EXPLORE BOSTON AND DON’T MISS A THING DURING 2024
Boston has no shortage of events and activities to participate in and attend throughout the year, from celebrations of the city’s (and the country’s) history to cultural festivals and sports competitions. For a rundown of them, peruse the following list, which is broken down by month. Most events are family-friendly and open to all ages, and many are free.
January
A great way to warm up in the middle of winter (or at least produce some rosiness in your cheeks) is with the Boston Wine & Food Festival. Featuring brunches, dinners, tastings, classes, seminars, and “wine tours” (where you sample vintages from different international vineyards), the 12-week-long Wine & Food Festival will leave your spirit soaring and your mouth watering. Most of its events take place at the Boston Harbor Hotel.
February
Are you a hockey fan? For the last 70 years, the Beanpot hockey tournament has been held on the first two Mondays in February, with teams from Boston University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, and Boston College competing. The tournament takes place at the TD Garden arena.
March
What would Boston be without the Irish? Not only does Boston have the highest percentage of Americans with Irish ancestry of any major metropolitan area, but the city was the site of the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1737. The parade that takes place these days began in 1901. Since then, the Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been an annual tradition held on the eponymous holiday in the traditionally Irish neighborhoods of South Boston and Dorchester. Running 3.2 miles, this popular event lasts about two hours and is commemorated with many specials at Boston Irish bars and pubs.
April
Given Boston’s extensive Revolutionary War history and important role in the founding of the United States, Patriot’s Day is especially relevant in Boston, where celebrations commemorate the day when some of the earliest American patriots and famous Founding Fathers fought the British at Lexington and Concord. There’s a reenactment of the battle in Lexington, along with anniversary ceremonies and cannon firings.
Of course, what would Patriot’s Day be without a reenactment of Paul Revere’s famous Midnight Ride to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming? Unlike the real ride, which took place at night, the reenactment is held during the day and takes a slightly different route, starting from Paul Revere’s house in the North End of Boston, one of the city’s most famous historical sites.
Patriot’s Day is also the day of the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest marathon and one of its most important road races, which attracts 500,000 visitors and about 30,000 participants annually and has seen four record times set in its 125-year history. The Marathon starts in suburban Hopkinton and ends at the Public Library in Boston’s Copley Square.
Beyond Patriot’s Day, April is the beginning of the season for public activities on the city’s picturesque Esplanade, the narrow strip of land along the Charles River fronting Back Bay and Beacon Hill. Things to do include free concerts at the Esplanade’s Hatch Memorial Band Shell (including the Fireworks Spectacular with the Boston Pops orchestra; see July, below), free outdoor movie screenings, sailing, kayaking, bicycling, jogging, and viewing the foliage (including dozens of cherry trees in the spring and leaves in the fall).
May
Every year for more than a century, Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum botanical garden has held Lilac Sunday, a rain-or-shine spring event that showcases the 408 lilac plants the 281-acre nature preserve boasts. Free for all visitors, Lilac Sunday is the only day of the year when picnicking is allowed on the Arboretum grounds, located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston.
June
The start of summer in Boston sees the city celebrate Gay Pride with the Boston Gay Pride weekend, featuring a flag-raising ceremony and block parties in and around the city’s South End and Back Bay neighborhoods. If you’re an ice cream fan, the Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl at Patriot Place in Foxborough is the nation’s largest all-you-can-eat ice cream festival, where you can sample delicious frozen desserts while watching live entertainment and raising money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Scooper Bowl traditionally takes place on a Saturday in the middle of June.
July
Every July 4th, the Boston Pops perform at the Esplanade Hatch Memorial Shell (see the month of April, above), complete with a spectacular fireworks display over the Charles River. Boats, canoes, and up to a million spectators crowd the shores of the river, hoping to get a great vantage point to see the fireworks. It’s usually one of the best days (and nights) to be outside in the summer in Boston, but if you want to secure a good spot to spread a picnic blanket, you’d better get there early (maybe even before 8 a.m.)! Along with the July 4th celebration on the Esplanade, the Boston Harborfest is a series of family-friendly events taking place over the July 4th weekend that include live entertainment, historical reenactments, boat tours, and more.
Have you ever wanted to see New York City’s Shakespeare in the Park performances in Central Park, but without a crowd of tens of thousands? Boston’s Shakespeare on the Common offers many of the same plays, but with less of the crowds and the New York attitude. Put on by the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, the outdoor shows are held in the evenings on the Boston Common for approximately two weeks from the end of July to early August.