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Massachusetts 250 Events Calendar

Welcome to our Massachusetts 250 Events Calendar! Explore can’t-miss events, historic experiences, and celebrations across the state. Plus, visit our Celebrate Massachusetts 250 page for additional information and tips.


Massachusetts 250th Celebration Events

Find the dates you plan to travel or simply search the full events list below.

-= Featured Events =- Boating Children & Families Cultural Events Historic Museums Outdoor Activities Parades & Fireworks Shows & Exhibits
We welcome the events that are open to the public. Click here to Submit your Event for FREE

-= Featured Events =-

250th Marine Corps Birthday Ball at Hotel 1620

Nov 8, 2025 - Nov 8, 2025 Hotel 1620 - 180 Water Street Plymouth, MA 02360

In conjunction with a Marine cake cutting ceremony, there will be a showcasing of Plymouth’s connection to the Continental and Privateer Marines of the Revolutionary War by reenactors. From the first Continental Marine Recruiter in Plymouth 1776, Lieutenant Seth Chapin. To Plymouth’s own Continental Marine Lieutenant James Warren Jr, who served aboard the USS Alliance until wounded in May 1781. He is also the son of James Warren and Mercy Otis Warren. Then the Privateer Marines who perished aboard the General Arnold in a storm in Plymouth Bay on Christmas 1778. This event is a collaboration between the Marine Corps League Detachment 1306 in Plymouth and Volunteers of America Massachusetts in Plymouth. Guest of Honor for this Marine Corps Birthday Ball will be Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. Barrow USMC (Ret.).
4:30 - 11PM

Boating

Sail on the “Hannah”

Sep 20, 2025 - Sep 21, 2025 State Street Landing, 75 Front Street Marblehead, MA 01945

Marblehead 250 offers a special way to celebrate our Nation’s history in Marblehead!

The Hannah, the first ship in Washington’s fleet, was launched in September 1775. To commemorate that important part of Marblehead’s history, the Fame – very similar in size and appearance to the Hannah – will be docked at Marblehead’s State Street Landing, 75 Front Street. Visitors may board the ship at no charge and experience an 18th century schooner. Crew and members of Marblehead’s Glover’s Regiment will be on hand to tell the story of Hannah and answer questions.

Benefit sale will proceed to the Marblehead 250 events for 2025 and 2026.

• This is a SAIL, so the route is subject to wind and weather. We sail as far and as fast as we can based on conditions, and our goal is always to shut off the engine and give our guests an authentic schooner experience. Every trip is different.
• Guests have the opportunity to raise sails, take the tiller, learn knots, and engage with our knowledgeable crew about Hannah’s and Fame’s interesting histories, and learn about the many islands, lighthouses, forts, and other sights of Salem Sound. If you’re interested in history, ask questions! If you’d just as soon relax and enjoy the ride, you can do that, too.
9:00am - 10:15am (90 min sail starts at 10:15am-11:45am)
$50
978-729-7600

Children & Families

Calling All Kids, Patriots And Sailors: Revolutionary Summer Saturdays

Sep 6, 2025 - Sep 27, 2025 Water Street 25 Newburyport, MA 01950

FREE outdoor and indoor activities for kids all summer long

Building on the success of the Road to Revolution partnership programs, the museum will host children’s outdoor and indoor programming. The hugely successful Discovery Center experience will extend out onto the lawn with 15 new activity stations. Rolling River Printmakers of New England will partner this week with an activity station to make prints. A rideable dolphin and elephant, courtesy of local sculptor Jeff Briggs, along with a bouncy castle, pirate boat with water guns, plus water, sand and craft tables await.

This free program runs thanks to generous sponsorship from the Institution for Savings and the Local Cultural Council.

Looking ahead, in September, the museum is pleased to partner with Imagine Studios on a fascinating project to burn and carve out of a pine log and shape into a 20 foot long mishoon (dugout canoe) using traditional methods. Led by Imagine Studios, Darius Coombs of the Mashpee Wampanoag and Jonathan Petty of the Aquinnah Wampanoag will carve over successive weekends. Sponsored by the New England Foundation for the Arts, and with in-kind support from New England Development, the goal is to launch on Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 11.

