The Boston art world is alive and thriving! Here’s a list of FREE arts events happening this summer. Get out and explore the city during these sunny, warm months. With help from BU Office for the Arts staff, ArtsBoston, the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, The Boston Calendar, and more resources, BU Office for the Arts announces its annual list of Free Summer Arts Events.
Public Art in Boston: Explore a variety of public art in Boston. Check out our website for BU Public Art on Campus, find nearby murals on the Boston Mural Map, or cross the river and explore the MIT Public Art Map. Other ongoing public art exhibits are presented by amazing organizations like the Rose Kennedy Greenway and The Triennial.
BU Museum Memberships: BU Students, Faculty, & Staff can get free access, even over the summer, to the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Harvard Art Museum, and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA/Boston). Please check our Memberships & Discounts page for reopening and ticketing information.
Have a free arts event that you want included? Email us at artsinbu@bu.edu.
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June
July
August
Ongoing
JUNE
Picture + Panel: Queer Health – June 1, 2026 | 7-8 PM
This month, Picture + Panel explores queer bodies and medical autonomy with Jared Sarnie and Violet Kitchen. Noah Glick from Fenway Health will moderate.
Triennial Art + Stroll Series: Downtown Crossing – June 4, 2026 | 11:30-12:30 PM
Carnaval is a vibrant celebration of East Somerville’s diverse cultures, expressed through dance, music, and cuisine. Broadway transforms into a bustling open street filled with piña coladas in pineapples, fresh coconuts, tacos, and more. Enjoy an artisan market, connect with local community organizations, and bring the whole family for fun activities like face painting and a dunk tank.
H2O SOS: Water Warning | Opening Performance by Lani Asunción – June 4, 2026 | 5-8 PM
Join us in celebrating Lani Asunción’s new solo exhibition at Boston City Hall!
June First Thursday at the Gardner – June 4, 2026 | 3-9 PM
On June’s Free First Thursday, we invite you to partake in art of all forms, just as our founder intended. From a dance performance in the Courtyard to a 12th-century art-making practice to a final chance to view Picturing Isabella, we promise an engaging evening you won’t want to miss.
Faces, Spaces & Places Opening Reception – June 5, 2026 | 6-8 PM
An exhibition by #ART STAYS HERE | Faces, Spaces & Places is a visual exhibition exploring the causes, impact, and potential solutions to end artist displacement, offering a spatial justice view of the overlooked value of affordable artist workspaces across Massachusetts. Through photographs, maps, testimony, and community engagements, The #ARTSTAYSHERE Coalition shares insights into what’s caused artist displacement over time and how their volunteer advocacy organization, in partnership with community and other stakeholders, has turned the displacement trajectory around.
New England Conservatory Student Performance at the Boston Public Market – June 6, 2026 | 11-11:45 AM
Join students from the New England Conservatory for a classical string quartet performance! Free and open to all ages.
Gleaming Tokens: Leather Embossing with Metallics – June 6, 2026 | 1-4 PM
Did you know that some of the elaborate painted wallpaper in the Gardner Museum is actually gilt leather? Explore this material with us in the Bertucci Education Studio as you experiment with shaping and adorning your own charm or keyring.
Gallery Talk: Ruth Erickson on Lucy Raven: Rounds– June 6, 2026 | 1-4 PM
How do humans control the natural landscape, and what happens when we do? Join Barbara Lee Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs Ruth Erickson, who will lead a discussion at the ICA Watershed on the United States premieres of Hardpan, a large-scale kinetic sculpture co-commissioned with Barbican Centre, London, and Murderers Bar (2025), a new moving image installation, and the final installment of Raven’s series The Drumfire.
SomerStreets: Carnaval – June 7, 2026 | 2-6 PM
Carnaval highlights the heart of the East Somerville Business District, bringing together neighbors, local businesses, and visitors through live music, food, and family-friendly activities inspired by cultures from around the world.
Learning With Trees | Opening Reception – June 11, 2026 | 12 PM
Enjoy artworks by 4 artists who center trees in their artistic practice and connect with them at Boston City Hall! EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Bruce Myren, Joel Janowitz, Just Practice (Amanda Ugorji and Sophie Weston Chien). Join us at the Scollay Square Gallery (3rd floor)in Boston City Hall for the opening Reception of Learning with Trees, an exhibition guest curated by Martina Tanga in collaboration with Tree Boston. Don’t miss your chance to connect with the artists.
