May Happenings at the Boston Public Market

ArtWeek Events, Celebrating Mom, and Seasonal Food at the City’s Local Marketplace

BOSTON — From Mother’s Day gifts and special treats to unique art + food events, the Boston Public Market will offer a host of May activities and seasonal food as we get ready to welcome the summer season.

Find details below about May happenings at the Market and visit bostonpublicmarket.org for more information. Check out the Market’s 39 vendors, and explore their locally sourced and seasonal produce, meats, dairy, seafood, bread, prepared and specialty items, and more.

Visit the KITCHEN at the Boston Public market, programmed by The Trustees, for an exciting line up of culinary, health, and wellness programs this month. The Trustees offers daily events and programs at the 3,300 square foot, state-of-the art demonstration KITCHEN space. Programs are designed to connect Boston residents, commuters, and visitors to local food and healthy, active living. Visit thetrustees.org/KITCHEN for a full schedule.

The Boston Public Market Association recently announced that starting July 18, the Market will be open 7 days a week.

ARTWEEK BOSTON (4/29 – 5/7)

Stop by the Market to participate in a week of engaging, food-centric art events as part of ArtWeek Boston, an award-winning bi-annual festival featuring more than 100 unique, unexpected, and creative experiences throughout the city.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29 (8am-8pm)

  • ArtLifting Gallery — Come celebrate the launch of ArtWeek at the Boston Public Market with the opening of our public gallery display featuring ArtLifting’s talented artists. ArtLifting is a benefit corporation that provides homeless and disabled artists the opportunity to earn their own income. This event is free and open to the public. 

SUNDAY, MAY 1 (1:00pm-5:00pm)

  • Seafood Throwdown — (in the KITCHEN) Local chefs battle it out to prepare the “Best Seafood Dish” using a mystery item, while their local food stylist counterparts square off to artfully plate it up. Sponsored by Red’s Best and Stillman’s Farm. Tickets are $5 for Trustees Members, $10 for non-members. 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 (8:00am-7:30pm)

  • Still Life Drawing @ the Market— Professional, amateur, and aspiring artists alike are welcome to join us for a free Market-wide “food still life” open-studio. Visit food still life stations throughout the Market featuring centerpieces of Market vendors’ beautiful and unique products, from traditional bowls of fruit to sea urchins, parrot tulips, and celeriac. This event is free and open to the public.

THURSDAY, MAY 5 (5:30pm-6:30pm)

  • Boston Lyric Opera Pop-up — Let artists from Boston Lyric Opera serenade you with the music of Mozart, Puccini and more as you dine and shop! Join us for a memorable concert featuring BLO singers, food, and performance art in an unexpected way. This event is free and open to the public.

FRIDAY, MAY 6 (5:30pm-8:00pm)

  • ArtLifting+ Fondue Night — (in the KITCHEN) ArtLifting representatives and artists will discuss their work while visitors sample fondue, admire and purchase original art, and experience a unique pairing of food and art in the City. Trustees Members: $7 + 1 free drink; Nonmember $7.

SATURDAY, MAY 7 (8:00am-8:00pm)

  • Artful Cards for Mom— Celebrate Mother’s Day by visiting our card making station to create a special, handmade note for your mom. This event is free and open to the public.

MOTHER’S DAY (5/4 – 5/8)

Gifts, brunch, a night off from cooking? Find exactly what Mom needs at the Market. Learn how to make her brunch during a kids cooking class in the KITCHEN (May 7, 11am-1pm), or bring her to a Mother’s Day Party in the KITCHEN to celebrate with cooking stations, art projects, and flower bouquets (May 8, 11am-3pm).

Enjoy a complimentary gift-wrapping station at the Market (5/4 – 5/7, while supplies last) to make your gifts look extra special for Mom – and visit Boston Public Market vendors for Mother’s Day gifts, treats, and special meal ingredients, including:

  • Corner Stalk Farm: Beautiful and delicious lettuce bouquets.
  • Cellars at Jasper Hill: $5 discount on a wheel of Harbison cheese, May 4 – 8.  
  • Mangé: New Gourmet Taster Set with all of Mangé’s top seller fruit vinegars.
  • Massachusetts Wine Shop: Wine baskets for Mom, $34 and up; custom options available.
  • Nella Pasta: 20% off the pasta of the month, May 4 – 7.
  • Peterman’s Boards and Bowls: Receive a free Board and Bowl Conditioner with your purchase of $50 or more.
  • Red Apple Farm: Gift baskets full of tasty New England treats.
  • Red’s Best: Mother’s Day Bonus Gift: for every $50 gift card, get a bonus of $10 for free! May 4 – 7.
  • Stillman Quality Meats: Give Mom a night off from the kitchen with $2 off a frozen potpie, May 4 – May 8.
  • Stillman’s Farm: 10% off any hanging basket, container garden or 4″ annual, May 4-8. If you are shopping with Mom, receive a voucher for 10% off your next purchase!
  • Sweet Lydia’s: Mother’s Day Package: Chocolate Salted Caramels, Champagne Marshmallows, Toffee, S’more and a Candy Bar; $30.
  • Union Square Donuts: Just in time to celebrate Mom, Chocolate Cake Donut Holes will be available exclusively at the Market!

SEASONAL VENDORS

Visit our short-term vendors popping up at the Market:

  • 5 Way Foods (through 5/1) – Small batch bone and veggie broths using locally-sourced, all natural ingredients to help boost the immune system. (Waban, MA)
  • Camberville Dog Treats (5/4 – 5/8) – Local farm, small batch, vegan handmade pet treats made with only three organic and sustainable ingredients (Cambridge, MA).
  • The Popover Lady (through 6/1) – Sweet or savory popovers made with fresh, natural ingredients (Dorchester, MA).
  • Just Add Cooking (through 6/30) – Meal kits consisting of fresh, pre-measured ingredients sourced from New England, featuring balanced, wholesome and delicious recipes (Dorchester, MA).

