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What to know about Boston's 2026 Pride for the People parade
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
TGIF! Can you juggle a soccer ball for 10 seconds? If so, you could help set a Guinness World record at MIT tomorrow. Just be sure to register (it's $15).
But first, let's do some keep-ups with the news:
Bust out your rainbow attire and American pride flags: Saturday is Boston's annual Pride for the People parade, and this year's theme is very fitting: “Pride as Protest: Since 1776,” a hat tip to the country's 250th anniversary celebrations. "Having pride in who we are and being out as we are is protest," Adrianna Boulin, the president of Boston Pride for the People, told WBUR's Dan Guzman. "And that's what we want to lift up and share with people on Saturday and beyond."
- The important details: The parade, which draws in nearly 1 million people each year, will kick off at 11 a.m. The route winds almost 2 miles from Copley Square through the South End, and wraps at Boston Common.
- What could be more fun than a parade? The after parties. If you're bringing the whole family, head to the Pride for the People Festival on the Common from noon to 6 p.m. If you're part of the 21+ crowd, head to the block party in Copley Square from 2 to 8 p.m. for music, drag shows, a beer garden and food trucks. (Check out both events' lineups here.)
- But it's not just glitter and rainbows: Boulin told Dan that, for her, the most meaningful part of the parade is the trans memorial, which honors transgender people who have died. "The trans memorial is a space where there's a contingent of individuals holding the photos of individuals who are no longer with us to honor them as part of our community, but also to share that we miss them, and want to make sure we continue to say their name and ensure that they are not forgotten," she said.
- ICYMI: Here are five events to celebrate Pride this weekend, courtesy of our arts and culture team.
Keep the party going... and head to Dorchfest. The walkable music festival is from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m Saturday in Dorchester's Ashmont-Adams neighborhood. More than 60 musicians across genres will be jamming on porches — except unlike most other area Porchfests, they will be getting paid for their time thanks to community donations, grants and sponsors, according to organizers.
- The Dot Day weekend suite of events culminates Sunday with a 5k race and the 120th Dorchester Day Parade, featuring the newly crowned "Mayor or Dorchester" and a cameo from the Cape Verde World Cup team. The parade starts at 1 p.m. on Dorchester Avenue, marching from Lower Mills to Savin Hill.
- Meanwhile: Medford and Newton are also holding their respective Porchfests on Saturday. Check out details on those and other Porchfests to come here.
Beacon Hill also wants to keep the party going — at least an hour longer. The House passed its bill yesterday to allow cities and towns to extend last call from 2 a.m to 3 a.m. through July for our "once-in-a-generation summer." And the chances it becomes law are suddenly looking pretty good. In a statement, Senate President Karen Spilka voiced support for the legislation — and Gov. Maura Healey has already backed it.
- Next steps: If passed, the legislation would take effect Monday, June 8. However, the later last calls wouldn't be statewide or automatic. Rather, it would be up to local cities and towns' licensing boards to opt in.
Parks and re-creation: The National Park Service is reportedly planning to remove some signage at the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. According to the Washington Post, the service plans to take down quotes at the Revolutionary War site referencing the anti-war movement, slavery and immigration, after a visitor complained they were "woke." The quotes haven't yet been removed.
- A spokesperson for the Interior Department told the Post the move is “a routine exhibit refresh." It comes amid a larger push by the Trump administration to scrub material it deems ideological or disparaging to "Americans past or living" at the country's national parks, museums and landmarks. The policy is being challenged by a lawsuit playing out in federal court in Boston.
On the T: We've got good news and bad news. First, free summer Fridays officially begin today on the commuter rail. For the next 13 Fridays through the end of August, you can walk on and off any commuter rail line without paying a fare. But just a heads up, this does not apply to the CapeFLYER or the World Cup's "Boston Stadium" trains.
- The bad news: Blue Line service between Wonderland and Revere Beach will share a single track three weekends this month, so the T can complete important switch work (June 6-7, June 20-21 and June 27-28). As a result, wait times will be longer, with trains arriving about every 14 minutes on only the outbound side at Wonderland station. (At least no fares will be collected!)
P.S.— Do you know which Massachusetts landmarks the Army Corps of Engineers want to put up for "adoption"? Take our Boston News Quiz.
