MA250

Act Worthy of Yourselves: A Re-Imagining of Joseph Warren’s Funeral
2026-06-18 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-06-19 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-06-20 14:00 - 15:30, 2026-06-20 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | King’s Chapel, Tremont Street 58, Boston, Massachusetts, 02108, United States
April 1776. The British army has finally left Boston. Now, nearly a year after his death, friends and family can finally hold a funeral for Dr. Joseph Warren.
Inside King’s Chapel, his brother, his fiancée, and his good friend Paul Revere gather to mourn Warren and to make sense of their loss. Outside the Chapel, two Black abolitionists wonder what this revolution will mean for them. A play about memory, legacy, and the potential and pitfalls of the American Revolution.
Come join the King’s Chapel History Program for a thrilling story about freedom, the life of a man often only recognized for his death, and the larger fight for freedom, all at the location where this funeral took place in 1776!

Battle of Gloucester Reenactment Events
2026-06-20 09:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-21 08:00 - 16:00 | Stage Fort Park, Hough Avenue 24, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 01930, United States
On Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21, witness the Stage Fort Park transform into 18th-century Gloucester, through battle reenactments, both by land and sea, civilian encampments, historical programming, and more.
The Battle of Gloucester is one of the lesser known battles of the Revolutionary War that played a major factor in the formation of the Continental Navy. The American soldiers’ ability to defeat the British Navy, the most powerful of the time, as they attempted to raid the Gloucester Harbor, instilled a confidence in the Americans that sparked the eventual creation and birth of the U.S. Navy.
Battle reenactments will be held at 10 a.m. (by sea) and 2 p.m. (by land) on both Saturday and Sunday. Throughout the day, visitors can meet citizens of 1775 Gloucester, browse 18th century shops, and explore a Revolutionary War Encampment.

Freedom Trail Foundation Rainbow Revolutionaries Tour
2026-06-20 10:45 - 12:15, 2026-06-21 10:45 - 12:15, 2026-06-27 10:45 - 12:15, 2026-06-28 10:45 - 12:15 | Robert Gould Shaw & 54th Regiment Monument], Tremont Street 139, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, United States
Boston’s newest official Freedom Trail Tour! The Foundation’s Rainbow Revolutionaries Tours illuminate the lives, loves, and fights for liberty of Boston’s LGBTQ+ community, and explore how queer individuals have been making history for centuries. Uncover the history of Boston Marriages, political milestones for LGBTQ+ rights, and the storied romances of some of Boston’s most famous individuals, from literary giants to a world-renowned actress, and even a Revolutionary war hero. Join in to bring this history to life and celebrate Pride by discovering the achievements of the people who have always been a part of and have helped shape Boston.
PLEASE NOTE: The tour features sites in Beacon Hill, where bricked sidewalks and hills can be difficult to traverse while using mobility aids.

America 250: Women of ’76: True Stories of Revolutionary-Era Women
2026-06-20 12:00 - 13:30 | Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library, 17 Constitution Way, Rochester, MA, 02770, United States
This program highlights the true stories of Revolutionary-era women, including Prudence Cummings Wright, who organized and led a band of women to capture two Tory spies. Step back in time and discover the untold stories of 5 courageous women, both patriot and loyalist, American and foreign born, who witnessed, chronicled, and in some cases changed the course of the American Revolution.
This program is presented in partnership with the Rochester Historical Society and is supported by a grant from the Rochester Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

NO RECOMBINATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
2026-06-21 14:00 - 14:50, 2026-06-21 19:00 - 19:50 | City Council Chambers Cambridge City Hall, Massachusetts Avenue 795, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, United States
On a hot summer evening in 1976, the Cambridge City Council faced a packed hearing room—and a decision that would echo across the globe.
At the center of it all stood Mayor Al Vellucci: sharp-tongued, fearless, and ready to take on science itself. The issue? A new biohazard lab designed for groundbreaking recombinant DNA research—celebrated by some as the future of science, feared by others as the birthplace of “Frankenstein bacteria.” Nobel Prize–winning scientists, passionate citizens, politicians, and the global press all converged on Cambridge to confront one explosive question: Who gets to decide the boundaries of scientific discovery?
Fifty years later, step back in time with an immersive theatrical experience staged in the very same Cambridge City Hall hearing room where this conversation took place. Relive the tension, the debate, and the moment that turned local politics into a worldwide reckoning and that formed the Kendall Square that we know today.
Stay after the show to engage in thought-provoking conversation about the legacy of the hearing, the power of public oversight, and the future of community-driven science.
No Recombination Without Representation is a partnership between the MIT Museum, Central Square Theater, and the City of Cambridge. Performances will occur at Sullivan Chamber in Cambridge City Hall. All shows are free and open to the public.
This production was made possible through the generous contributions of MIT Museum supporters Phil and Ann Sharp and MIT’s Department of Science, Technology, and Society. This program is part of the MIT Museum’s year-long exploration of TIME and is part of the Massachusetts 250 activities celebrating the many “firsts” and innovations created in our state through the last 250 years.

