The year 2025 marks the 60th Anniversary of the 1965 Freedom Rally. The rally took place on April 23, 1965, with over 20,000 people marching on Boston Common to protest racial imbalance in housing and schools. The march began at Carter Playground, at the corner of Columbus Ave., and ended at Boston Common. Martin Luther King led the march from Roxbury to Boston Common. As part of the Everyone 250 Initiative and other 250 celebrations, Embrace Boston, in collaboration with the City of Boston and other community partners, will gather at the Embrace Monument/Parkman Bandstand.

In honoring this significant historical event, Embrace Boston and its partners are committed to upholding the principles of Festival Ecology for Social and Racial Justice. By integrating ideas of festival organization, sustainability, and equality, the commemorative march will serve as a transformative experience that celebrates the progress made since 1965 and highlights the ongoing fight for racial equity and justice.

The Old North Church is offering a traditional Lantern Service on Friday, April 18, 2025 at 7:00pm in honor of the 250th anniversary of the “two if by sea” signal from the church’s steeple on the eve of the American Revolution. Dr. Heather Cox Richardson, acclaimed author and professor of history at Boston College, will deliver the keynote address. Organized by Old North’s clergy and congregation and modeled on the service offered for the 200th anniversary in 1975 with Pres. Gerald Ford, this 250th Anniversary Lantern Service recalls the lights of freedom and encourages reflection on the meaning of faith, freedom, and American democracy today. It will include inspirational music; Paul Revere’s own recollection of his historic ride and Old North’s signal lights; Heather Cox Richardson’s address; and prayers for our nation as we begin our Semiquincentennial. The service will culminate with the lighting of the church’s historic lanterns.

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Encounter Paul and Rachel Revere in their home as he prepares to depart on his Midnight Ride. Tour the museum’s Visitor Center, where museum staff will share the full story of Revere’s adventures on April 18, 1775. 

As the evening progresses, gather in North Square to witness Revere’s departure from his home, and follow in his footsteps as he makes his way stealthily to the waterfront.

Open House is from 5:30 -7:30 p.m.

Departure for waterfront 8:00 p.m.

The Patriots Day Parade begins at 9 a.m. at City Hall Plaza and ends at about 10 a.m. at the Paul Revere Mall (also known as the Prado) in the North End. The parade concludes with a reenactment by the National Lancers of Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride on the Paul Revere Mall in front of Old North Church and Historic Site.

The Marching units and dignitaries will travel:

• from City Hall to Old Granary Burial Ground
• left onto Bromfield Street
• left onto Washington Street
• right onto Court Street
• left onto Congress Street
• right onto Hanover Street, northeasterly on Hanover Street, and then
• finally, Paul Revere Mall.

.A brief speaking program will take place at Paul Revere Mall followed by the handing of the scrolls to “Paul Revere” who will embark on the legendary ride of 1775.

Meet the new Pool Manager, Andres, and learn about programming and upcoming events. Can’t make it? Stop by anytime during normal operating hours. We expect the pool to open mid-April. For hours and programming information visit Boston.gov/BCYF-Draper or email DraperPool@boston.gov.

BCYF Membership information can be found at Boston.gov/BCYF-Registration.

This year’s conference theme is Rooted in Wellness, Growing in Community, emphasizing the importance of self-care as the foundation for our girls’ mental health and well-being. Too often, our girls are told they must push through and remain resilient, even at the expense of their well-being. Through this event, we are flipping that narrative—we want our girls to prioritize their mental health and embrace self-care unapologetically. When our girls take the time to care for themselves, they not only thrive individually but also strengthen their communities.

Tickets for this year’s Annual Conference are sold out. We invite you to join the waitlist for your girl.

For residents, who applied for the Boston E-Bikes Incentive Program, and were selected for a voucher, we are offering in-person help with document submission. Drop in between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

We can help you with submitting documents and answering any clarifying questions about the program. Once the submitted documents are verified, the vouchers are issued and valid for 90 days. The vouchers can be used towards purchase of a personal e-bike with a discount from one of the participating bike shops.

The Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizens, in collaboration with the Office of Black Male Achievement, is excited to invite you to a Resource Fair in celebration of Second Chance Month. This event will provide valuable resources in areas such as employment services, housing, health, mental health, recovery, advocacy, CORI sealing, and much more!

Event Details:

Date: April 9, 2025

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Location: Reggie Lewis Center, 1350 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02119

To ensure your spot at the event, please register.

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We look forward to seeing you there! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Eric James, Employment Specialist, at 617-777-1355 or via email at eric.james@boston.gov.  

We will give an overview of the Boston E-Bikes Incentive Program, and provide updates, including a list of participating bike shops. We will also demonstrate how to submit an application. At the end of the time we will open it to questions.

ASL interpretation and other language interpretations will be available for this virtual info-session, and the session will be recorded. If you can not attend the session, you can still sign up and receive the recording, along with interpretations.

This Saturday, March 15, 2025, Boston’s best youth spellers in grades four through seven will compete in the 17th annual BCYF Citywide Spelling Bee hosted by Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), the City of Boston's largest youth and human service agency.  The winner will go on to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the nation's largest and longest-running spelling bee, in Washington, D.C. in May. There will be a brief speaking program before the start of the Bee where all spellers will receive participation medals.

 Last year, the Bee went 13 rounds plus one final and one championship round. The 11 year-old champion, Tanoshi Inomata, who also won in 2023, won by spelling "cornea” correctly. The Bee’s longtime sponsor is the Boston Bruins Foundation.