April Happenings at the Boston Public Market

Celebrate Spring with Seasonal Food, Art, and Education  

April showers bring May flowers…and vegetables! Visit the Boston Public Market this month and experience more than what’s on your grocery list – a full curriculum of free children’s programming during April vacation (plant sunflowers, learn about cocoa, make fishy arts & crafts), a week of art + food events as part of ArtWeek Boston, healthy runner’s fuel specials for race day, 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 3,200 square foot, state-of-the art demonstration KITCHEN space. Run in tandem with the Market’s hours of operation, 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.

See details below about April happenings at the Market and visit bostonpublicmarket.org for more information. Visit the Market’s 39 vendors, and explore their locally sourced and seasonal produce, meats, dairy, seafood, bread, prepared and specialty items, and more. While you’re here, be sure to check out the big red tractor, an International Farmall 300 from 1955, parked near the Info Booth inside the Market throughout the season. Climb on board and snap a photo (use #BPMtractor)!

PREP FOR BOSTON’S BIG RACE (4/13 – 4/17)

Visit the Market to carbo-load and fuel up on healthy, nutrition-packed nourishment that will help you push through those 26.2 miles. Swing by our Nutritionist’s table for tips and advice on preparing for the big day, and check out 88 Acres, a short term vendor offering healthy bars made with simple ingredients to power you through the day – try the Apple & Ginger or Triple Berry.

Running the big race? Show your Boston Athletic Association “Runner’s Passport” to participating Market vendors to receive special promotions and discounts. See the full list of promotions at bostonpublicmarket.org/happenings.

BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS SPRING VACATION (4/20 – 4/24)
Stop by the Kids’ Nook every day during the break for a full curriculum of free activities to keep kids (and parents!) busy, learning, and having fun. Pick up a Market Scavenger Hunt to learn cool facts about food, agriculture, cooking, and our vendors (did you know one of them owns a camel?). Visit bostonpublicmarket.org/happenings for more info. Here’s a peek at the spring break lineup:

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20

  • 10:30 – 11:30am: Learn about baby animals and what they’re up to during the spring with Chestnut Farms. Meet a very special guest – a little piglet!
  • 12:00 – 2:00pm (in the KITCHEN): Join our new vendor, Jennifer Lee’s Gourmet Bakery, to decorate gluten-free cookies and learn about what it means to make sweets and treats without gluten.

THURSDAY, APRIL 21

  • 2:30 – 3:30pm: Make fishy art with Red’s Best – Paint a fish. Press on paper. Voila! Great activity for any age.

FRIDAY, APRIL 22

  • 10:30 – 11:30am: Have a play date with Nella Pasta to make colorful necklaces using dried, colored pasta made with whole grains and veggies. Wear your pasta, and eat it too with a discount on kids’ Wagon Wheels with Butter and Parmesan.

SATURDAY, APRIL 23

  • 10:30 – 11:30am: Come learn about gardening from Stow Greenhouses and plant beautiful sunflowers in personal pots that you can decorate too!
  • 2:30 – 3:30pm: Listen to children’s stories with Taza Chocolate and learn all about our favorite treat – chocolate! We’ll listen to No Monkeys, No Chocolate and Grandma’s Chocolate and get a hands-on look at real cocoa pods.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24

  • 2:30 – 3:30pm: Join New England Conservatory’s wind quintet for a live children’s performance of Peter and the Wolf, in costume!

ARTWEEK BOSTON (4/29 – 5/8)

Food and art go hand-in-hand – we eat with our eyes before our stomachs! 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 sourced from Boston Public Market vendor Red’s Best, while their local food stylist counterparts square off to artfully plate it up. 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 talented divas entertain you while you dine! Join us for an unexpected concert featuring Boston Lyric Opera singers, food, and performance art. One day only, customers and visitors are invited to watch the food and music worlds collide. This event is free and open to the public.

FRIDAY, MAY 6 (6:30pm-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. Tickets are $5 for Trustees Members, $10 for non-members.

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.

SEASONAL VENDORS

Visit our short-term vendors popping up at the Market in April, including:

  • Just Add Cooking (3/2 – 5/1) – Meal kits consisting of fresh, pre-measured ingredients sourced from New England, featuring balanced, wholesome and delicious recipes (Dorchester, MA).
  • The Popover Lady (3/30 – 4/24) – Sweet or savory popovers made with fresh, natural ingredients (Dorchester, MA).
  • Top Shelf Cookies (4/4 – 4/17) – Handcrafted artisan style cookies ranging from classics like chocolate chip to beer infused (Quincy, MA).
  • 88 Acres (4/13 – 4/24) – Healthy snacks, free of the most common food allergens, crafted with simple ingredients and designed for everyone to enjoy (Dorchester, MA).
  • DRINKmaple (4/13 – 4/24) – Pure, refreshing water collected from Vermont maple trees in the spring. Naturally hydrating and exploding with nutrients (Saint Albans, Vermont). 

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

SATURDAY, APRIL 2

  • Fish Chat in the Kitchen with Red’s Best (in the KITCHEN) (3-5pm): Come learn more about the history of New England fish from an expert and discuss the anthropology of Squid, Scup & Whiting with Tony Klos.

SUNDAY, APRIL 3

  • Return of the Beloved $1 Buck Shuck (in Red’s Best’s stall) (8am – 8pm): 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. 
  • Carolyn’s Farm Kitchen Demo at Appleton Farms (in Appleton Farms’ stall) (11am-1:00pm): Carolyn will be visiting to sample and unveil some of her spring jam flavors, as well as her granola, which goes perfectly with Appleton milk & Sidehill yogurt.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6

  • Who’s Your Farmer Wednesdays with Stillman’s Farm (12-1pm): Chat with Genevieve or Glenn Stillman about tomato seedling varieties. BYOL: Brown bag it or better yet, buy from our neighbors… Red’s Best clam chowder anyone? Or a gorgeous Bon Me bowl? While you lunch, chat about produce in season now and seeding for the summer. New topic each week – or bring your own—to Stillman’s Farm stall. Open to all ages. Adjacent to Boston Public Market Kids’ Nook.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7

  • How to Prepare Redfish (in Red’s Best’s stall) (5-7pm): Learn to prep and what to pair with redfish from ingredients found in the Boston Public Market. Shop with Red’s Best friend, Wellfleet Pete, to gather ingredients for a spectacularly easy redfish dish. This event is free.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16 – SUNDAY, APRIL 17

  • Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation (8am – 8pm) – Join us as we participate in a worldwide celebration of what makes raw milk cheese so special. Enjoy a weekend full of demos, visits from local MA and VT cheese producers, and a lecture from Carlos Yescas of the Oldways Cheese Coalition (12-2pm in the KITCHEN). Appleton Farms will be hosting a variety of MA’s raw milk cheese producers for demos, including:
    • Great Hill Dairy (Marion)
    • Grey Barn Dairy (Chilmark)
    • Foxboro Cheese Co (Foxboro)
    • Couet Farm & Fromagerie (Dudley)
    • Robinson Farm (Hardwick)
    • Smith Country Cheeses (Winchendon)
    • Cricket Creek Farm (Williamstown) 

THURSDAY, APRIL 21

  • Barista Throw Down with George Howell Coffee (5-8pm): Coffee lovers – get ready for a throw down! Join George Howell Coffee as they host talented baristas from around the city in a competition of beautiful, handmade latte art. Cheer on your favorite artists, and enjoy George Howell’s freshly roasted small batch coffee and snack samples from fellow vendors.

FRIDAY, APRIL 22

  • 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.