On summer Wednesday evenings, the Boston Landmarks Orchestra sets up at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade and gives the city a full symphonic concert for free. The orchestra — professional players led by the conviction that great music belongs to everyone — has made this one of Boston’s most reliable warm-weather rituals.

The scene is half concert, half picnic: blankets and lawn chairs spread across the Esplanade grass, sailboats drifting past on the Charles, dogs welcome. ASL interpreters work every Hatch Shell program, and the crowd runs from stroller age to season-ticket age. Pack dinner, arrive before the light goes golden, and you’ve got one of the best free nights out in the city.