This summer, press pause, rewind and head outside for a new music festival that’s sure to draw a crowd. First, let’s take a quick jump back into the late ’90s – baggy denim was all the rage, midriffs were out, flip phones were a thing and SkateFest was being held outdoors at The Palladium and doing quite well. Come 2005, however, new management comes in, causing SkateFest to move venues, leaving the music hall’s parking lots filled with, well, cars for the years to come.

Now, summer 2018 (filled with various patterns and prints and vintage-yet-chic looks), The Palladium will be moving outdoors once again to host a new event: The Cranking and Skanking Festival on Saturday, Aug. 25. Featuring Boston’s famous ska punk band, The Mighty Mighty BossToneS, and special guests Toots & The Maytals, The Bouncing Souls, Fishbone, The Pietasters, The Planet Smashers and many more, the festival will shake up the parking lot behind the music hall

Playing a venue so close to home leaves Dicky Barrett, frontman of The Mighty Mighty BossToneS, looking forward to seeing friends and family. The venue also has the potential to draw fans from near and far due to it’s location and notoriety

“Worcester is a classic working-class New England city that historically loves its rock and roll. They welcomed this idea and The Mighty Mighty BossToneS with open arms,” Barrett said. “As far as venues go, The Palladium is a national treasure that has a long, strong list of epic events under it’s belt. Lowell said ‘no’ – I’m kidding!”

The parking lot will be transformed with water stations, outdoor restrooms, various craft beer selections and everything from barbecue to vegan vendors – a little something for everyone! Some of the vendors for the festival include Riverwalk, Castle Island, Berkshire Brew and Jack’s Abby.

Unlike your typical food truck or music festival, Kimberly Carter, Palladium marketing assistant, said the goal is to “bring it all together into one thing and make for an awesome day for everybody.” The event will be welcoming to all ages.

For those unfamiliar, The Mighty Mighty BossToneS made their way into the music scene in the early 1980s, sometimes being credited as one of the progenitors of the ska punk genre and its subgenre, ska core. The genre mixes elements of ska (precursor to rocksteady and reggae), punk rock and hardcore. You might recognize them from their appearance in the cult classic movie Clueless. Fun fact: The band’s most streamed song on Spotify is the notorious “The Impression That I Get,” with more than 35 million streams and counting!

After seven years, the band recently released a new album, While We’re At It, on June 15. So keep your ears tuned for some new kickers, hopefully some oldies and the band’s typical “all-out assault” accompanied by the bells and whistles fans have come to appreciate.

Barrett described the new album as a thorough examination and complete evaluation of all things that currently interest and amuse the band, while also being an analytical breakdown of everything that has happened both politically and culturally in the world since the early ’60s. However, he said, it could just be a bunch of songs they slapped together because they thought they sounded good.

With The Cranking and Skanking Festival being the last stop on The Mighty Mighty BossToneS summer tour, the festival is the band’s way of showing the New England area some summertime love through the creation of a new – and hopefully annual – event. But don’t just come for The Mighty Mighty BossToneS, there will be plenty of other great bands as well!

“You never know what you’re going to get from Fishbone but always look forward to pure and unfiltered entertainment,” Barrett said. “Canada’s Planet Smashers never disappoint. Big D and The Kids Table have been added and are anxious to show the uninformed just how they’ve achieved Boston Ska Legend status. It’s important to be there on time to see Buster Shuffle from London, England. We’ve been touring around with them lately, and they are – for lack of a better word – brilliant.”

Throw it back a little and crank and skank to new and old music, try the food and enjoy a beer! If you’re really feeling it, maybe even break out your old Converse and pair it with some baggy jeans.

“Expect it to be a lot of fun and a really great day filled with tremendous music. I expect it to be well attended – please don’t let me down people,” Barrett said.

Tickets are available at thepalladium.net; visit bosstonesmusic.com for more information about The Mighty Mighty BossToneS.

Savanah Hippert