Huge List of Free Family Events in MA (Boston Metro Areas): August Calendar Month

August presents tons of opportunities to get outdoors and explore the various cultural, artistic and historical resources available in the City of Boston. The best part is that they are free and suitable for families and individuals of all ages. Note that while I've only listed below a collection of free Boston Events for the August Calendar month that is suitable for all ages, the featured events are not limited to children. Many of the opportunities have plenty of entertainment that adults can enjoy whether accompanied by children or not.

In this article you will find extensive information on the following family friendly free Boston events:

* Free Shakespeare on the Common Live Performances
* Blockbuster Video Summer Escape Party
* Boston Landmarks Orchestra Presents Damsels in Distress
* Gardner Museum Neighborhood Nights: Full Moon Rising
* Rose Kennedy's Greenway Garden Tours
* Music On & Up with Michael and Marisa
* Grand Opening Event for Boston's Born Learning Trail
* Oldtime Baseball Game
* West End Children's Festival
* India Day 2009 at the Hatch Shell
* Boston GreenFest 2009
* 90th Annual Saint Anthony's Feast Italian Celebration
* Family Activities Day at Arnold Arboretum

Please navigate through the next few pages for more elaborate details.

Free Shakespeare on the Common Live Performances
Friday, July 31, 2009- Sunday, August 16, 2009
Tues-Sat @ 8pm and Sundays @ 7pm
Parkman Bandstand, Boston Common (near Park Street T Stop)
FREE

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company will present "The Comedy of Errors" as part of their 14th Annual series of featured Shakespearean productions performed live and for free during summer nights on the Boston Common. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and/or beach chairs as well as non-alcoholic beverages and snacks.

Blockbuster Video Summer Escape Party
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
5pm-7pm
184 Border Street, East Boston, 02128
FREE

Blockbuster and WZLX collaborate to host a summer party packed with trivia games, prizes and more movie and video game themed entertainment suitable for families, individuals and kids of all ages. All who shows up at the East Boston Blockbuster Video Store between 5pm-7pm on August 4th will have a shot at winning one of the featured Summer Escape Party prizes which include free tickets to Water Country and a 52-week free rental card from Blockbuster Video. For more information call 617-561-6053.

Boston Landmarks Orchestra Presents Damsels in Distress
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
7pm
Hatch Shell at the Esplanade, Boston
FREE

The MIT Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor George Ogata will gather for an outdoor presentation on August 5th at the Boston Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade where they will perform notable feminine-literature themed pieces by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). In the case of rain, the show will take place at the Church of the Covenant, 67 Newbury Street in Downtown Boston. For more information call 617-520-2200 or visit the Boston Landmarks Orchestra Website.

Gardner Museum Neighborhood Nights: Full Moon Rising
Thursday, August 6, 2009
5pm-8pm
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway, Boston
FREE

As part of the Neighborhood Nights free museum admission event series, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum presents the theme "Full Moon Rising" on August 6th. From 5pm to 8pm the museum will open its doors to the public where families and individuals of all ages can enjoy live entertainment and hands on art appreciation activities. The evening will also feature magic shows, tarot card readings and a presentation of "Analog Love in a Digital World" from Bass-Line Motion featuring Adrienne Hawkins and Larry Roland with Impulse Dance Company. For more information on this free museum event call 617-566-1401 or visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Website.

Rose Kennedy's Greenway Garden Tours
Friday, August 7, 2009
10am-11am
Atlantic Avenue and Milk Street, Boston
FREE

This educational guided tour intends to celebrate the life experiences of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy and entails an informational walk from Boston's North End to the Greenway Conservancy that was named after her. The Roses Life Tour was originally developed to accompany a classroom program by the Education Department of the JFK Presidential Library and Museum and also offers information on the historical city of Boston that is appropriate and enjoyable for families and kids of all ages. For further information contact the Conservancy's Website.

Music On & Up with Michael and Marisa
Sunday, August 9, 2009
5:30pm
Hard Rock Café, 20-24 Clinton St, Boston 02109
FREE but Donations are requested

Michael and Marisa, the 11 and 12 year old rock duo will headline a fundraiser concert on August 9th at the Hard Rock Café. The event is advertised as open to the public and free of charge but donations are encouraged. Proceeds from the event will go toward the Music On & Up Scholarship Fund, the young musicians' collaborative scholarship program which helps aspiring performers get access to musical education resources. The opening acts for Michael and Marisa will be the final first place winning contestants from the Debra Crosby Talent Quest International TV Show. For more information on the Michael and Marisa children's rock concert, call 617-424-7625.

Grand Opening Event for Boston's Born Learning Trail
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
11am
Children's Wharf, 300 Congress St. Boston 02210
FREE

The City of Boston in collaboration with various area organizations is ready to officially launch the Born Learning Trail, an outdoor path filled with interactive activities for children and adults alike that are based on the themes of early learning and language/literacy development during the beginning stages of life. The idea behind the Born Learning Trail is to celebrate and bring awareness to the fact that we begin learning the second we are born. The path will illustrate the amazing science of human learning that sometimes we forget occurs through simple every day moments.

