Live Events & Tickets in Boston

Hockey

Boston is one of the great hockey cities in North America. The Bruins (NHL), an Original Six franchise with multiple Stanley Cups, play at TD Garden from October through April with playoff runs deep into spring.

The college game is just as serious: Boston University (Agganis Arena), Boston College (Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill), Northeastern (Matthews Arena, the oldest indoor ice arena still in use), and Harvard all field nationally ranked programs and meet each February in the Beanpot tournament at TD Garden. The women's game has grown fast, with the PWHL Boston Fleet adding pro hockey to the calendar.

The event list above pulls every confirmed hockey game on sale.

Basketball

Boston basketball starts and ends with the Celtics (NBA), the most decorated franchise in league history, playing on the famous parquet floor at TD Garden from October through April with championship expectations every spring. Game nights on Causeway Street draw a passionate, knowledgeable crowd, and deep playoff runs turn the whole North Station area into a viewing party.

The college game adds Boston College at Conte Forum and Boston University at Case Gym, with Northeastern and Harvard rounding out the Division I slate. Single-game Celtics tickets move quickly through resale, especially for marquee opponents and weekend home dates.

Baseball

The Red Sox (MLB) play at Fenway Park, the oldest active ballpark in the majors, from Opening Day in early April through the end of September, with the Green Monster looming over left field. The ballpark experience is the draw as much as the team — a sellout streak that ran over a decade, Lansdowne Street pulsing on home dates, and sightlines that haven't changed much in a century.

Yankees weekends are the hottest tickets and book out far in advance; weeknight and day games against the rest of the league are far more accessible and some of the easiest walk-ups in Boston sports. The event list above pulls every confirmed Red Sox home game on sale.

Football

The Patriots (NFL), a six-time Super Bowl champion franchise, play at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, about 30 miles south of downtown, every fall and into winter. Commuter Rail runs special game-day trains from South Station, and tailgating in the Patriot Place lots is a full pre-game ritual.

Single-game tickets vary widely by opponent — division rivals and primetime matchups command the highest resale prices, while early-season and weather games are easier to find. College football adds Boston College at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill and Harvard at Harvard Stadium, with the Harvard-Yale game (The Game) the marquee fixture of the fall.

Soccer

The New England Revolution (MLS) play at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough through the soccer season, from spring into the fall playoff push. Match nights bring a dedicated supporters' section and a family-friendly crowd, with Commuter Rail service from South Station on game days.

Single-match tickets are among the more accessible in Boston pro sports, and rivalry matches against other Eastern Conference clubs draw the biggest crowds. The college game adds strong programs at Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern through the fall season.

The event list above pulls every confirmed soccer match on sale.

College sports

Boston is one of the densest college-sports markets in the country, with Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, Northeastern, and MIT all within the metro. Hockey is the headline act — BU at Agganis Arena, BC at Conte Forum, Northeastern at Matthews Arena, and Harvard at the Bright-Landry Center, all meeting in the February Beanpot at TD Garden.

BC and BU basketball, BC football at Alumni Stadium, and the Harvard-Yale football rivalry round out the marquee dates. College tickets are generally far cheaper and easier to get than the pro teams, making them the best value in Boston sports for a midweek game night.

Running & rowing

Two of Boston's biggest sporting events aren't ticketed games at all. The Boston Marathon runs every Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April, from Hopkinton to the Copley Square finish line — the oldest annual marathon in the world, with viewing free along the entire route and the Back Bay finish area drawing enormous crowds.

The Head of the Charles Regatta in mid-October is the largest two-day rowing regatta in the world, filling the Charles River with crews from across the globe; the banks from the Eliot Bridge down to the BU Bridge are free vantage points. Both turn the city into a spectator event without a single ticket needed.

Free events

Boston's free sports calendar is genuinely strong. The Boston Marathon on Patriots' Day is free to watch along the entire route from Hopkinton to Copley Square, and the Head of the Charles Regatta in October is free to view from both banks of the river for two full days.

College games are the most affordable ticketed sports in town, and many MIT, Harvard, and Tufts athletic events — track, crew, soccer, baseball — are free or near-free to attend. Championship parades down Boylston and Tremont, when a Boston team wins it all, are the biggest free events the city stages.

Watch the listings for the next one.

Game-day bars

Boston's sports-bar scene concentrates around the venues. On Lansdowne Street outside Fenway, Bleacher Bar (literally built into the wall under the bleachers), Cask 'n Flagon, and the Lansdowne Pub feed the pre- and post-game crowds late.

Around TD Garden and North Station, the Harp, the Fours, and the Greatest Bar pack in Bruins and Celtics fans before puck drop and tip-off. Near Gillette in Foxborough, the Patriot Place complex runs game-day bars and restaurants steps from the gates.

