The wading pool opening is made possible by presenting sponsors H.P. Hood LLC and the New England Dairy Council. The event will include an exciting celebration at 11 a.m. followed by the opening of the spray pool. In addition to activities from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., residents can enjoy tasty treats and a visit from official mascot Frog Pond Freddie. Also offering giveaways and activities from various participants. 

A year-round recreational facility, the Frog Pond offers ice skating in the winter, a spray pool and supervised wading for youth in the summer, and the Carousel from spring through fall. Information on additional activities offered at the Frog Pond can be found by visiting www.bostonfrogpond.com.

The Frog Pond spray pool is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Labor Day. The facility is managed by The Skating Club of Boston and staffed by youth workers from the Boston Youth Fund. For further information, please call the Frog Pond at (617) 635-2120.

For more information visit www.boston.gov/frogpond.To stay up to date with news, events, and improvements in Boston parks visit boston.gov/parks, call (617) 635-4505, join our email list, and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on X, Facebook, Instagram, and @parks.boston.gov on Bluesky.

This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Guests will be able to dance the night away to all of Donna Summer’s greatest hits in a groovy atmosphere complete with glow sticks, bubbles, colorful lights, a disco ball, and roller skating on City Hall Plaza.

DJ Vince1 will be playing all of Donna Summer's greatest hits and more classics.

• 7:30 a.m. | Parade staging begins at Dartmouth Street and Copley Square

• 9:00 a.m. | Parade steps off from Copley Square

  • The parade will begin at Copley Square and proceed down Boylston Street, turn left onto Tremont Street, and end at Court Street. A detailed map of the parade route is available at this link (and below).

  • It will feature historic organizations, military units, veterans groups, civic organizations, musicians, and community participants. 

• 10:00 a.m. | Halt of Honors Ceremony at Old Granary Burying Ground

• 10:15 a.m. | Reading of the Declaration of Independence from the Old State House Balcony

  • The ceremony will feature a trumpet call, a performance of “God Bless America” by Boston Police Officer Stephen McNulty, remarks from Mayor Michelle Wu, and the traditional reading of the Declaration of Independence by the Captain Commanding of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. The reading will conclude with patriotic music performed by the Zarba Military Band.
  • The Old State House is located at 206 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02109.

• 11:00 a.m. | Independence Day Oration at Faneuil Hall

  • Event is currently at capacity, no longer accepting RSVPs
  • Includes musical performances by the Zarba Military Band, remarks from Mayor Michelle Wu, followed by Dr. Nathaniel Sheidley, president and CEO of Revolutionary Spaces, who will deliver the City’s traditional Fourth of July Oration. The program will also feature a fireside chat with award‑winning writer and journalist Ta‑Nehisi Coates and Dr. Imari Paris Jeffries, president and CEO of Embrace Boston, reflecting on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, Boston’s revolutionary legacy, and realizing the promises of the Revolution today. 

Parade route:

Residents and visitors should expect temporary street closures, parking restrictions, and traffic delays in the vicinity of the parade route and staging areas throughout the morning. Street occupancy and parking restrictions will be in effect on portions of Cambridge Street, Court Street, Dartmouth Street, and surrounding roadways.