This year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Through an art-making opportunity, reflect on what the document means 250 years later and how the American Revolution relates to other protest movements and revolutions that have occurred in the United States. We will have supplies available to use and staff will be present to assist as needed. No registration is required to attend; drop-ins encouraged. Stay for as little or as long as you'd like during the event.

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department will host the annual Copley Square Tree Lighting starting at 5 p.m. on Monday, November 30, presented in partnership with the Friends of Copley Square, BXP 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 arts & crafts, appearances by Santa Claus and Rudolph along with musical performances by vocalist Julia Chisholm, the Boston Children’s Chorus and Rey Royale. After the event attendees are invited to enjoy cookies and pictures with Santa in Fairmont Copley Plaza at 6 p.m.

Other 2026 holiday celebrations hosted by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department include the 24th annual holiday lighting of the trellis at Christopher Columbus Park in the North End on November 23, the lighting of the ship in Martin’s Park at the Children’s Wharf Harborwalk on November 28, and the Boston Common Tree Lighting followed by the lighting of the trees on Commonwealth Avenue Mall on December 3.

The arrival of Boston’s official 2026 Christmas tree from Nova Scotia will be celebrated on Boston Common at approximately 11 a.m. on November 24. The 2026 Tree for Boston is a 46-foot-tall white spruce donated by Henry and Pat Knol of East Amherst in Cumberland Country, 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 Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

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 3, 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 55th 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.

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 Facebook, Instagram, and @parks.boston.gov on Bluesky.

The City of Boston and the Friends of the Public Garden to light the trees on the Mall on December 3, at 8 p.m., immediately following the Boston Common Tree Lighting. 

The Friends of the Public Garden are proud to take on this special holiday display and excited to work with our community to increase support for the Mall.

For decades, the iconic holiday light display along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall was the work of the all-volunteer Committee to Light the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. These neighborhood leaders banded together and created a beloved Boston tradition. In 2022, the Committee joined with the Friends of the Public Garden, creating a new Commonwealth Avenue Mall Enhancement Committee to work with the Friends staff to raise the funds necessary to make this annual light display possible and to support the ongoing care of the park. Join us on the Mall as we turn on the lights.