Fill your calendar with fun during the month of August.
Massachusetts offers many fun events during the month of August, from open markets to music festivals to Red Sox games at historic Fenway Park.
Fill up your calendar using our list of 31 things to do — one event for every day in August.
August 1: Watch Shakespeare on the Common
Attend Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s summertime Shakespeare on the Common productions. The troupe will perform “Macbeth” through Aug. 6 and audiences can bring their own blankets and chairs or rent chairs. (Parkman Bandstand, Boston Common)
August 2: Hop on a ride at Six Flags New England
The 200-acre Six Flags New England, billed as “The Thrill Capital of New England,” offers more than 100 rides, shows, and attractions as well as a waterpark named Hurricane Harbor. (1623 Main St., Agawam)
August 3: Attend Soulfest
More than 75 faith-inspired performers will take the stage at the 25th anniversary of Soulfest, a Christian music festival, taking place at the Topsfield Fairgrounds from Aug. 3-5. Listen to We The Kingdom, Tauren Wells, Cory Asbury, and more. (207 Boston St., Topsfield)
August 4: Explore a national park for free
The National Park Service is waiving fees on this day to celebrate the anniversary of the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act. Find a nearby park site and explore for free. (Various locations)
August 5: Attend a ’20s lawn party at Castle Hill at Crane Estate
Don your Gatsby-inspired clothing and step back in time at the 10th annual Roaring Twenties Lawn Party, taking place Aug. 5-6. Activities include lawn games, live music, dance lessons, an antique auto show, poetry brothel, and more. (290 Argilla Road, Ipswich)
August 6: Enjoy a car-free Newbury Street
Get your shopping done during Open Newbury Street, which means the street is closed to vehicle traffic between Massachusetts Avenue and Berkley Street from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Sunday through October. (Newbury Street, Boston)
August 7: Bring your appetite for Dine Out Boston
Diners can snag deals on prix fixe lunch and dinner menus at many of Boston’s favorite eateries between Aug. 6-19. Participating restaurants are charging the following set prices for multi-course meals: $22, $27, or $32 for lunch, and $36, $41, or $46 for dinner. (Various locations)
August 8: Listen to live music during the ‘Summer in the City’ concert series
Boston Harbor Hotel hosts live music on the harbor Tuesday through Friday night until Aug. 25. Visitors can hear free, live jazz, soul, country, R&B, and more at the Harborwalk Terrace. (70 Rowes Wharf, Boston)
August 9: Watch a free concert at the Boston Public Library
The library’s “Concerts in the Courtyard” series, running through August 30, features a variety of artists for an hour-long performance on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and Fridays at 12:30 p.m. in the library’s iconic Italianesque courtyard in Copley Square. (700 Boylston St., Boston)
August 10: Enjoy a picnic performance at the pier in Fall River
Hear free, live music at Norton City Pier thanks to the Trustees of Reservations, along with food trucks and activities for kids of all ages. (600 Davol St., Fall River)
August 11: Catch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park
Root for the Red Sox at historic Fenway Park, America’s oldest active Major League Baseball park and the home of the Boston Red Sox since 1912. The Red Sox play the Tigers at home Aug 11-13. (4 Jersey St., Boston)
August 12: Watch a traditional lion dance
The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway has collaborated with Chinatown Main Street to bring lion dances weekly to the Chinatown Gate in Auntie Kay & Uncle Frank Chin Park on The Greenway. The dances take place every Saturday through Sept. 2 at noon, weather permitting. (John F. Fitzgerald Surface Road, Boston)
August 13: Shop local vendors and artists at SoWa Open Market
Take in more than 100 regional and local vendors at this market, known as one of the largest in Boston. When all of that shopping makes you hungry, stop at a food truck before perusing studios, galleries, and shops. Open Sundays take place through Oct. 29. (500 Harrison Ave. and Thayer St., Boston)
August 14: Join a free fitness class on the Greenway
Join Tara Breznovitz on the Rowes Wharf Lawn for a free, high intensity interval training (HIIT) class. This is part of the 2023 Greenway Fitness Season. (Atlantic Ave. and High Street, Boston)
August 15: Explore the arts scene in North Adams and Williamstown
These two Berkshires towns were recently named among the best small town arts scenes in America by USA Today, in part due to gems such as the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA), Berkshire Artist Museum, Eclipse Mill Artist Loft & Gallery, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, and Williamstown Cultural District. (Various locations)
