Newbury Street goes pedestrian-only for another summer Sunday, with shops, galleries, and restaurants spilling onto the car-free boulevard from Berkeley Street to Mass Ave. It’s one of Boston’s most popular recurring summer traditions for strolling, shopping, and people-watching.
The City of Boston closes Centre Street to cars and opens it to people for a free neighborhood block party spanning Jamaica Plain’s business district. Expect food trucks, live performances, interactive games, crafts, face painting, and local vendors lining the route.
Boston’s most famous shopping street goes car-free for the day, turning eight blocks of Newbury Street into a pedestrian promenade of sidewalk cafes, pop-ups, and street programming. Stroll the Back Bay boulevard and explore boutiques and restaurants without dodging traffic.
Founded in 1925 by Sicilian immigrants from Riesi, the Saint Joseph Society kicks off the North End’s late-summer feast season with a weekend of street celebration around its Hanover Street chapel. Expect Italian food vendors, live entertainment, and the traditional procession of the saint through the neighborhood’s historic streets.
CactusHead Puppets presents a colorful big-top spectacular starring imaginative creatures and their devoted caretaker. It’s a Sunday-morning treat for young audiences at Brookline’s Puppet Showplace Theater, one of the oldest puppet theaters in the country.
Spread a blanket on the Esplanade lawn as the Charles River glows pink at dusk and a family blockbuster lights up the iconic Hatch Shell. Games and giveaways start at 6 PM and the film rolls at sundown, all free and open to all. The 2026 slate leans kid-friendly with titles like Minecraft (July 17)…
Step straight into the pages of A.A. Milne at this summer’s headline exhibit, where Pooh Bear’s honey-scented house, Rabbit’s leafy garden, and Owl’s cozy library come to life at toddler scale. Little ones sort honey, bounce through Tigger and Roo’s sandy pit, and help Kanga bake pies, while the museum’s three floors of hands-on play…
The nation’s original First Night — free since 1976 — fills Copley Square and the Common with ice sculptures, live music, and the People’s Parade, capped by 7 p.m. family fireworks over the Common and a midnight finale. The 7 p.m. show is the move if you’ve got kids; the full lineup posts in late…
Mikko Nissinen’s lavish Nutcracker — full live orchestra, Tchaikovsky’s score, and one of the most-attended productions in America — runs Thanksgiving weekend through New Year’s Eve at the gilded Citizens Opera House. Weekday matinees are the easiest tickets; December weekends sell out well ahead.
Boston’s oldest continuous Italian festival — running since 1910 — packs the North End with food stalls, brass bands, and processions for four nights. Come Sunday evening for the Flight of the Angel over Fleet Street, when a young girl descends on wires through a blizzard of confetti to close the feast.
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