We hope you can join us.–James
10:00am - 1:00pm
Free
978-462-8681

Paul Revere & Friends™ at Historic Wayside Inn

Sep 20, 2025 - Sep 20, 2025 The Historic Wayside Inn – 72 Wayside Inn Rd. Sudbury, MA 01776

The storied charm of the historic Wayside Inn will come alive this Apple Fest with a delightful blend of history, humor, and wholesome entertainment — and it’s all free for the whole family! Guests are invited to enjoy one full hour of strolling ventriloquism and edutainment with ♫♬ Paul Revere & Friends™, the beloved creation of Boston’s National Award-Winning Ventriloquist Kevin Driscoll. Known for his captivating mix of music, comedy, and historical storytelling, Kevin brings to life a colorful cast of puppets — each with its own wit and charm.

While there’s no historical record that Paul Revere owned a talking dog, audiences will quickly agree that Doug The Talking Dog might just be the most entertaining “what if” in colonial history. This interactive, laugh-filled performance is designed to delight children and adults alike, blending New England heritage with lighthearted fun. The event is part of Apple Fest’s full day of seasonal celebration, all set against the scenic backdrop of one of America’s most treasured historic sites.
11:00AM-12:00PM (One Hour Strolling ventriloquism & edutainment)
Free

Cultural Events

Fiesta Latina: Celebrating Hispanic and Latinx Culture

Sep 27, 2025 - Sep 27, 2025 Lowell National Historical Park, Boarding House Park Lowell, MA 01852

The Hispanic & Latinx Festival is one of Lowell’s most vibrant cultural celebrations, bringing together more than 15,000 attendees this year. In just four years, the festival has become a cornerstone community event, showcasing the rich traditions, music, food, art, and contributions of the Hispanic and Latinx community in the region.

Organized by the Latinx Community Center for Empowerment (LCCE), the festival is free and open to the public, offering live performances, cultural presentations, artisan and food vendors, and family-friendly activities. It serves as both a celebration of heritage and an opportunity to connect communities, strengthen civic engagement, and promote equity and inclusion across Lowell and beyond.

No pre-registration is necessary for cardholders. Simply present your valid EBT, WIC, or ConnectorCare card at the welcome booth for free entry and a festival wristband.
1:00pm - 9:00pm
See website for more details.
781-921-5893

Historic

Witness: Hingham in the Age of Revolution

Sep 20, 2025 - Sep 20, 2025 358Main Street 34 Hingham, MA 02043

As the Nation marks 250 years of independence, Witness: Hingham in the Age of Revolution explores how one New England town experienced the ideas, contradictions, and upheavals of the American Revolution. Through the lives of Hingham’s residents– white and Black, free and enslaved– this immersive new exhibit traces the ups & downs forging of a nation.

Spanning from the 1667 Wampatuck Deed to the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, Witness invites you to confront complex questions at the heart of America’s founding: Who belonged? What was worth fighting for? And what did liberty cost? This exhibit was produced thanks to the generous support of MA250 and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.

Public Transportation from Boston: Visitors can reach the Hingham Heritage Museum easily by public transit, with service via the MBTA commuter rail (Greenbush Line to West Hingham Station) or the scenic MBTA ferry from Boston to Hingham Harbor. Call for a pick up when you arrive at the Hingham train platform or ferry dock.
10:00am-2:00pm
Free - Open to the Public
781-749-7721

The 1775 Quebec Expedition from Newburyport: Following Their Footsteps

Sep 21, 2025 - Sep 21, 2025 Central Congregation Church 14 Titcomb Street Newburyport, MA 01950

On September 19, 1775, over 1,100 men departed Newburyport on a secret mission to capture Quebec—led by Benedict Arnold and planned with George Washington.

Join Jack Santos as he recounts the stories of Newburyport’s patriots on this daring expedition through the wilderness as we celebrate its 250th anniversary.

250 years ago this year, on the 19th of September, 1775, 1100 farmers, soldiers, merchants, teachers, and laborers left Newburyport on eleven ships for a secret, bold attack on Quebec City.

Had the plan worked, there likely would have been no revolutionary war, and Quebec would have been the 14th state in a new United States of America.

Relatively recently, Jack Santos put his hiking boots on his feet, and his kayak on his car, to follow Arnold’s trail through Maine. He followed the diary, maps, and stories of Newburyport soldiers. He visited the same stopping points, slogged through the same mud, and got bitten by the descendants of the mosquitoes of that era.

