Quincy Celebrates Its Past and Present

Get ready New England and the world, as Quincy, Massachusetts prepares to commemorate its 400th anniversary, and you are invited! 

“In 2025, Quincy celebrates the 400th anniversary of its settlement,” says Mayor Thomas Koch. “400 years of the people and ideas that have shaped America. 400 years of history, diversity and culture. 400 years of community. Join us as we honor this extraordinary place with a year full of celebrations and events.”

Four hundred years is a unique milestone that few American cities can claim, and organizers of Quincy 400 believe it will bring a new appreciation to the  City of Presidents from visitors and residents alike.   This is a rare opportunity to celebrate Quincy’s distinguished history and equally, to showcase what makes it such a vibrant and livable city today.

Preparations in Quincy are already underway, starting with the newly renovated Welcome Center at Hancock Adams Common, which reopens this spring and features innovative and imaginative ways for visitors to discover the city.   

For example, the Center’s brand new floor features a 900’ walking map of Quincy, allowing visitors to “quite literally explore the entire City of Quincy and its most prominent places of interest,” says Quincy’s Director of Tourism Dagny Ashley.

The goal of the Center, adds Ashley, is to make Quincy “accessible and engaging for a wide range and diversity of visitors, both local and from afar. We want them to feel welcome to the city, help them get oriented and learn more about a city with a 400 year history.”

Other plans under way for 2025 include major musical concerts and events at Veterans Memorial Stadium and in the city’s beautiful parks and playgrounds; new historical markers that highlight architectural gems, distinguished citizens and historical events; and a Heritage Tree program that knits together local history, horticulture and the environment. 

An important initiative for 2025 is to tell the Massachusett-Ponkapoag story about the indigenous people who lived on the land that is now Quincy. Plans are underway to build a monument at Quincy’s Squaw Point called the Three Sisters, which will depict three  indigenous women, standing in a circle facing outward. 

Summer 2024

While Quincy 400 plans take shape, the city has a lot of celebrating to do in summer 2024, with a full roster of concerts, parades, fireworks, history tours, culinary delights and multiethnic celebrations.

The season kicks off on June 15 with the beloved 73rd Quincy Flag Day Celebration. The annual parade of bands, floats, color guards, specialty units and flag-waving kids starts at Coddington & Washington Streets and runs along Hancock St. to Merrymount Parkway, finishing at Adams Field.   After the parade, enjoy a flag raising ceremony and greater Boston’s best fireworks show at Pageant Field.  Spectators can watch the fireworks from Pageant Field or nearby at Wollaston, Merrymount, Adams Shore and Houghs Neck.

On June 16, Free Jacks Rugby presents its Golden Oldies Cup at Veterans Memorial Stadium, with six seasoned rugby teams battling it out for the title, plus family fun activities.

There’s plenty of free music this summer too. On June 22, Celebrate Music of the 60s and 70s features favorite songs from those decades, and on July 6, Quincy marks Independence Day with a Patriotic Celebration, both  at Hancock Adams Common.  

A highlight of the summer is the Stars of the Spectrum Music Festival on August 3 at Veterans Stadium. Billed as the largest concert in the nation ‘by Autism for Autism,’ it features 100+ autistic artists from across the country, including Kodi Lee  and Jake n’ Sky Velazquez from America’s Got Talent and  Adin Boyer from American Idol.  This inclusive festival is designed so everyone can  enjoy the concert with quiet, sensory-friendly areas and sensory kits. 

On August 17, Celebrate Music of the 80s and 90s plays highlights of these musical decades at Hancock-Adams Common.  

The August Moon Festival on August 28 celebrates Quincy’s vibrant Asian community, with a day of cultural displays, ethnic foods, vendors and family entertainment on Coddington Street. 

On September 21, a Classical Concert features Quincy Choral and Quincy Symphony Orchestra, alongside artists from the Quincy Arts Association displaying their wares at Hancock Adams Common.  

Foodies will enjoy the annual Quincy Food Truck and Music Festival on October 5 on Coddington Street or check out dozens of distinctive American and international restaurants throughout the city. 

For nature lovers, explore Quincy’s 27-mile shoreline of marinas, beaches, clam shacks, nature reserves and the city’s very own U.S.S. Salem + Shipbuilding Museum at Fore River. 

Whatever your plans are in the next 18 months, make sure to visit and Discover Quincy!