Boston Flora

Tag: Esplanade Association

  • Thursday, July 20 – Summer Dock Party: Save the Date

    The Esplanade Association announces the 12th Annual Summer Dock Party, this year to be held on Thursday, July 20.,set against the incomparable backdrop of the Charles River at sunset, as well as in the lovely Eliot Garden. The event has become a social highlight for Bostonians. Approximately 400 guests will enjoy a sunset dinner, drinks, and dancing at Community Boating, Inc. The funds raised at each year’s event will support the Esplanade Association‘s work to revitalize, enhance, program, and maintain the park, while providing the community with free summer programming. For complete details, visit https://esplanade.org/events/

  • Renovation of the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge

    The Arthur Fiedler Footbridge, the pedestrian bridge linking David G Mugar Way to the Esplanade, will begin undergoing renovations this month. Renovations will include structural repairs and repainting the footbridge, and will involve closure of the footbridge from mid-May through the end of August.

    In upcoming weeks, The Esplanade Association’s partners at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation will be releasing press advisories and announcements regarding the renovations and how they will impact the neighborhood’s access to the park.

    For those who frequently use the Fiedler Footbridge, the two nearest points of access to the Esplanade once the Fiedler Footbridge closes for renovations will be the Frances Appleton Footbridge and the Dartmouth Street Footbridge. Follow the Esplanade Association on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest updates on this project.

  • Through June 30 – Sign Up to Run the 2021 Boston Marathon for the Esplanade

    The Esplanade is the premier running trail in Greater Boston. Each year, the excitement builds for the Boston Marathon runners who turn to the Esplanade’s riverfront pathways and footbridges as the setting for their training runs. This year, 15 in-person runners will have the opportunity to support this beloved training route by joining TEAM ESPLANADE.
    The Boston Marathon is celebrating its 125th year and is offering a virtual marathon. You can be a part of TEAM ESPLANADE as a virtual runner too! If you or someone you know is passionate about the Esplanade, we hope you’ll consider running the 125th Boston Marathon on October 11, 2021 or the virtual marathon October 8-10, 2021 as part of the Esplanade Association’s Official Charity Team for the Boston Marathon! Register HERE. For complete details visit http://esplanade.org

  • Through Sunday, February 14 – Vote for Charles River Esplanade as Best Riverwalk

    ESPLANADE NOMINATED FOR BEST RIVERWALK BY USA TODAY The Esplanade Association is excited to announce that the Charles River Esplanade has been nominated for Best Riverwalk in USA Today’s 2021 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards! If you love spending time along the Esplanade and taking in stunning views of the Charles River, we hope you’ll share your appreciation by voting for the Charles River Esplanade today below. Individuals can vote once per day until Monday, February 15. Vote today by clicking HERE.

  • Esplanade Association: Sponsor the Park Program

    The Esplanade Association’s Sponsor the Park program is a great way to celebrate an occasion, honor a loved one, or simply create a special place for yourself on the Esplanade. Your support will preserve and enhance the Esplanade and demonstrate a commitment to our community.

    Buy a Bulb.

    Each year across the Charles River Esplanade, thousands of flowers mark the arrival of spring. Give the gift of renewal and honor someone special by having bulbs planted at the park. With a donation of $1 per bulb (minimum of $25), the Esplanade Association will plant species such as daffodils, tulips, alliums, and lilliums on the Esplanade so that they will grace the park each spring when they bloom. For your donation, you or the person(s) you are honoring will receive a beautiful e-card from the Esplanade Association indicating the number of bulbs planted and the date of the gift, and you will receive an acknowledgment letter.

    Sponsor a Pollinator:

    Populations of native bees and other pollinators like butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds are declining around the world due to loss of habitat. Without pollinators, you’d have a third less food on your plate, and many fewer flowers blossoming along the Charles River.

    The Esplanade Association, along with friends like you, is here to help! Your donation will help the Esplanade Association create lush and diverse habitat for our imperiled pollinators while beautifying the park for you and your loved ones for years to come.

    For your donation of $50 or more, you or the person(s) you are honoring will receive a beautiful e-card from the Esplanade Association describing the native plantings and the date of the gift, and you will receive an acknowledgment letter.

    Sponsor a Tree:

    By sponsoring a tree, you help the Esplanade Association care for the Esplanade’s nearly 1,700 trees. There is a wide array of tree species on the Esplanade, including extraordinary specimens of weeping willow. Your sponsorship gift supports tree maintenance and plantings through our Lasting Esplanade Arbor Fund (L.E.A.F.) Initiative, which aims to keep the park’s trees healthy and strong for generations to come.

    When you sponsor a tree, you receive a certificate of sponsorship, a photograph of your tree, and a map showing the location of your tree. In addition, a unique metal-embossed tree plaque will be placed on your tree. Tree plaques will contain the Botanical and common name of the tree, a donor-personalized inscription, and year of donation. You can sponsor in someone else’s name, too, making this a unique gift that celebrates a friend, commemorates a momentous occasion, or honors the memory of a loved one.

