The Fenway Alliance

Simple redition of participating locations and program times Order of events, broken into subcategories to maximize your day. Restaurant recommendations & public transportation info. We thank our sponsors for making this festival possible! There are programs throughout the Fenway Cultural District including art exhibits, performances, nature and historical walks, art activities, open houses and more - please see our list of locations and program information below. Please check out our printable schedule and site listings (coming soon!) for more details! NOTE: Some programs will require advance registration. Most, however, are free and open to the public without advance registration! Opening Our Doors Kick Off Celebration is graciously hosted by Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras at 235 Huntington Avenue on The Christian Science Plaza. See more information about the OOD Kick Off below. Join us as we kick-off this year’s Opening Our Doors: Welcome and speaking program with elected officials and representatives from Mass Cultural Council and City of Boston. Performances by: Boston Children’s Chorus; New England Conservatory Prep’s Honors Woodwind Quintet; Handel + Haydn Society Ambassador Ensemble; Northeastern University's Eon Dance Troupe and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras Honors Brass Quintet. We are delighted to welcome Boston's Youth Poet Laureate Ailin Sha to the Kick Off Celebration. Join us! All are welcome! Ailin Sha is a current sophomore at Harvard University, where she studies English and Economics with a minor in Film. She is an accomplished writer whose honors include being named the 2024 Massachusetts State Champion of the Poetry Out Loud competition, as well as receiving State Gold Keys and a National Silver Medal from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. In addition to her work as a poet, Sha is a skilled musician and deeply involved in her local community. For seven years, she played the violin with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, performed in her high school orchestra, and spearheaded monthly performances at Mount Pleasant Home in Jamaica Plain for senior residents—experiences that strengthened her belief in the power of art to connect people across generations and backgrounds. Click here to learn more about Ailin Sha and her work! MassArt Art Museum (MAAM) Join MAAM and our neighboring cultural institutions for a free day of fun in the Fenway during this year’s 25th annual Opening Our Doors! At MAAM, explore our current exhibitions and get creative in the Barkan Family Big Ideas Studio with hands-on artmaking for all ages. Visit MAAM for Further Details Massachusetts Historical Society Come celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the Massachusetts Historical Society! Join us for a day of activities and discussions inspired by the Indigenous philosophy of Seven Generations, exploring themes of community and interconnectedness between past, present, and future. Visit Massachusetts Historical Society for Further Details Under the guidance of MassArt 3D Arts faculty Marjee-Anne Levine and current MassArt students, participants carve their own design into a “scratch block” and watch as the design is cast in metal. Aluminum will be melted on site and poured into the scratch blocks created by each participant. Within minutes the metal will solidify and be cooled and finished by the MassArt team. Each participant will walk away with their own custom-cast aluminum art. 621 Huntington Ave at the MassArt Art Museum Plaza Visit MAAM for Further Details Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Join us to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the MFA with free admission for all Massachusetts residents. Enjoy gallery tours, engaging family art-making activities, and more! Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes and honors the heritage of Native Americans and Indigenous peoples and the histories of their many nations and communities. Visit MFA Boston for Further Details Christian Science Plaza – The First Church of Christ, Scientist Come by the Christian Science Publishing House building for free admission to the How Do You See the World? experience + MappariumTM globe, free guided tours of The Mother Church and Sunday School, and two free organ concerts in The Mother Church Extension–one especially for kids. Be sure to pick up a “passport” and have it stamped at each event location! Visit Christian Science for Further Details All are welcome at the Huntington Theatre for a free, community open house on Monday, Oct 12! Take a self-guided tour of the theatre (with a sneak peek at the set for Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird), try on hats and costume pieces in our kid-friendly costume corner, make your own art at our coloring station, and enjoy some complimentary coffee in our lobby spaces. Visit The Huntington Theatre for Further Details Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO) is proud to open its doors to the BYSO Youth Center for Music, as part of the