On July 14, August 25, and September 15, 2019 shoppers, diners and pedestrians can explore new restaurants, local boutiques, and international brands — or rediscover your favorite Newbury Street gems on a street transformed and free of cars. Find meaning in the melodies of local musicians, challenge your friends to an outdoor game, or simply stroll along enjoying the festive atmosphere of Open Newbury Street. Celebrate Newbury Street, a uniquely treasured place in the heart of Boston.

There are multiple MBTA stations in the vicinity of Newbury Street including Arlington, Copley and Hynes on the Green Line and Back Bay Station on the Orange Line and commuter rail. Ride your bike to Newbury Street and lock it to bike corrals stationed throughout the event. Take BlueBikes and dock at stations located throughout Back Bay. Multiple parking garages are located in the Copley Square area south of Boylston Street.

Newbury Street will be car-free from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. from Berkeley Street to Massachusetts Avenue. The intersections of Exeter Street, Fairfield Street, Gloucester Street and Hereford Street will be car-free with the remainder of the intersections open to traffic for public safety access. Parking will be restricted beginning at 5 am.

The City of Boston encourages all businesses to take part in Open Newbury Street by activating outdoor spaces and taking advantage of the reclaimed public space. All outdoor activations are restricted only to those businesses that have brick and mortar locations on Newbury Street. If you are representing a business that is located on Newbury Street and would like set up an event outside, please fill out the online form or contact Jacob Wessel at jacob.wessel@boston.gov or 617-635-0025. We are excited to hear about what you're planning and look forward to helping make this year's Open Newbury Street days successful for your business!

• Join us on Tuesday, August 22, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Franklin Park (Playsted Field) for our Boston Children’s Rec Fest! Hosted by Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department in partnership this is the perfect school vacation event for kids of all ages.
• This year's festival will feature music, giveaways, various attractions, treats, crafts, and much more! This event is FREE and open to all. 

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

WHAT ARE FAIRY HOUSES?

Fairy houses are small structures for fairies and woodland creatures to live in. These whimsical habitats are build by children, families, gardeners, and nature lovers alike. 

Fairy house building is a fun and creative activity for children that encourages kids to go outside and connect with the natural world, in an environmentally friendly way. 

Not sure how to make a fairy house? Don't worry, members of the Mayor's Mural Crew have come up with step-by-step instructions of how to create your very own fairy house. 

This free, family event will feature:

• outdoor nature play
• storytelling, 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 everyone is  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 Michelle Wu, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, and The Province of Nova Scotia will host Boston’s signature holiday celebration, the 84th annual Boston Common Tree Lighting, on Thursday, December 4, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Boston Common, adjacent to the Visitor’s Information Center at 139 Tremont Street. Mayor Wu will be joined by Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, marking the 54th 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 traveled from Boston to Nova Scotia to aid in recovery efforts. Earlier this month, Mayor Wu visited Nova Scotia to highlight the partnership between the City of Boston and the Province of Nova Scotia. During her visit, Mayor Wu participated in the annual Tree for Boston tree cutting ceremony as the first Boston Mayor to attend and participate in the event. 

“Each year this special gift from Nova Scotia reinforces the neighborly bond that our communities have shared for over a century, and reminds us of the true meaning of the holiday spirit,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “I look forward to joining families from across Boston and our guests from Nova Scotia on Boston Common for a spectacular celebration of holiday cheer and this beloved tradition.”

WCVB Channel 5 Chronicle co-anchors Anthony Everett and Shayna Seymour will host a live broadcast of the event beginning at 7:00 p.m. Headlining the show will be the iconic American female vocal group, The Pointer Sisters, performing hits including “I’m So Excited.” This year’s lineup also features Nova Scotia blues sensation Matt Andersen, Disney on Broadway’s Belinda Allyn performing “Beauty and the Beast”, songs from Nova Scotia’s alternative-pop singer-songwriter Maggie Andrew, and a heartwarming performance by the Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses. 

Pre-show entertainment will kick off at 6:00 p.m., setting the stage for a magical night on the Common with performances by Boston Police Officer Stephen McNulty, Taste of Ireland’s A Celtic Christmas, Origination, and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Joelle James.

The official holiday season kick-off in Boston includes the lighting of the City of Boston's official Christmas tree with approximately 5,000 lights, and the lighting of more than 50,000 lights throughout the Boston Common and Public Garden. This year’s historic Tree for Boston is a 45-foot-tall white spruce donated by Ronald and Claire Feener of Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia. 

The holiday lights throughout both parks will light up in sequence shortly before 8:00 p.m. when Mayor Wu will be joined onstage by Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The show will close with a pyrotechnic display by Pyrotecnico.

The annual tree lighting on Boston Common is presented by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and The Province of Nova Scotia. The event is supported by presenting sponsor Amazon, signature sponsor Meet Boston, key sponsors Constellation Power and JetBlue, media sponsors WCVB Channel 5 and the Boston Globe, and hotel partner Hilton Boston Park Plaza. A sampling village will feature giveaways and refreshments from H.P. Hood, Drakes Cakes, New England Coffee, Meet Boston, and Globe Santa while supplies last. Sponsors of the “Make the Common Glow for the Holidays” who make the lighting of the Common and Public Garden possible include The Lynch Family Foundation and Greystar. 

"Amazon is honored to serve as the presenting sponsor of the Boston Common Tree Lighting, a cherished tradition that brings our community together during the holiday season. This event embodies the spirit of joy and connection that makes Boston such a special place to live and work,” said Jerome Smith, Head of Community Engagement, New England & Canada, Amazon. “We're proud to support the City of Boston in creating magical moments for families across New England.”

At approximately 8:15 p.m., immediately following the celebration on the Boston Common, Mayor Wu will join the Friends of the Public Garden and the Committee to Light Commonwealth Avenue Mall to flip the switch to light up Commonwealth Avenue Mall in the Back Bay. The lights on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall will be lit from Arlington Street to Charlesgate.

Please call (617) 635-4505 or visit boston.gov/boston-common-tree-lighting for more information about the festivities. To stay up to date with news, events, and improvements in Boston parks visit boston.gov/parks, call 617-635-4505, join our email list, and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on X, Facebook, Instagram, and @parks.boston.gov on Bluesky.

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.