Illuminate the Harbor With Fireworks & Music This Thursday Night

On the evening of Thursday, August 28,2025 at 8:30pm fireworks will illuminate the Harbor. The13th annual event is hosted by Boston Harbor Now in partnership with MeetBoston. 

It will be a special evening of free, outdoor enjoyment for people of all ages, to celebrate all the waterfront has to offer!

• Live Music & Activities: 7:00 – 8:30 PM
• Fireworks Display: Begins at dusk (approximately 8:30 PM)

Viewing areas will be available at locations across the Boston Inner Harbor Harborwalk in South Boston, East Boston, Charlestown, and North End. Our closest viewing location is Fan Pier Park and Moakley Bridge.

And before the fireworks, enjoy the last free Harborwalk Sounds concert at the ICA Harborwalk from 6pm to 8:30pm with Ness DeJean, an emerging pop singer-songwriter with a voice that channels soul, passion, and raw emotion. A quick reminder that the ICA is free on Thursday nights from 5pm to 8pm. 

This Week About The Neighborhood

updated 9/4/24 with Rodent Control meeting recording.

August 26: PAW Patrol: The Movie (Rain Date: August 27), G. Free. 88 Seaport Blvd. 

August 26: State Primary Vote by Mail Application Deadline

August 29: Inspectional Services Department (ISD)s Rodent Control Information Session from 6pm to 7:30pm.  View meeting recording and enter password 0&YFn?KQ. Questions or concerns contact ISD Environmental Division by email or at phone at 617-635-5300. 

August 29: 10th Annual Illuminate the Harbor Fireworks Celebration starts at 8:30pm and lights up for thirty minutes. The fireworks are made possible by support from Meet Boston and presented by Boston Harbor Now, Atlas PyroVision, and the City of Boston. Fireworks can be viewed from anywhere on the waterfront. Here are suggested public viewing locations along the Boston Harborwalk:

Christopher Columbus Park, North End

Piers Park, East Boston

Fan Pier, Seaport District

The fireworks are free to view . Register to stay informed of any updates. 

August 30: FY25 Community Preservation Act Funding Eligibility Determination Deadline. Don't miss out. In the FY 24, District 2 received $3.2 million in CPA funds that improve our neighborhoods and better the quality of life of all residents. The distribution includes the Christopher Lee/N Street Field in South Boston, Phillips Square Plaza in Chinatown, and League of Women in the South End, among others.   

August 30: Free FPAC Harbor Harmonies Concert from 7:30pm to 8:30pm at Midway Artist Studios, Fort Point Lyric Community Studio,15 Channel Center St. Room 102.

August 30: 14th Boston Jazz Festival by Boss-Ten Productions & Larry J's BBQ from 5pm to 10pm at Maritime Park, 600 D St. Free. 

August 31:14th Boston Jazz Festival by Boss-Ten Productions & Larry J's BBQ from 12pm to 10pm at Maritime Park, 600 D St. Free. 

September 3: State Primary Election Day. Polls are open from 7am to 8pm at One Boston Wharf Road *location change

originally published 8.26.24

Live Music, Fireworks, Elections, Movies & Art Around The Neighborhood

updated 8.22.24 with Climate Monsters & Boston Jazz Festival.

Lots of free events, fireworks and entertainment about the neighborhood this week and next. 

August 22: Free Thursday Berklee College of Music performances on Waterfront Plaza at Atlantic Wharf from 5pm to 7pm through September 5th. 

August 22: Artists For Humanity BIG Summer Show, the culmination of hundreds of teen artists' and designers' hard work this summer in their BIGGEST art and design sale of the year, happens from 5pm to 8pm in the Epicenter at 105 W 2nd St. Free.

August 22: Taking Back The Hill, a free community, art and food evening hosted by Spoke (formerly Medicine Wheel) from 6pm to 8pm at No Man’s Land, 95 G St (behind Excel High School).

August 23: Going to Ground - PUBLIC BRICK-LAYING PERFORMANCE from 4-7pm. Drop by The Greenway where artists LaRissa Rogers and Zalika Azim together with collaborators – including their moms, aunts, sisters, and several Boston-based artists – will lay earthen bricks on-site to form the foundation of the sculpture.

August 23: Free ICA Vinyl Nights from 5pm to 9pm. Repeats August 30th.  

August 24: "Climate Monsters" by artist Sarah Brophy will take over the Fort Point Channel. Free community launch party from 2pm to 4pm outside of the Boston Children's Museum.

August 24: State Primary Voter Registration Deadline 

August 24 & 25th: Early Voting Sat. & Sun. from 11am to 7pm at the Condon School, 200 D Street.