Join us for additional events at the Market this month, including:

SUNDAY MAY 1

  • Return of the Beloved $1 Buck Shuck (in Red’s Best’s stall) (11am – 7pm): 1st Sunday of every month is officially $1 oysters all day long! No better way to celebrate Sunday Funday. You’re welcome. While supplies last.
  • Red’s Best Touch Tank Sundays (in Red’s Best’s stall) (10am – 4pm): Every Sunday, swing by Red’s Best to get hands on with local sea creates. This event is free. While you’re there, check out their specials during May: squid ($6.99/lb), whole scup ($4.99/lb), and steamers ($3.99/lb).

WEDNESDAY MAY 4

  • Quartet Performance (10:30am-11:30am): Enjoy music from The Boston Public Quartet, a permanent ensemble-in-residence of musiConnects based in Mattapan and Roslindale, focused on actively engaging its community through performance and educational activities.

SATURDAY MAY 7

  • The Art of Entertaining with Taza Chocolate, Doves & Figs, and Appleton Farm (in the KITCHEN, 3-5pm): Join Robin Cohen from Doves & Figs along with friends from Taza Chocolate and Appleton Farms for an afternoon of sweet and savory delights. Learn about Taza Chocolate’s special place in the Doves and Figs jam recipes then taste a selection of items for your afternoon tea to your spring picnic basket! The best part? You can pick up everything right inside the Market after class! Trustees members: $12/ticket, nonmembers: $20/ticket.

SATURDAY MAY 14

  • Corsages & Boutonnieres for Prom (in the KITCHEN, 2-3pm): In this hands on class, Barbara Rietscha from Stow Greenhouses will teach you how to create elegant boutonnieres and beautiful wrist corsages. Trustees Members: $36; Nonmember $45. Class fee includes materials.

WEDNESDAY MAY 18 – SUNDAY MAY 22

  • American Heart Association (8am-8pm): Learn healthy eating tips and stroke awareness advice during a visit from the AHA. And visit Red’s Best from 3-6 pm for free samples of tasty, healthy fish options!

SATURDAY MAY 21

  • Tomato Plants from Stillman’s Farm: Join Stillman’s 1st annual tomato contest! Stillman’s will hand out tomato plants to 50 kids and 50 adults on 5/21, first come first served, to participate in the contest. Participants will be asked to sign up with an email and will be alerted to when the contest will be held in August. Open to all amateur growers.

SUNDAY MAY 22

  • New England Aquarium Tide Pool Touch Tank (12pm-2pm): Children and adults will have the chance to meet and pet horseshoe crabs, stingrays, and lobsters when the New England Aquarium’s Tide Pool Touch Tank visits the Market’s Kid’s Nook space. Aquarium educators will be available to answer any questions about sea life.

FRIDAY MAY 27

  • On the Edge Knife Sharpening (10:30am – 4:30pm): Bring your knives to the Market to have them expertly sharpened by Patti. $10 for a small knife, $15 for a large knife.

ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC MARKET:

The Boston Public Market is an indoor, year round marketplace for locally sourced groceries and specialty agricultural products, where residents and visitors can find fresh, seasonal food from Massachusetts and New England. The Market houses 39 local farmers, fishers, and food entrepreneurs selling items such as farm fresh produce; meat and poultry; eggs; milk and cheese; fish and shellfish; bread and baked goods; beverages; flowers; and an assortment of specialty and prepared foods. Everything sold at the Market is produced or originates in New England. The Boston Public Market, located at 100 Hanover Street above the Haymarket MBTA station, is currently open Wednesday — Sunday, 8 a.m. — 8 p.m, year-round.

The Boston Public Market is located in downtown Boston’s emerging Market District, next to the Haymarket pushcart vendors and the historic Blackstone Block, and it sits on the Rose Kennedy Greenway and the Freedom Trail. 100 Hanover Street also contains the Boston RMV branch, entrances to the Haymarket MBTA station, and a parking garage. Bike parking is located directly outside the Market on the plaza opposite the Greenway. Two Hubway bike share stations are located nearby, on Cross Street across the Greenway and on Congress Street along the side of City Hall.

Boston Public Market vendors are proud to accept SNAP/EBT for all eligible market products, and the Market is a participant in the City of Boston’s Boston Bounty Bucks program, which provides a dollar for dollar match, up to $10 a day, for SNAP customers to spend at participating farmers markets and the Boston Public Market.

The Market is a dynamic civic space, educating the public about food sources, nutrition, and preparation. In addition to 39 permanent vendors and a number of rotating short-term “pop-up” vendors, the Boston Public Market includes the KITCHEN, a 3,200 square foot demonstration kitchen programmed by The Trustees, the Market’s programming partner, with opportunities such as hands-on cooking demos, lectures, family activities, exercise classes, training and community events.

Development of the Boston Public Market was a partnership between the not-for-profit Boston Public Market Association, individual and corporate donors, foundations, the City of Boston, and the project’s seed funder, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Boston Public Market Association developed and operates the Boston Public Market with a public impact mission to support the farmers, fishers, and food entrepreneurs who grow, catch and produce local food, and to nourish our community with food and experiences.

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For more information, visit bostonpublicmarket.org, Facebook (Facebook.com/BostonPublicMarket), Twitter (@BosPublicMarket), and Instagram (@BostonPublicMarket). Follow activity at the Market by using #bostonpublicmarket.