East Campus Public Art Tour – June 12, 2026 | 12-1 PM
Join MIT List Visual Arts Center on a public art walking tour showcasing the MIT Public Art Collection across the east side of campus. View select artworks and consider how art and architecture have enhanced MIT’s campus design, featuring artworks by renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Alicja Kwade, and Cai Guo-Qiang.
Future Ancestor: Seeded Mythologies from the Adoptee Diaspora – June 13, 2026 | 1-4 PM
Future Ancestor: Seeded Mythologies from the Adoptee Diaspora is a collaborative art and storytelling project by Chinese adoptee artists Eva Lin Fahey and Madeleine Conover, bringing people together through conversations around memory, identity, and belonging. This day-long participatory event invites adoptees and the broader Chinatown community to create a shared “living archive” through hands-on activities—including a collective net installation, personal history documentation, and talisman creation—honoring the past while dreaming for the future.
The Artist’s Voice: Derrick Adams with Salamishah Tillet – June 14, 2026 | 3 PM
Derrick Adams’s expansive and vibrant works reframe the ordinary into the extraordinary. Bicyclists, swimmers, musicians, and even television scenes celebrate contemporary Black life and culture by centering leisure, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. Adams, in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Salamishah Tillet, will revisit his creative practice and his ever-expanding work, including the founding of his influential nonprofit Charm City Cultivation, which aims to support underserved communities in Baltimore. Hear from Adams to learn more about this and his ICA exhibition, Derrick Adams: View Master. Free admission to the exhibition for all ticket holders. Stick around after the talk for a book signing with Adams.
Let’s Talk: Building a Heaven for Everyone – June 16, 2026 | 6:30-8 PM
When you think of heaven on earth, what comes to mind? How might you “build” heaven on earth, and how might your vision of heaven differ from someone else’s? Better Angels envisions our best selves for one another and the city by offering up grace where we fall short, in exchange for providing witness to a stranger. Giving someone else grace is a pathway to collective hope – and, in the case of Better Angels, grants you entry into heaven on earth. The artist, Heather Kapplow, will moderate a conversation about how we might construct “heaven” for all with the backdrop of the 250th anniversary of this country’s founding.
Art-Making After Dark – June 16, 2026 | 6-8:30 PM
Get creative on select Free Thursday nights with art-making activities designed by local artists. Plus, visit the galleries, grab a drink from the ICA Wine + Coffee Bar,* and connect over creativity. No experience necessary. For Art-Making After Dark ticket holders, participation is drop-in on a first-come, first-serve basis as space allows. Art-making is free and meets in the State Street Corporation Lobby. While all experience levels are welcome, this workshop is designed for adult audiences. *Refreshments available for purchase.
Queer History Hour – June 18, 2026 | 6-7 PM
Celebrate Pride by learning about the Queer Pioneers of Massachusetts! Hosted by local storyteller Liam Carnahan. Free, 21+. Celebrate Pride by learning about 4 stories about Queer Pioneers of the Commonwealth! Sit back and enjoy delicious beers while local storyteller Liam Carnahan walks you through some of the queerest moments in Massachusetts history. Gay pilgrims! Lavish public restrooms! Lesbian art colonies! Harvard scandals! Learn about all of that and more, in just one hour.
We Create the World: A Juneteenth Celebration – June 19, 2026 | 10 AM – 9 PM
In partnership with the Boston Ujima Project, enjoy a day packed with celebration, including a zine fair, food vendors, short films, DJ sets, and special live musical performances. Plus, enjoy free admission all day!
Queer Double Feature – June 20, 2026 | 3-8 PM
Pao Arts Center presents two renowned films by Ray Yeung –Twilight’s Kiss (Suk Suk) and All Shall Be Well. These films tell two stories of older queer couples, navigating family life and their identities.
Into the Sun Cyanotype Workshop – June 24, 2026 | 6:30-8:30 PM
Bask in the sun while creating a cyanotype for the summer! Step outside the walls of the museum as you create cyanotype prints in the summer sunshine. After foraging for flowers, leaves, and other natural materials in Fenway’s iconic Emerald Necklace, craft your own unique composition on fabric and paper and let the sun do the rest. Come solo or with friends–have fun either way. And because it’s MAAM, it’s FREE!
