The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Prepares For A New Season Of Activities
Have a seat on the lush grass of the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Photo courtesy of gconservancy by way of FlickR.
As the mercury in thermometers begin to rise, New Englanders are shedding their heavy winter coats and indoor ways for more seasonal attire and outdoor activities. As nature begins to turn green and blossom anew, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway begins to live up to its name, providing Bostonians a place to get outdoors, enjoy the sun, and breathe in some fresh air after a long winter.
Named for the daughter of a mayor and the mother of a president, an attorney general, and a senator, the Greenway is in its ninth year of connecting Downtown Boston to the waterfront. It provides not only a welcome respite for office workers escaping their cubicles, but for residents who live along the 1.5 mile linear park as well. Groundskeepers are out daily preparing the park, and administrators are working on another year’s worth of programing and activities that will be sure to include something for everyone.
The new big ticket item for this year is a European style beer garden planned for the corner of Purchase and High Streets. After the permitting process is complete, officials expect a 5,000 square foot area serving beer and wine between three and five days a week. Complimenting the libations will be 21 locations for food trucks, with eight new trucks joining the rotation this year. Included among the newcomers are seafood, Moroccan fusion, and Latin/Caribbean farm-to-plate trucks.
After eating and drinking your fill, there are more than 100 group fitness classes to help burn off the excess calories. Spinning classes, yoga, boot camps, and more provide a terrific opportunity to enjoy one of Boston’s most beloved new public spaces, to get in shape, and to meet some fellow like-minded fitness enthusiasts. Last year the options even included tango lessons, and the schedule for 2017 is expected to be released shortly, so keep an eye out for a class that fits your schedule.
When combined with the festivals, block parties, and markets already on the calendar, there are more than 400 events taking place on the Greenway in 2017. On Thursdays, the Boston Calling Block Party brings terrific live music to the area from 5-8 p.m. Large screens are set up on other evenings to screen movies, and the kids are sure to enjoy the seven water features, the o
ne-of-a-kind carousel, and the PlayCubes in Chinatown Park. On the last Saturday of the month, teenagers from the Asian Community Development Corporation’s Asian Voices of Organized Youth for Community Empowerment (A-VOYCE) program put on SaturPLAY in Mary Soo Hoo Park.
For the first time, this year the expected 8-12 art installations will have an across the board theme chosen by the Greenway’s curator. The Playful Perspectives exhibits will trick the mind with optical illusions and forced perspective techniques. By blurring the lines between art and everyday life, the Greenway predicts that the displays will become some of the most photographed local spaces on Instagram this summer.
The full calendar of events, food truck listings, and more, can all be found on the Greenway Conservatory’s website.