City Life

20 Boston Festivals And Markets To Go To This Fall

I don’t know about you, but being away from Boston all summer, and missing the part of the year when the city really comes alive, has me peeved. There are festivals and markets and events galore that happen downtown and all-around when it’s finally warm enough to stand being outside in Boston and if you blink you may miss some of the ones that are still happening as the semester begins. So, to make sure that doesn’t happen, I compiled a list of the best festivals, markets or events happening on the streets of the city for returning students or ones who were lucky enough to have been there all summer long! Here are some of the best Boston festivals!

September 3: Asian Street Food Night Market

Time: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Cost: Entry starts at $7
Location: The Shops at Chestnut Hill

The Asian Street Food Night Market will have 25+ local vendors that will be cooking and serving over 60 different kinds of Asian dishes and snacks, including Chinese crepes, Uyghur lamb kebab, all kinds of skewers, fruit teas, and Thai dessert!

September 8 & 9: The Boston Arts Festival 2018

Time: 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: Friends of Christopher Columbus Park, 110 Atlantic Ave., Boston

The Boston Arts Festival will be showcasing local artists exhibiting their handcrafted, original artwork and Boston bands performing all weekend. Bring your artsy friends and your camera, there’s sure to be plenty of good people watching. This is one of the greatest Boston festivals!

September 8: Riverfest 2018

Time: 12 to 9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: Assembly Row at Assembly Square, 355 Artisan Way, Somerville

Riverfest 2018 in Somerville promises a day full of live local music, dozens of local artists, free children’s activities, and of course the annual fireworks show over the Mystic River at sundown.

September 8: Boston Night Market 2018

Time: 4 to 10 p.m.
Cost: GA is $10
Location: Boston City Hall Plaza

Inspired by night markets in Asia, the inaugural Boston Night Market will feature artisanal food, merchandise vendors and talented performers for an evening of lights, food, arts, and entertainment! This is one of our favorite Boston festivals!

September 9: Open Newbury Street

Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: Newbury St.

Just for the day, Newbury Street will be transformed and free of cars. Enjoy local musicians, challenge your friends to an outdoor game, or simply stroll along enjoying the festive atmosphere.

September 9: The Somerville Flea

Time: Somerville Flea
Cost: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Free, 52 Holland St, Somerville

At the Somerville Flea you’ll find local vintage and artisan vendors, fresh local produce and live local music. Continues every Sunday through October 21.

September 13-December 7: Fair Foods $2 Bags of Produce

Time: Every other Friday
Cost: East Boston Farmers Market
Location: Central Square, East Boston

At certain sites around the city, bags of fresh fruits and vegetables are sold for just $2 each (usually a $12+ value), and loaves of fresh bread for $1 each. East Boston Farmers Market is one of them!

September 15: 3rd Annual Boston Social Fitness Festival

Time: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: Boston City Hall Plaza
Location: 1 City Hall Square, Boston

Wake up the fitness guru in you at Boston’s Social Fitness Festival! It’s a free, day-long celebration of getting Boston moving, featuring fun activities for all ages and fitness levels. Check back on their Facebook event page for a full schedule of classes and activities.

September 16: Black Market Flea by Boston Hassle & Ignore Rock n Roll Heroes

Time: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: $1 entry
Location: Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender St, Cambridge

The Boston Hassle Black Market is a flea market featuring handmade artwork, prints, patches, records, tees, pins, ceramics, jewelry, zines, body care, tea, fiber art, vintage clothing, accessories, books, as well as tarot readings and more. So bring your witchiest friends!

September 16: Boston Local Food Festival

Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway

The Boston Local Food Festival is a free outdoor festival that showcases farmers, local restaurants, food trucks, specialty food producers, and organizations focusing on healthy food and fitness from all around New England.

September 2: Lantern Festival

Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: Rose Kennedy Greenway – Chinatown Park, 70 Beach Street, Boston

Held in Boston’s Chinatown, the Lantern festival will be a day of fun festivities, games, and mooncake sampling to kick off the celebrations for the traditional mid-Autumn Festival.

September 23: Dumpling Festival at the Central Flea

Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: University Park, 91 Sidney Street, Cambridge

At the Dumpling Festival at Central Flea, 15 local restaurants and food trucks will be cooking up mouth-watering variations of dumplings. Plus they’ll have their usual 90 vendors, selling antiques and vintage, original art, handmade everything, imports and fair trade.

See Also

September 30: SoWa Open Market

Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: 460 Harrison Ave., Boston

SoWa Open Market is Boston’s largest celebration of local artisans, farmers, food trucks, brewers, and musicians. Every Sunday through October, shop from over 175 makers amidst a vibrant landscape of art studios, galleries and boutiques.

October 5 &6: BU Global Music Festival

Time: 7 to 11 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: Boston University, 775 Commonwealth Ave.

Boston University is hosting the inaugural BU Global Music Festival this year for students and Bostonians alike to enjoy extraordinary music, educational events, and a global bazaar – all free and open to the public of all ages with registration.

October 6: Harvard Flea Market

Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: 14 Massachusetts Ave, Harvard

The Harvard Flea Market happens every year on Columbus Day Weekend and is a shopping extravaganza. There will be over 170 booths filled with antiques and collectibles, toys, art, vintage clothing and jewelry, pet supplies and much more.

October 13: Tenth Annual Boston Book Festival

Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: Copley Square

The Boston Book Festival this year will feature more than 75 separate events with nearly 200 presenters, plus workshops, interactive sessions, exhibitors, live music, food trucks, and maybe even a few surprises- according to the event page. This is one of the best Boston festivals.

October 14: Central Square Food Truck Festival

Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: University Park, 91 Sidney Street, Cambridge

Held at the Central Flea in Central Square Cambridge, the festival will feature 30+ of the area’s top food trucks and offer food lovers live music and family fun as well. With a range from grilled cheese to whoopie pies, there is sure to be something for everyone at Boston festivals like this!

December 6-9: Allston-Brighton Winter Market

Time: 4 p.m to 7 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: Harvard Ed Portal, 224 Western Ave, Allston

Boston’s newest neighborhood holiday market, the Allston-Brighton Winter Market is a four-day event featuring vendors of crafts, artisan goods, gifts, and fine art, plus live music, food and drinks for purchase, and special interactive art opportunities.

What Boston festivals are your favorites? What Boston festivals do you go to? Tell us in the comments!
Featured Image Source: www.unsplash.com
carlythompson

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