Thanks to several grants from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Program, two beach festivals will be staged in Dorchester next month. Dorchester-based groups Friends of Savin Hill Shores and the Port Norfolk Civic Association received over $15,000 in grants for the Dorchester Beach Festival and Tenean Beach Family Fun Day. Overall, the Better Beaches Program awarded over $200,000 in grants to 35 beachfront communities and organizations.

The first-ever Tenean Beach Family Fun Day is set for Saturday, August 8th from 2 to 7 p.m. The Dorchester Beach Festival, which started in 2008, will be held at Savin Hill beach on Saturday, August 29 from 2 to 9 p.m

“The Tenean Beach festival is a first, and we expect the neighborhood to have a good chance to pull together,” said Bruce Berman of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

“The Dorchester Beach Festival is back by popular demand. Running these events can be a challenge, as they are large and run primarily by volunteers, but they’re a great way to celebrate on a spectacular beach,” said Berman. “The purpose of our beaches program is to make it possible for people to run programs in their neighborhoods that their citizens want.”

Music at the Tenean Beach Family Fun Day will be provided by DJ Ed Regal, while the Sausage Guy from Fenway Park will be among the food vendors. Children’s activities include face-painting, bounce houses, and various arts and crafts sponsored by Dot Art. The festival is free and open to all Dorchester residents.

The Savin Hill festival will also be family-themed, featuring a variety of activities geared towards children, such as face-painting, arts and crafts run by Dot Art, shoreline expeditions lead by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay naturalists, as well as a Traveling Tidepool from the New England Aquarium and animals from Zoo New England. Magic 106.7 as well as popular busker Keytar Bear will be providing music , while Polar Beverages, Cabot Cheese, and Zico Coconut Water will be handing out free samples of their products.

From 5 to 9 p.m., the festival will be geared more towards adults and young adults with live music as The Beachcombovers and Melvern Taylor and His Fabulous Meltones open for headliner Rock Bottom, lawn games including a giant game of Operation and Connect Four, and food trucks. Like the Tenean Beach event, the festival is free and open to all Dorchester residents.