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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 Fairs & Festivals Guided Tours Historic Museums Parades & Fireworks Performing Arts and Theater Shows & Exhibits
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-= 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

Hannah vs Nautilus — 3 Special Sails this October!

Oct 9, 2025 - Oct 10, 2025 Pickering Wharf Marina 86 Wharf Street, Salem, MA 01970

October marks the 250th anniversary of the battle between General George Washington’s hired vessel HANNAH and HMS NAUTILUS. This Oct. 9 and 10, FAME will sail FAME into the waters where the battle was fought and Capt. Mike Rutstein will talk us through every step of the historic encounter. He’ll also cover the aftermath of the battle, the differing historical accounts, and finally the efforts to replicate HANNAH which led, indirectly, to the building of FAME.

Tickets are $75 and are available only at schoonerfame.com!

You may visit their website.
10:00am-5:00pm
Tickets are $75 and are available only at schoonerfame.com!
978-729-7600

Fairs & Festivals

Liberty and Union Day

Oct 18, 2025 - Oct 18, 2025 6 Church Green, Taunton, MA 02780

​Liberty & Union Day is an annual event that celebrates Taunton, Massachusetts’ rich history and culture. We commemorate the events of October 1774, when our community became one of the first in the American colonies to raise a flag in opposition to British rule. That flag – the “Liberty and Union” flag – flies proudly over our city to this day.

Hosted by the Old Colony History Museum, the day features what life was like in 1774 through a variety of local colonial crafter demonstrations, Continental and British reenactors, live music, delicious food, as well as plenty of family-friendly activities.

Enjoy the beauty of fall in New England and the hospitality of the Taunton community while we celebrate our local contribution to the American Revolution.
10:00am-4:00pm
Refer to the website to learn more.
508-822-1622

Guided Tours

Meet Ghosts of the American Revolution

Sep 19, 2025 - Oct 19, 2025 1 North Street, Blandford, MA 01008

Blandford, Massachusetts, is a small town with a big history rooted in the American Revolution in unexpected ways. See and hear its stories come alive from a dispatcher running clandestine operations for the military while still serving patrons at the family tavern to a selectman who secretly participated in the Boston Tea Party and more.

Guests will be on their feet for about an hour as they tour the cemetery and meet a colorful cast of Blandford characters. Bring something to sit on if you like. FREE donuts and cider will follow at the Blandford Historical Society across the street from the cemetery. The walk will take place rain or shine (except for severe weather) so bring an umbrella if rain is forecasted. In the event of severe weather, cancellation will be posted at blandfordhistoricalsociety.org by noon. Come and enjoy the local lore!
2:00pm-4:00pm
Free
413-848-0108

Burial Hill Tour Series – Revolutionary Connections

Oct 4, 2025 - Oct 4, 2025 Plymouth Burial Hill Cemetery Town Square 19, Plymouth, MA 02360

The Plymouth Antiquarian Society and Pilgrim Hall Museum announce their continuing partnership in a free public tour series of Plymouth’s historic Burial Hill for the 2025 season. Each first Saturday of the month a thematic tour of the ancient burying ground will reveal facets of Plymouth’s evolving story over generations. This year honors the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution with a series theme of “Revolutionary Connections.” Each monthly tour highlights the Revolutionary era in Plymouth with insights into South Shore connections to America’s contest for independence. Presenters include local historians and authors who share their expertise on a range of topics, highlighting art, history, and culture atop the open-air history museum in the heart of downtown Plymouth, Burial Hill.

Severe weather may cancel tour. Stay up to date with us on our Facebook page and visit pilgrimhall.org or plymouthantiquarian.org for more information on the continuing Burial Hill tour series.
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Free
508-746-0012

Historic

Concord Museum Forum: The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution

Oct 5, 2025 - Oct 5, 2025 Main Street 34, Hingham, MA 02043

Uncover the overlooked role of patriot artists—women, Black men enslaved and free, and people of mixed race—who shaped the Revolution through art, espionage, and activism across America, London, and Paris. Their work helped inspire rebellion and forge a new political culture, almost always armed with wax, paint, and wit rather than a musket or bayonet. Among these daring figures were enslaved artists with deep ties to Massachusetts, including famous poet Phillis Wheatley and portrait painter Prince Demah. Together, the experiences of this extraordinary artistic cohort testify to both the promise and the limits of liberty in the founding era.

