• 7:30 a.m. | Parade staging begins at Dartmouth Street and Copley Square

• 9:00 a.m. | Parade steps off from Copley Square

  • The parade will begin at Copley Square and proceed down Boylston Street, turn left onto Tremont Street, and end at Court Street. A detailed map of the parade route is available at this link (and below).

  • It will feature historic organizations, military units, veterans groups, civic organizations, musicians, and community participants. 

• 10:00 a.m. | Halt of Honors Ceremony at Old Granary Burying Ground

• 10:15 a.m. | Reading of the Declaration of Independence from the Old State House Balcony

  • The ceremony will feature a trumpet call, a performance of “God Bless America” by Boston Police Officer Stephen McNulty, remarks from Mayor Michelle Wu, and the traditional reading of the Declaration of Independence by the Captain Commanding of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. The reading will conclude with patriotic music performed by the Zarba Military Band.
  • The Old State House is located at 206 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02109.

• 11:00 a.m. | Independence Day Oration at Faneuil Hall

  • Event is currently at capacity, no longer accepting RSVPs
  • Includes musical performances by the Zarba Military Band, remarks from Mayor Michelle Wu, followed by Dr. Nathaniel Sheidley, president and CEO of Revolutionary Spaces, who will deliver the City’s traditional Fourth of July Oration. The program will also feature a fireside chat with award‑winning writer and journalist Ta‑Nehisi Coates and Dr. Imari Paris Jeffries, president and CEO of Embrace Boston, reflecting on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, Boston’s revolutionary legacy, and realizing the promises of the Revolution today. 

Parade route:

Residents and visitors should expect temporary street closures, parking restrictions, and traffic delays in the vicinity of the parade route and staging areas throughout the morning. Street occupancy and parking restrictions will be in effect on portions of Cambridge Street, Court Street, Dartmouth Street, and surrounding roadways.

Publishing for the 250th anniversary of the United States, When the Declaration of Independence Was News focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776, before anyone knew what the legacy of the Declaration would be or if the United States would win the war against Great Britain. It explores how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and around the Atlantic world and reveals the stories of the many people involved in the process of declaring independence, from printers to soldiers to diplomats to translators. About the Speaker: Dr. Emily Sneff is an early American historian and leading expert on the Declaration of Independence. She earned her Ph.D. in History from William & Mary. She is a consulting curator for exhibitions marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration at the Museum of the American Revolution and Historic Trappe.

Concert in the Park is the debut spring concert event featuring the best youth performing groups of Hyde Park’s Inspire Arts & Music. The concert, held annually in the heart of Post Office Square, is headlined by the 2025 Drum Corps International World Champion, the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps. Supporting acts will include the Hyde Park Youth Percussion Ensemble, Riverside Theatre Works, and Blessed Sacrament Color Guard.

This year's program will commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with new patriotic repertoire.