Featured speakers for this grand opening event will be: Thomas M. Menino, Mayor, City of Boston; Michael K. Durkin, President & CEO of the United Way; David Ellis, Interim President, Boston Children's Museum; and John Lippitt, Executive Director of Thrive in 5.
The event is free and will be held at the Children's Wharf next to the Boston Children's Museum, 300 Congress St, Boston 02210. For more information call 617-624-8000.

Oldtime Baseball Game
Thursday, August 13, 2009
7pm-10pm
St. Peter's Field, Cambridge, MA
FREE

The Oldtime Baseball Game Fundraiser will take place at St. Peter's Field in Cambridge, MA on August 13th. The event, along with food and various forms of family friendly entertainment will bring together some of the top baseball players from Boston area colleges who will play a game of baseball sporting vintage uniforms of teams from all over the U.S. The event is free but donations will be accepted and funds will be raised through prize raffles and a Sports Memorabilia Silent Auction. Proceeds from the Oldtime Baseball Game event will benefit Hospitality Homes, a charity organization that provides temporary housing for patients who have to come to the area for care at one of Boston's medical facilities. For more information on the game visit the Oldtime Baseball Game website or call 617-482-4338.

West End Children's Festival
Saturday, August 15, 2009
12pm-4pm
Thoreau Path- Boston's West End
FREE

The West End Children's Festival will host its 4th Annual Fundraiser Event this year on August 15th from 12pm-4pm (or in case of rain, August 16th). The festival will promote the theme of "Going Green" and will appropriately take place along the historic Thoreau Path in Charles River Park. Along with many opportunities for the whole family to learn about new ways to improve the environment the festival will provide an afternoon of food, games, prizes arts and crafts activities and live performances, all free and suitable for families and individuals of all ages.

Donations will be accepted to benefit the children's programming initiatives in the Boston West End neighborhood and surrounding communities by way of the West End Community Center. For information or directions to the Thoreau Path, West End area of Boston call 978-302-9101 or visit the official West End Children's Festival 2009 website.

India Day 2009 at the Hatch Shell
Sunday, August 16, 2009
4pm-9pm
Hatch Shell on Charles River Esplanade, 10 Storrow Dr, Boston 02125
FREE

The Indian Association of Greater Boston (IAGB) will host its Annual India Day cultural celebration on August 16th from 4pm-9pm at the Hatch Shell. The objective of the event is to bring education and appreciation of India and its unique culture to the Boston community. The evening will, accordingly, offer a wide variety of ethnic and cultural entertainment and resources including health checkups, Museum of Science hosted activities and several informational booths; Indian food from area restaurants will be available for purchase. For more information on India Day 2009 call 617-282-7445 or visit the IAGB website.

Boston GreenFest 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009 5pm-10pm
Friday & Saturday, August 21-22, 2009 10am-10pm
City Hall Plaza (Government Center Green Line T-Stop)
FREE

From August 20-22 The Foundation for a Greener Future will present Boston GreenFest, three fun-packed days worth of entertainment and informational exhibits designed to educate the community on the topic of sustainability and inspire individuals to take action to play a personal role in making the important changes for the environment. Topics to be addressed include growing and eating organic food, good nutrition and various "green" political concepts. This giant resource of information will be delivered through art, music, discussions and interactive exhibits. This event will actively accommodate families and individuals of all ages. For more information call 617-477-4840 or visit the Boston GreenFest 2009 website.

90th Annual Saint Anthony's Feast Italian Celebration
Friday, August 28, 2009 @ 7pm (Opening Ceremonies)
Saturday & Sunday, August 29-30, 10am-11pm
Endicott Street, Boston's North End
FREE

The Saint Anthony's Feast in Boston's Italian North End neighborhood has been called "The Feast of all Feasts". Crowds are said to have been flocking into the North End of Boston for years to witness the Saint Anthony's Feast parades and festivities which take place on and around the elaborately decorated North End Endicott Street. The event is celebrated each year on the last weekend of August just as it is in Montefalcione, Italy. Saint Anthony's Feast is a traditional historic event dating back to 1919 to honor the Italian Patron Saint Anthony of Padua. The unique cultural experience will offer a weekend full of entertainment, great food and an educational learning experience.
For more information, call 617-723-TONY or visit the Saint Anthony's Feast website .

Family Activities Day at Arnold Arboretum
Saturday, August 29, 2009
11am-1pm
125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain
FREE

Show up at the Arboretum on Saturday, August 29th anytime between 11am and 1pm to participate in some of the many learning opportunities offered for families and children ages 4-12. The free "drop-ins" will meet at the tent outside the Hunnewell Visitors Center and may include such activities as scavenger hunts, science investigations, and crafts. For more information call 617-384-5209 or visit the Arnold Arboretum website.