Celebration is in the air—spend your summer rejoicing in seafood feasts, music festivals and international film screenings.
Boston Calling Music Festival
5/24 - 5/26
Boston Calling Music Festival
With an iconic mix of musical performances and a commitment to showcasing new forms of entertainment, Boston Calling is poised to make its triumphant return this Memorial Day Weekend. Legendary performers like Tyler Childers, Ed Sheeran, Leon Bridges, The Killers and Hozier will lead a lineup of over 50 performers, including a large collection of regional talent. After jamming to 20 acts with New England ties, like pop rock group Beach Weather, grab a bite at one of the dozens of food vendors. Harvard Athletic Complex, 65 N. Harvard St., bostoncalling.com
TBD
North End Feasts
Get ready to indulge all summer long as Boston’s culturally rich North End neighborhood comes alive. Since the early 1900s, each summer weekend has been devoted to a different Italian saint or martyr. As the streets fill with red, white and green confetti, floaters, live music and dance, food lovers will rejoice in various tasting tents and open-air piazzas for wine and a bite. Multiple locations, meetboston.com
6/9
Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
Behold the first and oldest dragon boat festival in North America. Over 50,000 participants and spectators can delight in food vendors, cultural performances and more as 68 teams race in 40-foot-long Hong Kong style boats on the Charles River. 953 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, bostondragonboat.org
TBD
August Moon Festival
A play on the traditional Harvest Moon Festival that celebrates the end of the rice and wheat harvest, the August Moon Festival is Boston’s early jubilee. For one day, Chinatown fills with visitors, eager to watch lion dances, martial arts and traditional folk dances. At the center of the festival are mooncakes—little round pastries filled with lotus seed paste—available at all Chinatown bakeries. Harrison Ave., ccbaboston.org
9/9 - 9/10
Boston Arts Festival
On the second weekend of September, Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park welcomes Boston’s best visual and performing artists. Bringing in over 50,000 visitors annually, the festival includes artists and craftspeople from all disciplines—painting, ceramics, sculpture and more. Famous exhibitions from previous years include John Crowley’s installation that spelled the word “AHT” with rubber ducks, so there’s no knowing what Boston’s most creative minds will deliver in 2023. While your mind is occupied with the art, enjoy sweet serenades by local musicians as they take the Waterfront Stage. Atlantic Ave., thebostonartsfestival.com
TBD
Boston Seafood Festival
If you haven’t been to the Fish Pier, now’s your time as Boston Seafood Festival returns this summer for its tenth installation. Hosted by the Boston Fisheries Foundation nonprofit, this hometown favorite is all about celebrating fishing, seafood and the restaurant industry of Boston. Spend the day competing in oyster shucking contests, reveling in a traditional lobster bake or sipping local brews at the Harpoon beer garden while watching pirates in the distance. bostonseafoodfestival.org
Photography by: Courtesy of Boston Calling Music Festival
