BOSTON CELEBRATES THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOSTON TEA PARTY THROUGHOUT 2023
This December 16, 2023 marks the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the “single most important event leading up to the American Revolution”! Meet Boston, the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party Board of Advisors and Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations working together to commemorate the 250th anniversaries of the events that led to the American Revolution, are working together to celebrate the 250th commemorative anniversary year of the Boston Tea Party, a momentous event that forever changed the course of American history.
On Saturday, December 16, 2023, Boston will not only be the FIRST to mark the 250th anniversary of a landmark historic event in the United States’ journey to independence and the founding of a free nation, but also will be the epicenter, and on the world’s stage, in honoring the anniversary of the historic event that is the Boston Tea Party.
“Boston will be in the spotlight in honoring this historic event officially launching a commemorative year of celebrations today and will be leading the way as America begins to celebrate all major historic 250th anniversaries leading up to 2026, the semiquincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States of America. The Boston Tea Party helped spark the Revolutionary War and is one of the earliest milestones on the path to our nation’s founding,” says Rosie Rios, Chair of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission.
A multitude of organizations across Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are working together throughout 2023 to commemorative the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party through public engagement, dynamic programming, special exhibits, events, installations, and performances. The year will culminate in a grand-scale, live reenactment of the Boston Tea Party on Saturday, December 16, 2023, slated to be one of the largest theatrical moving performances in the United States.
An overview of current initiatives as part of the 250th Boston Tea Party Anniversary Commemorative Year culminating in a large-scale reenactment on Saturday, December 16, 2023 in Boston inlcude:
NEW Boston Tea Party Descendants Program
A NEW Boston Tea Party Descendants program launched in March 2023 in partnership with American Ancestors®/New England Historic Genealogical Society, the country’s leading resource for historical family research. The mission of the Boston Tea Party Descendant Program is to create a qualified lineage membership program dedicated to honoring and perpetuating the memories of those who actively participated in the Boston Tea Party and to foster interest in genealogical connections to participants in the Boston Tea Party, their families and those involved in this “single most important event leading up to the American Revolution”.
To apply to the Boston Tea Party Descendants Program, interested parties can go to www.bostonteapartyship.com/boston-tea- party-descendants. The process for acceptance and vetting of application and lineage materials will take approx. 6-8 weeks.
National and Regional Collection of Loose Tea to be Thrown into Boston Harbor
A tea donation drive is currently underway where citizens of the United States can participate by sending loose- leaf tea to Boston be thrown into Boston Harbor as part of the 250th Boston Tea Party Anniversary reenactment. Send dried loose-leaf tea (NO used tea bags) to: Boston Tea Party 250th Anniversary, Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, 306 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210. Include name, address, e-mail & phone number. An official certificate of participation will be sent to each person donating tea. Deadline to send tea: December 1, 2023.
In addition, a newly launched Historic Tours of America trolley, fully wrapped depicting the Eleanor, one of the three ships that were part of the Boston Tea Party, will be launching a tour of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2023 to collect loose-leaf tea from citizens across the state.
41st Boston Harborfest – June 29 – July 4, 2023
Boston Harborfest is the country’s largest Fourth of July festival. During the 41st Harborfest in 2023, the Boston Tea Party will be the featured theme as Boston celebrates its historic harbor and history. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum will be offering a series of hands-on activities & interactive performances throughout Harborfest, dedicated to accurately reliving and representing a key time in history.
East India Company Partnership – London, England – September 2023
A series of events in partnership with the East India Company, founded in 1600 and still in existence from where the tea came that was originally destroyed during the Boston Tea Party, celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party will be taking place in London in September 2023. The East India Company will also be shipping to Boston 250 pounds of loose tea to be thrown into Boston Harbor as part of the 250th Boston Tea Party Anniversary reenactment.
250th Boston Tea Party Anniversary LIVE Reenactment – Saturday, December 16, 2023
The 250th anniversary year will culminate in a grand-scale, live reenactment of the Boston Tea Party on Saturday, December 16, 2023, the actual anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Hundreds of reenactors will tell the story of the infamous Boston Tea Party and theatrically recreate the events of December 16, 1773 at historic Old South Meeting House and Faneuil Hall, the actual locations where Patriots met 250 years ago, with a series of performances and programming, followed by a massive public procession to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum where the Sons of Liberty will destroy loose tea, 250 pounds of tea sent to Boston from London’s East India Company in addition to tea sent in from citizens from around the country, into Boston’s historic harbor.
Leave a Reply