There will be a short ceremony outside on dock beside USS Cassin Young on Thursday, December 7, followed by the USS Constitution honor guard, gun firing, and wreath laying.

There will be no food at this time but the exhibits and videos in Visitor Center, Building 5, will be open.

The Pearl Harbor attack initiated the United States's entry into World War II. It united all Americans in the effort to defeat the forces of tyranny and preserve our freedoms. This program is dedicated in remembrance to everything lost and gained.

 Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department present the annual Children's Winter Festival on the Boston Common Parade Ground on Wednesday, February 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit boston.gov/winterfest for more information about this family-friendly school vacation week event.

The free festival is open to all and offers music, dancing, giveaways, winter activities, treats, and crafts. Featured attractions include rides on the Trackless Train and the alpine slide (attractions subject to change). LEGO® Discovery Center Boston will be in attendance with seasonal builds and activities with LEGO experts.  Enjoy farm fresh milk from New England Dairy’s Mobile Dairy Bar.  Try your musical skills at Boston Music Group’s instrument ‘petting zoo.’

The event is hosted in partnership with title sponsor Highland Street Foundation and our contributing sponsor H.P. Hood LLC. The Boston Globe is the media sponsor.  Additional support provided by LEGO® Discovery Center Boston, New England Dairy, Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience (LCN) at Boston Children’s Hospital, and UMass Boston Early Minds Lab.

The Boston Common Parade Ground is located at the corner of Beacon and Charles Streets. Call (617) 635-4505 or email parks@boston.gov for more information. To stay up to date with news, events, and improvements in Boston parks, visit Boston.gov/Parks, join our email list at bit.ly/Get-Parks-Emails, and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

For over a century, Franklin Park has been a lively and beloved center of recreation, gathering, and discovery for the Boston community. Now, with newly allocated park funds, the City of Boston is planning ahead for the park’s next century!

Over the next 18 months, the City of Boston is partnering with a team of landscape architects, planners, ecologists, and community engagement experts to create a master plan for an engaging and diverse Franklin Park. 

Our work will build on previous planning efforts and improvements by the City and its partners. We look forward to building on these successes and incorporating even more feedback. It’s your opportunity to help shape the future of the park and connections to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Come to our Community Workshop on January 28, between 6 - 8 p.m. at the William J. Devine Golf Course Clubhouse at Franklin Park. Can’t make it? Share your thoughts on the Master Plan website, or sign up for project updates!

*Snow date: January 30, 6 - 8 p.m.

This is the 54th year that a tree has been donated and commemorates 108 years of friendship with Nova Scotia after the people of Boston provided emergency assistance when Halifax, Nova Scotia’s capital, was devastated by a maritime munitions explosion in the harbor in 1917. The first Tree for Boston was donated in 1971 by Joseph Slauenwhite from Lunenburg County.

The historic Tree for Boston will come from Lunenberg County this year. The 13.7-metre (45-foot) white spruce is being donated by landowners Ronald and Claire Feener. “We have watched this tree grow from a young sapling to its present height for the last 30 years. We are happy and proud to donate this tree to Boston as a heartfelt thank you for all the help received during a great hardship in Halifax.” — Feener Family

Visit the Nova Scotia Tree page and Boston's Parks page for more information on the Tree for Boston, and follow our social channels to stay up to date with all the holiday lighting events: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department will host the annual Copley Square Tree Lighting starting at 4 p.m. on Monday, December 1, presented in partnership with the Friends of Copley Square, BXP, Sasaki, and Fairmont Copley Plaza.

This free event is sponsored by H.P. Hood LLC with additional support from Drake’s Cakes. The celebration will feature guided tour of the newly renovated Copley Square, arts & crafts, appearances by Santa Claus and Rudolph along with musical performances by vocalist Joelle James, the Boston Children’s Chorus and Symphonic of Emerson College. After the event attendees are invited to enjoy cookies and pictures with Santa in Fairmont Copley Plaza at 6 p.m.

Other 2025 holiday celebrations hosted by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department include the 23rd annual holiday lighting of the trellis at Christopher Columbus Park in the North End on November 24, the lighting of the ship in Martin’s Park at the Children’s Wharf Harborwalk on November 29, and the Boston Common Tree Lighting followed by the lighting of the trees on Commonwealth Avenue Mall on December 4.

The arrival of Boston’s official 2025 Christmas tree from Nova Scotia will be celebrated on Boston Common at approximately 11 a.m. on November 18. The 45-foot white spruce was donated by Ronald and Claire Feener of Lunenberg County, Nova Scotia.

Visit the tree lighting events page or call 617-635-4505 for more information. To stay up to date with news, park improvements, and events, sign up for our email list and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park will host the 23rd annual holiday lighting of the signature trellis at Christopher Columbus Park in the North End.

Boston’s historic waterfront, will be transformed into a beautiful holiday display when the park’s 260 feet of trellis are illuminated with lights near the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel and throughout the park. 

Other festive activities include: 

• Musical performances
• Special guest appearance from Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. 
• Eggnog from H.P. Hood
• Hot chocolate and cookies from the Boston Marriott Long Wharf
• Clam Chowder courtesy of Joes Waterfront

The celebration is sponsored by H.P. Hood LLC and the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park.  Additional support is provided by Meet Boston.

Visit the Parks events page or call (617) 635-4505 for more information.