    In addition to caring for its 1,700 existing trees, the Esplanade Association plans to plant over 200 new trees in coming years. Your sponsorship of an existing tree provides 10 years of care tailored to that tree’s species and its age. Your sponsorship of a new tree provides 10 years of care for saplings, helping to ensure their future as strong, healthy additions to the park’s tree canopy.

    Tree Sponsorships last for 10 years. Donors can double the terms of sponsorship by doubling the contribution. At the end of the sponsorship period, the donor has the opportunity to renew at the then current contribution level. It is the donor’s responsibility to keep the Esplanade Association updated as to their current contact information.

    A donation of $2,500 is requested to Sponsor an Existing Tree. A donation of $10,000 is requested to Sponsor a New Tree. 

    Please Note: Locations for plantings cannot be specified and no plaques will be placed in the park. Bulbs are planted each fall when temperatures drop for the season. 

    Sponsor a Bench:

    View an interactive map of all benches located on the Charles River Esplanade. Benches displayed are either sponsored or available to be sponsored. Benches displayed in light green are currently sponsored. Benches displayed in dark green are available for sponsorship.

    To contribute online and for more information, visit https://esplanade.org/donate/sponsor-the-park/

  • E-1-1 Non-Emergency Feedback System for the Esplanade

    The Esplanade Association recently launched our Esplanade-1-1 (E-1-1) Non-Emergency Feedback System to give Esplanade visitors an easy and accessible way to provide us with any feedback they have regarding the Esplanade. If you have any suggestions, comments, or concerns about the Esplanade, please fill out our E-1-1 Form today! The Esplanade Association strives to make the park safe, happy, and welcoming for all. We have a close relationship with many partners who operate in the park, including the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Community Boating Inc., Night Shift Brewing, and more. If you see anything that could help us make the park better, please use the form here and we will route your comment to the appropriate entity.

    PLEASE NOTE: For emergencies and law-breaking, please call 911 (you may be rerouted to Massachusetts State Police).

  • Milkweed and Monarchs

    Preserving plants like milkweed is vital to protecting monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Milkweed is essential to the survival of monarch butterflies as monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed and caterpillars only eat milkweed plants. Other pollinators, including different bee and butterfly species, also pollinate on milkweed because it provides valuable nectar resources. You can find native milkweed growing along the Esplanade!


    The Esplanade Association has linked Unraveling the Monarch Butterfly Migration Mystery, a short video that shares the fascinating story on the migration of monarch butterflies and features how milkweed is essential to their species.

  • Okame Cherry Tree Planting Time Lapse

    In June The Esplanade Association captured a time lapse of our Horticulture staff planting an Okame Cherry tree along the Esplanade’s lagoon near Fiedler Field. This tree was planted as part of our Lasting Esplanade Arbor Fund (L.E.A.F.) Initiative that launched in fall 2019. Our L.E.A.F. Initiative helps secure the future health of the Esplanade’s tree canopy by increasing species diversity, laying guidelines for succession plantings to replace dead and declining trees, and making recommendations for preventative care, such as pruning and air spading. Watch the (under two minutes) Okame Tree Planting Time Lapse here.Learn more about the L.E.A.F. Initiative and the Esplanade Association’s tree care efforts here.

  • Sunday, July 19 – Sunday, July 26 – Esplanade Pollinator BioBlitz

    Discover and identify the pollinators of the Charles River Esplanade by taking part in the Esplanade Pollinator BioBlitz from July 19 to July 26. The Esplanade Pollinator BioBlitz encourages individuals to explore the Esplanade and document different species of pollinators they find through the iNaturalist app or in a journal. Participants who register via eventbrite will also receive a Virtual BioBlitz Activity Packet with worksheets, coloring sheets, and a map of the Esplanade.

  • Monday, June 1 – Sunday, June 7 – Virtual 2020 Esplanade 5K

    Run anywhere in the world from June 1 – June 7 and help care for the Esplanade.

    In this uncertain time, the Esplanade has served as a much needed respite for people to walk, bike, run, and breathe fresh air. It has never been a more valuable resource than it has for the last two months.
    Now, you can support the park by running in a Virtual 5K! Register for the Esplanade Virtual 5K Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and your race entry will benefit the ongoing care and upkeep of the Esplanade! Running helps reduce stress and provides a free way to improve cardiovascular fitness and strengthen bones. Whether you are running along the Esplanade, or anywhere else in the world, we hope you’ll join our virtual community! 

    Run or walk a 5K anywhere in the world any time between 12:00am on June 1 and 11:59pm on June 7.

    Capture your time (record on your phone, use the app Strava, record via Garmin… however you prefer!) and submit it to us. We’ll list you on the leaderboard at Esplanade.org/Esplanade5K.

    If you take a selfie on your route, share it with us on Twitter (@EsplanadeBoston), Instagram (@EsplanadeinBoston), or Facebook (@EsplanadeBoston) for the chance to be reposted.

    Follow public health guidelines and stay six feet away from other individuals along your route.

    Participants will receive a Virtual Race Bag, including coupons from Athletic Brewing and NOCA beverages. The top three men and women overall will receive a prize pack from Athletic Brewing.

    Bibs are $20 or FREE to service workers (fire, police, medical, etc) and for those who have recently lost their employment or cannot at present afford to buy a virtual race bib.