Children’s Winter Festival Returns to the Boston Common

Looking for some fun and free activities during the February school vacation week?

The annual Children's Winter Festival will be held on Thursday, February 20 from 11 am to 2 pm on the Boston Common. Hosted by Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Parks & Recreation Department in partnership with the Highland Street Foundation, this is the perfect afternoon activity for kids of all ages.

This year's festival will feature music, giveaways, various winter attractions, treats, crafts and much more. This event is free and open to the public. Make sure to dress warmly.

Attractions include a 45-foot-long Toboggan Tunnel mountainous adventure, Snow-Mazing maze, Snowzilla Jr., an inflatable winter-themed slide, a three-car Trackless Train, hands-on games including Giant Connect4, Baggo, Giant Horseshoes, Inflatable Skee Ball, and much more.

L.L. Bean's Bootmobile will be on-site for a photo-op and their Outdoor Discovery Program team will offer sledding and snowshoeing (weather permitting) or a Maps and Compass Challenge if there is no snow. There will be free giveaways from Disney's Frozen2 and a chance to win a copy of the movie. Xfinity is providing a vintage 1960s Volkswagen bus converted to a photo bus, so bring your best pose and let XFINITY’s Photobus take your group’s photo.

Additionally, there will be activities with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, the Mayor's Mural Crew - City of Boston, the New England Aquarium, a family Zumba class, and hot tea.

For more information, please call the Boston Parks & Recreation Department at 617-635-4505 or visit Boston.gov/Parks.

“We know that February break is one of the most challenging weeks to keep children active,” Highland Street Foundation Executive Director Blake Jordan said. “The goal with Winter Camp is to offer fun, enriching opportunities as an alternative to television and video games.”