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.

The Friends of the Public Garden, in association with the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department, celebrates Mother’s Day with Boston-area families during its annual Duckling Day event. We look forward to seeing you there!

A beloved tradition for more than 30 years, Duckling Day celebrates the children’s classic book, “Make Way for Ducklings,” by Robert McCloskey. Every year, more than 1,000 people meet up and parade through Boston’s most picturesque parks, dressed like characters from the story. Led by the Harvard Marching Band, the parade will begin on the Boston Common at the Parkman Bandstand and end in the Public Garden near the famous Make Way for Ducklings sculpture. Bring your camera–  the parade is possibly the most adorable thing you’ll ever see!

Prior to the parade will be Playtime on the Common, a vibrant array of family entertainment, including crafts, face painters, a magician, circus games with Esh Circus Arts, and climbing and jumping with the Knucklebones crew.  All families are welcome to decorate their wagons or strollers, bring a picnic, and enjoy springtime in Boston’s most beloved parks!

The Boston Pride Parade and Festival is the highlight of Pride Week. The theme of this year's parade is, "Rainbow Resistance."

Mayor Martin J. Walsh will join other elected officials, community leaders, and activists in the parade. This celebration of the LGBTQ+ community draws a large crowd as it weaves through the City. The parade:

• start at Boylston St and Clarendon Street
• turn right onto Clarendon Street
• turn left onto Tremont Street
• turn left onto Berkeley Street
• turn right onto Boylston Street
• turn left onto Charles Street
• turn right onto Beacon Street
• turn left onto Tremont Street, and then,
• finally, City Hall Plaza on Cambridge Street

When the parade concludes, the festival begins. Enjoy food and drink, live music, and more at the parade's end on City Hall Plaza.

Boston Pride produces events and activities to achieve inclusivity, equality, respect, and awareness in Greater Boston and beyond. Fostering diversity, unity, visibility, and dignity, they educate, communicate, and advocate by building and strengthening community connections. Follow Pride Week on social media using the social media hashtags #WickedProud and #RainbowResistance.

The 36th annual Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl, presented by Valvoline Instant Oil Change. is the nation's largest all-you-can-eat ice cream festival. Whether you're a volunteer or professional ice cream eater, you play a huge part in our mission to conquer cancer.

Made possible by the generous contributions of the industry's largest ice cream companies, the Scooper Bowl has raised more than $6.3 million in the past 35 years for cancer research and patient care at the world-renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 

Grab your spoons and mark your calendars! Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl is proudly held on City Hall Plaza June 5, June 6, and June 7 from 12 - 8 p.m.

The tour will be a compilation of the history of Boston, focused on the neighborhoods of South Boston, Roxbury, and Dorchester. The tour is on the grounds of the monument. The grounds of Dorchester Heights are accessible, however the hill is very steep.

Learn about the history of this Boston Landmark, and the new uses planned for the farm. Historic Boston Incorporated, the Urban Farming Institute of Boston, the Trust for Public Land, and the North Bennet Street School have been working collaboratively to rehabilitate the circa 1786 Fowler Clark Farm.

Through these discussions and a suggestion box at each site, Mayor Walsh looks forward to hearing how the City of Boston can improve upon local parks, public areas, and City services.

We'll have free coffee and breakfast treats provided by Dunkin', as well as fresh fruit from Star Market. Each family will receive a flowering plant grown in the City's greenhouses as a gift from Mayor Walsh. Also, there will be a raffle with prizes from Dunkin'. We'll provide information on City programs from:

• the Boston Public Library
• Boston Public Schools
• the Boston Police Department, and
• Boston Centers for Youth & Families.  

Coffee hours are held from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., unless otherwise noted. For more information and updates on possible weather cancellations, please contact Parks and Recreation at 617-635-4505, or check us out on Facebook or Twitter.

Through these discussions and a suggestion box at each site, Mayor Walsh looks forward to hearing how the City of Boston can improve upon local parks, public areas, and City services.

We'll have free coffee and breakfast treats provided by Dunkin', as well as fresh fruit from Star Market. Each family will receive a flowering plant grown in the City's greenhouses as a gift from Mayor Walsh. Also, there will be a raffle with prizes from Dunkin'. We'll provide information on City programs from:

• the Boston Public Library
• Boston Public Schools
• the Boston Police Department, and
• Boston Centers for Youth & Families.  

Coffee hours are held from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., unless otherwise noted. For more information and updates on possible weather cancellations, please contact Parks and Recreation at 617-635-4505, or check us out on Facebook or Twitter.

Through these discussions and a suggestion box at each site, Mayor Walsh looks forward to hearing how the City of Boston can improve upon local parks, public areas, and City services.

We'll have free coffee and breakfast treats provided by Dunkin', as well as fresh fruit from Star Market. Each family will receive a flowering plant grown in the City's greenhouses as a gift from Mayor Walsh. Also, there will be a raffle with prizes from Dunkin'. We'll provide information on City programs from:

• the Boston Public Library
• Boston Public Schools
• the Boston Police Department, and
• Boston Centers for Youth & Families.  

Coffee hours are held from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., unless otherwise noted. For more information and updates on possible weather cancellations, please contact Parks and Recreation at 617-635-4505, or check us out on Facebook or Twitter.

Through these discussions and a suggestion box at each site, Mayor Walsh looks forward to hearing how the City of Boston can improve upon local parks, public areas, and City services.

We'll have free coffee and breakfast treats provided by Dunkin', as well as fresh fruit from Star Market. Each family will receive a flowering plant grown in the City's greenhouses as a gift from Mayor Walsh. Also, there will be a raffle with prizes from Dunkin'. We'll provide information on City programs from:

• the Boston Public Library
• Boston Public Schools
• the Boston Police Department, and
• Boston Centers for Youth & Families.  

Coffee hours are held from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., unless otherwise noted. For more information and updates on possible weather cancellations, please contact Parks and Recreation at 617-635-4505, or check us out on Facebook or Twitter.