The Boston Dragon Boat Festival takes place annually on the banks of the Charles River in Boston and Cambridge. This year, the Boston Dragon Boat Festival takes place on Saturday, June 9, and Sunday, June 10, with activities from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day.

Starting in 1979, Boston Dragon Boat Festival, the first and oldest such festival in North America, has grown from a small neighborhood event commemorating the death in 200 B.C. of the beloved Chinese poet-patriot Qu Yuan to the largest Asian-American cultural event in New England, drawing more than 20,000 participants and spectators.

Each year, 30-40 teams from the US and Canada compete over a 500-meter course in an energetic race to the finish line. The teams practice in the spring to prepare for the June races, paddling in sleek, colorful 39-foot, Hong Kong-style dragon boats. Along with dragon boat races, the festival also presents performances from various Asian cultures, Asian food, and arts and crafts, representing traditions of this ancient Chinese celebration.

The Boston Dragon Boat Festival fosters learning and exploration of diverse multi-cultural heritage, especially that of the Asian-American heritage in New England. The goal of the festival is to provide a common setting through which citizens of diverse backgrounds may share goodwill. The short-term impact is a day of friendship, and the long-term impact will be bonds forged within a heritage activity and extended to life-long understanding among people of diverse backgrounds. Shared participation in arts and athletics not only serves as unifying strategies, it also improves community life and health and fitness for all.

The Highland Street Foundation's Free Fun Fridays program offers visitors no-cost admission to many of the most treasured cultural venues in Boston and across Massachusetts. The program was created to increase access and enrichment opportunities for children and families throughout Massachusetts during the summer months. Every Friday, from the end of June through the end of August, multiple sites are open for free.

This year, the Free Fun Fridays program boasts 24 venues in Boston:

• June 29: Lyric Stage Company
• July 6: Boston Children's Museum
• July 13: Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, The Sports Museum
• July 20: Museum of Fine Arts Boston
• July 27: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Boston Athenaeum, Arnold Arboretum
• August 3: Franklin Park Zoo
• August 10: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston, Nichols House Museum, Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, The Greenway Carousel, Freedom Trail Foundation
• August 17: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Commonwealth Museum, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Old State House, and Museum of the First Corps of Cadets
• August 24: Museum of African American History
• August 31: USS Constitution Museum, Mary Baker Eddy Library and Mapparium

Since 2009, Free Fun Fridays has drawn more than 900,000 visitors to venues throughout the Commonwealth. The program has grown to include participating venues in every corner of the state, helping them open their doors for free to the community.

The Highland Street Foundation is committed to addressing the most pressing needs and concerns for children and families in Massachusetts and California. We provide access and opportunities in education, housing, mentorship, health care, environment, and the arts.

The Bunker Hill Day Parade commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was fought on Breed's Hill on June 17, 1775, in Charlestown. This parade is always held on the Sunday before or on June 17.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh, joined by local marching bands and other musical groups, current and past military personnel, re-enactment groups, sports teams, fire trucks, police motorcycles, and floats sponsored by local businesses, will travel:

• from the intersection of Vine Street and Bunker Hill Street
• down Main Street, and then
• finally, to Winthrop Street by the Charlestown Militia Training Field.

Many people take this opportunity to learn more about Boston's history by visiting the the Bunker Hill Museum, the Bunker Hill Monument, and other historic sites along Boston's Freedom Trail before or after the parade.

To explore Boston's rich history further, check out our guide to uncovering Boston's history.

Every year the Dorchester Day Parade, also known as the Dot Day Parade, takes place on the first Sunday in June.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Chief Marshall Ed Kelly, and other members of the community will travel:

• from Lower Mills at the corner of Washington Street and Dorchester Avenue
• along Dorchester Avenue, and
• ending at Savin Hill at the corner of Columbia Road and Dorchester Avenue.

The parade route totals 3.2 miles.

The 18th annual Haitian-American Unity Parade, organized by Haitian-Americans United, Inc. (H.A.U.), celebrates Haitian Heritage Month and Flag Day. Its mission is to increase visibility of the Haitian community, promote unity, and teach Haitian-American youth about civil rights and their Haitian heritage.

H.A.U. is a nonprofit organization founded in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to improve the quality of life for Haitian-Americans through education, community empowerment, and cultural development, using an approach where participation and unity are strongly favored.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Boston Parks Commissioner Chris Cook welcome Boston’s most popular waterfowl back during the 30th annual Return of the Swans event on Wednesday, May 2. The celebration in the Public Garden begins with entertainment at 11 a.m.

After wintering at the Franklin Park Zoo, Romeo and Juliet will reside during the summer months in the Public Garden. The swans will be returned to the lagoon at 12:30 p.m. following a parade that begins at the Beacon and Charles Street corner of the park near the Make Way for Ducklings statue. Carts beautifully decorated by Boston’s Winston Flowers will help usher the swans to the release site.

Led by a brass band, the parade will continue to the George Washington Statue at the Commonwealth Avenue/Arlington Street entrance, over the pedestrian bridge, and end on the Boylston Street side of the lagoon for the official Return of the Swans ceremony.

The accompanying entertainment program, sponsored in part by the Friends of the Public Garden, includes a brass band, face painters, a reading of “Make Way for Ducklings” led by the Boston Park Rangers, and children’s activities presented by the Four Seasons Hotel Boston. In-kind sponsors HP Hood LLC, Power Crunch, and the Four Seasons Hotel Boston will provide refreshments.