The year 2025 marks the 60th Anniversary of the 1965 Freedom Rally. The rally took place on April 23, 1965, with over 20,000 people marching on Boston Common to protest racial imbalance in housing and schools. The march began at Carter Playground, at the corner of Columbus Ave., and ended at Boston Common. Martin Luther King led the march from Roxbury to Boston Common. As part of the Everyone 250 Initiative and other 250 celebrations, Embrace Boston, in collaboration with the City of Boston and other community partners, will gather at the Embrace Monument/Parkman Bandstand.

In honoring this significant historical event, Embrace Boston and its partners are committed to upholding the principles of Festival Ecology for Social and Racial Justice. By integrating ideas of festival organization, sustainability, and equality, the commemorative march will serve as a transformative experience that celebrates the progress made since 1965 and highlights the ongoing fight for racial equity and justice.

Join us for an exclusive speaking program featuring Joe Bagley, City of Boston’s Chief Archaeologist, who will unveil groundbreaking, never-before-heard stories of Charlestown’s earliest residents. Drawn from recent archaeological discoveries, these narratives illuminate the sacrifices made by ordinary families whose homes were sacrificed for the cause of liberty during the American Revolution’s Battle of Bunker Hill. For the first time, the everyday heroes of Charlestown will be identified and commemorated.  

The evening builds to a dramatic crescendo with a live historical reenactment: Paul Revere’s arrival at City Square. Rowing across the Charles River under the shadow of night, Revere will step ashore to confirm that two lanterns glowed in the Old North Church—a signal that sparked a revolution. Watch as he mounts his horse and races off on his legendary “Midnight Ride” to Lexington, a moment that echoes through history.

To kick off Boston’s Patriots’ Day weekend celebrations in partnership with the City of Boston, Old North Illuminated will stage a free reading of the hit play Revolution’s Edge behind Old North Church on Paul Revere Mall. Mayor Michelle Wu and other local officials and guests will give remarks to commemorate this historic anniversary.

Written by Patrick Gabridge and produced by Plays in Place, Revolution’s Edge is a gripping 45-minute historical drama that ran at Old North Church in the summers of 2023 and 2024. Guests will be greeted with live music before brief speaking remarks welcome the crowd and introduce the 45-minute costumed read of the play. Old North’s lanterns will light up soon after the play’s conclusion, at the beginning of the reenactment of Revere’s row across the Charles River.

ASL interpretation offered.

The Old North Church is offering a traditional Lantern Service on Friday, April 18, 2025 at 7:00pm in honor of the 250th anniversary of the “two if by sea” signal from the church’s steeple on the eve of the American Revolution. Dr. Heather Cox Richardson, acclaimed author and professor of history at Boston College, will deliver the keynote address. Organized by Old North’s clergy and congregation and modeled on the service offered for the 200th anniversary in 1975 with Pres. Gerald Ford, this 250th Anniversary Lantern Service recalls the lights of freedom and encourages reflection on the meaning of faith, freedom, and American democracy today. It will include inspirational music; Paul Revere’s own recollection of his historic ride and Old North’s signal lights; Heather Cox Richardson’s address; and prayers for our nation as we begin our Semiquincentennial. The service will culminate with the lighting of the church’s historic lanterns.

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Encounter Paul and Rachel Revere in their home as he prepares to depart on his Midnight Ride. Tour the museum’s Visitor Center, where museum staff will share the full story of Revere’s adventures on April 18, 1775. 

As the evening progresses, gather in North Square to witness Revere’s departure from his home, and follow in his footsteps as he makes his way stealthily to the waterfront.

Open House is from 5:30 -7:30 p.m.

Departure for waterfront 8:00 p.m.

Indigenous peoples, histories, stories, and culture have been erased from the City of Boston and Massachusetts. You rarely see the mention of our peoples across the City and if you do, it’s rarely from an Indigenous perspective. Due to the history of erasure in Massachusetts, you don’t see many events or convenings centering Indigenous knowledge. Our history in this city and state needs to reckon with that exclusion and erasure.

In partnership with the North American Indian Center of Boston and Northeastern University, we are hosting our second annual Indigenous symposium. These annual events will be led by Indigenous peoples, centering and platforming Indigenous knowledge. This year we’d like to focus on land and the work that Indigenous communities are doing to protect land and restore land. This will be a one day event, two panel discussions, and exhibition of art.

Proposed Schedule:

Panel Discussion

• Land Back + Conservation + Environmental Justice
• Cultural Preservation

Artist show + Artist Share Out

Our symposium is sponsored by: City of Boston, City of Boston Equity and Inclusion, North American Indian Center of Boston, and Mills College at Northeastern.

Accessibility, Health and Safety:

• Our online event will include automated captions.

The Ride of Paul Revere schedule is as follows:

(All times shown are approximate and are subject to change.)

5:30 p.m. - Paul Revere Bids Farewell (Paul Revere House Museum, North End )

6:30 p.m. - Performance of Revolution’s Edge (Old North Church, North End)

7:30 p.m. - Boston 250 Launch with Mayor Wu and Special Guests (Old North Church, North End)

8:15 p.m. -Illumination and Procession of Lanterns (Old North Church to Langone - Park North End) 

8:30 p.m. -Harborwalk Drone Show and The Row Across Boston Harbor (Langone Park, Charlestown Navy Yard, USS Constitution, USS Constitution Museum)  

8:40 p.m. - Speaking Program in City Square (City Square, Charlestown) 

9:00 p.m. - Paul Revere Arrives at City City Square, Mounted Horseback Ride on Main Street and Illumination of Bunker Hill Monument (Charlestown) 

The Patriots Day Parade begins at 9 a.m. at City Hall Plaza and ends at about 10 a.m. at the Paul Revere Mall (also known as the Prado) in the North End. The parade concludes with a reenactment by the National Lancers of Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride on the Paul Revere Mall in front of Old North Church and Historic Site.

The Marching units and dignitaries will travel:

• from City Hall to Old Granary Burial Ground
• left onto Bromfield Street
• left onto Washington Street
• right onto Court Street
• left onto Congress Street
• right onto Hanover Street, northeasterly on Hanover Street, and then
• finally, Paul Revere Mall.

.A brief speaking program will take place at Paul Revere Mall followed by the handing of the scrolls to “Paul Revere” who will embark on the legendary ride of 1775.

This year’s conference theme is Rooted in Wellness, Growing in Community, emphasizing the importance of self-care as the foundation for our girls’ mental health and well-being. Too often, our girls are told they must push through and remain resilient, even at the expense of their well-being. Through this event, we are flipping that narrative—we want our girls to prioritize their mental health and embrace self-care unapologetically. When our girls take the time to care for themselves, they not only thrive individually but also strengthen their communities.

Tickets for this year’s Annual Conference are sold out. We invite you to join the waitlist for your girl.