August 16: Climb the trees at Ramblewild
This tree-to-tree adventure park offers adventures via high wires, zip lines, balancing logs, rope ladders, and suspension bridges. (110 Brodie Mountain Road, Lanesborough)
August 17: Watch a retro movie at the Coolidge Corner Theatre
The theater’s “Rewind!” film series, which taps into nostalgia for movies of decades past, is showing “House Party.” The series takes place on Thursdays through Sept. 14. (290 Harvard St., Brookline)
August 18: Enjoy live music in the mountains
The Saints will perform during the Catamount Mountain Resort Summer Music Series, which brings live music to the mountain every Friday night through August 18. (Route 23, South Egremont)
August 19: Tap your foot at the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival
This free, two-day annual music festival at historic Salem Willows raises money through donations and merchandise sales for local music education. Visitors can also take music education workshops and shop artist vendors. (167 Fort Avenue, Salem)
August 20: Watch a free outdoor movie under the stars
See “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” the final Sunday night outside movie at Christopher Columbus Park this season. (110 Atlantic Ave., Boston)
August 21: Tour the city with Boston Duck Tours
Boston’s amphibious vehicles take visitors through the city and past historic landmarks before driving into the Charles River. (Departure locations: Museum of Science, Prudential Center, and New England Aquarium)
August 22: Take a kayak adventure on Castle Neck River
Experience an intimate kayak tour near the Crane Estate and explore the environment and wildlife along the water. Guests may even experience a beach landing on Castle Neck or a an island at Crane Wildlife Refuge. (310 Argilla Road, Ipswich)
August 23: Play pickleball at Lawn on D
Lace up and head over to Lawn on D for a game of pickleball. The pickleball is free, and no reservations are required when concessions are closed. Nets are provided, but players must bring their own equipment. (420 D St., Boston)
August 24: Eat your way through Saint Anthony’s Feast
Billed as the largest Italian religious festival in New England, this festival launched in 1919 and takes place Aug. 24-27. Visitors can enjoy parades, live entertainment, contests, religious services, and so much food. Visitors can choose from pizza, zeppole, calamari, sausage, cannoli, gelato, and more from 100 pushcarts. (North End, Boston)
August 25: Attend a music festival on Martha’s Vineyard
The fourth annual Beach Road Weekend, taking place Aug. 25-27, brings the sounds of Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, Leon Bridges, and more to Veteran’s Memorial Park in Vineyard Haven for the three-day festival. (10 Causeway Road, Vineyard Haven, Martha’s Vineyard)
August 26: Taste whiskey at Intercontinental Boston
Billed as one of the largest whiskey tasting events in the U.S, the “Whiskies of the World” tour is making a stop in Boston and bringing more than 200 whiskey expressions. Culinary bites will be on hand and visitors can even take a masterclass in whiskey. (510 Atlantic Ave., Boston)
August 27: Ride the new shuttle at Franklin Park Zoo
Franklin Park Zoo launched a complimentary shuttle offering free roundtrip weekend service through Labor Day. The electric shuttle continuously brings guests from the Forest Hills MBTA station to the Giraffe Entrance at Franklin Park Zoo. The route is just under 1.5 miles and travels through scenic Franklin Park. (1 Franklin Park Road, Boston)
August 28: Attend a drag brunch at Laugh Boston
Visitors get more than brunch when they attend Laugh Boston’s exclusive “Britney Spears versus Christina Aguilera DRAGtacular Brunch.” They also get an interactive drag show and “epic battle of the divas.” (425 Summer St., Boston)
August 29: Enjoy live music on the Cape Cod National Seashore
Head to Salt Pond Visitor Center for a free outdoor concert featuring award-winning singer/songwriter Kim Moberg and guitarist Steve Gregory, owner and instructor at Score Music in Sandwich. (50 Nauset Road, Eastham)
August 30: Ride a historic carousel in Salisbury
Salisbury unveiled a new carousel this summer, featuring carved wooden animals such as horses, giraffes, and camels. The 1909 carousel is located inside a new octagonal pavilion on Broadway. Afterward, explore the small coastal beach town. (Broadway, Salisbury)
August 31: Learn about whales in Gloucester
Discover more than 50 years of global whale research at “Where the Land Meets the Sea,” a free Ocean Alliance event at the historic Tarr & Wonson Paint Manufactory that includes an interactive art installation, augmented reality technology, refreshments, and musical performances in an oceanside courtyard. (32 Horton St., Gloucester)
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