Boston Events

Boston’s calendar is jam-packed year-round with special events around the city. Whether dusting off your lawn chair for the city’s parades, wearing red, white, and blue for the 4th of July in Boston, or bundling up for the Christmas festivities, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy. Pick a season, any season, and chances are Boston has the perfect event for you. 

Boston Events

With all the special events that happen around Boston you’ll never be bored, no matter what time of year you visit.  Some of the longer-standing events are known throughout the country, such as America’s oldest annual race, the Boston Marathon. Other events, such as rowing competitions, wine and food festivals, parades galore, and continual musical and theatrical productions, though less famous, are still a guaranteed good time for all. And, in a city like Boston, any sports game day, college or professional, is sure to be an event in itself. Take a look at the following sampling of Boston events.

Winter Events in Boston

Boston winter means frigid cold and snowstorms for this New England city, but no matter the forecast, Bostonians still enjoy a celebration. 

Despite the cold, Boston will be bright and cheery throughout the holiday season, starting with the annual tradition of turning on Christmas lights at Boston Common, the Public Garden and Commonwealth Avenue Mall.  The wintery energy continues as Colonial Era comes alive in mid-December with the 1773 Boston Tea Party Re-enactment.

Boston is also home to the largest and oldest alcohol-free New Year’s Eve celebration of the art, First Night. Meanwhile, crowds fill the streets of Downtown Boston to enjoy more than 200 indoor and outdoor theatre performances, followed by a midnight firework’s show. The celebration continues into New Year’s Day as Boston’s L-Street Brownies, a senior citizens group of swimmers, plunge into the icy waters at Carson Beach.

In February, The Chinese New Year celebrations are just as festive as those in January and bring color and joy to Boston’s Chinatown. Later in the month, the Boston Wine Expo warms the blood of worldwide wine aficionados by popping more than 450 wineries pop the cork on over 1800 varieties.

Spring Events in Boston

When spring is in the air, Boston fills with energy and events that will delight visitors and locals of all ages. The warm season welcomes New England Flower Show, the third largest indoor garden show in the world. Then, one of the most beloved days in Boston comes to town—St. Patrick’s Day.  St. Patrick’s Day in Boston is famous around the country for its celebration of Irish Culture by dyeing the Charles River green and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. 

In April, get ready to enjoy some of Boston’s most famous sporting events with the Red Sox opening day at Fenway Park and the Boston Marathon.  The Boston Marathon draws a crowd of more than 500,000 spectators and participants to the city to take part in the world’s oldest marathon race of its kind.  The Boston Marathon falls on the third Monday of April each year, and coincides with Patriots’ Day.  The holiday is unique to New England and includes a full calendar of regional festivities and reenactments, including Paul Revere’s historic Ride.

May flowers bring family-friendly events to Boston during the Great Boston Kite Festival and Duckling Day Parade, a Mother’s Day waddle of baby ducks from Beacon Hill to the Public Garden lagoon.

Summer Events in Boston

During the summer, all of Boston comes out into the sunshine to celebrate some of the most fun-filled holidays and parades of the year.

June welcomes two popular, family-friendly parades. The Dorchester Parade is an afternoon celebration of the 1630 founding of this New England colony. The Bunker Hill Weekend commemorates the battle of Charleston with a weekend of entertaining activity with a grand finish parade on Bunker Hill.

Another June event is the Boston Gay Pride Week, featuring the largest gay pride event in New England.  This exciting week also features entertainment, shopping and several community events throughout Boston.

In a town celebrated for its contributions to independence, there’s no better time to visit Boston than for the annual Harborfest. Each yea, right before the 4^th of July, Boston kicks off a week’s worth of Revolutionary War tributes, children’s performances, musicals, and re-enactments.  The week’s worth of events, including a Chowderfest, culminate in a fireworks display over the Charles River.

Fall Events in Boston

Boston Fall Events are as colorful and diversely appealing as the changing of the autumn foliage.

The season starts off with a bang as thousands of demonstrators for the legalization of marijuana band together for the controversial Freedom Rally in Boston Common.

For an event that captures the essence of Boston pride and American history, check out the 3-day Columbus Day weekend celebration. Start with the Columbus Day Parade, and then move south to the Massachusetts Cranberry Harvest Festival, the nation’s oldest county fair.

Finally, experience Thanksgiving in Boston by participating in the annual Pilgrim’s Walk in nearby Plymouth and tuning in to watch the New England Patriots play.

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