Did you know that there are farmers in the City?

Join Youth Engagement and Employment and Food Access on May 18 to help provide healthy food options for your community by planting fruits and vegetables to be harvested and shared with your neighbors this summer. Come learn about urban farming and plant healthy food for your community! 

Free breakfast and lunch, and free swag. These are volunteer hours.

RSVP for the event

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.

Learn about the history of this Boston Landmark, and the new uses planned for the farm. Historic Boston Incorporated, the Urban Farming Institute of Boston, the Trust for Public Land, and the North Bennet Street School have been working collaboratively to rehabilitate the circa 1786 Fowler Clark Farm.

The free event will feature appearances by Mayor Walsh, NECN’s Jenny Johnson, Santa Claus, and Rudolph along with musical performances by the Boston Children’s Chorus, the Boston Pops Brass Quintet, and Berklee College of Music students Britani Washington and Sam Robbins.  

The Old South Church bell will toll when the tree is illuminated.  Light refreshments will be provided by local businesses New England Coffee, DAVIDsTEA, and HP Hood LLC. 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.

Even more festivities will take place in and around Copley Square on November 27. The Boston Public Library and The Catered Affair will host a Storytime and Candy Cane Tea at the library from 3:30 - 5 p.m.  The tea is free but reservations are required by calling 617-859-2272. 

For additional information please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505.  To learn more about The Friends of Copley Square, please visit www.friendsofcopleysquare.org.

Anchored by New England’s first custom-designed Skating Path and a Holiday Shopping Market, "Boston Winter" is part of Mayor Walsh’s commitment to creating a City Hall that is both vibrant and welcoming to all. It's open seven days a week.

The nearly 11,000 square foot outdoor ice Skating Path will remain open through February, offering learn-to-skate programs and many special events. The Holiday Shopping Market will run through New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2016) and include unique attractions and over 40 chalets with boutique style shops offering a wide array of gifts and food. Park yourself right here – we have a little something to keep everyone busy this winter.

Hours of Operation

The Holiday Market will be open:

• Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.