Zara Anishanslin is Associate Professor of History and Art History at the University of Delaware. She is the author of the award-winning Portrait of a Woman in Silk: Hidden Histories of the British Atlantic World and has served as a historical consultant for the Philadelphia Museum of Art and “Hamilton: The Exhibition.”
3:00pm-4:30pm
Refer to the website to learn more.
781-749-7721

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

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

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

Performing Arts and Theater

Revolutionary Voices

Oct 11, 2025 - Oct 11, 2025 Pilgrim Hall Museum Court Street 75, Plymouth, MA 02360

Revolutionary Voices: A Benefit Performance for Pilgrim Hall. Don’t miss Revolutionary Voices: Plymouth Debates Liberty & Loyalists, an original play in one act by Patrick T.J. Browne. This riveting dramatization of Plymouth’s deliberations during the escalating tensions of the American Revolution is based on authentic records and features commentary from Mercy Otis Warren, a trailblazing political thinker during an extraordinary era of change, portrayed by Michelle Gabrielson of the Mercy Otis Warren Society. Enjoy a Q&A with play’s creator, Dr. Browne, and acclaimed Warren biographer Nancy Rubin Stuart following the performance. Light refreshments & cash bar; reservations required.

This benefit event includes an Adopt and Artifactsilent auction to help conserve and exhibit objects owned by Mercy Otis Warren, including her exquisitely wrought needlework card table, and items associated with Wampanoag activist Zerviah Gould Mitchell, including fragile manuscript records of Indigenous soldiers in the Revolutionary War.
PRESENTED WITH THE PLYMOUTH ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY & THE MERCY OTIS WARREN SOCIETY
For more information, contact , (508) 746 –1620, ext. 3
6:00pm-8:30pm
TICKETS: $75
508-746-1620

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

Transformed by Revolution: Exhibition Opening

Oct 1, 2025 - Oct 1, 2025 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA 01742

The second of three 250th special exhibitions at the Concord Museum, Transformed by Revolution will explore histories of community and belonging during and after the war, tracing shifting ideas about what it meant to be part of the new nation and who would be included in the story.  Featured objects and stories will explore the process of rebuilding local communities and the nation as a whole following a period of immense crisis. Examples of 18th century telescopes and scientific apparatus from Harvard University’s Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments will highlight the story of Harvard College’s temporary relocation to Concord in 1775, along with families from Boston seeking refuge. Furniture, silver, and ceramics, along with other objects from the Museum’s collection, will illuminate efforts to establish community organizations to provide mutual care and support after the war, while historic clothing and textiles will trace stories of childhood, family, and education. The exhibition will particularly highlight the networks of care and mutual support created among Black and indigenous families, drawing on maps, land records, and archival materials to capture their uncertain and often precarious experiences following the war and their efforts to forge and maintain their own communities. By centering these complex and diverse stories, this exhibition will consider the ongoing legacy of the American Revolution for ideas of inclusion, belonging, and citizenship today.
10:00am - 4:00pm
Refer to the website to learn more.
978-369-9763

ALICE FAITH WILLARD: ARTIST, TEACHER & PIONEER – A Retrospective Exhibition of the artwork of Alice Faith Willard

Oct 7, 2025 - Oct 7, 2025 Richard Salter Storrs Library 693 Longmeadow Street, Longmeadow, MA 01106

The Longmeadow Historical Society is proud to announce a retrospective exhibition of the art works of Alice Faith Willard (1866-1946), during the month of October 2025. Alice Willard was the first art teacher in the Longmeadow Schools, implementing the Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870 based on her training at the Massachusetts Normal Art School (now MassArt). She extended her leadership to Springfield, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Ludlow, and Wilbraham. Once established as an artist and teacher, she went on to study with William Merritt Chase at the Shinnecock Art Colony on Long Island, NY in 1897.

The retrospective is sponsored by the Longmeadow Historical Society in cooperation with the Richard Salter Storrs Library. It includes watercolors, oils, pencil and charcoal sketches and drawings, gel prints, and miscellaneous personal items. In 1999 and again in 2025, family members donated the majority of her known pieces of artwork to the Longmeadow Historical Society. Researched and curated by Historical Society board member Robert Abel, “Alice Faith Willard: Artist, Teacher, and Pioneer” is the first public exhibition of Willard’s works since her death almost 80 years ago.
8:00am-5:00pm
Refer to the website to learn more.
413-565-4181