Mayor Wu to Open Swan Boats on April 15

Mayor Michelle Wu, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, and the Paget family will host the first ride of the season on the popular Boston Swan Boats as they open at the Boston Public Garden lagoon on Saturday, April 15, at 11:00 a.m.

2023 marks the 146th season for the Swan Boats, a beloved tourist attraction and iconic symbol of Boston and the Public Garden. The oldest and smallest boat in the fleet just celebrated its 113th season, while the newest was launched in 1993. The swan on the boats is made from either copper or fiberglass, depending on the age of the boat, and encloses a paddle mechanism that is used to propel the boat through the water.

Launched in 1877 by Irish immigrant and shipbuilder Robert Paget, the Swan Boats continue to be owned and operated by the Paget family. Mr. Paget designed the Swan Boats after attending the opera Lohengrin in New York City. At the end of the opera, the hero crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan.

Fully loaded, each Swan Boat weighs three tons and is powered by the driver using a foot-propelled paddle wheel. The Swan Boats are built on oak-framed pontoons sheathed in copper, just as they were initially constructed in 1877. After being stored in a safe place

Mayor Wu & B.A.A. to Observe One Boston Daywith Red Sox Hat Day

Mayor Wu will join Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Mary Skipper, Condon School leader Carlitta Camillo, Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy, and Red Sox Partner and Foundation Board Member Linda Henry for the annual One Boston Day Hat Day giveaway for BPS students. The Red Sox will distribute more than 40,000 blue and yellow Red Sox hats to BPS students and staff at 104 schools, including the Condon.

Friday, April 14, 2023

Condon School Auditorium for the winter, the boats will return to the Public Garden Lagoon in the spring, with Mayor Wu celebrating the first ride of the season. For more information, please visit boston.gov/swan-boats.

200 D Street, South Boston 9:00 a.m.

Celebrate April Vacation Play Week at Boston Children’s Museum

Play is Powerful!

Join the fun during April school vacation week and enjoy creative, hands-on, open-ended play! Experiment with familiar and unfamiliar materials, create with cardboard, build with big blue blocks, enjoy special performances in the KidStage theater, and don’t miss the High Seas Tales and Treasure special evening event on Friday, April 21.

Music and Movement with Boston Music Project

Saturday, April 15 at 10-10:30am and 11-11:30am

Join us for an interactive music program! Sing songs, dance to music, and enjoy a story time led by Boston Music Project teaching artists. Grown-ups are encouraged to take part in the activities with their children throughout the 30-minute class.

Creative Movement Workshop with Urbanity Dance

Tuesday, April 18 at 10-10:30am; 11-11:30am; 2-2:30pm; and 3-3:30pm Thursday, April 20 at 10-10:30am; 11-11:30am; 2-2:30pm; and 3-3:30pm

In this workshop, explore Urbanity’s signature style of creative movement, blending a wide range of dance techniques with music, imagination, and exploration. Children will focus on flexibility, balance, and coordination while learning how to follow directions, work together, and express themselves!

Clowning Workshop with Studio Playground

Wednesday, April 19 at 10-10:30am; 11-11:30am; 2-2:30pm; and 3-3:30pm

Join Studio Playground at Boston Children’s Museum. Studio Playground teaches classes for all ages based in clown and physical acting. Clown invites students to explore the health benefits of laughter through movement, games, and playful improvisation. This class includes a vocal and physical warm up, interactive storytelling, and performance projects. Let’s laugh, sing, and make a beautiful ruckus!

Special Evening Event – Advance Tickets Required

High Seas Tales and Treasure!

Friday, April 21 6:00-9:00pm

Enjoy a night full of epic wonder, swashbuckling pirates, fantastical merfolk, and tales of treasure! Live out a fantastical adventure searching for treasure or exploring under the sea. Put your skills to the test and see if you have what it takes to join the pirate crew, or dive under the water and help the merfolk of Atlantis expand their underwater city. Earn rewards and treasure by completing different challenges and making your way through different tales of the deep. Create your own adventure and story, and see what wonders await you during the High Seas Tales and Treasure night.

Further information on visiting the Museum can be found on the website

< www.BostonChildrensMuseum.org >.

Fairy House Building Workshop April 20

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Mayor’s Mural Crew will welcome the local elf and fairy population back to their summer homes with the annual Fairy House Building Workshop at Franklin Park’s Schoolmaster Hill on Thursday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The workshop welcomes families to a magical day of fairy house building. Children are encouraged to connect with their natural surroundings by creating their own personalized, eco-friendly homes for the woodland fairies of Franklin Park. Spring is the best time to build fairy houses, providing the magical creatures with shelter for the coming summer months and the flitting season that begins in late May.

The event will feature facepainting and a story time. Children are encouraged to wear their favorite fairy and elf costumes.. Natural materials will be provided, and children are encouraged to explore their surroundings to find natural elements such as sticks, stones, and leaves to adorn their fairy houses. Visit boston. gov/fairy-houses to learn more. Located in Franklin Park’s historic 220-acre forest among oak and pine trees overlooking the William Devine Golf Course, Schoolmaster Hill provides the perfect location for fairy and elf habitat that recognizes their connection to the earth by utilizing building materials from the woods around them.

Schoolmaster Hill is located on Circuit Drive between the William Devine Golf Course Clubhouse and Shattuck Hospital. This event is weather permitting. For more information and to stay up to date with news, events, and improvements in Boston parks, call (617) 635-4505, visit Boston.gov/ Parks, join our email list at bit.ly/ Get-Parks-Emails, and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.