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Tito Puente Latin Music Series: Barbara Zamora Vargas

Join us this summer in Boston Parks for live salsa music and dance.

July 10, 2025
Event Date2025-07-10T19:00:00

Created in honor of Latin music icon Tito Puente, this series celebrates years of bringing live Latin music with a strong salsa influence to Boston parks.  The series is sponsored in part by:

Barbara Zamora Vargas is a Cuban singer and songwriter renowned for her versatility and distinguished career in music. She graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana, Cuba, specializing in choral conducting under the guidance of esteemed instructors like Linda Mirabal, Zenaida Castro Romeu, and María Felicia Pérez.

In 1992, Vargas joined the legendary Cuban female orchestra Anacaona, where she has remained as a lead singer ever since. With Anacaona, she has performed on global stages and participated in numerous prestigious festivals, including Nuits D'Afrique in Montreal, Sunfest in London, Aruba’s International Jazz Festival, and Salsa al Parque in Bogotá, Colombia. Her work with Anacaona also saw her perform in the musical theater production El Burgués Gentilhombre, which was showcased at the Chaillot Theatre in Paris, the Metropolitan Hall in Mexico City, and the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco.

Vargas's career extends far beyond Anacaona. She has contributed as a backup singer in several notable productions, including the Latin Grammy-winning La Rumba Soy Yo in 2001, Isaac Delgado’s Versos en el Cielo, and Control by Manolito y su Trabuco. As a soloist, she has performed in prestigious events like the Adolfo Guzmán and OTI contests, as well as the Benny Moré Festival.

In 2011, Vargas launched her solo career with the release of Mi Entrega, an album that showcases her songwriting talents across a variety of genres, including bolero, son, blues, salsa, cha-cha-cha, danzón, and fusion. Her work continues to resonate with audiences worldwide, marking her as a significant figure in Latin music.

July 10, 2025
Event Date2025-07-10T19:00:00

25th Annual Gospel Fest

This annual event serves as New England’s largest Gospel music celebration.

August 31, 2025
  • 5:00pm - 8:00pm
  • Leader Bank Pavilion
    290 Northern Ave.
    Boston, MA 02210
  • Contact:
    Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE
  • Event Type:
  • Published Date
Event Date2025-08-31T17:00:00 - 2025-08-31T20:00:00

Join us for an unforgettable evening at the 25th Annual Boston Gospel Fest, taking place at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston! This vibrant celebration of gospel music will fill the air with uplifting melodies and powerful performances. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m., offering three hours of inspiring music and community joy. Doors will open at 4 p.m.

Get ready for an exciting lineup of talented gospel artists who will energize and entertain you. Stay tuned for talent announcements and more details coming soon!

Don't miss out on this incredible night of music and celebration. Mark your calendars and get ready for a memorable experience!

Register for the Event

SIGN UP FOR UPDATES

Volunteer for the event

August 31, 2025
  • 5:00pm - 8:00pm
  • Leader Bank Pavilion
    290 Northern Ave.
    Boston, MA 02210
  • Contact:
    Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE
  • Event Type:
  • Published Date
Event Date2025-08-31T17:00:00 - 2025-08-31T20:00:00

NAACP’s 114th National Convention Opening Reception

This event hosted by the City of Boston and NAACP National serves as a kickoff event for the NAACP’s 114th National Convention.

July 28, 2023
  • 5:00pm - 9:00pm
  • The Hub at Boston Convention and Exhibition Center – Hall A
    415 Summer St.
    Boston, MA 02210
  • Contact:
    Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment
  • Price:
    Price
    Free with registration
  • Event Type:
  • Published Date
Event Date2023-07-28T17:00:00 - 2023-07-28T21:00:00

The reception will be held at The Hub at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center - Hall A with music by DJ Jazzy Jeff. The event is free and open to the public with registration.

Register for the event

July 28, 2023
  • 5:00pm - 9:00pm
  • The Hub at Boston Convention and Exhibition Center – Hall A
    415 Summer St.
    Boston, MA 02210
  • Contact:
    Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment
  • Price:
    Price
    Free with registration
  • Event Type:
  • Published Date
Event Date2023-07-28T17:00:00 - 2023-07-28T21:00:00

Culture Nights Music Fest: Seaport

A cultural programming initiative of the Artist Initiative for Revolution made possible by the support of the Mayor's Cabinet of Equity Racial Justice. This event provides a welcoming, inclusive and culturally-vibrant space in the City of Boston, celebrating its distinctive heritage and animating its creative future. This experience features local artists and cultivates cultural vibrancy to those in the community.

