How to Spend Your Memorial Day Weekend
Photo by iStock/kevinmwalsh
How to Spend Your Memorial Day Weekend
Check out a parade in Somerville, enjoy free admission to the MFA and ICA, and get your ticket for Boston Calling
Happy Memorial Day weekend, Terriers. The weekend is first and foremost a chance to honor and remember the military personnel who have given their lives in service. It’s also the unofficial start of summer. Head outdoors and enjoy the nice weather at the Boston Calling Music Festival or the Greenway Artisan Market. Lots to do this weekend, so let’s get into it.
Flag Garden
The Boston Common will transform into a swaying expanse of American flags to mark the holiday. Hundreds of volunteers plant more than 37,000 flags around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument to remember the Massachusetts service members who gave their lives dating back to the Revolutionary War. The Flag Garden is a beautiful symbol of community, appreciation, and honor, and has been a staple of Boston’s Memorial Day celebrations since 2010.
May 25 to 29 in the Boston Common. Find more information here.
Somerville Memorial Day Parade
The city will honor service members with one of the biggest parades in the state. Afterwards, there will be a short memorial ceremony at Veterans Cemetery. This year marks the first time since 2016 the parade will run.
May 28 at noon. The parade will begin at the Davis Square Rotary and end at Veterans Cemetery. Find more information here.
USS Constitution Memorial Day Event
The USS Constitution Museum will hold a series of activities to celebrate the holiday. On board the ship, visitors can see the memorial poppy garden, a collection of paper poppies made by the public to honor military members. The museum will also hold a ceremony to remember fallen soldiers as well as host a family-friendly flag-pin-making event.
May 29 from 10 am to 5 pm at the USS Constitution Museum. Find more information here.
The Greenway Artisan Market
Memorial Day weekend is a perfect time to check out the Greenway Artisan Market, an open-air stretch of more than 50 local vendors selling art, jewelry, candles, and other crafted products. The market will be open Saturdays and Sundays (starting May 28) from 11 am to 5 pm.
May until October, 11 am to 5 pm at the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Find more here.
Free Museum Admission at the MFA and ICA
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Institute of Contemporary Arts/Boston are offering free admission to Massachusetts residents on Memorial Day. At the MFA, check out “Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence,” (featuring influential Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai) a drop-in paper making activity, as well as a fair featuring Boston-area artists. At the ICA, “María Berrío: The Children’s Crusade” is worth a look—it combines the history of the Children’s Crusade of 1212 with the contemporary crisis of people moving across borders.
Tickets for the MFA are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tickets for the ICA will be available to reserve starting May 28 at 10 am on their website.
Boston Calling Music Festival
The annual three-day music festival kicks off Friday, May 26. Each day is packed with incredible acts, including headliners Foo Fighters (check out their new drummer), The Lumineers, Alanis Morissette, and Paramore. Bring water, because the weekend should be hot.
May 26 to 28 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Check out the entire lineup here, with tickets starting at $196 per day, $411 for the entire three-day weekend.
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