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August is the month for Boston's outdoor calendar: ferries to the Boston Harbor Islands, the Sunday SoWa Open Market, free Shakespeare on Boston Common and free Wednesday concerts at the Hatch Shell, Red Sox home games at Fenway Park, and, on the last weekend of the month, Saint Anthony's Feast in the North End. In 2027 the feast runs from August 26 to 29. One change from past years: Fan Expo Boston no longer falls in August; its next edition is December 3 to 5, 2027.
Saint Anthony's Feast in the North End
The Feast of Saint Anthony is a four-day street festival at the end of August, which its organizers say is the largest in New England. It is run by a religious and cultural society founded in Boston in 1919 by Italian immigrants, and combines processions every day, an outdoor Mass, music and a lot of Italian and American street food. The festival ends on Sunday with a 10-hour Grand Procession that starts on Endicott Street. The 108th feast is scheduled for August 26 to 29, 2027.
Free Shakespeare and Hatch Shell concerts
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company stages Free Shakespeare on the Common at the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common each summer. In 2026 it was A Midsummer Night's Dream, from July 22 to August 9, with open captions at every performance.
The Boston Landmarks Orchestra plays free Wednesday-evening concerts at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River Esplanade. Its 2026 season included concerts at 7 p.m. on July 22, August 5 and August 12. The 2027 dates were not posted when we checked.
Boston Harbor Islands: beaches, forts and camping
August falls in the ferry season for the Boston Harbor Islands. Ferries from Long Wharf North reach Spectacle Island in about 30 minutes and Georges Island in about 45. Spectacle has a swimming beach with an accessible beach mat and a beach wheelchair on request, a 1.5-mile perimeter trail and a visitor center, but little shade, so bring sun protection and water. Georges Island is home to Fort Warren, built between 1833 and 1860 and used in the Civil War as a prison for Confederate officers. Camping on Peddocks Island, reached by ferry from Hingham, ran from June 17 to October 12 in 2026, in tent sites and yurts booked through ReserveAmerica.
Sundays at the SoWa Open Market
The SoWa Open Market fills the South End every Sunday from May to mid-November, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 500 Harrison Avenue, with more than 250 artisans, farmers, food trucks and live music. Food trucks have included Bon Me, Cousins Maine Lobster and The Hummus Shop, a different brewery takes over the beer garden each week, and entry is free.
A Red Sox game at Fenway Park
August is in the middle of the baseball season. Fenway Park opened in 1912, and gates open 90 minutes before the first pitch. If you cannot get game tickets, ballpark tours run every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in season, starting at the top of each hour; on game days the last tour is three hours before the game.
Indoor plans for a hot or rainy day
The Institute of Contemporary Art in the Seaport is free on Thursday nights from 5 to 9 p.m., and the Museum of Fine Arts stays open until 10 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. The New England Aquarium and the Museum of Science are both open daily; book aquarium tickets ahead, since summer weekends often sell out.
For the months either side, see our guides to Boston in June and Boston in September, and our guide to Boston on the water for harbor cruises and boats.