South End News

The city has selected a design for the new South End Branch Library that leaves Library Park untouched while reconfiguring the alley behind the building. What that means for how neighbors drive through Alley 510 is not yet settled. The $32 million project will replace the shuttered one-story branch at 685 Tremont St. with a two-story building, nearly doubling it from about 9,000 to 16,000 square feet. The branch has been closed since April 2022 due to flooding.

Festival Betances, New England's longest-running Latino cultural festival, returns to Plaza Betances this Saturday, July 18, for its 53rd year — a free, full-day celebration running 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 100 West Dedham St. This year's theme, "Boricua Legacy: Shaping America's Story," ties the festival to the America 250 commemoration.

BOSTON, July 8, 2026 - This week Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn filed a hearing order to discuss the status of the Blackstone Pool and an independent engineering study on repairs. The Blackstone Community Center and Boston Public Schools (BPS) pool has historically served communities of color in the South End and Roxbury, including the residents of Villa Victoria and BHA Ruth Barkley apartments.

A Navy veteran, entrepreneur, HIV/AIDS fundraiser and hospitality visionary, Ribaudo turned a Columbus Avenue venue into a home base for generations of Boston’s LGBTQ+ community By Bay Windows Staff Frank Alfred Ribaudo, beloved husband, brother, uncle, veteran, entrepreneur, and visionary community builder, died after a courageous two-and-a-half-year battle with glioblastoma. Born on December 30, 1944, in Brooklyn, New York, Frank was the son of Caroline and Frank Ribaudo.

Father Christopher K. O’Connor, the new rector of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, and Father Rodrigo A. Martinez, the Cathedral’s new parochial vicar, pose outside the Cathedral on Sunday, June 28, after celebrating Masses with the parish community. The two priests began their new ministries at the Cathedral that weekend, greeting parishioners and introducing themselves following Mass. Father O’Connor succeeds Msgr.

After a horrific spate of violence, politicians, lawmakers, community activists, and political operatives rush to the microphone or socials to push their narrative about violent crime in Boston. The truth of what is or isn't happening doesn't fit into a slogan. And the work of preventing violence is slow and boring. Here are some reliable stats. Here are some questions I have for our leaders, both elected and volunteer.

Concerts every week. Markets every Sunday. Movie nights. Kids' workshops. Jazz. Salsa. Steel drums. Here's everything actually free in the South End this summer—and where to find it. It's July in Boston’s South End, which means one thing: you don't have to go far. The neighborhood is packed with free outdoor programming that runs straight through August and beyond. Titus Sparrow Park has live music every single Wednesday. O'Day Playground has kids' workshops and puppet shows.

Before the South End filled in, it was Boston Neck — the city's only land gate and a Revolutionary War choke point during the 1775–76 Siege of Boston In 1776, the ground under Washington Street was tidal marsh, a military choke point, and the only way in or out of a besieged city. On the 250th anniversary, it's worth remembering the neighborhood was a battlefield before it was a neighborhood.

Looking for free things to do in Boston's South End this summer? You’re in luck! The neighborhood is packed with free outdoor events — live music at Titus Sparrow Park every Wednesday, the SoWa Open Market and First Fridays in the SoWa Art + Design District, Latin music at O'Day Playground, jazz nights at South End Library Park, an outdoor movie night, kids' arts and crafts, Festival Betances, Tai Chi, and more.

SoWa Open Market — Sundays, through November 15 Now in its 23rd season, the SoWa Open Market runs every Sunday, rain or shine, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 500 Harrison Ave. and along Thayer Street. The open-air market brings artisan vendors, food trucks, farm stands, galleries, shops and artist studios to the SoWa Art + Design District. Free. Within this calendar window: every Sunday from June 28 through August 30.