Better Angels at Atlantic Wharf – June 26, 2026 | 12-7 PM
Come as you are. This summer, in parks, plazas, and public spaces across Boston, you’re invited to explore Better Angels, a free participatory pop-up installation by Boston artist Heather Kapplow. Step inside a playful world of inflatable clouds, heavenly gates, and campy angels, where visitors are invited to reflect on their ideals, share moments of connection, and move through an experience centered on empathy, grace, and understanding. Through humor, performance, and participation, Better Angels offers a sanctuary from judgment and an invitation to imagine our best selves together.
Opening Reception: “The Midnight Ride” – June 16, 2026 | 6:30-8 PM
Come celebrate the new 2026 Dewey Square Mural with artists, friends, and the community in downtown Boston! Join artist Rixy and The Greenway on Saturday, June 27, from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM for an afternoon of family-friendly music, art activities, and food trucks to celebrate the opening of her new mural, The Midnight Ride.
Art-Making After Dark – June 16, 2026 | 6-8:30 PM
Get creative on select Free Thursday nights with art-making activities designed by local artists. Plus, visit the galleries, grab a drink from the ICA Wine + Coffee Bar,* and connect over creativity. No experience necessary. For Art-Making After Dark ticket holders, participation is drop-in on a first-come, first-serve basis as space allows. Art-making is free and meets in the State Street Corporation Lobby. While all experience levels are welcome, this workshop is designed for adult audiences. *Refreshments available for purchase.
JULY
Picture + Panel: Seeing Japan – July 6, 2026 | 7-8 PM
This month, Picture + Panel explores Japan through an outsider’s eyes with Abby Denson and Matthew Loux. Join us for a conversation about travel, fandom, and curiosity. Omega Au, Convention Chair of Anime Boston 2026, will moderate.
MAAM Outdoors: Pages will Fly Sketchbook-Making Workshop – July 8, 2026 | 6:30-8:30 PM
Unleash your creativity as you make a summer sketchbook to document your outdoor adventures! Free. Looking to turn over a new page this summer? Step outside and make a custom sketchbook or journal to document your outdoor adventures. Explore basic bookbinding techniques and embellish your journal with natural elements. Come solo or with friends–have fun either way. And because it’s MAAM, it’s FREE!
Triennial Art + Stroll Series: Downtown Crossing – July 9, 2026 | 11:30-12:30 PM
Looking for a new way to see and understand the world around you? Curious about contemporary art, or how public art shapes Boston’s built environment? Want to get out of the office and into the fresh air? Join the Boston Public Art Triennial for an intimate walking tour that invites conversation, fresh perspectives, and shared discovery. Together, we’ll explore not just the buildings and artworks, but also the people, histories, and memories that shape the city’s landscape. No prior art experience is needed! Just bring your curiosity and a willingness to participate, learn, and connect with others. This walk will begin at King’s Chapel and finish at the Dewey Square Mural on The Greenway.
Harborwalk Sounds: Lady Satch – July 9, 2026 | 6-8:30 PM
Enjoy the best and brightest musicians from Berklee College of Music during the ICA’s free summer concert series on the waterfront. Lady Satch, a trumpeter and flugelhorn player, performs originals, covers, and classics that people know and love.
MAAM Outdoors: Neighborhood Textures Workshop – July 15, 2026 | 6:30-8:30 PM
Transform the textures of the Fenway/Mission Hill neighborhood into art! Free. With the urban landscape as your canvas, transform the textures of the Fenway/Mission Hill neighborhood into art. Use tactile clay to create temporary stamps or experiment with rubbings to translate the world into one-of-a-kind compositions in your sketchbook.* Come solo or with friends–have fun either way. And because it’s MAAM, it’s FREE!
Elegy to the Underground | Opening Reception – July 16, 2026 | 5-7 PM
Join us to celebrate Sarah Slavick’s new solo exhibition at Boston City Hall! Elegy to the Underground is now on view at the Mayor’s Office Gallery (5th floor) in Boston City Hall. Through oil paintings and watercolors, the artist ring attention to the complex root networks that trees form to communicate to each other.
Harborwalk Sounds: Jazz Cuti – July 16, 2026 | 6-8:30 PM
Enjoy the best and brightest musicians from Berklee College of Music during the ICA’s free summer concert series on the waterfront. Jazz Cuti is a French pianist, singer-songwriter, and producer from Martinique and based in Boston. Raised with her DJ father’s vinyl collection, she grew up listening to Afro-American music (hip-hop, funk, soul), UK electronic music, and Caribbean music, which shaped her musical style. She released her first solo project, CLASSIC ONE, a 3-track alternative R&B EP with electronic and urban sounds. Influenced by Solange, Kaytranada, Hiatus Kaiyote, and Sampha, she released her first album in May.
