Presented by Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, join us Saturday, May 30, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., as bubbles fill the air with fun over Boston Common.

The celebration will include giant floating bubble demonstrations from various bubble performers, a DJ, live entertainment, giveaways, and more.

For more information, please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505. This event is weather dependent.

Boston’s National Bike to Work Day Festival celebrates National Bike to Work Day and is our way of saying, “Thanks for riding your bike today.” We think it’s important to celebrate everyone who rides in Boston, and we want to make it fun for experienced and new bike commuters.

On Bike to Work Day, you can join a commuter convoy as it rides through one of dozens of locations throughout the Boston metro area. These convoys are guided by experienced ride leaders and follow a fixed schedule and route. Everyone finishes together at City Hall Plaza! Because you rode your bike, you’ll get a free breakfast and coffee amid an expo at City Hall Plaza. Join a convoy, or just show up for the fun at City Hall Plaza. Going to work after the event is optional.

Registration is free and encouraged so we know to expect you. It will also help us ensure that we have enough food and free t-shirts for everyone. Breakfast is only for cyclists, so please be prepared to show us your bike, helmet, or Bluebikes key.

Register now

Want to help out as a convoy leader? Want to exhibit at the event?

Bike To Work Day details

In order to welcome the local elf and fairy population, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department is hosting their sixth annual Fairy House Building Festival on Thursday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (noon) at Schoolmaster Hill in Franklin Park.

• outdoor nature play
• storytelling
• entertainment from Rosalita’s Puppets
• plant education from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
• face Painting, and
• Fairy House Building.

Children are invited to wear their favorite fairy and elf costumes to encourage their tiny guests to alight in Franklin Park. Natural materials will be provided, but youngsters are welcome to explore their surroundings to find natural elements, including sticks, stones, and leaves to adorn their fairy houses.

Schoolmaster Hill is located on Circuit Drive between the William Devine Golf Course Clubhouse and Shattuck Hospital. For more information, please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505, or visit the Parks website.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will be bringing the annual Children’s Winter Festival to Boston Common in partnership with the Highland Street Foundation during school vacation week on Wednesday, February 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Additional support is being provided by XFINITY, Capital One, the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, L.L. Bean, and Cricket Wireless. 

“The Children’s Winter Festival gives kids and families the opportunity to enjoy a day of outdoor fun in downtown Boston,” said Mayor Walsh. “Come join us for free games and activities on the Common during public school vacation week.”

Among the attractions will the 45-foot-long Toboggan Tunnel mountainous adventure with twin roller lanes, the 30-foot-high inflatable Everest Climb N Slide, a Ski Lift photo op, and much more.  In addition, the Highland Street Foundation is sponsoring a week-long Winter Camp at the Boston Common Frog Pond with free skating and rentals for all ages from Monday, February 18, through Friday, February 22.  You can find more information on Winter Camp skating online.

The festival will also feature 103.3 AMP Radio’s JD, giveaways (while supplies last) from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” Signature Collection 30th Anniversary Edition and “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” and refreshments from Power Crunch protein energy bars, Cabot Cheese with Fuel Up To Play 60, KIND Snacks, and Nature’s Path.

Additional support is being provided by Magic 106.7 and 103.3 AMP Radio.  For more information, please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505, visit our the Parks homepage, or go to our Facebook page.

The official holiday season kick-off in Boston includes the lighting of the City of Boston's official Christmas tree and trees throughout Boston Common and the Public Garden. Generations have enjoyed and continue to treasure Boston's tree lighting celebration. Twenty-five thousand people of all ages attend the event, which has grown to include a festive stage show with nationally known talent. Join us in the countdown as Mayor Walsh illuminates Boston's official tree and trees on Boston Common and the Public Garden bridge.

The celebration is presented by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, title sponsor The Province of Nova Scotia, signature sponsor Encore Boston Harbor, Jumbotron sponsor Geico Local Office, presenting sponsors Exelon and the Coca-Cola Company, and media sponsors WCVB Channel 5, Magic 106.7 FM, and the Boston Globe.   The holiday lights throughout both parks will light up in sequence shortly before 8 p.m. when Mayor Walsh is joined onstage by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Santa Claus, Rudolph, and Frosty.  The show will close with a pyrotechnic display by Atlas PyroVision. 

The holiday decorations throughout Boston Common and the Public Garden include the City of Boston’s official 2019 Christmas tree, a 45-foot white spruce tree donated by Desmond Waithe and Corina Saunders of Chance Harbour, Pictou County, Nova Scotia. 

WCVB Channel 5’s CHRONICLE Co-Anchors Anthony Everett and Shayna Seymour will once again host Channel 5’s live broadcast of the event beginning at 7 p.m. featuring multi-platinum singer-songwriter and Lexington native Matt Nathanson, award-winning Nova Scotian alt-pop stars Neon Dreams, Nova Scotian R&B singer-songwriter Zamani, performances by cast members from the new musical “Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol” and  “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: The Musical,” as well as Dorchester’s Holy Tabernacle Church Choir.

The lighting of the trees on the Common is made possible through the generosity of the Lynch Foundation, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, the Herb Chambers Companies, and contributions from other individuals and institutions.  The annual holiday display includes the official Christmas tree from Nova Scotia and trees throughout Boston Common.  Refreshments and additional support will be provided by promotional sponsors Dunkin’, Capital One, Xfinity, H.P. Hood LLC, Power Crunch Bars, Drake’s Cakes, perfectly free fruit bites, and Nature’s Path Foods. 

This is the 48^th year that Nova Scotia has given a tree to the people of Boston as thanks for relief efforts following the December 6, 1917, explosion of a munitions ship in Halifax Harbor.  Within 24 hours of the disaster a train loaded with supplies and emergency personnel was making its way from Boston to Nova Scotia.  For more information, please call 617-635-4505. Check out the Boston Common website for parking information.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, and The Friends of Copley Square welcome the holidays with the annual Copley Square Tree Lighting on Monday, November 26, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The free event will feature appearances by Mayor Walsh, NECN’s Jenny Johnson, Santa Claus, and Rudolph along with musical performances by vocalist Mark “Sing” Robertson, the Boston Children’s Chorus, the Boston Pops Brass Quintet, and Berklee College of Music's own Natalie Daniela Castro Diaz.

Light refreshments will be provided by Drake’s Cakes, KIND Snacks, HP Hood LLC, and the dairy farm families of New England and Must Be The Milk. The Fairmont Copley Plaza will host a family reception immediately following for all in attendance.  The reception will include cookie decorating, photos with Santa and treats from the Fairmont Copley Plaza.

For additional information please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505. You can learn more about The Friends of Copley Square online.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh has announced that the annual Fall Pumpkin Float will be held at the Boston Common Frog Pond on Friday, October 19, from 5 - 8 p.m. Hundreds of illuminated jack-o’-lanterns will be floated on the water accompanied by spooky family activities.

Attendees are asked to bring eight-inch or smaller carved pumpkins that will be lit and then floated on the Frog Pond for a dramatic early evening display. In addition, attendees are invited to view creatively carved and decorated jack-o’-lanterns from various local sports teams and organizations. Adults and children are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and participate in a wide range of fun activities. Children are invited to decorate luminary bags which will be displayed and illuminated along the edge of the Frog Pond. Test your courage and problem-solving skills in our haunted corn maze.

The Fall Pumpkin Float is presented by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with the Skating Club of Boston. For more information, please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505, or visit our Facebook page.