DUCKLING DAY

Celebrate Mother’s Day with the Friends of the Public Garden and Boston-area families during the annual Duckling Day event!

The next Duckling Day will be held on Mother’s Day Sunday, May 12, 2024. Registration will open April 1.

A beloved tradition for more than 30 years, Duckling Day celebrates the children’s classic book, “Make Way for Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey. Every year, hundreds of children parade through Boston’s most picturesque parks, dressed like characters from the story Led by the Harvard Marching Band, the parade will begin on the Boston Common at the Parkman Bandstand and end in the Public Garden near the famous Make Way for Ducklings sculpture. Bring your camera – the parade is possibly the most adorable thing you’ll ever see!

Prior to the parade will be Playtime on the Common, a vibrant array of family entertainment including a creative play area, a magician and other performers, interactive circus games, live music, and more. All families are welcome to decorate their wagons or strollers, bring a picnic, and enjoy springtime in Boston’s most beloved parks!

Duckling day

Prior to the parade will be Playtime on the Common, a vibrant array of family entertainment from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. All activities are included with event admission:

· A performance by young lion dancers from the Woo Ching White Crane School
· Interactive Circus Games with Esh Circus Arts
· Jenny the Juggler
· Peter O’Malley, magician
· Jump, climb, and play with Knucklebones
· Meet our giant Duck!
· Visit with the Harvard University Band
· Make Way for Ducklings reading station
· A goody bag for every kid – full of Duckling Day-themed items!

The registration fee is $35 per family in advance (before May 12) and $40 per family the day of the event. Each child who registers will receive a special goody bag.

Would you like to showcase your company’s products or services to hundreds of Greater Boston families? Take the unique opportunity to be part of the sponsor team at this one-of-a-kind event on Boston Common. In addition to on-site exhibit space, the Friends offers pre- and post-event promotional benefits for your business. For more information, contact us at events@friendsofthepublicgarden.org.

Visitors may be filmed, videotaped, and/or photographed by an employee or contract photographer at any event sponsored by the Friends of the Public Garden. Admission to the event serves as permission for the use of images of visitors by the Friends of the Public Garden and its constituents. The Boston Common, Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue Mall are public places and as such photos of our guests are permitted as they would be in any public space, such as a park, trail, or roadway. However, visitors may ask – either the photographer or a Friends of the Public Garden staff member – not to be photographed. The Friends asks all photographers to respect the wishes of Friends of the Public Garden’s guests. Harassment of any visitor or infringement on their personal space is prohibited. Please contact us at info@friendsofthepublicgarden.org if you would like your picture removed from one of our online platforms.

Please contact Maliaka Shepard, Senior Communications & Outreach Officer at maliaka@friendsofthepublicgarden.org if you wish to arrange press coverage.

For our virtual 2021 event, we shared the Duckling Day spirit straight into family living rooms all over the world! Enjoy this all-star reading of Make Way for Ducklings, read by many familiar Boston personalities (and penguins)!