Children and Family Friendly

Young performers from the Hung Ching Dance Troupe bring traditional Chinese lion dancing to the Greenway’s Chinatown park. The free morning program is open to all ages and pairs well with the Greenway Artisan Market running the same day.

Local artists lead free drop-in arts and crafts workshops for kids in East Boston’s harborside LoPresti Park, part of the ParkARTS summer series running Tuesday through Friday in parks citywide. Projects range from mask making to crayon art and watercolor, with all supplies provided.

Mayor Michelle Wu and City staff bring the summer Coffee Hour series to East Boston Memorial Park for an informal morning of neighborhood conversation. Enjoy free Dunkin’ iced coffee and donuts, lawn games, raffle prizes, and free flowering plants from the Parks Department while supplies last.

Boston Music Project teaching artists lead an interactive morning of singing, dancing, and storytime for young children on the riverfront. Two 45-minute sessions are offered at 10:00 and 11:00 a.m., and registration is required for both children and caregivers.

The 56th annual August Moon Festival, presented by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England, celebrates the mid-autumn harvest tradition with lion dances, Chinese opera, and Asian folk dance performances on the Phillips Square main stage. Vendor tables throughout Chinatown’s streets offer food, gifts, and souvenirs at this free, family-friendly celebration.

Aardman’s beloved G-rated claymation caper Chicken Run screens for free on the lawn at Kendall Square’s community green. The family-friendly early showtime makes it easy to bring the whole flock. Grab a spot on the grass and enjoy a movie under the summer sky steps from the T.

The ParkARTS summer movie series screens Disney’s Zootopia 2, with rabbit cop Judy Hopps and fox Nick Wilde teaming up on their most perilous case yet, under the stars in the South End. Free popcorn is provided while supplies last. Presented by Boston Parks and Recreation with the Mayor’s Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment;…

On the first and second Sunday of each month through December 2026, all Boston students in Pre-K through grade 12 plus two guests get free admission to 23 cultural institutions, including the Museum of Science, Boston Children’s Museum, Franklin Park Zoo, MFA, New England Aquarium, and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Families simply show their Boston…

The ICA’s monthly Play Date offers a full day of free admission and hands-on art-making for families on the Seaport waterfront. Kids and grown-ups can create together in collaborative workshops inspired by the museum’s current exhibitions, then explore the galleries and harborside deck. It’s one of Boston’s best free family museum days of the summer.

The 106th anniversary of the Madonna della Cava Feast brings three days of Italian food, live entertainment, and tradition to Hanover and Battery Streets in the North End. Rooted in a centuries-old Sicilian devotion from Pietraperzia, the feast culminates with the Sunday procession of the Madonna through the neighborhood.