A fun, family-friendly street festival celebrating the rich cultural traditions and contributions of Boston's Polish-American community. There will be Polish food and beer vendors, and, of course, polka music! This year marks the 100th anniversary of the re-establishment of the country of Poland. 

Event is FREE and open to all. 

The Neighborhood Coffee Hours give residents a unique opportunity to speak directly with Mayor Walsh about open space and other needs in their neighborhoods.

For more information and updates on possible weather cancelations, please contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505. There's also a full schedule of Mayor Walsh's 2017 Neighborhood Coffee Hours.

Join a rousing chorus of sea chanteys at the USS Constitution Museum. This event takes place on the third Sunday of May and every month.

This event is family friendly, and everyone is invited! Donations are also welcome.

This talk will reveal new insights into the dynamic and important immigrant voices and stories revealed through this archaeological dig. After the discussion, join Joe Bagley and Jim Pasto of the North End Historical Society for a reception and community conversation focused on what role immigrants have played in Boston’s history.

You must register for the second part of the evening. Sponsors of this event include:

• the Old North Foundation
• North End Historical Society, and
• Boston's City Archaeology Program.

Does new construction within a landmark district need to imitate the architecture of the district? The answer to this may surprise you.

A long-time Boston Landmark Commissioner and the South End Landmark District Commission staff preservationist will take you on a walking tour of the South End Landmark District. This tour is updated with new buildings for 2017. We'll be using the South End as a case study for new construction in a historic district, explaining what makes a building “a South End building.”

Boston's historic South End, the country's largest Victorian Rowhouse District, was made a Landmark District in 1983. This event is sponsored by Boston Landmarks Commission.

Tours will be offered of one of Boston’s only remaining intact summer kitchen. The summer kitchen and laundry room were added to the main house as part of the construction of the 1811 ell and remains remarkably preserved from the 19th century.

New this year: we will be featuring fun kids activities related to the 19th-century kitchen — ice cream making (old-time crank machine!), rug beating, apple peeling, laundry wringing, and more!

Join us for a reception at our 19th-century farm table where we’ll have free, delicious refreshments!

Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arboretum, only one, the lilac, is singled out each year for a daylong celebration. Mainly located on the edge of Bussey Hill Road in the heart of the landscape, the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is among the premier collections of these plants in North America. Lilac Sunday has been celebrated at the Arnold Arboretum since 1908.

Tours of the lilacs and family activities are available from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., but the Arboretum is open as usual from dawn to dusk.  Learn more about picnicking rules, tours, parking options, and accessibility on the Arboretum's event website.

This year, the celebration revolves around the infrastructure in the Fort Point Channel of the Seaport District. You can learn more about the event on the Celebrate Infrastructure website.

In 1903, Frederick Ayer and his wife Ellen Banning Ayer led a comfortable life at their Tiffany-designed mansion on Commonwealth Avenue. Preservation Advisor Jeanne Pelletier lifts the curtain on the unseen portions of the Ayer Mansion, giving a glimpse into servants’ lives using:

• an extraordinary 400-page inventory
• surviving architectural clues, and
• the annual census.

The reception starts at 6:30 p.m., and the presentation begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10, but space is limited. RSVP is required.

This event is sponsored by the Ayer Mansion.