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

Arts and Entertainment

The Symphony Hall

301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, 02115
(617) 266 1492
The hall is home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Handel and Haydn Society and also the Boston Pops. The acoustics are particularly impressive during the many concerts, which include classical, jazz and popular music.

Berklee Performance Center

136 Massachusetts Avenue

617-266-7455

This Back Bay venue seats 1,220 and hosts jazz, pop, folk, and world music concerts by international performers.

Hatch Shell

Enbankment Road

617-727-9547

The Boston Pops gives free concerts here in early July. The highlight is the July 4th concert with fireworks.

Jordan Hall

30 Gainsborough Street (one block west of Symphony Hall)

617-536-2412

This acoustically perfect venue in the New England Conservatory, showcases the Boston Philharmonic, Boston Baroque, Cantata Singers, and Boston Gay Men’s Chorus.

Sanders Theatre

Quincy Street at Cambridge Street

617-496-2222

A 1200 seat neo-Gothic theater with classical and world music.

Ballet Theater of Boston

400 Harvard Street

Cambridge

617-354-7467

The company performs classical and contemporary ballet.

Boston Lyric Opera Company

400 Harvard Street

617-542-6772

Several productions a year at the Shubert Theater.

Wang Center for the Performing Arts

270 Tremont Street

617-482-9393

A 1920s theater used for performances by the impressive Boston Ballet.

Boston Center for the Arts

539 Tremont Street

617-426-7700

Three stages house several contemporary theater companies.

Shubert Theater

265 Tremont Street

Founded in 1910, and still located in the heart of the theater district, the Shubert produces major pre-and post-Broadway shows.