Boston's Guide to the Fourth of July

Main Event

Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular
July 4, Oval opens at 9 a.m.
Concert: 8:30-10:30 p.m.
Fireworks: 10:30 p.m.
Esplanade on Storrow Drive

This year's Hatch Shell extravaganza includes a performance by country superstars Rascal Flatts, more than 20 thousand pounds of explosives for the annual pyrotechnic display, and a flyover that will be executed by the 104th Fighter Wing and the 131st Fighter Squadron. For more on the show and Harborfest, click here.


History

Paul Revere's North End Walking Tour
July 1-3, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
The Paul Revere House

Take a trip back to the colonial days, as guides bring you through the historic North End. You’ll walk the same roads as Paul Revere himself, and see the places he took his ride on that fateful night. Other stops will include Old North Church, where signal lanterns were hung, and the location of Boston’s great molasses flood.

Boston Harborfest Children's Day
July 2, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
City Hall Plaza

School may be out for the summer, but that doesn't mean youngsters should stop learning. Take them out for a 4th of July lesson that covers the nation's birthday with a wide variety of entertaining and educational activities, such as a visit to the USS Constitution Museum, State House, the New England Aquarium, or the Freedom Trail, and even set sail aboard the Liberty Clipper. At City Hall Plaza, there will also be juggling and entertainment by Fly by Night, music by Wayne Potash and the Music Fun Band, balloon fun and more!

Boston Tea Party Sail
July 2-6, 3-5 p.m.
Long Wharf

Sail back in history. Listen to the story of how the Sons of Liberty took three British ships, and how Dutch tea was smuggled into Boston, while sailing aboard an authentic ship. Throw tea in the Harbor, and fire the cannons!

Footloose on the Freedom Trail
July 4, 9 a.m.
Old State House

Take a three-hour walking tour of the Freedom Trail from the State House to the USS Constitution, and through Boston's parades and celebrations. The event will honor Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere at the Granary Burying Ground, and there will also be a reading of the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House.

Reading of the Declaration of Independence
July 4, 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Old State House, State and Devonshire Streets

Take a trip back in time with a dramatic reading of the document that started our history. The Declaration of Independence will be recited from the very balcony it was read 232 years ago.

USS Constitution Tall Ship Cookout
July 4, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Long Wharf, South of Commercial Wharf, behind the Marriott Hotel

Enjoy hot dogs and burgers cooked on the tri-works while enjoying the best view of the USS Constitution Turnaround.

USS Constitution Turn-around
July 4, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Waterfront, Charlestown Navy Yard to US Coast Guard Base, Charlestown

Watch as "Old Ironsides" takes its annual trip from the Charlestown Navy Yard to the US Coast Guard Base. The ship will honor the nation with a 21-gun salute. Afterward, visit the USS Constitution Museum for some historical fun.

Beacon Hill's Treasures
July 4, 11 a.m.-Noon
Otis House Museum, 141 Cambridge St., Boston

Explore the back streets and hidden treasures of Boston's legendary Beacon Hill. This guided walking tour will take visitors to the places our founding fathers congregated and lived in the early days of the Republic. This tour is just one of many fun events going on during Boston Harborfest.


Dining

Dine Like a President
July 1-31, Lunch, Brunch, Dinner, and Mid-Day Menu
The Fireplace, Brookline

All this month, the Fireplace in Brookline honors those commanders in chief who were born or raised in—or who had a soft spot for—New England by cooking up their favorite dishes for the electorate. On the menu: John Adams’s hasty pudding, William Howard Taft’s “Deacon Porter’s Hat” (a steamed pudding flavored with molasses, spices, and raisins), and JFK’s waffles.

A Taste of Quincy Market
July 2, 5-7 p.m.
Faneuil Hall Marketplace

On the first Wednesday of each month Faneuil Hall hosts "A Taste of Quincy Market." From 5-7 p.m., merchants in the Quincy Market food colonnade will offer free samples of their specialties.

Azure
July 4, 5:30 p.m.-close

Enjoy a three-course dinner and a rooftop reception complete with wine, beer, Kettle One cocktails and a great view of the fireworks.

dante
July 4, 6 p.m.-close

Declare your independence from the been-there, done-that holiday cookout and savor an al fresco fete on Dante’s riverside patio instead. The evening includes a cocktail reception, six-course tasting dinner, and champagne toast.

Tremont 647
July 4, 6 p.m.-close

If a gourmet picnic under the city skyline is your idea of fireworks, then head over to Tremont 647 to fill up your basket with backyard barbecue standards or the restaurant's classics. The restaurant is offering takeout all night for those wishing to dine on the go. But if the patio is more your style, they're also offering a three-course prix fixe menu for $25.

Top of the Hub
July 4, 7 p.m.

Celebrate the Fourth of July atop the Prudential Center at Boston's most "atmospheric" restaurant, for an evening of fine dining, a simulcast viewing of the Pop's performance on the Esplanade, and a coup de grace viewing of the fireworks from 52 stories above the Back Bay.

UpStairs on the Square
July 4, 11 a.m.

UpStairs is offering the full a la carte menu, including their famous barbecued ribs and specials from the grill. Sip the one and only Sparkletini, guaranteed to set off fireworks!

Chowderfest
July 6, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
City Hall Plaza

Restaurants from all over town will compete for the title of "Boston's Best Chowder." More than 2,000 gallons of New England's signature dish will be ladled out to the crowd of slurp-happy chowder-samplers.

Go on to the next page for concerts and cruises...