Construction on Copley Square Park began on July 20, 2023. Over the three New Year's Eves since, the square was closed, partly closed, or still missing its fountain and lawn. The City cut the ribbon on the finished park on May 28, 2026, so this is the first winter for the completed design.
Summer showed off the park's shade and lawn. The next six weeks test the purpose the City gave the rebuild. Its completion announcement describes the Raised Grove and plaza as "event-ready" spaces and names First Night, the Boston Marathon, and the Copley Square Farmers Market as the uses the design serves. Between Thanksgiving week and New Year's Day, all three of the square's winter traditions come back to it.
Three winters spent somewhere else
The project ran well past its first schedule. In August 2023, the City expected 16 months of work and a reopening in fall 2024. The park then reopened in pieces:
- July 20, 2023: Construction began. Boston.com reported that the start had been pushed back because the project needed MBTA approval. The Green Line tunnel runs near the park's north sidewalk.
- New Year's Day 2025: The northeast triangle reopened.
- April 10, 2025: The Plaza and Raised Grove reopened ahead of Marathon weekend. The fountain, lawn, and perimeter sidewalks were still unfinished.
- Early 2025: Storms, frozen ground, and snow and ice delayed the winter work.
- May 28, 2026: The fountain was running again, the perimeter sidewalks were finished, and the City declared the park fully open.
Meanwhile the square's regular events moved out. WCVB reported that First Night's 2023–24 main stage and ice sculptures moved from Copley to City Hall Plaza because of the construction. The 2024 Marathon Fan Fest and post-race party went to City Hall Plaza as well, according to WCVB. The Copley Square Farmers Market spent its 2024 season at McKim Plaza, 227–230 Dartmouth Street, across from the library, as BU Today reported. Last New Year's Eve, the City described First Night as back at City Hall Plaza for a third year, with some programming at Copley Square.
The farmers market came back to the park first, once the Plaza and Raised Grove reopened in 2025. This winter the larger events follow it.
What the rebuild changed for a crowded night
The $18.9 million project was paid for through the City's five-year Capital Plan. Sasaki Design led the design team, with Arup, Fluidity Design, Feldman Geospatial, and HLB Lighting. WES Construction Corp. built it. Most of the changes affect how a crowd moves through the park and where it stands:
- The Raised Grove. This deck-like seating area is built around the mature trees so people stay off their roots.
- A new Dartmouth Street entrance. The City says the improved Dartmouth Street access and upgraded utilities leave the park "better equipped to host major events."
- Better sightlines. The redesigned plaza opens views toward the Boston Public Library and Trinity Church.
- A larger lawn near Trinity Church and a restored fountain. The fountain got new mechanical and electrical systems and basin repairs.
- More trees. The project added 46 trees, doubled the canopy, and increased the number of tree species from four to nine.
- Accessible paths and pervious paving throughout the park.
"These improvements support the park's daily function as a gathering space for residents, workers and visitors, while providing flexible space for community staples like the Copley Square Farmers Market to major cultural events such as First Night and the Boston Marathon," Interim Parks Commissioner Cathy Baker-Eclipse said in the City's completion announcement. The public engagement that shaped the plan began in 2020. A steering committee included the Friends of Copley Square and the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay.
The season, from Thanksgiving week to New Year's Day
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., Nov. 24 | Copley Square Farmers Market, Thanksgiving week | Copley Square | 11 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Grand reopening and annual tree lighting | 560 Boylston St. | 5–6 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Commonwealth Avenue Mall tree lighting | Commonwealth Avenue Mall | 8 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Open Newbury Holiday Stroll, rain date Dec. 13 | Newbury St., Berkeley St. to Massachusetts Ave. | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | First Night ice sculptures | Copley Square | Noon to 12:30 a.m. Jan. 1 |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | First Night procession to Boston Common | Starts at Copley Square | 6 p.m. |
The Tuesday, November 24 market is the Thanksgiving-week date for the Copley Square Farmers Market. Stillman Quality Meats is taking fresh, pasture-raised turkey orders for pickup there on November 24, according to Mass Farmers Markets.
November 30 celebrates a park that has been open since May
The City is billing the tree lighting as "the grand reopening of Copley Square Park" as well as the annual lighting, even though the full park opened in May. The City's event listing sets the free event for Monday, November 30, from 5 to 6 p.m. Planned activities include:
- A guided tour of the renovated square
- Arts and crafts
- Santa and Rudolph
- Performances by vocalist Joelle James, the Boston Children's Chorus, and Symphonic of Emerson College
After the lighting, cookies and photos with Santa are planned at the Fairmont Copley Plaza at 6 p.m. The listing names Friends of Copley Square, BXP, Sasaki, and Fairmont Copley Plaza as partners. H.P. Hood LLC is the sponsor, with additional support from Drake's Cakes.
Three days later, on December 3, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall tree lighting follows the Boston Common lighting at 8 p.m. On Sunday, December 6, Newbury Street goes car-free from Berkeley Street to Massachusetts Avenue for the Holiday Stroll, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The City has set December 13 as the rain date.
First Night's ice and procession start in Copley again
First Night Boston's countdown to 2027 lists the location as "Copley Square, Boston, MA." Its visitor page says "First Night will take place at Boston's Copley Square." It also points visitors to the Commuter Rail, Green Line, Orange Line, and several bus lines that serve Back Bay.
According to First Night's ice sculptures page, the sculptures will be in Copley Square from noon on December 31 until 12:30 a.m. on January 1. If the weather cooperates, some can still be seen on New Year's Day. Carvers sometimes finish their work during the first part of New Year's Eve. The procession leaves Copley Square at 6 p.m. and heads to Boston Common. The Mugar Family fireworks go off over Boston Common at 7 p.m., and the harbor fireworks follow at midnight.
For Back Bay residents, that means the year's largest event starts on the redesigned plaza and grove, a few blocks from home. For the past three New Year's Eves, its main stage was at City Hall Plaza.
Places to eat near the square
A few new restaurants have opened near Copley since the park was finished. Daily Provisions, the all-day café from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, is open at 501 Boylston Street at the edge of Copley Square. It serves breakfast and lunch sandwiches, crullers, soups, salads, and roast chicken, per Boston Restaurant Talk. Zhu, which serves Chinese seafood and dim sum, began a soft opening at 903 Boylston Street in late September. At the Prudential end of the neighborhood, LPM Restaurant & Bar is on the second floor of the Four Seasons at 1 Dalton Street. Its French-Mediterranean menu takes its cue from the Riviera, and Head Chef Gabriela Guitron runs the kitchen.
From the tree lighting on November 30, the Fairmont Copley Plaza is the closest stop, since that is where the Santa photos take place. On New Year's Eve, Daily Provisions is at the edge of the square where the ice sculptures will be.
When a park like Copley Square gets fully rebuilt, the streets around it feel the change. At Prime Realty, we track how changes like the park's return affect demand on the blocks near Copley, for owners, landlords, and buyers. If you want to know what this means for your building, schedule a free market consultation with our team.