We’ll hear the stories of Newburyporters like Caleb Haskell, Rev Samuel Spring, Jeremiah Wheelwright and others, describing their experiences during that ill-fated journey to liberate Quebec.

Join us to hear about this exciting trek through the Maine backwoods, in a way that presents it as a travelogue of a trip that you, too, can do – highlighting historical locations, museums, and displays to visit first hand.
3:00pm-4:00pm
Refer to the website to learn more.
978-462-2681

Ticonderoga Cannon: Presentation and Firing

Sep 21, 2025 - Sep 21, 2025 South Field, Wayside Inn Dutton Road 35 Sudbury, MA 01776

Presentation and firing of Cannon to commemorate the movement of Ticonderoga Cannon to Dorchester Heights under the command of Henry Knox in 1775 and 1776.

Dusk & Night Cannon Firing
Colonial Music

Schedule as follows:
6 PM Sudbury Fyfe & Drum, Sudbury Militia and Minute
6:30 – 7:15 p.m. Cannon Display

Featuring: Crain’s Artillery, Brown’s Artillery, Pawtucket Rangers Artillery, and the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Refer to the website to learn more.

Daniel Shays’ Honorable Rebellion

Sep 24, 2025 - Sep 24, 2025 Richard Salter Storrs Library 693 Longmeadow Street Longmeadow, MA 01106

You probably know of “Shays’ Rebellion” as the time where ‘farmers who were angry about taxes’ ‘created unrest’ that exposed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, causing the Founding Fathers to write the Constitution.

Author Daniel Bullen has recently published a history that tells the story of what happened from the people’s perspective. Daniel Shays’ Honorable Rebellion shows that Shays and thousands of farmers were not trying to overthrow the government. They were protesting flagrantly unjust economic policies that were forcing them off their land, all to pay windfall profits to financiers. And the book draws on extensive research to show that the farmers kept the peace through five months of protests and won reforms in an electoral landslide. In a lecture and discussion program with deep contemporary relevance, Bullen will tell the story of this key moment in America’s legacy of dignified, nonviolent protest.

Daniel Bullen holds a Ph.D. in American literature. He is the author of two other books, The Love Lives of the Artists: Five Stories of Creative Intimacy and The Dangers of Passion: The Transcendental Friendship of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller. He lives in western Massachusetts.
6:30pm - 7:30pm
Refer to the website to learn more.
413-565-4181

Concord Museum Forum: Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters

Nov 12, 2025 - Nov 12, 2025 53 Cambridge Turnpike Concord, MA 01742

Join Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson for a timely forum on his forthcoming book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters. As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, Larson offers a powerful reexamination of the ideas, debates, and military turning points that made independence possible. From Common Sense to the Declaration itself, and from Boston to Trenton, Larson explores how 1776 transformed colonial resistance into a revolutionary movement—and why its lessons remain urgent for America today.
7:00PM - 8:00PM
Free Members | $10 Non-Members | Free Virtual
978-369-9763

Museums

Open Hours at the Abigail Adams Birthplace

Sep 21, 2025 - Sep 21, 2025 180 Norton St. North Weymouth, MA 02191

Open Hours at the Abigail Adams Birthplace continue! Please note: Visits are by guided tour only. Tours begin on the half hour, with the last tour starting at 2:30 p.m.

For more information, please see their website.
1:00pm - 3:00pm
$10 for adults, $5 for children and members are free!

Awake, Rise, Act: Contemporary Broadsides at the Museum of Printing

Oct 6, 2025 - Oct 6, 2025 15 Thornton Ave Haverhill, MA 01832

Haverhill’s Museum of Printing this summer is featuring broadsides, essentially posters, created by local artists to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the “Shot Heard Round the World.”

“Awake, Rise, Act: Contemporary Broadsides at the Museum of Printing” run through Aug. 30. The exhibition draws inspiration from broadsides that were generated at the beginning of the American Revolution. Just as in 1775, the contemporary broadsides urge viewers to “awake, rise, act.”