Dinner with Abigail and John Adams
2026-06-26 19:00 - 22:30 | Braintree Town Hall, John F Kennedy Memorial Drive 1, Braintree, MA, 02184, United States
The Braintree Historical Society is hosting a dinner for Abigail and John Adams on Friday June 26th at the Braintree Town Hall. A hot and cold buffet will be served and a cash bar will be available.
Following dinner the Adams will provide an update on the state of the Revolution.
For reservations please call: 781-848-4535.
Reservations are required.
Suggested attire is business casual or colonial

A Plymouth Community Ceremony for America’s 250th
2026-06-27 13:00 | Town Square, Leyden Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 02360, United States
The Town of Plymouth’s 250th Commemoration Committee invites you to a special ceremony in Town Square commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The program will feature a reading of the Declaration by a group representing Plymoutheans of 1776 and 2026, patriotic songs, a flag raising, color guard salute, and remarks by state and town officials. Please join us!

American250 Sturbridge, Mass Festival
2026-06-27 13:00 - 17:00 | Sturbridge Town Common, Main Street 278, Sturbridge, MA, 01566, United States
Celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence in Sturbridge with a full day of community spirit, history, and fun!
Join us on Sturbridge’s Town Common for a festive celebration featuring The 215th Army Band, Senator Fattman, Rep Smola, Sturbridge’s Militia reenactors, Daughter’s of the Revolution, and local docents providing tours of the Old Burial Grounds. We will have lots of interactive family fun available including a DJ playing patriotic music, bounce houses, axe throwing, cherry pie eating contest, Woosox’s Smiley, face painting, balloon animals, along with plenty of food trucks and libations, Huzzah!
To participate, email sturbridge250@gmail.com.
Prior to the festival, watch our parade which starts at 10:30am at corner of Stallion Hill Road and Route 20, goes east on Route 20, up Route 131 and ends at the town common.

Dancing in the Revolution: The Politics of Dance
2026-06-30 10:30 - 12:00 | 1699 Isaac Winslow House, 634 Careswell St, Marshfield, 02050, United States
In the colonial period, and during the revolution, dance and music became intertwined with politics, religion and economics. The careers of William Turner, a dancing master in Boston, and Thomas Pike, a dancing master in Philadelphia, affected each other, and were affected by the times. Jacob and Nancy Bloom will share primary sources that reveal the course of these masters’ lives, and illustrate how important dance was to colonial America. They also include information on Mary Cowley, a dancing mistress in Newport, Rhode Island, who managed to avoid political entanglements, and taught dancing to the Americans, British, and French.

Songs of Liberty
2026-07-01 09:30 - 2026-07-26 17:00 | Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA, 01566, United States
A 25-minute live performance explores how music carried revolutionary ideas through taverns, homes, and meetinghouses across New England—often faster and with greater impact than the written word. A cast of musicians, joined by a Massachusetts Minuteman storyteller, will perform songs from the Revolutionary era with a contemporary folk-rock twist, highlighting enduring themes of liberty, resistance, and unity. The Songs of Liberty is produced in partnership with ClockJack Productions.

Voices of a Revolution
2026-07-01 09:30 - 2026-07-26 17:00 | Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA, 01566, United States
Visitors will step into a rural Massachusetts community and meet six Revolutionary-era residents—a printer, housemaid, lawyer, shopkeeper, tavern keeper, and farmer’s wife—each navigating the growing conflict in their own way. To make the experience even more immersive, guests will have an opportunity to learn about a specific person and build their own character, allowing them to move through the Village as active participants in the unfolding story and decide whether it is in their best interest to fight for independence or remain loyal to The British Crown. Voices of a Revolution is produced in partnership with ClockJack Productions.

Writing a Revolution: The Letters of John & Abigail Adams 1773-1776
2026-07-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Abigail’s Tea Room at The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, Congress Street 306, Boston, Massachusetts, 02210, United States
From the “destruction of the tea” to the Declaration of Independence, witness the founding of a nation through the eyes of one of colonial America’s most iconic couples. John Adams will take part as a delegate in the First and Second Continental Congresses in Philadelphia, while his wife, Abigail, remains in Massachusetts as the American Revolution begins. Their correspondence allows a window into the conflicts, the struggles of the people, the tedious nature of the Congress, and a loving marriage.
This July, we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of our nation. The letters of John and Abigail Adams reflect their lived experiences through this tumultuous time, and allow us to witness history in the making.
This live theatrical performance provides an intimate setting geared toward adults and older children.