Curator Tour: Artistic Labor and Dependency as Form – July 17, 2026 | 12:15-1:15 PM
Join List Center exhibition curator for a guided tour of Performing Conditions: Artistic Labor Dependency of Form. This curatorial tour will highlight how Performing Conditions examines the entangled relationships between art, labor, debt, and dependency. This tour will emphasize a selection of works that consider the landscapes of labor from plantations and museums, hospitals and factories, studios and households.
Art on the Plaza Made at MAAM – July 23, 2026 | 6-9 PM
Experience the magic of MAAM outdoors during Art on the Plaza, our annual midsummer series featuring live performances, creative activities, cool treats, and refreshing mocktails on select evenings–free fun for the whole family! On July 23, embrace your inner artist with hands-on fun on the Plaza. With all materials and inspiration provided, let your creativity flow.
Watercolor by the Water – July 24, 2026 | 12-2 PM
Learn, play, and create in this beginner-friendly, drop-in watercolor class. Relax by Boston harbor and let the colors of your environment inspire you. With the guidance of Boston-based watercolor artist Lisa Goren, participants will be encouraged to get messy, embrace mistakes, and create something uniquely their own. While all experience levels are welcome, this workshop is designed for adult audiences. Supplies are limited; first come, first served.
Gelli Plate Printing Workshop – July 29, 2026 | 6:30-8:30 PM
Create vibrant one-of-a-kind prints using natural elements foraged from the lush local landscape. Find your muse in flowers, leaves, and natural elements foraged from the Fenway/Mission Hill neighborhood as you create one-of-a-kind Gelli plate monoprints. Embrace the process of printmaking, layering, and creative play to produce striking compositions that document the beauty and diversity of the local landscape.
Harborwalk Sounds: Amiri Moreno – July 30, 2026 | 6-8:30 PM
Enjoy the best and brightest musicians from Berklee College of Music during the ICA’s free summer concert series on the waterfront. Amiri Moreno is a Dominican–American songwriter and drummer from NYC studying at Berklee College of Music. Growing up in the Bronx, he was surrounded by Hip-Hop culture and learned how to freestyle early on, sharpening his creativity and quick-thinking skills. That same energy now fuels his songwriting and allows him to move seamlessly across different genres. With his rhythmic skills and lyrical talent, Moreno brings a vibe that is fresh, raw, and ever–evolving.
AUGUST
Picture + Panel: As If You Were Here – August 3, 2026 | 7-8 PM
This month, Picture + Panel explores the people we reach for across absence with Damian Alexander and Alex Krokus. Join us for a conversation about memory and imagination. Jerel Dye of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts University will moderate.
Foraging With Friends Workshop – August 5, 2026 | 6:30-8:30 PM
Explore the outdoors with friends and MAAM staff as you gather natural materials to experiment with eco-printing! Let’s take a stroll! Bring a friend (or make a new one) as you join MAAM staff for a walk through our neighborhood’s urban landscape! Explore the Fenway’s iconic Fenway Victory Gardens and The Emerald Necklace to learn about the variety of plants and flowers that grow in the heart of the Fens. During the workshop, learn about sustainable foraging in public parks and gather natural materials along the way. Then, head back to MAAM to create a reusable eco-print tote of your own!
Harborwalk Sounds: antransax – August 6, 2026 | 6-8:30 PM
Enjoy the best and brightest musicians from Berklee College of Music during the ICA’s free summer concert series on the waterfront. Tran Dam An Phuc, professionally known as An Tran or antransax, is a 20-year-old saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, and passionate art lover from Vietnam. With a deep-rooted connection to music, An Tran blends technical expertise with artistic expression, crafting a sound that bridges cultures and genres.
West Campus Public Art Tour – August 7, 2026 | 12:15-1:15 PM
Join MIT List Visual Arts Center on a public art walking tour showcasing the MIT Public Art Collection across the west side of campus. View select artworks and consider how art and architecture have enhanced MIT’s campus design, featuring artworks by renowned artists such as Beverly Pepper, Jaume Plensa, and Sanford Biggers.
MAAM Outdoors: Neighborhood Flavors – August 12, 2026 | 6:30-8:30 PM
Experience the richness of the local landscape during an evening of hands-on art and sensory exploration. Taste / Sample curated flavors inspired by iconic locations in the Fenway neighborhood–experience the familiar in new ways. Touch / Build textural multimedia compositions using found natural materials–walk away with a personalized work of art that captures the spirit of The Fenway. Hear / Create while immersed in a soundscape of local ambient sounds.
