JANUARY

First Night/First Day Celebrations

Statewide

For auld lang syne, join the party during the Commonwealth’s New Year’s Day celebrations! boston-discovery-guide.com

Boston Wine Festival 2018

Boston

An all-star lineup of passionate winemakers, hosted dinners, seminars, and receptions. bostonwinefestival.net

FEBRUARY

Beanpot Hockey Tournament

Boston A college hockey annual classic that features Boston College, Boston University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University. beanpothockey.com

Lowell Winterfest

Lowell, Greater Merrimack Valley An annual festival weekend in downtown Lowell, featuring carousels, free ice-skating, and an all-you-can-eat chocolate festival. lowellwinterfest.com

MARCH

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Boston

The traditional celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in South Boston. southbostonparade.org

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Holyoke, Western Massachusetts

The traditional celebration of St. Patrick’s Day since 1952. holyokestpatricksparade.com

APRIL

JazzBoston Week

Boston

A celebration of live jazz with performers in dozens of venues in Boston and Cambridge. jazzboston.org

Boston Red Sox Opening Day

Boston

Red Sox open the season against Tampa Bay on April 5, and it will be the start of a 10-game home stand. boston.redsox.mlb.com

Patriot’s Day

Lexington & Concord, Merrimack Valley

Thousands will flock to famous

Lexington and Concord, and Minute Man National Historic Park for a re-enactment commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington.

lexingtonma.gov

Boston Marathon

Hopkinton to Boston First-class athletes will compete for fun and worthy causes during the world’s oldest annual marathon.

baa.org

Daffodil Festival

Nantucket, Cape & Islands A festival where thousands of daffodils in full bloom are on display up and down Nantucket’s roads and bike paths.

daffodilfestival.com

Artweek MA

Statewide

An annual award-winning innovative festival featuring hundreds of unique and creative experiences. artweekma.org

MAY

Nantucket Wine Festival

Nantucket, Cape & Islands A festival highlighting Nantucket’s community and celebrating its flavorful wine culture and unique island style. nantucketwinefestival.com

Northampton Pride

Northampton, Western Massachusetts An event celebrating the spirit and strength of the LGBT communities in Western Massachusetts. nohopride.org

Brimfield Antique Show

Brimfield, Western Massachusetts The largest outdoor antiques show in the world, with over 6,000 dealers and 130,000+ visitors throughout the week takes place in May, July, and September. brimfieldshow.com

Boston’s Annual Duckling Day

Boston Each year Boston celebrates the children’s book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey with marching bands, and costumed characters from the story.

friendsofthepublicgarden.org

JUNE

Boston Harborfest

Boston

A 36-year-old tradition celebrating Boston’s iconic harbor and its rich history. bostonharborfest.com

Boston Pride Parade

Boston Boston Pride celebrates diversity, equality, inclusivity, respect, and awareness in Greater Boston and beyond. bostonpride.org

Nantucket Film Festival

Nantucket, Cape & Islands An ode to the art of screenwriting on the beautiful island of Nantucket. nantucketfilmfestival.org

JULY

Boston Pops 4th of July

Boston An American Independence Day tradition, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is free, open to the public, and held at the DCR Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. bostonpopsjuly4th.org

Green River Festival

Greenfield, Western Massachusetts A celebration of world class music, with great local craft-makers, food & drinks, and lots of family activities. greenriverfestival.com

AUGUST

August Moon Festival

Quincy, Greater Boston

A celebration that historically reaches an attendance of well over 10,000, where guests will gather to enjoy traditional and contemporary performances. quincyasianresources.org

Gloucester Waterfront Festival

Gloucester, North of Boston A festival where over 200 artisans, authors, musicians, craftspeople, and food vendors from throughout the United States will display and sell their American made works. capeannchamber.com

SEPTEMBER

Topsfield Fair

Topsfield, North of Boston The oldest agricultural fair in the US celebrates its 200th Anniversary in 2018. topsfieldfair.org

Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival

Boston Boston’s biggest block party—a free, annual, outdoor public concert that has delighted hundreds of thousands of music lovers over the years. berklee.edu/beantownjazz

The Big E

Springfield, Western Massachusetts

The Eastern States Expo, known as “New England’s Great State fair,” is the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the seventh-largest fair in the nation. thebige.com

OCTOBER

Oyster Festival

Wellfleet, Cape & Islands An annual celebration of the town’s famous oysters, clams, and its deep-rooted shell fishing traditions. wellfleetspat.org

Cranberry Harvest Celebration

Wareham, South of Boston Celebrate a New England tradition and learn about the cranberry harvest at this family-friendly annual event. admakepeace.com

Haunted Happenings

Salem, North of Boston A month-long celebration, encompassing everything from family-friendly magic shows, to costume balls, psychic readings, haunted harbor cruises, ghost tours, and more. hauntedhappenings.org

Head of the Charles Regatta

Boston A two-day rowing competition where the world’s best crew teams row to the banks of the Charles River.

hocr.org

HubWeek

Boston

A multi-day ideas festival, with live art experiences, a massive startup showcase, exhibits, parties, and more.

hubweek.org

NOVEMBER

Cider Days

Franklin County, Western Massachusetts A full program of workshops and tastings, uniting professional cider makers, interested tasters, novices, and zealots. ciderdays.org

America’s Hometown Thanksgiving

Celebration

Plymouth, South of Boston A celebration of Thanksgiving, bringing history to life as Pilgrims, Native Americans, Soldiers, Patriots, and Pioneers proudly walk out of the past and onto the streets of Plymouth. usathanksgiving.com

DECEMBER

Nantucket Christmas Stroll

Nantucket, Cape & Islands Carolers in period costume, along with bell ringers, and student choirs serenate on Main Street. christmasstroll.com

Heritage Museum Gardens Aglow

Sandwich, Cape & Islands A treasured holiday family tradition which transforms the grounds of the museum with more than twelve miles of holiday lights.

heritagemuseumsandgardens.org