City Hall Plaza Events And Programs
As the epicenter of the City of Boston, City Hall Plaza is a place where Boston residents and visitors can experience arts and cultural events.
The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture funds free festivals, performances, and more on City Hall Plaza for all to enjoy.
City Hall Plaza is easily accessible by the Green, Blue, Red, Orange, and Silver lines of the MBTA, and just a short walk from North and South Stations.
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Still have questions? Contact:
Arts and Culture
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26 Court Street
Floor 2Boston, MA 02108
City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant
The City Hall Plaza Engagement Grant application is now open!
See your community arts event come to life on Boston City Hall Plaza. We're funding events and event series for fall 2026 that are free and open to the public, and that celebrate Boston’s diverse communities, ignite the arts, and reimagine this iconic space.
Before you apply, read the grant guidelines and review the frequently asked questions.
Deadline: Friday, April 3, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
Fiesta en la Plaza, Ágora Cultural Architects, 2025. Photo by Annielly Camargo.
Spaces on City Hall Plaza
Speaker's Corner
This area is ideal for speeches, remarks, poetry readings, protests, and other public gatherings.
Civic Pavilion
This is a flexible, rentable facility facing Congress Street that is equipped with a restroom and other facilities. It can host gallery exhibits, workshops, panel discussions, and more. It includes a 40x60’ covered stage and has vehicular service access.
Main Plaza
The main event space on the plaza is a large, paved area that accommodates up to 12,000 visitors. It can be used for large-scale programs like festivals, ice skating, markets, and more.
Plaza Circle
The Plaza Circle is a "plug and play" location suitable for smaller events. It is located near the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Federal Building.
North Terrace
The North Terrace is another "plug and play" location suitable for smaller events. It is situated on the roof of the Civic Pavilion and features a view of Hanover St. and Congress St. from above.
Hanover Steps
The Hanover Steps offer a "plug and play" location for small performances and events with amphitheater-style seating.
Past Seasons
Past Seasons| Event title | Date(s) | Description |
| if you can Feel It, you can Speak It | Monthly on second Sundays | An open mic series dedicated to the voices and experiences of LGBTQIA2+ communities of color and allies. |
| One Boston, Many Stories Festival | July 20, 2025 | This dynamic festival brought together four unique cultural districts: the Latin Quarter, Fenway Cultural District, Roxbury Cultural District, and Boston Little Saigon. Attendees immersed themselves in the vibrant cultural mosaic of Boston through food, performances, and more. |
| Slam Theatre | July 24, 2025 | Slam Theatre, created by Jamaal Eversley, celebrated Boston’s vibrant and eclectic theater arts scene. The event featured performances by some of the City’s best actors, poets, musicians, and storytellers. The show consisted of four 10-minute plays by local playwrights, including known and up-and-coming writers. |
| Bridgeside Cypher | August 2, 2025 | A one-day hip hop event focusing on a freestyle rap circle in the heart of City Hall Plaza. |
| 3 Days of Chess |
August 3, 10, and 17, 2025 |
An all-ages series from Jamaica Plain Chess offering workshops led by Boston-based chess masters, and an unrated chess tournament open to the public. |
| FreeVerse |
Monthly on fourth Thursdays |
A monthly series of open mic events including youth showcases, spoken word, poetry, DJ sets, musical performances, and standup comedy. |
| Fiesta en la Plaza | September 28, 2025 and October 12, 2025 | A two-day festival celebrating Latinx heritage organized by Ágora Cultural Architects, with musical, film, dance, and more. |
| Spicetober Fest | October 18, 2025 | An all ages, one-day festival celebrating Boston's culinary and cultural heritage with local food vendors. |
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RESET: Rhythms of the City |
October 19, 2025 | An event uniting art forms from across Boston. Through music, dance, and interactive drumming, RESET reclaimed public space through collective expression that invited participants to reconnect with ancestral roots. |
| Rock the Plaza | October 26, 2025 | An afternoon of music, empowerment, and fun celebrating women who rock and featuring two live bands. |
| The Blair Project | October 31, 2025 | A Halloween party and concert that highlighted creative women in the Greater Boston Area through Halloween festivities that featured an all-women line-up of DJs, artists and entertainers. |
| Visual Language | November 13, 2025 | An evening of projections and poetry highlighting artwork by AFH artists that reimagines historical Boston heroes and unsung heroes in a fresh, unexpected, and powerful way. |
| Boots with the Fur | November 15, 2025 | An all day soul and country line dance festival on City Hall Plaza. There were soul & country dance workshops from the best of the best, followed by a one-of-a-kind social dance bringing together dancers from every corner of our city. |
| Event title | Date(s) | Description |
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Open Your Heart: Immigrant Stories from Boston and Beyond |