Artists featured include, Sandra Cardillo, Megan Cascella, Barbara Corrigan, Renee Covalucci, Deborah Epstein, Elissa Freud, Gail Hansen, Sharon Hayes, Rebekah Lord Gardiner, Steve Murakishi, Susan Murie, Marie Nolan, Charles Norris, Andrew Palladino, Molly Paul, Kelli Sacher, Laurie Sheffield, Liz Shepherd and Saskia Van Vactor.
08:00AM - 05:00PM
$10 – $15

Outdoor Activities

Guided Hike on the Knox Trail in Otis

Sep 20, 2025 - Sep 20, 2025 Norton Road Extension 92 Norton Road Extension Otis, MA 01253

Western Mass Hilltown Hikers Group Tour
Guided Hike on the Knox Trail in Otis

Directions: Take Route 23 East or West to the Center of Otis take Norton Road and bear right onto Norton Road Extension to end of road.
Hike Rating: Easy to Moderate 3 miles in and back with very little elevation

Join us on a journey on the original “Ye Trodden Path” to follow the footsteps of the men who saved our country. Narrated by Mr. Tom Ragusa, local historian, our journey will take us through a section in Otis stopping at each historical location along the way listening to Tom’s amazing stories. During the winter of 1775-1776 Gen George Washington held the high ground around Boston while the British were firmly in control of the city. If Washington had artillery, he could dislodge the British and retake Boston. The nearest available artillery was at Fort Ticonderoga, under Continental Army control, in up-state NY. Gen Henry Knox then was commissioned in Dec 1775, by Gen Washington to secure these artillery pieces and transport them from NY, through Massachusetts to Dorchester Heights outside Boston. To do this Gen Knox successfully crossed the Berkshire Mountains and large rivers in winter, with 59 pieces of artillery. When the artillery arrived in Boston in early March 1776, Gen Howe realized the hopelessness of his position and evacuated the city.

We will hike rain or shine. Registration required. Please Register per car load here. Maps and bottled water provided. Well behaved dogs allowed. More details are on their website. As always be prepared for rocks, mud and roots, bring trekking poles!
10:00AM - 1:00PM
Event is volunteer lead. Suggested donation is $15.
413-302-0312

Parades & Fireworks

Evacuation Day Boston 250

Mar 17, 2026 - Mar 17, 2026 Outside Fort Independence - Castle Island, South Boston - 2010 Wm. J Day Blvd. Boston, MA 02010

The Massachusetts Independence Day event is intended to be a grand-scale event celebrating the departure of the British Army after a ten-month siege and commemorating the service and sacrifice of thousands of men and women who supported the siege of Boston. This event will feature: A Parade & Review, Presentation Program, Flyover, 21 Gun Salute and Reception.
9AM - 5PM
Members $5/Non Members $10 Children free

Shows & Exhibits

“Spies Among Us” year long exhibit opening on February 6th 2025

Sep 17, 2025 - Oct 17, 2025 Golden Ball Tavern Museum Boston Post Road 662 Weston, MA 02493

“Spies Among Us” will open on Thursday, February 6th at 10 a.m. during the museum’s first Thursday opening hours. We will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 6th and will be open every Thursday going forward from 10-4. We will also showcase the exhibit during our February Second Sunday Open House on Sunday, February 9th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The exhibit will recall the story of General Gage’s spies who visited the Tavern in 1775, explore examples of espionage on both sides, and examine the many ways of spying that were used during the American Revolution.

Spycraft played a pivotal role during the American Revolution, with both the Continental Army and British forces using intelligence operations to gain strategic advantages. The Golden Ball Tavern and its proprietor Isaac Jones, played host on a few occasions to British spies sent, by General Thomas Gage, to survey the towns that were scattered around the area from Boston to Worcester. This was just one of the British military’s tactics for keeping the Patriots in line. On the American side, espionage was essential in countering the British military’s superior resources and manpower.

The spycraft of the American Revolution was marked by its ingenuity, the use of civilian networks, and the blending of military and civilian espionage tactics. Though it was often risky and unreliable, intelligence-gathering operations played a critical role in the eventual success of the American cause, allowing the Continental Army to take advantage of British vulnerabilities and ultimately secure victory.

Join us as we introduce our new exhibit and our new Thursday opening hours. The museum will continue to be open every second Sunday of the month for our Second Sunday Open House Tours and will now be open every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
We look forward to welcoming you!
10:00am - 12:00pm
Refer to the website to learn more.
781-897-1751