Lectures, performances, and gatherings across Cambridge
Showing 17 events
A 10-day celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math featuring 200+ free events across Cambridge. Hands-on experiments at MIT, Harvard lab tours, robot demonstrations, stargazing, science cafes, and family-friendly workshops. The kickoff parade features giant puppets and marching bands along Mass Ave.
Every Sunday from late April through mid-November, a 2-mile stretch of Memorial Drive closes to vehicles, transforming into a car-free promenade along the Charles River. Joggers, cyclists, rollerbladers, and families take over the road. Bring a picnic, fly a kite, or just stroll with the skyline views. A beloved Cambridge tradition.
Harvard's annual celebration of the arts features 3 days of performances, exhibitions, and installations open to the public. Dance troupes, a cappella groups, theater previews, visual art exhibitions in galleries and pop-up spaces, and live music across Harvard Yard and surrounding buildings.
Harvard Square's beloved annual street festival transforms the heart of Cambridge into a vibrant outdoor market. Over 200 artisan vendors, live music on three stages, street performers, international food stalls, and activities for kids. The festival runs along Mass Ave, Brattle Street, and Church Street.
Twice-yearly event where 200+ Cambridge artists and makers open their studios to the public. Tour private studios in converted warehouses, homes, and shared art spaces across every neighborhood. Meet painters, sculptors, ceramicists, printmakers, and jewelry designers. Free studio maps available at the main hub.
Neighborhood porch concerts throughout Cambridge — bands, solo artists, and ensembles perform on front porches, stoops, and lawns across residential streets. Attendees wander between performances, creating a walking music festival atmosphere. All genres from jazz to punk to classical. Free, with suggested donations to musicians.
Seasonal outdoor market in the heart of Harvard Square (Tuesdays, June through November). Local farms bring the season's best — strawberries in June, corn and tomatoes in August, apples and cider in fall. Plus artisan bakers, flower vendors, and Cambridge honey producers.
Harvard University's 373rd commencement ceremony in Harvard Yard, one of Cambridge's grandest annual traditions. The procession of graduates in academic regalia, the alumni parade, and the address by a world-renowned speaker draw thousands. Harvard Square restaurants and shops hold special menus and sales all week.
MIT's commencement ceremony at Killian Court, where graduates celebrate under the Great Dome. Known for creative cap decorations and occasional "hacks" (MIT pranks) that appear overnight. The ceremony is ticketed for guests, but the campus atmosphere and surrounding celebrations are open to visitors.
A free multicultural celebration along the Charles River featuring performances by 50+ artists and musicians, international dance troupes, artisan marketplace, global food village, and community art projects. The festival stretches from Western Ave to River Street along Memorial Drive, which closes to traffic for the day.
The historic Brattle Theatre's annual repertory film festival showcasing rare 35mm prints, director retrospectives, and restored classics. This year features a Hitchcock marathon, rare silent films with live organ accompaniment, and midnight screenings of cult favorites. The Brattle has been Cambridge's arthouse cinema since 1953.
Cambridge's largest free family event fills Danehy Park with activities for all ages. Features bounce houses, a climbing wall, pony rides, live performances, craft stations, face painting, and a community cookout. Local organizations and nonprofits host booths. A Cambridge tradition for over 25 years.
A vibrant Caribbean-style carnival celebrating Cambridge's diverse cultures with costumed masqueraders, steel drum bands, soca and calypso music, and elaborate floats parading through the city. Starts in Kendall Square and winds through Central to Harvard Square. Food vendors serve jerk chicken, roti, and tropical drinks.
New England's largest Oktoberfest celebration transforms Harvard Square into a Bavarian beer garden for a day. Local breweries pour craft ales, live polka and oompah bands play, and food vendors serve bratwurst, pretzels, and schnitzel. Features beer steins, lederhosen contests, and a family zone with games.
The world's largest two-day rowing event, drawing 11,000+ athletes and 300,000+ spectators to the Charles River. Watch crews from Harvard, MIT, and international teams race along the 3-mile course from Boston University to Eliot Bridge. Viewing spots along Memorial Drive and the Anderson Bridge are free.
The city's seasonal outdoor ice rink opens on Cambridge Common for free public skating from December through February. Bring your own skates or rent a pair ($5). Hot chocolate and snacks available from the warming hut. Friday night "Skate Under the Stars" sessions with music until 9 PM.
Cambridge's New Year's Eve celebration features free performances, art installations, and family activities across Harvard Square. Ice sculpting demonstrations, live music at the Charles Hotel courtyard, poetry readings, comedy shows, and a midnight bell-ringing at First Parish Church. Most events are alcohol-free and family-friendly.
Share your lecture, performance, or gathering with Cambridge's distinguished community of curious minds.
"There are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity."
— M. Gustave H.
Cambridge has an extraordinary number of free events. MIT and Harvard both host free public lectures throughout the academic year. The Cambridge Public Library offers readings, film screenings, and workshops at no cost. Cambridge Arts produces free outdoor concerts in summer. Most museum days at the MIT Museum are also free for Cambridge residents.