Spring Stewardship Days take place on two weekends. Both individuals and groups are welcome. For more information, contact Paul Sutton at 617-961-3029 or paul.sutton@boston.gov.

Saturday, April 25, 2020, from 2:30 - 5 p.m., Vernal Pool Ecology with Restoration Planting Workshop

• Meeting location: Trailhead parking area at 7 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury (at Annunciation Church)

Saturday, May 30, 2020, from 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. (noon), Pond/Marsh Ecology with Restoration Planting Workshop

• Meeting location: Trailhead parking area at 19 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury (adjacent to Willow Path ChildCare) 

Spring Stewardship Days take place on four Saturdays, beginning April 13. Both individuals and groups are welcome. For more information, contact Paul Sutton at 617-961-3029 or paul.sutton@boston.gov. We have event details below:

Event #1: Genie Beal and Vernal Pool Trail
(7 VFW Parkway)
Saturday, April 13, 2 - 5 p.m.

Event #2: Carriage Path and Bussey Brook / Arbor Day Tree Planting
(19 VFW Parkway)
Saturday, April 27, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Event #3: Leland Road and Hackensack Circle Trailheads
(Meet at end of Leland Rd)
Saturday, May 11, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Event #4: Vincent Road and West Roxbury Parkway Circle Trailheads
(Meet at Vincent Road at Morey Road)
Saturday, June 1, 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. (noon)

Vernal pools are temporary ponds formed in the spring due to melting snow.  They are critical habitats for a variety of animal and plant species.  Experience the amazing microscopic world that shares your world every day. 

We will also host a planting of native shrubs to help keep the ecosystem healthy.

Due to current health guidelines we are capping this event at 20 participants.  Masks are required, hand sanitizer will be provided, and social distancing protocols will be followed. Rain date is May 2 at the same time and location.

To register or for more information, contact Paul Sutton at 617-961-3029 or paul.sutton@boston.gov.

Mayor Michelle Wu, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, and title sponsor The Province of Nova Scotia will host Boston’s signature holiday celebration, the 83rd annual Boston Common Tree Lighting, on Thursday, December 5, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Boston Common, adjacent to the Visitor’s Information Center at 139 Tremont Street. 

The event is supported by title sponsor Province of Nova Scotia, presenting sponsor Amazon, signature sponsors JetBlue and Meet Boston, community sponsors Bank of America and Constellation, and media partners WCVB Channel 5 and The Boston Globe. A sampling village will feature giveaways and refreshments from JetBlue, H.P. Hood, New England Coffee, Harry Potter, The Exhibition, and Raising Cane’s while supplies last. Sponsors of the “Make the Common Glow for the Holidays” who make the lighting of the Common and Public Garden possible include The Lynch Family Foundation, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, the Friends of the Public Garden, and Gilbane Building Company.

WCVB Channel 5’s Chronicle co-anchors Anthony Everett and Shayna Seymour will host Channel 5’s live broadcast of the event beginning at 7:00 p.m. American Authors, 5x platinum recording artists, and 2x Grammy nominees who got their start in Boston at Berklee College of Music, will headline with hit songs like “Best Day of My Life” and “Christmas Karaoke”. This year’s entertainment includes Halifax pop singer-songwriter Ria Mae, songs from A Christmas Carol performed by the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, the soulful melodies of Mi’kmaq folk artist and fiddler Morgan Toney, the legendary vocals of Boston-based jazz and gospel icon Renese King, a heartwarming performance by the Boston Children’s Chorus, and more.

The holiday lights throughout both parks will light up in sequence shortly before 8 p.m. when Mayor Wu is joined onstage by Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

A sampling village will feature a photo-op, giveaways, and refreshments from several companies while supplies last.

Immediately following the celebration on the Boston Common, Mayor Michelle Wu, the Friends of the Public Garden, and the Committee to Light Commonwealth Avenue Mall will  flip the switch to light up Commonwealth Avenue Mall. 

Please call (617) 635-4505 or visit our tree lighting page for more information about the festivities. To stay up to date with news and events in Boston parks, sign up for the email list  and follow the social channels @bostonparksdept on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

In traditional Mexican homes, every November 1 and 2, departed family members are remembered with altars lovingly decorated with photographs, papel picado, offerings of fruit, favorite food and drink, candles, and masses of fragrant orange marigolds, la flor de cempasuchil.

Marigolds, with their bright orange color and scent, are thought to guide the spirits home. The City of Boston’s altar in Copley Square will contain 500 pots of marigolds, grown from seed and tended to since August by Boston Parks Department horticulturalists. You can upload photos of your loved ones to have them displayed at the altar:

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• November 1 and 2, 12 - 9 p.m., Copley Square: Traditional Altar de Muertos
• November 1, 5:30 p.m. and November 2, 3 p.m., Copley Hall (Rabb Hall), Free showing of "Coco"
• November 2, 5:30 p.m.: Speaking program

There will also be food, music, and more during the two-day event.

On October 6 - 7, Revolution 250 will stage a re-enactment of the arrival of British regular troops. Boston Occupied: The Redcoats are Coming... Again commemorates the 250^th anniversary of when the British regular troops landed in Boston in 1768, beginning a seven-year occupation of the City. To mark this important occasion, on the morning of Saturday, October 6, more than 150 Redcoat re-enactors will land on Long Wharf and then “occupy” Boston throughout the weekend.

On Saturday, October 6, the Redcoats will land at Long Wharf in the morning and parade through the City, past the Old State House and through Downtown Crossing, en route to Boston Common, where they will set up an encampment and spend the night. While at Boston Common, the Redcoats will participate in various drills and demonstrations for the public to observe. As evening falls, the Redcoats will create a stir throughout Downtown Crossing as they occupy streets, restaurants, bars and hotel lobbies in the area before retiring to their encampment on Boston Common before midnight. On Sunday, October 7, catch more drills and demonstrations as the Redcoats patrol the area.

This is a signature event of Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations working together to commemorate the 250th anniversaries of the events that led to American Revolution, including the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GBCVB), Conventures, the Downtown Crossing BID, the Freedom Trail Foundation, Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the City of Boston, and others.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh has announced that the annual Fall Pumpkin Float will be held at the Boston Common Frog Pond on Friday, October 19, from 5 - 8 p.m. Hundreds of illuminated jack-o’-lanterns will be floated on the water accompanied by spooky family activities.

Attendees are asked to bring eight-inch or smaller carved pumpkins that will be lit and then floated on the Frog Pond for a dramatic early evening display. In addition, attendees are invited to view creatively carved and decorated jack-o’-lanterns from various local sports teams and organizations. Adults and children are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and participate in a wide range of fun activities. Children are invited to decorate luminary bags which will be displayed and illuminated along the edge of the Frog Pond. Test your courage and problem-solving skills in our haunted corn maze.

The Fall Pumpkin Float is presented by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with the Skating Club of Boston. For more information, please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505, or visit our Facebook page.