Take a moment to exhale this weekend. We’ve curated plans for couples, friends and families so you don’t have to! This is all the information you need in a step-by-step guide to make your planning easier.
It’s a Date!
Monday, Dec. 31
Do This
Kick off your New Year’s celebration with fireworks on the Boston Common. The Mugar Foundation and the City of Boston have been putting on the 12-minute display each year since 1999, and the spectacular show is just long enough to get you in the holiday spirit without freezing.
Boston Common
7–7:30 p.m.
Free admission
139 Tremont St., Boston
Limited street parking, Boylston T stop
Then What?
Walk 10 minutes to Copley Square for a free concert at the First Night Copley stage. Bands like STL GLD, an up-and-coming hip-hop group, and Flight of Fire, a female rock band, will perform against the classic backdrop of Trinity Church and the Hancock building. If your music taste is more classic check out the Pipes and Pops brass and organ concert inside Old South Church, also in Copley Square.
Copley Square
12 p.m.–12 a.m.
Free admission
560 Boylston St., Boston
Limited street parking, Copley T stop
Then What?
If you’re going to eat out on New Year’s you may as well splurge at B&G Oysters with the Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams dinner. You’ll feel like Russian royalty (sans revolution) dining on seafood delicacies like octopus and caviar and sipping from a bottomless champagne flute. There are two seatings, so if you’d rather eat early book the 5–8:30 p.m. meal, or reserve the second session starting at 9:30 p.m. to ring in the New Year from your chair.
B&G Oysters
5 p.m.–12 a.m.
Starts at $95 per person
550 Tremont St., Boston
Limited street parking, Back Bay T stop
Friends Zone
Tuesday, Jan. 1
Do This
Get moving on Day 1 with a group bike ride with the Charles River Wheelers. The 20-mile trek goes all over Boston, past sights from Charlestown to Castle Island. Not only will this count as your exercise for the week, it’s a great way to revisit areas of the city that you might not have time to see in your busy, everyday life. The ride ends back where you started at Boston Common.
Boston Common
11 a.m.
Free admission
Park Street and Tremont Street
Limited street parking, Park Street T stop
Then What?
Walk five minutes to Nahita for dinner and drinks; you earned it! If you don’t want to break your newly made healthy eating resolutions, Nahita has a lot of guilt-free meals designed for the 2019 you. Bonus: They’re also delicious. The January menu includes a stir-fry quinoa and seasonal vegetables dish and wild salmon and roe for a meal that tastes as good as it looks on your calorie count.
Nahita
5:30 p.m.–10 p.m.
Appetizers $10–$19, Entrees $20–$44
100 Arlington St., Boston
Limited street parking, Arlington T stop
Family Fun
Sunday, Dec. 30
Do This
Introduce your kids to iconic Disney characters without paying for pricey plane tickets. At Disney on Ice at the Agganis Arena, our favorite animated friends come to life on skates. This year’s theme is “100 Years of Magic,” and the show includes over 50 favorite characters from movies like “Frozen,” “Toy Story” and “Finding Dory.”
Agganis Arena
12 p.m. or 4 p.m.
Starts at $10 per person
925 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
Limited street parking, Pleasant Street T stop
Then What?
Grab lunch or dinner after the show at Holly Crab, just a 10-minute walk down Comm Ave. The casual joint brings Cajun-style seafood to Boston with a menu centered on seafood boils and fried fish, not to mention fried chicken and a number of sides ranging from coleslaw to cheesy noodles, so even the pickiest of eaters can find something.
Holly Crab
12 p.m.–10 p.m.
Seafood boil $24–$36, Sides $1–$7
1098 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
Limited street parking, Packards Corner T stop