Latest news with #249thIndependenceDayCelebration
Boston Globe
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Photos: July Fourth celebrations in Boston
LeAnn Rimes performs during the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular at the Hatch Memorial Shell in hatchshelljuly4 Erin Clark/Globe Staff Bell Biv DeVoe performs during the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular at the Hatch Memorial Shell in Boston. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Andrea Dacosta, left, dances with her son Jeremias during the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Confetti explodes out of the Hatch Shell stage after the Boston Pops Firework Spectacular on July Fourth. Heather Diehl/Boston Globe Members of the United States Armed Forces salute as they are honored during the Boston Pops Firework Spectacular. Heather Diehl/Boston Globe Members of the US Army watch the Boston Pops Firework Spectacular on July Fourth over the Charles River. Heather Diehl/Boston Globe Singer Leslie Odom Jr. performs at the Hatch Shell for the Boston Pops Firework Spectacular. Heather Diehl/Boston Globe Zoe Salah (11) tosses confetti into the air to celebrate the end of the Boston Pops Firework Spectacular show. Heather Diehl/Boston Globe TC Jones IV stands and is honored as a US Army Veteran during the Boston Pops Firework Spectacular. Heather Diehl/Boston Globe Families relax on blankets and in chairs while waiting for the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular to begin. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Members of the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes & Drums stand at attention during the opening ceremony during the 249th Independence Day Celebration at City Hall Plaza in Boston on July 4, 2025. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Lt. Colonel Lee Fife salutes for the Pledge of Allegiance before the reading of the the Declaration of Independence during the 249th Independence Day Celebration at the Old State House in Boston. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Crystal Lee helps Diane Myers with her tricorne hat while the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes & Drums prepare for the 249th Independence Day Celebration at City Hall Plaza in Boston. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Gino Famiglietti, 5, of Andover, watches the parade with his family during the 249th Independence Day Celebration at City Hall Plaza in Boston. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Members of the Wilmington Minutemen fire their muskets while marching in the 249th Independence Day Celebration parade in Boston. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Boston Mayor Michelle Wu steps onto the balcony to address the crowd during the 249th Independence Day Celebration at the Old State House in Boston. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Tuba player Kameron Clayton prepares to march in the parade with the Zarba Military Band during the 249th Independence Day Celebration at City Hall Plaza in Boston. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff A member of the of the Wilmington Minutemen holds his musket during the 249th Independence Day Celebration at City Hall Plaza in Boston. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
Boston Globe
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Thousands gather for daylong festivities celebrating Fourth of July in Boston
Advertisement Angela Martin, 54, of Florida, was blown away by Boston's parade Friday morning. 'The Minutemen come out with the band and I'm like, 'What is this?'' she said. 'It was so meaningful.' Dan Burns, Michele DeParasis, and Al Chin of the Billerica Colonial Minute Men enjoyed the confetti during the 249th Independence Day Celebration at Old State House. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Friday's festivities came on the heels of the milestone commemorations in April of the 250th anniversary of the Revolution's 'shots heard round the world' In Boston Friday, some took the anniversary as an opportunity to protest President Trump — reusing 'No Kings' signs and shirts from last month's rallies. Advertisement Tim Cooke, 67, from Brookline, displayed a sign reading, 'No Kings since 1776,' as he walked the Esplanade with his dog, Lucy. 'Done without for 249 years,' Cooke said. 'So let's keep it going.' But for the most part, people set aside politics to celebrate America. Many celebrated their freedom to speak up, to work, to pursue their happiness. The first person on the grass at the Hatch Memorial Shell Friday was Nikki Jax, 57, of New York. Jax, a woman of transgender experience, teared up as she thought about freedom. 'All the gifts of the universe were given to me after I transitioned,' Jax said. 'So freedom for me is the freedom to walk my path.' 'I love my country,' said Cathleen Curran of Lowell. 'As long as we're doing things for the country and not letting politics get in our heads, we're the greatest country.' By mid-afternoon, hours before the Pops show was set to begin, hundreds were spread out in the Hatch Shell, the Charles River Esplanade, across the Charles in Cambridge, and bobbing on boats in the river. Doraehea Chiu, a visitor from Taiwan on a three-month trip to the US, marveled at how everyone was able to celebrate together. 'No matter whether you are rich or poor, no matter if you are a manager at the bank, or you are a worker building a house, they are really equal,' she said. 'They all enjoy it the same way. They all went to the harbor to see the fireworks.' Members of the Wilmington Minutemen fired their muskets while marching in the 249th Independence Day Celebration parade. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Karen Lopez, 28, of Paraguay, was also eager to see how Americans celebrate, taking in a week of festivities including a parade and laser show in Wilmington, Mass., where she lives. Advertisement 'I like to explore another country and their Independence Day traditions,' she said. Those traditions began early in Boston Friday. After thousands wearing patriotic colors recited the Pledge of Allegiance at City Hall Plaza, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu greeted the crowd and thanked military families for their service. 'Two hundred and forty-nine years ago today, from this very spot, we declared our independence,' Wu said to the crowd. 'We declared that Boston would not back down in the face of tyranny, in the face of bullying. Not to kings and not to the greatest army in the world at that time.' The mayor then joined the parade led by the Boston Fire Department to the Old State House for the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. At the end of the reading, red, white, and blue confetti fell from the sky as the Frank Zarba Military Band played, and some in the crowd chanted 'USA, USA.' Soon after, across town, others watched as the USS Constitution set off from its dock at the Charlestown Navy Yard for its annual cruise of Boston Harbor. The world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat, the 228-year-old ship was undefeated in 33 military engagements, including during the War of 1812 A hushed silence fell over the crowd in Charlestown as the ship, nicknamed 'Old Ironsides,' slowly left the dock. As it turned into the harbor, a cannon went off, producing grey smoke and a round of applause. 'I feel American now,' one onlooker said. Hundreds gathered at Castle Island's Fort Independence Park to watch the ship's 21-gun salute. The celebrations felt personal to Alex G. Lee, a naturalized citizen originally from South Korea. He pointed out a statue commemorating the Korean War down the boardwalk, and said the cannonade reminded him of his service. Advertisement 'This day is so meaningful, not only for the independence of the United States, he said. 'I'm celebrating everything." The crowd listened to the reading of the Declaration of Independence during the 249th Independence Day Celebration at the Old State House. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Back in Downtown Crossing, Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes & Drums performed at the Franklin Steps. Among them was Bill Phenix, who has been playing the fife for 53 years and can recall playing it during bicentennial celebrations in 1776. 'If you told me then that I would still be doing this, I probably would have looked at you like you lost your mind,' he said. 'It's a lifelong pursuit.' The celebrations Friday are a lifelong pursuit for many. Dorchester's Mike Williams, 58, has been coming to the Esplanade for more than half a century, since he was 6. Sharon Davis, of Machias, Maine, remembers watching the Pops on television as a kid; she first got to attend in person a few years ago. For Eli Rodriguez, 34, of Ashland, the Fourth of July is always one of the biggest days of the year for the Jax, the first person waiting at the Hatch early Friday morning, came to Boston to see the show in 1985. She never forgot it. 'I remember it as being one of the most singular, beautiful experiences with humanity,' she said. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at