July 28, 2023
  • 6:00pm - 9:00pm
  • 88 Seaport Blvd.
    Boston, MA 02210
  • Contact:
    racialjustice@boston.gov
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE
  • Event Type:
  • Published Date
Event Date2023-07-28T18:00:00 - 2023-07-28T21:00:00

Culture Nights Music Fest is a recontextualized and genuinely deep sequence of musical experiences promoting expressive music and art for social change. A cultural tradition rooted in the practice of regenerative art, the series honors artistic voice, communal freedom, and the gateways to truth in the pursuit of justice.

Culture Nights provides a welcoming, inclusive and culturally-vibrant area in the city of Boston, celebrating its distinctive heritage and animating its creative future. This experience features local artists and cultivates cultural vibrancy to those in the community.

As community development and planning spans across neighborhoods, and the pressures of a hot real estate market over the last decade increase, it is difficult to deny the relationship between the improvement of an area’s public spaces and increasing value of the surrounding environment as a result.

By examining the historical conditions of gentrification movements, we must expose the impact of displacement, the erasure of communities, and valuable built heritage as a result of cultural investment. The purpose of this cultural programming however, is to ensure neighborhood and cultural vibrancy without displacement.

Learn more and RSVP

July 28, 2023
  • 6:00pm - 9:00pm
  • 88 Seaport Blvd.
    Boston, MA 02210
  • Contact:
    racialjustice@boston.gov
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE
  • Event Type:
  • Published Date
Event Date2023-07-28T18:00:00 - 2023-07-28T21:00:00

Culture Nights Music Fest: Mattapan

A cultural programming initiative of the Artist Initiative for Revolution made possible by the support of the Mayor's Cabinet of Equity Racial Justice. This event provides a welcoming, inclusive and culturally-vibrant space in the City of Boston, celebrating its distinctive heritage and animating its creative future. This experience features local artists and cultivates cultural vibrancy to those in the community.

June 30, 2023
  • 6:00pm - 9:00pm
  • Mattapan Square
    Corner of Cummins Highway and Fairway St.
    Mattapan, MA
  • Contact:
    racialjustice@boston.gov
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE
  • Neighborhood:
    Neighborhood
    Mattapan
  • Event Type:
  • Published Date
Event Date2023-06-30T18:00:00 - 2023-06-30T21:00:00

Culture Nights Music Fest is a recontextualized and genuinely deep sequence of musical experiences promoting expressive music and art for social change. A cultural tradition rooted in the practice of regenerative art, the series honors artistic voice, communal freedom, and the gateways to truth in the pursuit of justice.

Culture Nights provides a welcoming, inclusive and culturally-vibrant area in the city of Boston, celebrating its distinctive heritage and animating its creative future. This experience features local artists and cultivates cultural vibrancy to those in the community.

As community development and planning spans across neighborhoods, and the pressures of a hot real estate market over the last decade increase, it is difficult to deny the relationship between the improvement of an area’s public spaces and increasing value of the surrounding environment as a result.

By examining the historical conditions of gentrification movements, we must expose the impact of displacement, the erasure of communities, and valuable built heritage as a result of cultural investment. The purpose of this cultural programming however, is to ensure neighborhood and cultural vibrancy without displacement.

 

June 30, 2023
  • 6:00pm - 9:00pm
  • Mattapan Square
    Corner of Cummins Highway and Fairway St.
    Mattapan, MA
  • Contact:
    racialjustice@boston.gov
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE
  • Neighborhood:
    Neighborhood
    Mattapan
  • Event Type:
  • Published Date
Event Date2023-06-30T18:00:00 - 2023-06-30T21:00:00

ZaZ Fest 2023

A celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture like no other! This three-day festival is the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich and diverse cultures of the Caribbean and Africa, and to make unforgettable memories with friends and family. 

Learn more

Attend ZaZ Fest Community Day on August 20 at 7:00 p.m., free with registration!

August 18 - August 20, 2023
Event Date2023-08-18T18:00:00 - 2023-08-20T22:00:00
August 18 - August 20, 2023
Event Date2023-08-18T18:00:00 - 2023-08-20T22:00:00

DORCHESTER WEATHER: a play about climate and change

DORCHESTER WEATHER is an original play about climate and change, led by Dorchester resident, Boston Artist in Residence, and theater artist Jaronzie Harris

June 30, 2023
  • 6:30pm - 9:00pm
  • Corner of Woodrow Avenue and Norfolk Street
    Dorchester, MA 02124
  • Contact:
    Kathleen Hart
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE
  • Neighborhood:
    Neighborhood
    Dorchester
  • Published Date
Event Date2023-06-30T18:30:00 - 2023-06-30T21:00:00

DORCHESTER WEATHER is an original play about climate and change, led by Dorchester resident, theater artist and educator Jaronzie Harris. It is the culmination of a year-long process that engages Dorchester residents in an exploration of environmental issues that are disproportionately impacting their community.

