DCR Hatch Memorial Shell
The Esplanade's iconic 1940 band shell and the home of free summer concerts and the Boston Pops July 4th.
The Park
Sixty-four acres of joy on the river.
The Charles River Esplanade is Boston's beloved riverfront park — free, green, and open to all. More than four million people a year walk, paddle, picnic, and gather here, between the city and the water.
Park map
The whole park, end to end.
Three miles of riverbank from the Museum of Science to the BU Bridge — lagoons, lawns, docks, and the Hatch Shell, all stitched together by the river path.
A wayfinding map of the full park would live here — orienting visitors to features, entrances, and the footbridges that cross Storrow Drive.
Features
Things to see and do.
From the Hatch Shell to the lagoons to the docks — the places that make the Esplanade the Esplanade.
Storrow Lagoon & islands
A chain of lagoons and footbridges — the calm, leafy heart of Arthur Shurcliff's 1930s design.
Community Boating & docks
Sailing, kayaking, and the nation's oldest public sailing program, right off the park's edge.
Playgrounds & lawns
Open greens and the Charlesbank playground — everyday space for play, picnics, and rest.
The river path
Three miles of riverside path for walking, running, and biking, woven into the regional greenway.
Monuments & public art
From the Arthur Fiedler memorial to seasonal installations — art that marks the park's story.
History
A century on the river.
The Esplanade we love today was built up over more than a hundred years — filled land, a visionary landscape plan, a band shell, and a nonprofit born to protect it all.
1910
The Boston Embankment
Filled land along the river's edge creates the first public promenade — the Esplanade's earliest form.
1936
The Shurcliff design
Landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff adds the lagoons, islands, and the Music Oval that define the park today.
1940
The Hatch Shell
The Edward Hatch Memorial Shell is dedicated, cementing the Esplanade as Boston's stage on the river.
2001
The Esplanade Association
A nonprofit forms to partner with the state, raising private support to care for a beloved but underfunded park.
2026
The Charlesbank Campus
The Smith Family Pavilion & Charlesbank Campus opens — the park's first true visitor gateway.
Stewardship
What we do.
The Esplanade Association is the park's nonprofit steward — raising private support and doing the year-round work that keeps 64 acres thriving for everyone.
Horticulture & tree care
Year-round planting, pruning, and care for thousands of trees and dozens of garden beds across 64 acres.
Climate resilience
Shoreline and stormwater work to protect the park — and the city behind it — from rising water.
Capital improvements
Rebuilding paths, lighting, and gathering spaces — including the new Charlesbank Campus.
Partnership
In partnership with the DCR.
The Esplanade is public parkland owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Association works hand in hand with the DCR to care for it.
The Charles River Esplanade is owned and operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The Esplanade Association, founded in 2001, is the park’s nonprofit partner — raising private philanthropy and providing the hands-on stewardship, horticulture, and capital investment that public funding alone can’t cover.
- Public parkland owned by the Commonwealth and managed by the DCR.
- Private support raised by the Association funds horticulture, programming, and capital work.
- 100+ free programs a year, open to all, on shared public land.
- A model public–private partnership for a park used by 4 million+ people annually.