Boston Harborfest 2018

Free Harborfest events each day include:

June 28: Harborfest Begins

Opening Ceremony,  11am , Faneuil Hall Marketplace - Boston Mayor Marty Walsh launches Harborfest in this festive event at Faneuil Hall on the Freedom Trail with speeches, music by the 215th Army Band, and the Official Boston Harborfest cake.  Costumed reenactors add authenticity.

Freedom Trail Changing the Guard - 12 noon - 2pm; Downtown at Washington and Summer Streets - See the Redcoats changing the guard as Colonists and British soldiers interact just as they did back in 1775.

Harborfest - June 29

Revolutionary King's Chapel Talks - 10:15am-4:15pm, every half hour (58 Tremont Street) - Stories about key figures and events at pre-revolutionary King's Chapel on the Freedom Trail.  Free.

Freedom Trail Changing the Guard - 12 noon - 2pm; Downtown at Washington and Summer Streets - See the Redcoats changing the guard as Colonists and British soldiers interact just as they did back in 1775.

Colonial Fest at Old North Church (193 Salem St, Boston's North End), 11am-4pm - Experience Colonial life with demostrations of hat making, chocolate making, and more; Colonial items for sale.  Admission free, but donations requested.

Harbor Fireworks - 9pm - Inner Harbor - View from any point along Boston's waterfront.  More details

Dramatic Reading of Paul Revere's Ride (St Francis Garden, 55 Salem Court, Boston's North End) - 1pm-1:15pm

Revolutionary King's Chapel Talks - 10:15am-4:15pm, every half hour (58 Tremont Street) - Stories about key figures and events at pre-revolutionary King's Chapel on the Freedom Trail.  Free.

Family Walk: Never Be Bored in Boston - 10am-12:45pm - This kid-friendly walk starts at Chinatown Gate (intersection of Beach Street and the Rose Kennedy Greenway) and heads up the Greenway and Freedom Trail to the skate park by the Zakim Bridge, with plenty of detours to explore and enjoy the sights and sounds.  Bring snacks and water - youngest kids will be happiest in a stroller if you do the whole 2-3 miles.  Free but registration required; call 978-807-4901 after 6pm.  Sponsored by the Appalachian Mountain Club.   Nearest subway station to Chinatown Gate:  Orange Line/Chinatown.

Tour Boston by boat - the best way to see the city!   Check out these fun sightseeing, music, and entertainment Boston Harbor cruises on the Yacht Northern Lights and Schooner Adirondack III:

• Fall Foliage Brunch Cruise - Throughout Fall Foliage Season
• Freaky Funk: A Haunted Halloween Costume Cruise - October 27
• Brunch Cruise aboard Northern Lights - Through December 30
• Northern Lights Sunset Cruise
• Sunday Evening Jazz Cruise On Northern Lights
• Boston Live Jazz Cruise on Northern Lights
• Northern Lights Champagne City Lights Cruise - Through Nov 8
• Fall Foliage Luncheon Cruise on Northern Lights - Through Dec 27
• Holiday Cruises - See complete list

Boston Harbor Cruises for 2019

• Adirondack III Day Sail - Starts May 10
• Adirondack III Sunset Sail - Starts May 10

Red, White, and Blue Scavenger Hunt -  8am-8pm, Boston Public Market (100 Hanover Street) - Family-friendly scavenger hunt through Boston's locally sourced indoor marketplace.  Also takes place on June 30, July 1, 2, and 4.

Boston Pops Concert -  On the Esplanade.  More information

More hotels in great locations for Harborfest

Dramatic Reading of the Declaration of Independence -  1pm, 3pm, 5pm - A costumed re-enactor gives dramatic readings at Old North Church (193 Salem Street) in the North End.

Boston Pops Concert and Fireworks - Don't miss Boston's famous July 4th celebration on the Esplanade.  More information about the concert and fireworks, and when to arrive

Half-Price & Discount Tickets for Other Events & Cruises

Save BIG on half-price & discount tickets from Goldstar

• The Velveteen Rabbit - Boston Center for the Arts - Goldstar $15; Full price $30
• Live Music @ City Winery - Goldstar $10-$25; Full price $22-$50
• Tipsy Chocolate Tours - Boozy walking tour in Boston's Back Bay - Goldstar $48; Full price $68
• Huzzah! Tavern Nights - Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum - Goldstar $41; Full price $55
• Sh*t-Faced Shakespeare: Taming of the Shrew - The Rockwell - Goldstar $15; Full price $25
• New Year's Celebration @ Sanders Theatre at Harvard University - Goldstar $13-43, Full price $25-85
• Ugly Sweater Holiday Party Cruise @ Massachusetts Bay Line Vessels - Goldstar $28, Full price $41
• New Year's Eve 2019 Bash @ Garage Boston - Goldstar $13, Full price $25
• Christmas with the Bach Family @ Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Boston- Goldstar $10, Full price, $20
• Aardvark Jazz Orchestra Annual Christmas Concert @ Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Boston- Goldstar $15, Full price, $30
• A Christmas Carol - Central Square Theater, Cambridge - Goldstar $25-$28, Full price, $64-$70
• What the Dickens! - @ John Hancock Hall- Goldstar $13, Full price $25
• Tony Williams:  Urban Nutcracker @ Shubert Theatre - Goldstar $29-49, Full price $58-88
• A Cantata Singers Christmas @ First Lutheran Church - Goldstar $13-38, Full price $25-75
• New Year's Eve 2019 Bash @ Garage Boston - Goldstar $13, Full price $25
• Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert @ Boston Symphony Hall - Goldstar $32, Full price $45
• Stand-Up Top Stars & Rising Comedians - Nick's Comedy Stop - Goldstar $0-$10, Regular $20
• Mark Normand: Village Voice's Best Comedian 2013 - Laugh Boston - Dec 28-31 - Goldstar $13-18 - Regular $25-35
• Riot Improv Mainstage: Your Quirky Family - Rozzie Square Theatre - Goldstar $8, Regular $15
• Kerplunk! Family Improv Show - The Rockwell - Goldstar $0 - $8
• Sh*t-Faced Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet - The Rockwell - Goldstar $15, Regular $25
• Riot Improv: Mashup with MassMouth - Rozzie Square Theatre - Goldstar $8, Regular $15
• Happy Hour: Monica Bill Barnes & Company - District Hall - Goldstar $25, Regular $35
• Sixth Gear: NYC Comedy Invades Boston - Cask & Kitchen - Jan 5 - Goldstar $5, Regular $10
• Stand-Up at the Comedy Scene - Patriot Place (across from Gillette Stadium) Foxboro, MA - Goldstar $10, Regular $20

