Update from South Boston Citizens Association on Evacuation Day on March 17, 2026

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Thomas E. McGrath, president of the South Boston Citizens’ Association, shares the following update on plans for the 250th anniversary of Evacuation Day on March 17, 2026 at Dorchester Heights in South Boston.

"The day will begin with the Evacuation Day Mass at St. Augustine Chapel at 9:00 a.m..Following the Mass, wreaths will be laid in honor of the first Chief Marshal of the Evacuation Day/St. Patrick’s Day Parade, as well as Officer Barney McGinniskin, who was the first Irish-born officer on record to serve in the United States in 1851, the year he joined the Boston Police Department.

"Immediately after the wreath-laying ceremonies, we will join the procession mustering at the Boys & Girls Club. The procession will proceed along Mercer Street, up Telegraph Street, and into Dorchester Heights for the 250th Anniversary Evacuation Day ceremony and the rededication of the Dorchester Heights Monument.

"The plan includes a tented event at Dorchester Heights, along with an overflow tent. Admission to the main tent will require tickets, (Free) as arrangements are still being finalized with the National Park Service. More information on tickets and access will be shared as soon as it becomes available."

On January 6, 2026, the South Boston Citizens’ Association named State Senator Nick Collins of South Boston as General Chairman of this year’s 250th Evacuation Day Commemorations.

“The executive board and I look forward to working with Senator Collins, to ensure once again the success of this unique community celebration, the commemoration of the British evacuation of Boston in 1776," said President McGrath, who added, “from his service as a state representative to his continued work as a state senator, Nick has been a consistent advocate for the neighborhood, its people, and its traditions.”

The South Boston Citizens Association is working with the Boston National Historical Park, which oversees the national landmark. In September 2023, the National Park Service began a two-year restoration project for the Dorchester Heights Monument, funded by the Great American Outdoors Act. This restoration included work on both the exterior and interior of the monument, such as repairing marble blocks, repointing brick masonry, shoring up the hills on Thomas Park and refinishing the interior of the Monument.

The work was completed in late 2025, and is now ready as the 250th Anniversary of the Evacuation of Boston approaches on March 17, 2026.

The Dorchester Heights Memorial is part of a new Revolutionary Irish Trail 250 being created by the Boston Irish Tourism Association as part of the America 250 celebrations. 

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