Schedule for NYE Family Fireworks on Boston Common

by djc
(franklin, ma)

I read Boston's New Year's Eve Family Fireworks were at 6:45, then I read 7:30. Which time is correct, and is the Boston Common the best place to view them?

Susan's reply: Boston's Mayor Tom Menino is a sponsor (along with the Mugar Foundation)of the Family Fireworks show and other Boston Common events on New Year's Eve, so my source of information for the event times is the City of Boston website (www.cityofboston.gov). However, the website is understandably packed with information about all sorts of things, so I find that it's usually necessary to search around quite a bit for information.

The latest info that I can find on the City of Boston website about the time for the Family Fireworks show is 6:45pm. Here's the link: http://www.cityofboston.gov/news/default.aspx?id=5424

I also saw earlier schedules showing the Fireworks time as 7 and 7:30, so I'm guessing that the time may have been changed, or that those reports were basing the time on previous years' schedules. I've heard from friends involved in other aspects of the New Year's Eve events that times for other performances have been tweaked a bit as the final logistics get put in place. Coordinating such a huge event must be extremely complicated, as there are other events in and around the Common taking place during the same general time period - for example, the Ice Skating Show at Frog Pond, now scheduled for 6pm, free public skating afterwards, the First Night "Grand Procession" parade that will be leaving Hynes Convention Center at 5:30 and marching toward the Common, etc.

Yes, the Common is a great place to watch the fireworks. According to information from the City of Boston website, they're launched from the baseball field, which is kind of near Charles Street - about midway between Beacon and Boylston Streets. So anywhere around that part of the Common will be fine. The sloping hill that goes up to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument (the one in the photo above - which was taken in the fall at a free outdoor Pops Concert) gives you a good elevation and lots of viewing sites - fortunately, the trees have no leaves this time of the year, so that means you'll be able to see well from lots of different spots.

The Common is well-lit at night, so even if you need to move around a bit to find a viewing spot you like, it should be easy enough to see where you're going.

Have a great time! Happy New Year!.

Susan
Boston Discovery Guide