Celebrate Mother’s Day at the annual Duckling Day Parade

The cutest parade in Boston returns to the Public Garden this year.

Duckling Day Parade participants in 2019. Courtesy of Friends of the Public Garden.

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The Friends of the Public Garden hosts its annual Duckling Day Parade on Mother’s Day, paying tribute to the iconic children’s book “Make Way for Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey. After last year’s virtual event, the parade is back for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, complete with costumes, the Harvard Marching Band, circus games, and live music. The event typically draws over 1,000 attendees, including hundreds of children.

The day kicks off with “Playtime on the Common” at 10 a.m., where event goers can play games, watch performances, see a magician, grab a goodie bag, and read “Make Way for Ducklings” at the reading station. At noon, the parade begins from the Parkman Bandstand and is lead by the Harvard Marching Band, which brings parade attendees through the picturesque springtime Boston Common and Public Garden, finishing near the Make Way for Ducklings statues.

Families are encouraged to get decked out in costumes and decorate their strollers and bring a picnic lunch to enjoy in the Public Garden after the parade.