Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival · Oak Bluffs, every August
Acceptance letters arrive weeks out. Vineyard lodging books months — sometimes a year — ahead. This page is the shortlist of places where late rooms actually surface, so you can start calling today instead of scrolling.
Tell us what you need — 5-minute survey
Screened at a festival this year? Whether you found a place, stayed with friends, commuted
in, or never found anything at all — your answers decide what gets built next.
Have a room to offer? List it here.
There is no online waitlist at any of these. You get on the list by phone. Give your dates, leave a number, ask to be called when something opens — then do the same at the next one.
HI Martha's Vineyard Hostel
508-693-2665The cheapest bed on the island, and the one most people don't know exists. 525 Edgartown–West Tisbury Road, open May through late September. Dorms for women, men and co-ed, plus private rooms sleeping two to six — one with a half ensuite. Guest kitchen, lounge, firepit, free parking and wifi. It's in West Tisbury rather than Oak Bluffs, but there's a bus stop directly out front and a bike path behind, so you're not paying for rides the way you would from a house out here. Two limits to know: no pets, and a 14-night maximum per calendar year.
Beds and bookingMartha's Vineyard Lodging Association
Start hereThe island's inns and small hotels, in one member list. They publish a guide to the properties closest to the festival venue — Nobnocket, Mansion House, Crocker Inn, Charles & Charles, Tivoli Inn, Oak Bluffs Inn, Edgar Hotel.
Closest hotels to the festivalPequot Hotel
508-693-5087Welcoming guests since 1914, 32 rooms among the gingerbread cottages. One block from the beach, four from the ferry, three from Circuit Avenue — and the closest hotel on this page to Inkwell Beach. Breakfast included, and generally the most reasonably priced hotel of the Oak Bluffs group. Three buildings around a courtyard, so ask which one when you call.
Rooms and ratesThe Attleboro House
508-693-434642 Lake Avenue, right on the Oak Bluffs harbor and set among the gingerbread cottages. Built in 1874 and fully renovated in 2018, with standard and deluxe rooms plus stays in the original cottages themselves. Shops, restaurants and the beach are a few minutes' walk. Ask about bathrooms when you call — old Victorian guest houses on this street often share them, and the site doesn't say either way.
Rooms and ratesDockside Inn
508-693-296622 rooms on Oak Bluffs Harbor at 9 Circuit Avenue Extension, steps from the ferry, restaurants and buses. Note the website address — it's vineyardinns.com, not a dockside domain. Rooms open onto a wraparound balcony; several have harbor views, and the surrounding streets stay lively late.
Rooms and ratesMartha's Vineyard Surfside Hotel
508-693-25007 Oak Bluffs Avenue — family-owned since 1987, walking distance to the ferry terminal, Circuit Avenue and Inkwell Beach. Pet-friendly, with on-site parking and a bike rack.
Rooms and ratesMadison Inn
Call todayA locally owned in-town hotel three minutes' walk from the Oak Bluffs ferry, close to the Gingerbread Cottages, Ocean Park, Union Chapel and Inkwell Beach. Beach gear provided.
Rooms and ratesWhole homes, cottages and rooms. Work the blue ones first — they can be booked or answered the same day.
Martha's Vineyard Rentals (by owner)
Book directHomes, cottages and rooms listed by their owners, with no booking fee. You can filter by arrival date, length of stay and nightly rate, and message the owner directly — which is how short-notice gaps get filled.
Search by dates and rateSandcastle Realty — Specials page
Check dailyAn Edgartown agency running 300+ island properties, with a standing specials page for last-minute deals and cancellations. Their Facebook page posts drops directly — one recent Oak Bluffs cancellation went from $6,200 to $4,700 for the week. This page changes constantly; bookmark it and check it every day.
See current specialsMartha's Vineyard Vacation Rentals (MVVR)
Agent-managedA long-running island rental agency with 300+ homes across Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, Chilmark and West Tisbury. Agencies hold the cancellations. Call and ask to be told about August drops.
See the agency's homesPortfolio Properties Martha's Vineyard
Agent-managedAn Edgartown agency with a listed rental portfolio in Oak Bluffs, Edgartown and West Tisbury; ask for Ashley Killian, who handles rental bookings. Note the format before you call: many of these run Friday-to-Friday with a seven-night minimum, so a four-night festival stay may not fit.
See available homesMartha's Vineyard Rentals — owner page on Facebook
Watch the feedA by-owner booking page where island hosts post availability. Follow it so new posts reach your feed rather than requiring you to go looking.
Follow the pageVrbo — Martha's Vineyard
Book instantlyWorth a daily re-check rather than a single search. Cancellations reappear as bookable inventory, often at odd night counts that suit a festival run.
Check current availabilityAirbnb — Martha's Vineyard
Book instantlySame approach. Widen to Vineyard Haven and Edgartown before you widen your budget — the #1 bus route connects them to the venue.
Check current availabilityThis is where island vacancies and cancellations get posted first — often hours after a guest drops out. Some of these are public and some are private. A public group opens straight from the link. A private one will only show you a preview and a request-to-join button; a moderator has to approve you, and that can take days you won't have in July. Join now, in the spring, before you need anything.
Two of the groups above — HBCU Alumni and Greeks — are affiliation groups, and they work differently from the rental boards. A room that never gets posted publicly moves through people who already claim you. Search Facebook for groups tied to your own affiliations and ask there too:
A post that starts "I'm a fellow [alum / member / parishioner] screening at MVAAFF and need a bed for four nights" gets answered. A cold post in a general group usually doesn't. Read each group's pinned rules before you post — many island groups ban commercial or solicitation posts, and a rule-breaking post gets you removed.
Dates, submissions, and the wider circuit — for planning next year's run while you're still on this one.
MVAAFF
FestivalDates, screenings and events. Nine days at the Martha's Vineyard Performing Arts Center, 100 Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road, Oak Bluffs.
Festival siteMVAAFF on FilmFreeway
SubmissionsSubmission windows and eligibility. The festival is Academy-accredited and Oscar-qualifying in the short film category.
Submission detailsWrapbook — BIPOC film festivals
CircuitA maintained list of festivals for Black, Indigenous and filmmakers of colour, including the Baltimore International Black Film Festival and others beyond the usual names.
Browse the listBlack Film Space — orgs supporting Black filmmakers
CommunityA maintained list of organizations, collectives and foundations, from BHERC to The Blackhouse Foundation.
See the listRather talk to someone? Call (347) 537-6266 and leave a message — we return every call.