Find more half-price shows, cruises, and events!

July 4th Cruises

The USS Constitution is in dry dock until later this summer for restoration - so no July 4th turn-around cruise in the Harbor this year.

But you can still enjoy a spectacular cruise around Boston Harbor on the 4th - as well as almost every other day this summer.  The following companies offer fireworks cruises on the 4th, regular cruises at other times, and/or charters:

• Bay State Cruise Company (617-748-1435)
• Boston Seaport Boat Charters (617-261-6633)
• Boston Yacht Charters (617-268-1234)
• Charles Riverboat Company (617-621-3001)
• Liberty Fleet (617-742-0333)
• Massachusetts Bay Lines (617-542-8000)
• Odyssey Cruises (866-307-2469)
• Spirit of Boston  (866-310-2469)

These events occur throughout Harborfest (June 30-July 4), except as noted.  

Free Events:

Red, White, and Blue Scavenger Hunt -  8am-8pm, Boston Public Market (100 Hanover Street) - Family-friendly scavenger hunt through Boston's locally sourced indoor marketplace. 

USS Constitution Visits - 9am - 6pm  - With restoration almost complete on the USS Constitution, she will reenter the water later this summer so areas now visible will soon be submerged until 2037.  Touring the ship is free; valid photo ID or passport required by visitors 18 and older in order to board ship.  You can also learn more about the ship at the USS Constitution Museum (admission by donation) in the Charlestown Navy Yard, Building 22.

Events with Fees:

Old North Church - "Behind the Scenes" - Daily, July 30-July 4, plus additional times throughout the year.   Old North Church (193 Salem Street, Boston's North End) opens its doors for these fascinating 30-minute tours combining history with views of the bell ringing chamber, crypt, and more.  Tour fees range from $6-$10 per person. 
- More tours include "Old North's Anglican Art & Architecture"and Tolerance & Tombstone's Tour of the church's colonial crypt and nearby Copp's Hill Burying Ground (Freedom Trail site) 
More info on their website:   oldnorth.com

Sunset Duck Tours - Departing at 6:30pm and 7pm on July 1, 2, 3, and 5 (note: not on the 4th) from outside the Prudential Center, New England Aquaarium, and Museum of Science - Tour Boston and cruise the Charles River on one of Boston's famous Duck Tours.  $40 adults; $33 seniors/students/military; $27 children 3-11; $10.50 children under 3; plus 5% on all fares for MA CCF (Convention Center financing) surcharge.

Otis House Museum and Beacon Hill walking tour - Walking tour of Beacon Hill Otis House Museum, at 1pm and 3pm.  House tours are given on the half hour between 1pm and 4:30pm - Join this special 1.5-hour walking tour of Beacon Hill and 18th century Otis House (141 Cambridge Street, Boston's West End, near Mass General).  Registration recommended at 617-994-5920.  $15.  June 30-July 3.

Revelry on Griffin's Wharf at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum (306 Congress Street, between the Downtown Financial District and South Boston Waterfront; 617-531-6203) on July 1, 2, and 3, 7pm - Explore the wharf and ships, meet costumed reenactors playing Paul Revere and the Sons of Liberty, hear stories, and take part in a scavenger hunt; hear stories about the golden age of sail.  Admission $15 adults, $10 children 12 and under

Beacon Hill Treasures Walking Tour - 1pm, 3pm - Join this 1.5 hour walking tour of Boston's most historic neighborhood.   Historic New England - members $10, non-members $15.  Registration recommended; call 617-994-5920 or register online at:  http://shop.historicnewengland.org/HGO-HARBORFEST-1-MTX-1-10365/

Arts at Harborfest - 11am-6pm - Local artists display and sell their work under the trellis at Christopher Columbus Park in the North End (next to Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel).  Free - plus whatever you spend on art.   Nearest subway station:  Blue Line/Aquarium.

Colonialfest! - 11am-4pm, Old North Church (193 Salem Street) - Experience Colonial life through hands-on activities: fife-playing, sewing, chocolate-making, hat-making, quill writing.  Nearest subway station:  Orange and Green Lines/Haymarket; walk across the Greenway to the North End.

Movie & a Movie: Yankee Doodle Dandy - 6pm at Christopher Columbus Park - Singing group Sweet Harmony from Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood sings show tunes before an outdoor screening of Yankee Doodle Dandy after sunset (8:30pm).  Bring your blanket and snacks!  Free.

Find more events at Boston Harborfest's website