56th Boston Chinatown August Moon Festival

The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England is set to hold the 56th Boston Chinatown August Moon Festival on Sunday, August 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Boston’s Chinatown, according to the organizer and Meet Boston. The event is billed as a free, family-friendly neighborhood festival tied to Mid-Autumn and harvest traditions. Listings from the organizer and city tourism outlets describe a day of stage performances, street vendors, children’s activities and snacks. The main stage is listed at Phillips Square, at Harrison Avenue and Beach Street. ### When is the festival, and is it really a three-day event? Sunday, August 9, is the date repeatedly listed by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England and Meet Boston for the 56th August Moon Festival. Both say the festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Boston Chinatown. (meetboston.com) August 7-9 appears in Meet Boston’s broader “this weekend” guide, which groups together events taking place across the city over that Friday-to-Sunday span. The August Moon Festival entry inside that guide still specifies Sunday, August 9, rather than a three-day run for the festival itself. ### What will visitors actually see in Chinatown? (meetboston.com) Lion dance is one of the performances named in multiple event listings for August 9. Meet Boston says the festival will include traditional Chinese music, martial arts, folk dancing, Chinese arts and crafts, food and gift vendors, free snacks and children’s games. (meetboston.com) Chinese opera and Asian folk dance are also listed in event descriptions carried by ExploreBoston and on the organizer’s festival page. Those listings say vendor tables will line Chinatown streets with food, gifts and souvenirs during the celebration. ### Where in Chinatown will it take place? (meetboston.com) Boston Chinatown is the location given by the organizer, while Phillips Square is identified by ExploreBoston as the main stage site. The square sits at Harrison Avenue and Beach Street, a central intersection for many of Chinatown’s large public events. (exploreboston.com) A prior organizer page for the neighborhood festival described activity spreading across Harrison Avenue and nearby Beach, Tyler, Hudson and Oxford streets. The current 2026 listing is less specific, but multiple event pages describe the festival as a street celebration across the Chinatown neighborhood rather than a single indoor venue. (meetboston.com) ### Who is organizing the event? The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England, often shortened to CCBA, is named as the presenter on Meet Boston and other event pages. The association’s website says it organizes the August Moon Festival each year as a full-day celebration of the holiday, also known as the Harvest Festival. (ccbaboston.org) WBUR’s weekly events roundup also names the association as the group behind the 56th festival. A separate listing from the Boston Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club shows lion dance activity scheduled in Chinatown on the same date, adding to signs that longstanding community groups will be involved in the day’s programming. (meetboston.com) ### What tradition is the festival tied to? The August Moon Festival is described by the organizer as the Harvest Festival, a celebration of thanks for the harvest and good crops. Community and tourism listings say the event centers on Mid-Autumn traditions, family gatherings and the full moon. Boston.com’s event listing says visitors can expect food vendors, live entertainment and mooncakes. (wbur.org) That framing matches the way local organizers and tourism outlets present the festival each year: as a public Chinatown street celebration built around cultural performance and food. (ccbaboston.org) ### Where can people check details before going? Meet Boston’s weekend guide for August 7-9, 2026 carries the festival listing and links to the event page with time and location details. The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England also maintains festival information on its website. Sunday, August 9, is the next key date for the event, with programming scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Boston Chinatown. (boston.com) Visitors looking for last-minute updates can check the organizer and Meet Boston listings before heading to Phillips Square and the surrounding streets. (meetboston.com) (meetboston.com)