Allston and Brighton along the Green Line B branch are full of cheaper college-crowd sports bars. Most run kitchens late on game nights.

North End / Government Center

The North End is Boston's historic Italian neighborhood, packed into the blocks just north of Government Center, and the corridor between the two is where TD Garden lives. The Garden — built over the bones of the old Boston Garden — handles Celtics and Bruins games from October through April plus the February Beanpot and a deep playoff calendar in spring.

North Station sits directly underneath, with Orange and Green Line T service and Commuter Rail north to the suburbs. The North End fills up before and after games with red-sauce restaurants and the cannoli lines at Mike's and Modern (the long-running rivalry).

The Greenway parks connect the area south to Faneuil Hall.

Fenway / Kenmore

Fenway and Kenmore Square sit just west of the Back Bay along the Green Line, and the corridor lives and breathes Red Sox baseball. Fenway Park anchors the neighborhood from April through September, with Lansdowne Street outside the Green Monster turning into a continuous pre-game scene on home dates.

Bleacher Bar, built into the wall under the bleachers, Cask 'n Flagon, and the Lansdowne Pub feed the pre- and post-game crowds late. Boston University sits a short walk up Comm Ave toward Agganis Arena and Nickerson Field.

The Kenmore and Fenway Green Line stops drop you within a few blocks of the ballpark — arrive early on weekend game days.

Chestnut Hill / Brighton

Chestnut Hill, on the western edge of the city along the Green Line B and D branches, is Boston College country. The BC campus runs Conte Forum, home to the Eagles' hockey and basketball programs, and Alumni Stadium for football, drawing strong crowds through the fall and winter.

Nearby Brighton, along the B branch, is a classic college neighborhood with cheap eats and game-day sports bars. The smaller bars along Comm Ave and Harvard Ave pack in students on game nights.

The neighborhood empties out in summer when the students leave and refills hard in early September. The B and D branches run late on weekends but plan a backup ride home.

Cambridge / Allston

Cambridge and Allston sit on the north and south banks of the Charles River and host much of Boston's college athletics. Harvard's athletic complex in Allston includes Harvard Stadium — the oldest permanent concrete stadium in the country — and the Bright-Landry Hockey Center, home to the Crimson.

Across the river, MIT fields a broad Division III program. Both campuses run free or low-cost events across track, crew, soccer, and baseball through the year, and the Head of the Charles Regatta passes right between them each October.

Red Line service runs through Harvard, Central, and Kendall squares from downtown.

Foxborough / Gillette Stadium

Foxborough sits about 30 miles south of downtown and is home to Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots (NFL) play every fall and the New England Revolution (MLS) play through the soccer season. The Patriot Place complex surrounding the stadium runs game-day bars, restaurants, and the team's hall of fame, turning the whole site into a pre-game destination.

Commuter Rail runs special game-day trains from South Station in Boston, which is the easiest way in given the parking-lot traffic. Tailgating in the stadium lots is a full ritual on Patriots Sundays.

Arrive well ahead of kickoff — both the trains and the lots fill fast.

Seaport District

The Seaport District, on the harbor south of downtown, has been almost entirely rebuilt in the last fifteen years and now runs the city's newest hotel, restaurant, and sports-bar inventory. It sits a short walk from South Station, the departure point for Commuter Rail trains to Gillette Stadium on Patriots and Revolution game days, making it a convenient base for fans heading to Foxborough.

Lawn on D — the bright-green public lawn with the iconic light-up swings — programs free outdoor events through the summer. The Silver Line bus runs through from South Station, and the area is walkable from the Financial District and the TD Garden corridor.

January

January is cold, which is exactly when Boston's winter sports are in full swing. The Celtics and Bruins regular seasons stack home games five or six nights a week at TD Garden through the month.

College hockey and basketball are mid-season at Conte Forum, Agganis Arena, and Matthews Arena, building toward the February Beanpot. The Patriots are deep in their playoff push, with home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough if they earn them.

It is the heart of indoor sports season in the city.

February

The Beanpot is the marquee event of the month — Boston University, Boston College, Harvard, and Northeastern meet at TD Garden on the first two Mondays of February for the city's college hockey crown, a tradition running since 1952. Celtics and Bruins home schedules continue heavily through the deep winter.

College basketball is in its conference stretch at Conte Forum and beyond. Presidents Day weekend draws extra crowds across the metro.

It is one of the busiest stretches of the year for indoor sports tickets.

March

March is championship season for college hockey — Hockey East tournaments and the NCAA bracket put Boston's powerhouse programs on the national stage, often with BU, BC, or Northeastern in the mix. The college basketball calendar shifts toward March Madness with Boston-area teams occasionally in the field.

