Special Events in Boston

Mid-February
Chinese New Year festivities (Location: Chinatown)

Mid-March
St. Patrick's Day Parade and annual celebrations throughout the city.

3^rd Monday of April
Boston Marathon As many as 1 million spectators may look on as the course roughly follows the T Green Line into town on Patriots' Day, a Boston public holiday. It is a free citywide celebration that dates back to 1897. Phone 617-236-1652.

Mid-May
Kite Festival (Location: Franklin Park)

Early June
Early Music Festival in alternate years.

1^st 3 weeks of August
North End Italian Feast Days and Processions. Boston's oldest neighborhood, the North End, celebrates feast days of the Italian saints with weekend street fairs, processions, parades and Italian cuisine.

Throughout August
Roxbury Film Festival. This annual festival features works by minority and native New England filmmakers. For information: 617-541-3900.

Mid-August
Fisherman's Feast of the Madonna Del Soccorso di Sciacca. The feast dates to the 16th century in Sciacca, Sicily. For information: 617-248-0343

2^nd week in September
Boston Arts Festival. Theater, dance and music performances from Boston's finest music ensembles and dance troupes, and a juried art show. (Location: Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, North End). For information: 617-635-4447.

Early-Mid-October
Oktoberfest. Free music, dance performances, street artists and children's entertainment on three stages, along with international cuisine. More than 200 regional artisans display crafts, jewelry, clothing and other gift items. (Location: Harvard Square, JFK Street, Brattle Street and Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge). For information: 617-491-3434.

3^rd weekend in October
Head of the Charles Regatta (the "mini-Olympics of rowing") on the Charles River. More than 5,000 participants representing rowing-club teams or colleges from across the U.S. and Europe take part in the event. For information: 617-864-8415.

Throughout November
Thanksgiving at Plimoth Plantation. Plimoth Plantation re-creates Thanksgiving with 1627 theme -dining and other activities. New England Thanksgiving and Victorian Thanksgiving dinners feature period food and song. Workshops and lectures on customs of the time. 137 Warren Ave., Plymouth (Location: 40 miles south of Boston). For information: 508-746-1622.

Early December
Holiday Tree Lighting on Boston Common. The public garden is also illuminated, and the night is celebrated with family-oriented festivities. (Location: Tremont Street). For information: City of Boston Department of Parks and Recreation:617-635-4505.

New Year's Eve - concerts and festivities, with fireworks over Boston Harbor to bring in the New Year.