DORCHESTER WEATHER showcases community members coming together to tell a story that raises questions at the intersection of environmental justice, neighborhood development, and social resilience. The script came to life through dialogue, workshops, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

DORCHESTER WEATHER is a product of the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture Boston Artist in Residence program in partnership with Kathleen Hart of the City of Boston Environment Department.

There will be food, music, and interactive activities. Come share your thoughts and ideas, as we dive deep into the implications of climate change for Dorchester.

See you at the show!

June 30, 2023
  • 6:30pm - 9:00pm
  • Corner of Woodrow Avenue and Norfolk Street
    Dorchester, MA 02124
  • Contact:
    Kathleen Hart
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE
  • Neighborhood:
    Neighborhood
    Dorchester
  • Published Date
Event Date2023-06-30T18:30:00 - 2023-06-30T21:00:00

Donna Summer Disco Party

Mayor Michelle Wu and the Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment welcome you to join us for the 11th Annual Celebration of Summer: Donna Summer Disco Party 

June 27, 2025
  • 5:00pm - 9:00pm
  • 1 City Hall Square
    Boston, MA 02201-2006
  • Contact:
    Tourism, Sports and Entertainment
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE
  • Neighborhood:
    Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Event Type:
  • Published Date
  • Boston 250

Event Date2025-06-27T17:00:00 - 2025-06-27T21:00:00

This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Guests will be able to dance the night away to all of Donna Summer’s greatest hits in a groovy atmosphere complete with glow sticks, bubbles, colorful lights, a disco ball, and the highly anticipated return of roller skating on City Hall Plaza.

 DJ Vince1 will be playing all of Donna Summer's greatest hits and more classics.

Donna Summer Dance Party



Boston-born disco legend Donna Summer is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a five-time Grammy winner, and sold over 140 million records worldwide. She was born in Dorchester and was raised in Mission Hill before rising to stardom in the 1970s. She passed away at the age of 62 years old on May 17, 2012. This annual event honors her life and celebrates her music and legacy in Boston.

June 27, 2025
  • 5:00pm - 9:00pm
  • 1 City Hall Square
    Boston, MA 02201-2006
  • Contact:
    Tourism, Sports and Entertainment
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE
  • Neighborhood:
    Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Event Type:
  • Published Date
  • Boston 250

Event Date2025-06-27T17:00:00 - 2025-06-27T21:00:00

Psalters and Singers: Early Sacred Music at Old North Church

Join Dr. Stephen A. Marini for a talk about sacred song practices from the earliest decades of Old North Church’s history.

May 10, 2023
  • 7:00pm - 8:30pm
  • Virtual
    Boston,
  • Contact:
    Boston National Historical Park
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE (Donations Accepted)
  • Neighborhood:
    Neighborhood
    North End
  • Published Date
Event Date2023-05-10T19:00:00 - 2023-05-10T20:30:00

When Old North Church opened its doors in 1723, it fanned the flames of a growing religious controversy over sacred singing. While Old North was Boston’s second Anglian Church, Massachusetts was dominated by Congregationalists who had strict rules about what type of music was appropriate for worship.

Old North’s massive new presence in Boston’s North End delivered a powerful ritual challenge to the city’s Congregationalists, none more important than the innovative psalm texts and tunes that its congregation sang at Sunday services. This talk from Dr. Stephen A. Marini of Wellesley College will explore these little-known sacred song practices and their contexts from the earliest decades of Old North’s history.

May 10, 2023
  • 7:00pm - 8:30pm
  • Virtual
    Boston,
  • Contact:
    Boston National Historical Park
  • Price:
    Price
    FREE (Donations Accepted)
  • Neighborhood:
    Neighborhood
    North End
  • Published Date
Event Date2023-05-10T19:00:00 - 2023-05-10T20:30:00

2025 Golf Course Concert Series: Perfect Crime

Enjoy live music on the patio at one of the City's golf courses.

July 30, 2025
Event Date2025-07-30T18:00:00 - 2025-07-30T20:00:00

The Golf Course Concert Series is part of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department’s ParkARTS program. They are held in July and August. Shows begin at 6 p.m.

About Perfect Crime: 

Perfect Crime is a 5 piece Killer Classic Rock band! With rich, layered vocals, authentic, vintage organ and guitar chops, a selection of the very best music of the 60's, 70's and 80's and 3 lead vocalists, this band keeps the crowd's interest! Featuring Mike Onessimo, Lead Guitar, Dawn Evans Scaltreto, Keyboards and Vocals, Steve Straight, Bass and Vocals, Tim McDonald, Rhythm Guitar and Vocals and Scott Mayo, Drums and Vocals. Sing along, rock out and have a blast with this multi-generation favorite!

 

Learn more about Perfect Crime

July 30, 2025
Event Date2025-07-30T18:00:00 - 2025-07-30T20:00:00
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