Events

10 free things to do in Boston in May

From concerts to blooming lilacs to a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University on Lilac Sunday. The Boston Globe

By Cheryl Fenton

4 minutes to read

With April showers potentially done, Boston is blooming with May flowers and things to do. Get out and enjoy the city with this go-to guide of fun (and often outside) spring time activities. The best part is you can enjoy all of them without spending a dime. Here are 10 things to do in Boston for free this May.

1. Recognize AAPI Heritage Month with music

Jamaica Plain-based Sheffield Chamber Players and Boston’s Pao Arts Center present “Common Ground,” a free evening of music from contemporary Asian-American composers to mark May’s designation as AAPI Heritage Month. This event, taking place at 7 p.m. on May 3, includes recent string quartets by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail; Chinese-American composer Lei Liang; Iranian-American artist Kian Ravaei; Syrian-American composer, music director, and Tufts University professor Kareem Roustom; and acclaimed Japanese-American composer and Kronos Quartet cellist Paul Wiancko. While tickets are free, reservations are suggested and can be made here. (Pao Arts Center, 99 Albany St., Boston)

2. Relax with guided meditation

If you’re curious about mindfulness, try an evening of outdoor meditation. Enjoy a Friday night guided practice for free in the Boston Public Garden with Gen Khedrub, the resident teacher at Kadampa Meditation Center Boston. Find some calm in this great busy city and have some fun with other meditators on May 9 from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. A monthly event, you can relax as the sun sets while learning the fundamental tools of mindfulness and balance. Register here. (Boston Public Garden)

3. Support talented performers through a summer music program

Berklee College of Music students, faculty, and alumni give hundreds of free outdoor concerts all over the city from the beginning of May through September, from jazz to classical, Latin to funk, folk to world. This season’s Summer in the City will be held at Atlantic Wharf, the ICA, the Prudential Center, Spectacle Island, Club Passim, Longfellow House, Parcel 12, and more locations, and will include the Tito Puente Latin Music Series, Sunset Concerts, Swinging in the Fens, and Jazz at the Fort, to name a few. (Various locations throughout Boston)

4. Listen to musical poems honoring J.R.R. Tolkien and more

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), the nation’s premier orchestra
dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing, and recording new orchestral music, concludes its 28th season with a free concert at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall on May 4 at 3 p.m. Entitled “Turning Point,” the program will showcase Grammy award-winning conductor and artistic director Gil Rose as he presents three virtuosic works by composers Chris Theofanidis, Han Lash, and Jeremy Gill. The evening begins with the world premiere of Gill’s “Four Legends from the Silmarillion,” a set tone poem that musically depicts the most famous characters from J.R.R. Tolkienʼs posthumously published “The Silmarillion.” Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made here. (30 Gainsborough St., Boston)

5. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo downtown

A bilingual celebration of the Cinco de Mayo holiday comes to Downtown Crossing with food, crafts, and Mexican folk music in partnership with Boston’s Consulate General of Mexico. You’ll enjoy various performers, an artisan showcase, and vibrant craft fair from noon to 2 p.m. on May 5. (Downtown Crossing Steps, 1 Franklin St., Boston)

6. Stroll by blooming lilacs

Locals and visitors alike excitedly wait all year for America’s first arboretum to host its famous annual Lilac Sunday event. Guests of the Arnold Arboretum enjoy tours of one of the premier lilac collections in North America (the arboretum boasts more than 40 lilac plants of 173 kinds), as well as family activities, displays, food vendors, and picnicking (on this special day only) for a memorable May 11, Mother’s Day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (125 Arborway, Boston)

Kids enjoying a free activity at the MFA Memorial Day Open House. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

7. Watch little ‘ducks’ all in a row

Spring has sprung when the ducklings come out to play during another beloved Mother’s Day event in Boston on May 11, the celebration of the Boston-based book “Make Way for Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey. Every year, more than 1,000 children dress up as feathered friends and gather on Boston Common to enjoy face painting, a puppet show, and marching behind the famous Harvard University Marching Band. While inclusion in the parade costs $35, witnessing all that cuteness is free. (Boston Common)

8. Enjoy a block party celebrating culture and connection

The World Afrika Day Block Party returns for the third year on May 24 for its festive outdoor activation bringing the sounds and culture of Afrika (the continent’s pre-colonial spelling) to Boston. The series, which began in Boston in 2022, holds events nationwide including at founder Jonathan Bekele’s ancestral home of Ethiopia. From 2 to 7 p.m. at the Summer Street Plaza, the event transforms Downtown Crossing into a vibrant celebration and brings together DJs, artists, vendors, and sponsors from across the continent, highlighting the diasporic sounds and traditions for an unforgettable day of music, culture, and connection. (10 Summer St., Boston)

9. Reflect on those who gave their lives

As part of the Memorial Day Weekend events held on May 26 throughout Boston, a spectacular sight worth visiting is the Garden of Flags at Boston Common’s Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Each of the 37,000-plus flags planted by the Massachusetts Military Heroes represents a Massachusetts service member who bravely gave his or her life defending our country since the Revolutionary War. (Boston Common)

10. Surround yourself with world-famous art

Local museums will offer family-oriented festivities this year with special exhibitions and free admission for Massachusetts residents on Memorial Day. One such event is the MFA’s open house on May 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Shapiro Family Courtyard where visitors can make art and music, watch a film, and join tours and discussions in the art galleries. The free admission also includes access to the special exhibition “Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits.” Grab your tickets here. (465 Huntington Ave., Boston)

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