person who keeps saying nothing ever happens around here.
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