2022 Programs
Mass Audubon’s Urban Nature Center at the Powder Magazine is open Saturdays & Sundays, 12-5pm, through Nov. 20th.
To learn more about Mass Audubon’s FREE programs, click here. Check out Michelle Lougee’s Plastic Tapestry there!!!!!! Cambridge Day published this.
The pool and spray deck are now closed.
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Climate Cafe: Energy Efficiency at Home and in the Workplace, Saturday, November 19, 2-4pm. Join Mamadou Balde, Community Programs and Partnerships Manager of ‘All in Energy’, in a discussion about climate action through increasing energy efficiency and access to renewable energy, both at home and at work. Learn how you can conserve energy, help combat climate change, and make your home and community healthier through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean heating and cooling.
The Cambridge Energy Alliance (CEA) is a service provided by the City of Cambridge to help residents, businesses, and institutions become more energy efficient and access renewable energy services.
Refreshments and snacks will be provided!
Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84983-climate-cafe-energy-efficiency-at-home-and-in-the-workplace
Past Programs:
Fall Bird Watching, Saturday, November 5, 8-9:30am. Magazine Beach Park’s unique greenspace offers an urban oasis along the Charles River for migrating and common birds to stop by and enjoy. Bring your binoculars (or borrow one of ours during operating hours) to observe waterfowl and waders on the river, nesting songbirds in the trees and brush, soaring raptors on the wing, and more.
Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84841-fall-bird-watching
Climate Cafe: Bringing Action into the Open (Space), Sunday, November 6, 2-4pm. Join Lev McCarthy, Neighborhood Planner for the Cambridge Community Development Department, in a discussion about how parks and other open spaces play an important role in climate action. From stormwater management to tree planting, bring your questions and ideas and leave feeling empowered to protect the nature of Cambridge.
Refreshments and snacks will be provided!
Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84982-climate-cafe-bringing-action-into-the-open-space
Nature in the City Festival, Saturday, November 12, 1-4pm. Join us for the final festival of the season at Mass Audubon’s newest Nature Center at Magazine Beach Park. Celebrate the community, connect with the nature of the park, and enjoy live music!
Nature-based games and activities, art-making, and community workshops are suitable for all ages. Music starts at 4pm. Event takes place rain or shine!
https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/83787-nature-in-the-city-festival
Nature in the City Festival, Saturday, October 22, 3-6pm. Join us for an afternoon of festivities at Mass Audubon’s Nature Center at Magazine Beach Park. After a day filled with exciting crew races during the Head of the Charles, come relax in the park and learn about the wildlife that call the river home. Observe aquatic insects up close to see how they move similar to a crew shell, meet two live turtles, and more!Event takes place rain or shine!
https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/83785-nature-in-the-city-festival
Intro to Smartphone Nature Photography, Saturday, October 29, 4-5pm. Learn how to become an expert with your smartphone camera and capture and edit the best of nature on the go with Dx Lanson, Metro South’s own professional photographer and Marketing Associate. Spend an hour learning about capturing different types of light, using different focal lengths, and how to bring your photos to life with in-phone editing.
Any smartphone with a working camera will do, no experience or additional equipment required.
Registration Required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84837-intro-to-smartphone-nature-photography
Under the Sun Dance & Drum: Fundamentals of West African Dance, Embodying the Rhythms, Tapping in and Realigning, Saturdays, September 10-24, 11-12noon. Meet in the field, near the grove of trees, in front of the Powder Magazine. Free. Courtesy of Magazine Beach Partners.
Fall Bird Watching, Saturday, October 1, 8-10am. Magazine Beach Park’s unique greenspace offers an urban oasis along the Charles River for migrating and common birds to stop by and enjoy. Bring your binoculars (or borrow one of ours during operating hours) to observe waterfowl and waders on the river, nesting songbirds in the trees and brush, soaring raptors on the wing, and more.
Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84840-fall-bird-watching
Climate Cafe: Advocacy & Empowerment Workshop for Young Adults, Saturday, October 1, 2-4pm. Passionate about climate action and wondering how you can get involved? Join this workshop to connect with like-minded college students & other young professionals. Discuss how to jump into action, find your climate action super power, and discover local volunteer opportunities to protect nature.
Free pizza and refreshments!
