September is one of the best months to visit Boston: average highs are around 73°F, the Red Sox play their last regular-season home games at Fenway Park, harbor-island ferries and the SoWa Open Market are still running, and the free Boston Arts Festival fills Christopher Columbus Park in mid-month. The one thing to know is that some summer staples end early, most notably the Swan Boats, which stop for the year on Labor Day.
Below are the September events and outdoor seasons that recur each year, with 2026 dates as the example, then the things worth doing any day of the month.
What's on in Boston in September
| Event or season | September timing | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Swan Boats | Last rides on Labor Day (Sept. 7 in 2026) | Public Garden |
| Free Public Garden tours | Run May through September | Make Way for Ducklings statue, Public Garden |
| Boston Harbor Islands ferries | Fall schedule from Sept. 10, 2026, Thursday to Sunday; season ends Oct. 12 | Long Wharf North, downtown waterfront |
| Boston Arts Festival | A mid-September weekend (Sept. 12 and 13, 2026), 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., free | Christopher Columbus Park, North End waterfront |
| SoWa Open Market | Every Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (season runs to Nov. 15, 2026) | South End |
| Red Sox home games | Final regular-season home stand in late September | Fenway Park |
What is the weather like in Boston in September?
It is warm at the start and crisp by the end. Normals for 1991 to 2020 at Logan Airport give an average high of 73°F and an average low of 58°F, with about 3.6 inches of rain spread over nine days. September is also Boston's most humid month on average, so early-month afternoons can feel like summer. A light jacket covers the evenings.
Fall foliage is mostly an October story in Boston. Trees in the parks start to turn late in September, but for peak color plan a trip in October. For color beyond the city, a New Hampshire foliage day trip from Boston is bookable on Viator.
BostonVacay earns a commission from Viator if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Things to do outdoors in September
The Public Garden and Boston Common. The Public Garden is free and open daily; if you arrive before Labor Day, a Swan Boat ride costs $4.75 for adults. The Friends of the Public Garden also lead free one-hour tours through September from the Make Way for Ducklings statue. Next door, Boston Common is the starting point of the Freedom Trail, whose 2.5-mile red line leads past the State House, the Old North Church and the Paul Revere House, downtown Boston.s oldest building.
The harbor. The Boston Harbor Islands are at their quietest after Labor Day. Ferries leave Long Wharf for Spectacle Island (about 30 minutes) and Georges Island (about 45 minutes, home to Fort Warren) on a reduced Thursday-to-Sunday schedule from September 10.
Markets and festivals. On Sundays the SoWa Open Market brings artisans, farmers and food trucks to the South End with no admission charge. On the Boston Arts Festival weekend, local painters, photographers, jewelers and bands take over Christopher Columbus Park on the waterfront.
Baseball. September is the last chance of the year to see the Red Sox at Fenway Park. If the schedule doesn't work, the ballpark's hour-long tours run every day, year-round.
Things to do indoors (or on a rainy day)
The Fenway neighborhood has two of the city's art museums within walking distance of each other. The Museum of Fine Arts covers art from ancient Egypt to the present, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum displays its collection in a building arranged around a glass-roofed courtyard garden that flowers all year, free on Thursday nights from 5 to 9 p.m. The Boston Public Library in Copley Square is free to enter and offers free guided art and architecture tours.
For more ideas across the fall, see the best time to visit Boston and our Boston events calendar guide. If you are in town for the holiday weekend, things to do in Boston on Labor Day weekend covers it.