Harborwalk Sounds: Elise Rochet – August 13, 2026 | 6-8:30 PM
Enjoy the best and brightest musicians from Berklee College of Music during the ICA’s free summer concert series on the waterfront. Elise Rochet is an alternative pop singer-songwriter from Mechanicsville, Virginia. She is currently in her senior year at Berklee College. With her heart-felt, authentic lyrics, Elise hopes her songs make her audience feel like they are not alone when it comes to maneuvering heartbreak and happiness. She looks forward to releasing her new EP which follows the tragically complex and beautiful story of becoming a woman in this day’s social climate.
ICA Watershed Block Party – August 15, 2026 | 6-9 PM
Come join the party! Fun for all, the Watershed Block Party, a free event at the ICA’s Watershed featuring music, art, games and more! Stay tuned! More information coming soon. Please note, Water Shuttle transportation from the ICA in Seaport will not be running during the Watershed Block Party.
Harborwalk Sounds: Cameron Spann – August 20, 2026 | 6-8:30 PM
Enjoy the best and brightest musicians from Berklee College of Music during the ICA’s free summer concert series on the waterfront. Drummer and composer Cameron Spann is a 22-year-old native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Spann is entering his fourth year at Berklee College of Music, pursuing a degree in music production and engineering. Prior to pursuing higher education, Spann spent a year and a half immersing himself in Milwaukee’s local jazz scene as an artist. Alongside his production studies at Berklee, he continues to further his drum performance as a sideman and bandleader. He has studied with professors such as Francisco Mela, Billy Kilson, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, and Neal Smith. Spann brings passion and expression to his artistry. His goals after graduating are to expand his artistry through production and drumming as a sideman with other bands.
Art on the Plaza Sounds of Summer – August 20, 2026 | 6-9 PM
Experience the magic of MAAM outdoors during Art on the Plaza, our annual midsummer series featuring live performances, creative activities, and cool treats on select evenings–free fun for the whole family!
Watercolor by the Water – August 21, 2026 | 12-2 PM
Learn, play, and create in this beginner-friendly, drop-in watercolor class. Relax by Boston harbor and let the colors of your environment inspire you. With the guidance of Boston-based watercolor artist Lisa Goren, participants will be encouraged to get messy, embrace mistakes, and create something uniquely their own. While all experience levels are welcome, this workshop is designed for adult audiences. Supplies are limited; first come, first served.
Harborwalk Sounds: SYLVIÄ – August 27, 2026 | 6-8:30 PM
Enjoy the best and brightest musicians from Berklee College of Music during the ICA’s free summer concert series on the waterfront. SYLVIÄ is a Liberian-American vocalist and genre-blending artist whose sound lives at the intersection of Afrobeat, R&B, and pop. With an ethereal tone and heartfelt delivery, she captivates audiences through emotionally rich performances rooted in self-discovery and personal healing. On stage, SYLVIÄ creates immersive sonic experiences infusing African rhythms, ambient textures, and soul-baring lyrics. Whether performing stripped-down acoustic pieces or full-bodied, dance-driven tracks, her artistry seamlessly bridges global influences with raw vulnerability.
ONGOING
ICA Free Thursday Nights – Every Thursday | 5-9 PM
The ICA is free for all visitors every Thursday from 5 to 9 PM. Tickets for Free Thursday Nights will be available at icaboston.org/tickets at 10 AM on that Thursday morning. Check-in for Free Thursday Nights begins at 5PM. Last entry to the museum is at 8:30PM. Advance reservations are strongly recommended. On-site reservations are not guaranteed.
Third Thursdays at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum – Third Thursday of every month
Join us for an evening of discovery and community. Explore our permanent collection, Spring Blooms in the Courtyard, and our current exhibition, Waters of the Abyss: An Intersection of Spirit and Freedom. Café G is open late for dinner and drinks, and be sure to shop at the treasure trove that is Gift at the Gardner.
ICA Vinyl Nights – Fridays July through August | 5-9 PM
FREE, no tickets required! A summer favorite returns, presenting some of the area’s most forward-thinking and creative selectors. Expect highly-curated, vinyl-only DJ sets from the collectives who have carved out warm places in the hearts of music lovers across the city. This year’s tasting notes include soul, cumbia, disco and house, all paired with natural wines from our friends at Rebel Rebel.