The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GBCVB) is enticing first-time visitors and lifelong residents with a list of events as part of the “Fall for Boston – Like Never Before” campaign. In honor of the 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon, the GBCVB has compiled a list of 26 highlights of the season. Visitors are encouraged to share their experiences on social media with #VisitBoston and #BostonUSA.
Among the highlights is the the Boston Marathon, which traditionally occurs each Patriots’ Day (the third Monday of April each year) but could not take place in 2020 or spring 2021; however, it will return to the streets on October 11. This is the first time that the marathon will happen in the fall! Another event that will take guests to the banks of the Charles River is the Head of the Charles Regatta, a two-day event that features student athletes from across the globe on October 22 through 24.
With fans finally back at stadiums, a trip to Gillette Stadium to see the New England Patriots can hardly be missed. Tom Brady will make an appearance at his old stomping grounds on October 3 when the Pats host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If sports buffs do make it to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the New England Revolution could bring home their first M.L.S. Cup. Might just want to stick around for the champions!
Staying local to Boston? No fear. TD Garden will get down to business as the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics kick off the return of regular season action. Texas is coming to town—opening night for the Celtics is October 22 vs. Houston, while the Bruins will be back on the ice October 16 vs. Dallas.
If visitors are keeping their fingers crossed for October baseball at Fenway Park, this would be the first time the Boston Red Sox go to the playoffs since winning the World Series in 2018.
If sports aren’t your game, festivals and markets also abound, and Boston’s Harbor Islands remain a destination into the fall.
Also, guests should keep their eyes out for the many artisan markets making their debut amidst the fall foliage. The Greenway Artisan Market, which operates every Saturday through October, runs the length of The Rose Kennedy Greenway.
Guests can visit The Seaport Common on October 17 for the Seaport x Black Owned Bos. Market to shop gifts, apparel, local food, beauty products and more, all from local purveyors while supporting Black entrepreneurs. And why visit only two artisan markets when you can visit three? Head to Boston’s South End for SoWa Sundays, where local artists offer their works and wares alongside food trucks, beer gardens and a farmers market through December 12. Other local farmers markets can be found across Greater Boston well into fall, from Copley Square and Central Square, all the way to Roslindale Village.
Cultural festivals are here, too. Check out Savor the Square in Roxbury’s Nubian Square on October 16 to experience the creative and entrepreneurial energies of Roxbury come to life. Just across the river in Cambridge, the Dance for World Community Festival took place on Mass. Ave. in Harvard Square on September 25. This free outdoor event about live dance, community and activism was organized by Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre.
Oktoberfest celebrations aren’t just for Germany. Trillium, Dorchester Brewing Co., Sam Adams, Night Shift and Harpoon offer three consecutive weekends of fun. It began September 18 at all three Trillium locations and at Dorchester Brewing Co. on both September 18 and 19, followed by September 24 through 26 at the Sam Adams Boston Brewery and Taproom, then September 25 at Night Shift’s Everett location and September 26 at the Lovejoy Wharf taproom. When October finally does arrive, Harpoon hosts Oktoberfest on October 1 and 2. And furry friends can join the 4th annual Dogtoberfest on October 3.
Performing arts and concerts have returned across the city. The rush of Fenway Park will continue with or without the Sox this fall. The Jonas Brothers will take the stage on October 1 and are ready to bring the entertainment to America’s oldest M.L.B. stadium. On the other side of town, at TD Garden, a star-studded lineup includes Michael Bublé, Twenty One Pilots and Harry Styles. Guests can head downtown to the Orpheum to see John Legend, City and Colour and Steely Dan.
More intimate venues will host Leon Bridges (Royale, September 18) and Future Islands, Rob Wave, Thundercat and Dinosaur Jr. are all at the House of Blues. The Boch Center will put on both “Rain” and “Rent,” and musicians such as James Blake, St. Vincent and Frankie Valli will make appearances all fall.
Broadway is also back in Boston! “Hadestown” will be on stage at The Opera House this November. Prefer a smaller venue? The Speakeasy Stage Company production of 2020 Tony Nominee “The Sound Inside” opened at Boston Center for the Arts on September 16.
These iconic and award-winning ensembles, outfits and theater companies will also finally return to the stage: the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Celebrity Series of Boston, Boston Lyric Opera, Huntington Theatre Company and American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has world-class exhibitions on display that will end soon. “Monet and Boston: Legacy Illuminated” and “Paul Cezanne: Influence” are both on view now through October 17. These French masters won’t be around for long and certainly won’t disappoint. Visitors shouldn't miss out on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the Fenway this time of year. “Titian – Women, Myth & Power” will be on view through the fall.
The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston in the Seaport just unveiled two exhibitions: The 2021 James and Audrey Foster, and Mexican artist Raul de Nieves “The Treasure House of Memory.” Finally, at Revolutionary Spaces on the Freedom Trail, September marks the official opening of “Heard,” an audio-visual art installation from inaugural 2021 Artist Fellow James Colman.
Learn more at www.bostonusa.com.
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