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Boston's Best End Of Summer Family Activities

Pick the destination for the family simply by music, favorite foods or which children's activity you'd enjoy ending the summer with. The festivals have been off the hook in 2016! It's almost too sad to think the fun has to end. In Boston? Never! Harbor illuminations, comedy ferry dinner shows, jazz by the seashore and park-side concerts with award winning vendors and chefs top the list this year, and every year!

Harbor Illumination
(Photo Credit: Hull Lifesaving Museum)

Hull Harbor Illumination Festival
Point Allerton Lifesaving Station
1117 Nantasket Ave.
Hull, MA 02045
(781) 925-5433
www.lifesavingmuseum.org

Date:  Jul. 30, 2013 at 2 p.m.

Meet along the shoreline for the lighted boat parade just after dusk, enter the family into the song writers competition or just bring everyone along to eat and make merry. Hull Harbor commemorates New England Heroism each and every summer season with its Illumination Festival at the Hull Lifesaving Museum. Dozens of artisans will have an assortment of wares for the ogling and purchasing. Ample varieties of great eats complete with fresh lemonade on hand. Face painters will be outdoing themselves again this year as part of the popular children's activities, photo ops and bubbles. Sponsor a flare to be lit along the bay at twilight for a loved one, and hunker down to live music at the L Street Field out door stage area.

Lowell Summer Music Series
(Photo Credit: Lowell Summer Music Series)

Lowell Summer Music Series
Boarding House Park
40 French St.
Lowell, MA 01852
(978) 970-5200
www.lowellsummermusic.org

Date: July 29-31, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.

The 30th Annual Lowell Folk Festival begins with a parade celebration Friday evening and continues each day of the last weekend of July. Both Saturday and Sunday gates open at noon to an amazing full day of access to carnival vendors, music, children's activities and the extremely popular Grand Food Way. Chefs and cooks prepare entrees from each culture representative of the city. Enjoy the Islands, folk music, crafts and cuisine. The folk dancing and costumes of Lithuania and the Crazy Hat Lady. Taste the traditions of exotic countries, sculpt along side master artisans or learn the art of wood working. All of these examples and so many more will be on exhibit at the Lowell Folk Festival, a weekend extravaganza that is incorporated within the Lowell Summer Music Series. Each weekend throughout the summer until the grand finale mid September join music lovers at this outdoor amphitheater. Famous musicians and popular bands such as the B-52's, Weird Al Yankovich or The Lone Bellows along with award-winning local bands touring New England such as Cold Engines or Air Traffic Controller. LSMS makes prime time choices, fun and great entertainment all rolled into one.

Boston Jazz Fest
(Photo Credit: Boston Jazz Festival)

Boston Jazz Fest
Boston Maritime Park
600 D. St.
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 615-6361
bostonjazzfest.org

Date:  Aug. 27, 2016 at 12 a.m.

Music and food coupled together, yet again! The end of summer highlights a trend of festivals where the two are permanently enmeshed, alive and well in Boston. The fifth annual Jazz Fest celebration is hosted each year on the cool sweet grass of the city-side seaport and dockside parks, its what makes the end of the summer season something to look forward to. This Jazz Fest brings home to Boston our roaming Jazz enthusiasts, those Boston based Jazz scatters who flat out love what they do, and do it well. It's a feast set along the coastline of Boston with great food and sea air every cool cat near the city would not want to miss. Jazz takes many forms, just as Bostonian's have a tendency to do! Expression is cherished by vendors and artisans who make it a point to meet by the shoreline each year infusing the air with the smooth tones of jazz.

Related: Five Fun Activities To Get The Family Outdoors

Mass Bay Lines
(Photo Credit: Mass Bay Lines)

Summer Thursday Cruise Series
The Music City Queen
60 Rowes Wharf
Boston, MA 02110
(617) 542-8000
www.massbaylines.com

Date:  Jul. 21 - Sept. 1, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. or 7 p.m.

Julie DiOrio has been enjoying this summer Rockin' & Boppin' and making many merry on the river boat cruise series aboard the Music City Queen. New England Music Award winning Pop Act of the year 2016, 'Dirty Dottys' are bringing along some musical mayhem and dance til you drop bop antics to the harbor each Thursday of the season. Moving onto the comedy portion of the evening, lead vocal and lyricist Julie DiOrio brings the stage show into another realm of entertainment each Friday with the 'World Gone Crazy' comedy band. Comedy Central has a seafaring rival dontcha know? Well now you do, enjoy the show! Boarding any vessel in Boston Harbor it is always prudent to arrive earlier than departure times scheduled. No one likes to miss the river boat!

Rock The Block
Pierce Field & Stadium
201 Mercer St.
E. Providence, RI 02914
(401) 435-7514
www.rocktheblock2016.com

Date: Jul. 23 - 24, 2016 Full day access

Rock The Block features Rock, along the entire Block of Pierce Stadium. From the free access area of the parking lot lined with a host of t-shirts and party hats, food and drink to the entrance gates for the ticket holders. Enter heaven if its Rock and Roll you're looking for Trapt, Signal to Noise, 12 Stones, DRB & Livewire Bad Co. cover band Rock Steady, Fuel and many more weekend long warriors rock a battle of the bands like no other. Full carnival attractions complete with Ferris wheel, cotton candy, fried dough and amusements. All children under the age of twelve enjoy free admission when accompanied by a parent. Rock The Block has something for everyone to sink their teeth into. Grammy award winner James Montgomery and other exceptional artists hit the stage for tours that may never be seen again, well certainly not for the 2016 summer season that is! One of the last great festivals of the 2016 summer season for every family member to enjoy.

Related: Boston's Best Water Slides

Freelance writer Corinne Costantino showcases the "Best of Boston" in New England. Her contributions can be found in an eclectic variety of online publications including AXS, Examiner, Hubpages and many more. One favored accomplishment are two short essays 'At this moment my pencil' and 'Five minutes that changed my life' examples of creative writing published in the Newburyport H.S English Textbook(1995).
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