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‘Boston is having its moment’: It was a banner weekend for the city
“What a weekend," said Martha Sheridan, president and CEO of Meet Boston.
It was a banner weekend in the city of Boston.
During the 129th Boston Marathon on Monday, Martha Sheridan, president and CEO of Meet Boston, chatted with WCVB Channel 5 reporters Ben Simmoneau and Erika Tarantal near the finish line.
“What a weekend,” Sheridan said. “Boston is having its moment. Let’s just say that right now.”
In addition to the Boston Marathon, it was also Patriots Day weekend, and the region celebrated the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride and the Battles of Lexington and Concord with reenactments, parades, and special events. It was also Easter weekend, the end of Passover, and the Red Sox and Celtics had home games.
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“The stars seemed to align for New England this weekend,” Simmoneau said.
“Obviously this weekend always cements our reputation as one of the best sports cities in the world, so we’re going to take that and run with it,” Sheridan said. “All of these events happened simultaneously and our city managed it all very, very well.”
Boston Marathon weekend generates half a billion dollars in economic activity in Massachusetts annually, Sheridan said, thanks to the 30,000 athletes who take part in the race, their visiting families, spectators, and members of the media.
“The nice thing about this year with the marathon falling on Easter, it would normally be a very quiet weekend for hotels in the city of Boston,” Sheridan said. “So [the fact] that we are able to take this weekend and fill every hotel room is going to make a huge difference on impact. So we’re so excited.”
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Tarantal praised the region’s reenactments for the 250th anniversary of the events that led to the American Revolution.
“It just reminds you of just the incredible rich history of where we live,” she said. “Something we should not ever take for granted. It’s so special.”
Sheridan said she got up a 3:30 a.m. for the sunrise reenactment of the Battle of Lexington on Saturday and called it “amazing.”
“It all started here, let’s remember that,” Sheridan said. “In 2025, we have the 250th anniversary of so many great events. Boston is the place where it all started and it’s going to continue.”
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