March 16, 2024 | A documentary screening and live music event following the story of ZUMIX youth who embarked on a creative, year-long research and performance project about immigrant stories. |
| if you can Feel It, you can Speak it Open Mic | Monthly on second Sundays | An open mic series dedicated to the voices and experiences of LGBTQIA2+ communities of color and allies. |
| 617 Day | June 17, 2024 | A celebration of Boston’s diverse ecosystem of local music, artistry, and identity featuring music performances highlighting local artists in folk, rock, and R&B. |
| 5 Days of Chess | July 7, 14, and 28, August 4 and 11, 2024 | A series of four all-ages chess workshops taught by Boston-based chess masters, followed by an unrated chess tournament. |
| Slam Theatre | July 11, 2024 | An evening of 10-minute plays by local playwrights exploring themes of American culture and Afrocentricity. |
| FUTURE FEST | August 3, 2024 | An immersive journey into the future that transformed the Plaza through multi-sensory live performances, participatory light art, and DJ sets. |
| GLD FSTVL ‘24 | August 10, 2024 | A music festival that amplifies hip-hop culture by showcasing live music performances, DJs, dancers, and food and retail vendors. |
| Fiesta en la Plaza | September 15, 19, and 27, 2024 | A three-day series of events to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month featuring Latin music, vendors, film screenings, dance lessons, and more. |
| Commonwealth Fest | October 12, 2024 | A hip-hop festival celebrating artists from Boston and beyond. |
| Event title | Date(s) | Description |
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Portraits of Pride |
June 2023 |
Portraits of Pride is the Boston LGBTQ+ Museum’s signature annual public art exhibition, showcasing commissioned portraits of LGBTQ+ leaders. This impactful initiative celebrates the achievements, resilience, and contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals while fostering visibility and representation. In 2023, Portraits of Pride returned to Boston City Hall Plaza with 26 newly commissioned portraits. |
| Open Your Heart: Immigrant Stories and Music from Boston and Beyond | June 30, 2023 | A production created by Hoopla Productions in collaboration with ZUMIX that celebrated immigrant vibrancy and resilience through stories, music, dance, and food. |
| Boston Urban Pride’s Music and Arts Festival | July 2, 2023 | Organized by Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation in collaboration with Diggity Dom, this event featured a showcase of local QTBIPOC emerging artists who are launching into the Boston music scene. |
| 5 Days of Chess | July 2, 9, 16, and 23, & August 6, 2023 | A series of four free chess workshops and a free chess tournament at City Hall Plaza hosted by JP Chess. |
| Beats by Girlz Festival | July 8, 2023 | This event brought together girls, women, and gender-expansive folks in a celebration of live music and the arts, with the mission of addressing the systems of inequity within the music industry through education, networking, and performances. |
| GLD FSTVL '23 | August 12, 2023 | This day-long event brought together artists, DJs, food, local vendors, and most importantly the Boston community, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. |
| Activating Art | August 17, 24, and 31 & September 7 and 10, 2023 | Hosted by Boston Music Award winner Amanda Shea, this series of panels culminated in a festival on the final day. The sessions centered art as a vehicle for social change and each featured a different local non-profit. |
| Resilience Builder Summer Program Showcase and Celebration | August 18, 2023 | A showcase of films by young people exploring the theme of climate change from their lives and perspectives. |
| The Beantown Get Down Hip Hop Dance Event | August 19, 2023 | This event offered an intergenerational opportunity for Boston’s young people to learn from Hip Hop legends through Teen and Adult battles, a Hip Hop cypher (a freestyle dance circle), and a Judges’ Showcase with artists Ramiro Vaughan “Purpose,” MegaTron, and Krucial. The project brought together local residents and dancers of all backgrounds, dance knowledge, and artistic abilities to celebrate Hip Hop dance styles developed in the 1980's. |
| Fiesta en la Plaza 2023 | September 12, 22, and 23, & October 5 and 14, 2023 | Ágora Cultural Architects hosted a five-day series of arts and cultural events honoring Latinx Heritage Month including musical programming, dance, poetry readings, and film screenings representing traditions and expressions from Mexico, South America and the Caribbean, performed by local and international artists and performers. |
| Boston Caribbean Fashion Week: Avant Garde Design Show | October 18, 2023 | This event kicked off the 10th annual Boston Caribbean Fashion Week, featuring an Avant Garde design competition with work by local designers. |
Latest News
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Relevant Links
Relevant LinksWho's Involved
Who's InvolvedThe Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture collaborates with other City departments and agencies such as the Mayor's Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment to program the Plaza. The Property Management Department acts as the custodian of the Plaza.
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Still have questions? Contact:
Arts and Culture
-
26 Court Street
Floor 2Boston, MA 02108
