The Strand Theatre
A 1400 seat house in Dorchester, The Strand plays host to a wide variety of entertainment from Gospel to Shakespeare.
For more information »

MLK: A Gift of Song
This annual free event in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. runs ever January at a major downtown venue. It features the best of local talent and a national headliner. Past performers include Jennifer Holliday and Patte LaBelle.
Watch a recording of Patte LaBelle

Strand Spotlight Series
Taking place at the Strand Theatre, this new free series spotlights local arts organizations and occurs in the Spring and Fall.
For more information

Arts on the Arcade
Running every Wednesday during July and August, a free lunchtime performance program runs in conjunction with the Farmers’ Market on City Hall Plaza.
For more information

Waterfront Performing Arts Series
Featuring a blend of the emerging and established from the Boston arts community, this free series has included Boston Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera, Riverside Theatre Works and the Boston Pops Ensemble. The concerts take place on Christopher Columbus Park on Boston’s waterfront on select Tuesday evenings in July and August. The 2009 season will run from August 4th to August 18th with the concerts starting at 6pm.
For more information

Gospel Fest
One of New England’s most popular Gospel celebrations, this free gospel showcase features local and national talent. Past performers include Dottie Peoples, Kirk Franklin and Karen Clark Sheard. This show runs on a Sunday evening on City Hall Plaza in July. Gospel Fest will take place on Sunday, July 19th, 2009 from 5 to 8 pm.
For more information

Peace Hip Hop
With the message of  "Peace" local and national performers gather to celebrate "old school" hip-hop. This free event takes place in City Hall Plaza on a Saturday evening in August. Past performers include Slick Rick, CL Smooth and Rakim. The 2009 installment will take place on Saturday, August 1st from 4 to 7 pm at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester.For more information

Caliente: A Celebration of Latin Music
2008 brought a new concert to City Hall Plaza in September with Caliente. This free event celebrates the Latin arts in Boston. The 2009 concert will take place on Saturday, September 19th.

(ahts): The Boston Arts Festival
In Christopher Columbus Park on Boston’s waterfront and running over 3 days in Christopher Columbus Park, this free arts extravaganza features a specially built artists village housing over 70 juried visual artists exhibiting and selling their works of art. Two stages provide entertainment from Boston arts organizations and throughout the park there are many interactive family friendly activities. Past participants have included Boston Ballet, Boston Children’s Museum, Opera Boston, Jazz Hip Hop Orchestra, Maeve Gilchrist and OrigiNation. The 2009 festival falls on Friday to Sunday: September 11th to 13th from 12 to 6pm.
For more information