Celtics and Bruins regular seasons enter the home stretch as both chase playoff seeding. St.

Patrick's Day on March 17 packs South Boston bars on the Sunday closest to the date. Red Sox spring training wraps in Fort Myers, with Opening Day at Fenway typically in the first week of April.

April

April is the biggest sports month of the year in Boston. The Red Sox open the home season at Fenway Park in the first week.

The Boston Marathon runs on Patriots' Day (third Monday of April) from Hopkinton to Copley Square — the oldest annual marathon in the world, with the entire route lined and the Back Bay finish area one of the biggest civic events of the year. The NHL and NBA playoffs typically begin mid-month, with Celtics and Bruins playoff runs filling TD Garden into May and June.

Fenway, the Garden, and the marathon route all hum at once.

May

May is playoff hockey and basketball season. If the Bruins and Celtics advance, TD Garden hosts conference-round and Stanley Cup or NBA Finals games into late spring, and Causeway Street becomes a nightly viewing party.

The Red Sox home schedule is in full run at Fenway, with warmer weather and longer pre-game scenes on Lansdowne Street. The New England Revolution are mid-season at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.

College graduation week clogs the city, and hotel rates spike across the metro. It is the deepest the playoff calendar runs all year.

June

June is when championships get decided. The NBA Finals run through mid-June; if the Celtics are in, TD Garden and the Causeway Street area become one giant viewing party, and a title sets up a duck-boat parade down Boylston and Tremont.

The Stanley Cup Final can run into the month as well if the Bruins advance. The Red Sox home stand is in full run at Fenway, carrying the calendar once the indoor seasons end.

The Revolution continue at Gillette. It is the handoff from playoff season to the long baseball summer.

July

July is all baseball. The Red Sox home schedule runs deep at Fenway, with night games at 7:10 and weekend day games under the summer sun — the easiest stretch of the year for walk-up tickets against most of the league.

The MLB All-Star break lands mid-month, a brief pause before the second-half push toward a wild-card spot. The New England Revolution continue their MLS season at Gillette in Foxborough.

With the NHL and NBA in their offseason, Fenway carries the city's sports calendar almost single-handedly through the heat.

August

August keeps the Red Sox at the center of the calendar, with the home schedule running through the dog days at Fenway as the pennant race heats up. The New England Revolution push toward the MLS playoff cutoff at Gillette in Foxborough.

Patriots training camp and preseason football get going down in Foxborough, the first taste of the NFL season for fans. College programs return to campus late in the month ahead of fall sports.

The Italian feasts in the North End fill weekends with food and processions on Hanover Street. Hotel rates are at their lowest since June.

September

September is the great handoff of the Boston sports year. The college students return en masse over Labor Day weekend, and the campuses around BU, BC, and Northeastern fill up overnight.

The Patriots open their home season at Gillette Stadium in early September, with Commuter Rail game-day trains running from South Station. College football kicks off at Boston College's Alumni Stadium and Harvard Stadium.

The Red Sox play out their home schedule at Fenway, with the stakes depending on the wild-card race. Football and the last of baseball share the calendar all month.

October

October stacks the calendar deep. The Head of the Charles Regatta in mid-October is the largest two-day rowing regatta in the world — crews from across the globe fill the Charles from the Eliot Bridge down to the BU Bridge, with viewing free from both banks.

The Celtics and Bruins regular seasons tip and drop the puck at TD Garden. The Patriots home schedule continues at Gillette.

College hockey opens at Conte Forum, Agganis Arena, and Matthews Arena, and if the Red Sox make a deep run, Fenway hosts October playoff baseball — the loudest nights the old ballpark sees all year.

November

November settles into the winter rhythm. Bruins and Celtics home schedules run heavily at TD Garden, several nights a week as the building flips between ice and parquet.

College hockey and basketball are in full swing at the Boston-area schools. The Patriots home stretch continues at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough as the playoff picture takes shape.

The Harvard-Yale football rivalry — simply called The Game — lands the weekend before Thanksgiving, alternating between Harvard Stadium and New Haven. Thanksgiving high school football is a long Boston-area tradition across the suburbs.

December

December is prime indoor sports season. The Celtics and Bruins stack home games at TD Garden right through the holidays, often with marquee national-TV dates around Christmas.

College hockey and basketball fill in around them at Conte Forum, Agganis Arena, and Matthews Arena, building toward the January Beanpot run-up. The Patriots play their crucial late-season games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough with playoff seeding on the line.

Skating at the Frog Pond on Boston Common runs nightly for those who want to lace up rather than watch. It is the heart of the winter calendar.