August 25: Black Owned Bos. Market at Seaport Common (85 Northern Ave) from 12pm to 6pm featuring Black-owned businesses from throughout the Greater Boston area, including food, games and live entertainment. Free. 

August 26: State Primary Vote by Mail Application Deadline

August 26: PAW Patrol: The Movie (Rain Date: August 27), G. Free. 88 Seaport Blvd. 

August 29: Inspectional Services Department's Rodent Control information session from 6pm to 7:30pm.  

August 29: 10th Annual Illuminate the Harbor Fireworks Celebration starts at 8:30pm and lights up for thirty minutes. The fireworks are made possible by support from Meet Boston and presented by Boston Harbor Now, Atlas PyroVision, and the City of Boston. Fireworks can be viewed from anywhere on the waterfront. Here are suggested public viewing locations along the Boston Harborwalk:

Christopher Columbus Park, North End

Piers Park, East Boston

Fan Pier, Seaport District

The fireworks are free to view . Register to stay informed of any updates. 

August 30: Free FPAC Harbor Harmonies Concert from 7:30pm to 8:30pm at Midway Artist Studios, Fort Point Lyric Community Studio,15 Channel Center St. Room 102.

August 30: 14th Boston Jazz Festival by Boss-Ten Productions & Larry J's BBQ from 5pm to 10pm at Maritime Park, 600 D St. Free. 

August 31:14th Boston Jazz Festival by Boss-Ten Productions & Larry J's BBQ from 12pm to 10pm at Maritime Park, 600 D St. Free. 

September 3: State Primary Election Day. Polls are open from 7am to 8pm at a new Seaport location pending confirmation. 

originally published 8.21.24

Counting Down To 2022: Festivities Start At Noon Friday

Start your countdown to 2022 with an Ice Sculpture Stroll along the waterfront, First Night activities inland and fireworks on the Common at 7pm followed by fireworks over the Harbor at midnight. 

New Year's Eve Ice Sculpture Stroll Boston Harbor Now's signature Waterfront Ice Sculpture Stroll is back! Get ready to count down to 2022 with over TWO DOZEN ice sculptures (a new record!) hosted by businesses and cultural sites across the waterfront. Join the Boston Fire Museum, Boston Pilots, Massport Fire Rescue, Mass State Police and US Coast Guard for a Touch-A-Truck experience from 12pm - 4pm outside the Envoy Hotel.  Don your winter boots and start strolling during this FREE, fun, and safe waterfront excursion. A lineup of over two dozen unique ice sculptures will be on display from 1:00pm – dusk on December 31, 2021. View Interactive Map

Ice sculptures are located close to transit stations across all major subway lines.  Visit Courthouse (Silver Line), Aquarium (Blue Line), Maverick (Blue Line), Haymarket (Green / Orange Lines) or South Station (Red Line) for a short walk to ice sculptures and the Boston Harborwalk. Check out the MBTA website for service information.  Visit the Boston Harbor Now event page for all the information on covid safety guidelines. Since 1975, Boston’s First Night has been a New Year’s Eve celebration of artistic performances, the wonders of the season, and the beginning of a new year. In keeping with this fantastic Boston tradition, the First Night celebration will open 2022 with an array of performances. Bundle up. All indoor programming directly maintained by First Night has been moved outdoors this year. Per the City’s indoor masking mandate, masks will be required for indoor concerts at partner churches, and are recommended when in large crowds outdoors. It is also strongly recommended that attendees are vaccinated.   Performances start Friday, December 31, 2021 at noon. View full schedule. The Whittier St. Health Center will run a mobile vaccination and booster clinic from 12:00pm - 7:00pm. on Copley Square (near the Bostix booth) and will be open to all members of the public who are eligible, including children. Following that, BPHC will be providing vaccinations and boosters from 7:00pm  -11:00pm in the Boston Public Library for people ages 12+.  First Night will include a family fireworks show at the Boston Common at 7:00 pm.  FOCCP Brings Midnight New Year's Eve Fireworks to Boston Harbor! The Friends of Christopher Columbus Park led the effort to bring back the nearly 40-year tradition of Midnight New Year's Eve fireworks to the Boston Harbor, which is possible because of the generous support from local businesses, waterfront organizations, and the City of Boston. Public viewing is free and available along the Harborwalk at Fan Pier, Christopher Columbus Park, and the East Boston waterfront. A lineup of more than a dozen unique ice sculptures will be on display from 1:00pm – dusk on December 31, 2021. Keep your eyes open for a whimsical "Snow Ball Fight" on the Harborwalk along Columbus Park.  More details.