Independence 250: Independence Forever: The Continental Congress
2026-07-02 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-07-02 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-02 15:00 - 16:00 | Adams National Historical Park: Old House at Peace field, 135 Adams St, Quincy, 02169, United States
Become a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and re-enact the passage of the Declaration of Independence. This interactive and engaging event is an invitation to adults and children to take part in the debate about whether to remain loyal to the British crown or to create a new nation.
Get the details on this special program for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence at https://www.nps.gov/adam/planyourvisit/250-anniversary.htm.

The MHS Celebrates the USA's 250th with Reenactors and a Reading of the Declaration of Independence
2026-07-02 12:30 - 13:30 | Massachusetts Historical Society, Boylston Street 1154, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) is hosting a commemorative program marking the 250th anniversary of July 2, 1776 – the day the Continental Congress voted for independence from Great Britain. Although the nation ultimately adopted July 4 as its official birthday, John Adams believed July 2 would be celebrated for generations, predicting in a letter to Abigail Adams that the day would be marked with “pomp and parade… games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations.” The event will feature historical reenactors portraying John and Abigail Adams, bringing the couple’s famous correspondence and the dramatic days surrounding independence to life, as well as a reading of the Declaration of Independence by WCVB Newscenter 5’s anchor Maria Stephanos.
The event will take place alongside 1776: Declaring Independence, the Society’s landmark exhibition featuring some of the nation’s most significant founding‑era artifacts, including:
– John Adams’ and Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copies of the Declaration of Independence
– A rare Dunlap Broadside, the earliest printing of the Declaration
– Original Adams family correspondence discussing the vote for independence and Adams’s prediction about July 2
– Tea recovered from Boston Harbor after the Boston Tea Party
– Additional manuscripts and documents illustrating how the Declaration transformed the colonies into a new nation
The event is free and registration is recommended to secure your spot: https://www.masshist.org/events/USA-250-birthday

Revelry on Griffin’s Wharf
2026-07-02 19:00 - 21:30 | Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, Congress Street 306, Boston, Massachusetts, 02210, United States
The Sons and Daughters of Liberty return for an evening of history, games, merriment, and all things “Boston Tea Party”! Costumed museum interpreters will engage and educate through interaction and activities, including knot tying, portrait drawing, face painting, photo booth, colonial games such as Nine Men’s Morris, Road to Boston, and Shut the Box! Guests will have access to the fully-restored vessels Eleanor and the brig Beaver to throw tea crates into Boston’s historic harbor! Join us in Abigail’s Tea Room to taste the five tea blends that were at the center point of this iconic event. Beer, wine, clam chowder, and an assortment of cookies and scones, along with many other items, will be available for purchase. Popcorn is FREE! Great for Families!
View the Harborfest Fireworks from our back deck at 9:15pm!
*This is a Boston Harborfest Event.
TICKETS AT THE DOOR.

Independence 250: John & Abigail Adams
2026-07-03 08:00 - 17:00, 2026-07-03 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-07-03 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-03 15:00 - 16:00 | Adams National Historical Park: Old House at Peace field, 135 Adams St, Quincy, 02169, United States
Hear from John and Abigail Adams as they share their experiences during the American Revolution at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Enjoy musical selections from The Conchords at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Get the details on this special program for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence at https://www.nps.gov/adam/planyourvisit/250-anniversary.htm.

Freedom Rocks! Williamstown Fourth of July Celebration
2026-07-03 12:00 - 22:00 | Williamstown, MA, Williamstown, Massachusetts, 01267, United States
This year Williamstown celebrates on Friday AND Saturday (July 3 and 4). The fun kicks off Friday at Williamstown Historical Museum with family activities, food, exhibits, and performances featuring Barrington Stage Company, Green Mountain Boys family-friendly demos, Berkshire Fife & Drum Corp, Flatbed Jazz Band, special tours, and more. Continue across the road at Waubeeka Golf links for a Freedom Rocks! music concert with headliner Albert Cummings and special guest James Montgomery, plus Karl Mullen & The Dublin Castle Express, Wanda Houston, and Latin GRAMMY–winning children’s artists and authors MISTER G and MISSUS G.
Saturday’s events take place in downtown Williamstown and include morning yoga, family activities, the annual Hometown Parade and Free Community Hotdog Cookout, Brass-O-Mania, swimming, the Founding Documents, film, and more. Celebrations conclude with glorious fireworks viewed from the Taconic golf course.
