Block by Block (Party)

Join us tomorrow for the annual block party on my street!

With my next door neighbor Joe…the bouncy house is always a big hit

Here on Augustus Ave, we’re getting ready for our annual block party, which kicks off tomorrow at 5PM. 

I don’t just love block parties—I truly believe they can help save our democracy. 

Last summer, when we finally held our delayed inauguration (my official start as mayor was in November 2021, just two weeks after Election Day and right before the Omicron surge took off), instead of a long, formal speaking program, we had—you guessed it!—a gigantic block party. 

Inauguration Block Party with DJ SuperSmashBroz addressing the crowd

We welcomed kids and families to City Hall Plaza for a block party open to all, followed by dancing into the night to commemorate new beginnings. For me, the excitement of finally celebrating inauguration was mixed with the joy of moving into a new phase of our administration: We’d chosen a new school superintendent, sworn in a new Fire Commissioner, identified a new Police Commissioner, and passed our first budget—all in the last week of June 2022. 

A year later, the pandemic no longer defines every aspect of City operations, but our recovery continues, as we join cities around the world in grappling with the challenges of a changing economy, climate, and society. To make changes at the scale we need, and to move with the urgency this moment demands, we need to invest not just in physical infrastructure, but in social and civic infrastructure for healthy, safe, and connected communities.

Open Streets on Harvard Ave in Allston

Every public space should help build community, our roads included. From more Open Streets events, to a new block party fund that’s helped more than 50 groups of neighbors across the city come together this summer, to simplifying event permitting and creating block party kits for extra fun at your event—we know that when neighbors come together, our community and democracy grow.

See you tomorrow in Roslindale!