Boston Events

Boston Events and Festivals

The Marshfield Annual Fair, the Chowderfest, the Boston Pops concerts and St. Patrick's Day celebrations are just a few of the great number of spectacular events that complement this most famous city. There are also many popular festivities that take place in nearby Cambridge.

January
New Year's Day - January 1st, see the L-Street Brownies, a group of elderly swimmers (many in their eighties and nineties) take their annual plunge in the icy waters at South Boston's Carson Beach

February
Boston's Chinatown - mid-February, Chinese New Year celebrations
Boston Wine Festival - held at the Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf, includes a rare wine auction and the Anthony Spinazzola Gala, New England's premier culinary event
The Museum of Afro-American History - in conjunction with the New England Conservatory of Music, celebrates Black History Month
Ice Hockey - several Sundays, the annual Beanpot Hockey Tournament between college teams
March
St. Patrick's Day Parade - March 17th, big celebrations throughout Boston. Also Evacuation Day, commemorating the expulsion of British troops from South Boston by General Washington in 1776

April
The Red Sox - another hopeful season at Fenway Park
Swan Boats - the return of the swan boats in the Public Garden is a real sign of spring
Patriot's Day - the Monday nearest April 19th, re-enactments of Paul Revere's famous ride from Hanover Street in Boston's North End to Lexington
Boston Marathon - on Patriot's Day, the Boston Athletic Association fills the streets with runners from Hopkinton to the Back Bay

May
Great Boston Kite Festival - mid-May, this event is held at Franklin Park
Arnold Arboretum - celebrations of the 400 varieties of lilac in bloom, on 'Lilac Sunday'
Ducklings - from Beacon Hill to the Public Garden lagoon, people 'make way for ducklings' during their Mother's Day waddle

June
Boston Early Music Festival - early June, this week-long event takes place biannually in odd-number years. It features dozens of lectures, classes and performance of a rare, fully-staged baroque opera
Bunker Hill Weekend - mid-June, weekend of activities culminating in a parade on Bunker Hill, remembering the battle in Charlestown
Boston Globe Jazz Festival - lasting a week, at venues throughout the city
Fourth of July celebration - late June / early July, Boston's annual Harborfest includes a concert with fireworks over the harbor

July
Boston Pops Concert and Fireworks Display - early July, a musical extravaganza at the Hatch Shell
Chowderfest - sample New England clam chowder from Boston's best restaurants
Civil War Battle Re-enactments - weekend closest to July 18, held at the Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment Memorial on the Common
Lowell Folk Festival - late July, more than 100,000 music-lovers make their way to Lowell for this festival
Marblehead's Race Week - end of July, attracting boats from all along the Eastern seaboard

August
Dragon parade - mid-August, this parade through Chinatown is part of the August Mood Festival

September
Cambridge River Festival - mid-September, numerous events; takes place along the Charles River
North End 'Feasts' - the North End honors a variety of saints with great food and music (Italian)

October
Columbus Day Parade - early October, this parade travels from East Boston to the North End
Massachusetts Cranberry Harvest Festival - Columbus Day weekend, held in both Plymouth and neighboring South Carver's Edaville Cranberry Bog. The nation's oldest county fair, the Topsfield Fair, recalls the area's farm heritage
The Bruins and Celtics both start their basketball seasons

November
Pilgrim's Stroll - weekend before Thanksgiving, modern-day Pilgrims walk through Plymouth's historic homes
Boston Ballet's Nutcracker - late November to early January, the start of another season

December
December Lights - trees in the shopping centers and on Boston Common are covered in thousands of tiny lights - and also on the big evergreen in front of the Prudential Center
Newbury Street Holiday Stroll - entertains shoppers with music, food and holiday activities
Boston Tea Party Re-enactment - mid-December, this event takes places at the Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum and also in Cambridge at Harvard's Sanders Theater
Holiday Celebrations - general festivities, including music at Faneuil Hall, dance and folk plays from around the world
New Year's Eve - this is a full day and night of outdoor and indoor concerts and festivities, culminating in fireworks over Boston Harbor