Neighborhood Naturalist: Seed Dispersal, Sunday, October 2, 1-2pm. Come share the passions of Mass Audubon’s Naturalists. These hour-long sessions occur during our hours of operation on weekends. Enjoy guided walks, arts and crafts, wildlife observation, and more!
Intro to Smartphone Nature Photography, Saturday, October 8, 5-6pm. Learn how to become an expert with your smartphone camera and capture and edit the best of nature on the go with Dx Lanson, Metro South’s own professional photographer and Marketing Associate. Spend an hour learning about capturing different types of light, using different focal lengths, and how to bring your photos to life with in-phone editing.
Any smartphone with a working camera will do, no experience or additional equipment required.
Registration Required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84836-intro-to-smartphone-nature-photography
Intro to Smartphone Nature Photography, Saturday, October 15, 5-6pm. Learn how to become an expert with your smartphone camera and capture and edit the best of nature on the go with Dx Lanson, Metro South’s own professional photographer and Marketing Associate. Spend an hour learning about capturing different types of light, using different focal lengths, and how to bring your photos to life with in-phone editing.
Any smartphone with a working camera will do, no experience or additional equipment required.
Registration Required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84835-intro-to-smartphone-nature-photography
Neighborhood Naturalist: The Fungus Among Us, Sunday, October 16, 1-2pm. Come share the passions of Mass Audubon’s Naturalists. These hour-long sessions occur during our hours of operation on weekends. Enjoy guided walks, arts and crafts, wildlife observation, and more!
Singing Bowl Sound Bath, Sunday, October 16, 2-3pm. Enjoy a full-body listening experience as you are bathed in the resonance of seven Himalayan singing bowls.
The soothing, overlapping vibrations can bring you into a state of relaxation and calm that will add to the beauty of the wind and wildlife around the park.
The Sound Bath will be offered by Ilona O’Connor. She studied with Suren Shrestha at the Atma Buti (Soul Medicine) School of Sound and Vibrational Healing in Boulder, Colorado. She has been teaching meditation since 2009. She is a practice leader for the Awakening Heart Practice Community.
Registration Required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84879-singing-bowl-sound-bath
Climate Cafe: Fighting Plastic Pollution Through Art and Activism, Sunday, October 16, 3-5pm. The climate crisis and plastic crisis are intertwined. Plastic is made of oil or natural gas, and carbon emissions from plastic plants are set to exceed those from coal by 2030. Art is one way to raise awareness, bring people together to find solutions, and foster a sense of hope and inspiration. Join an interactive conversation and brainstorming session about the connection between art and activism, and how to tackle single use plastic. Chat with local artists, Michelle Lougee and Cecily Miller, creators of the Magazine Beach Tapestry Project, and other climate conscious individuals.
Refreshments will be available.
Registration Required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84916-climate-cafe-fighting-plastic-pollution-through-art-and-activism
Neighborhood Naturalist: Unraveling the fascinating story of our water’s edge, Saturday, September 17, 1-2pm. For families: Children 4 & up. Explore the park and track the passage of time and tide across the present-day landscape. How might this shape understanding of climate change impact? With Cport’s own naturalist Rob Rieman! Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84904-neighborhood-naturalist-unraveling-the-fascinating-story-of-our-water-s-edge
Singing Bowl Sound Bath, Saturday, September 17, 2-3pm. Join Ilona OConnor for a full-body listening experience as you are bathed in the resonance of seven Himalayan singing bowls. Open to all ages. Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84878-singing-bowl-sound-bath
Fall Migration Bird Watching, Sunday, September 18, 8-10am. Magazine Beach Park’s unique greenspace offers an urban oasis along the Charles River for migrating and common birds to stop by and enjoy. Bring your binoculars (or borrow one of ours during operating hours) to observe waterfowl and waders on the river, nesting songbirds in the trees and brush, soaring raptors on the wing, and more. Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/83993-fall-migration-bird-watching
Neighborhood Naturalist: Zoom into Nature, Sunday, September 18, 1-2pm. For families: Children 4 & up. Take a stroll around the park with a magnifying glass and microscope in tow to see nature’s mysteries up close! Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84951-neighborhood-naturalist-zoom-into-nature
Charles River Guided Kayak Tour, Friday, September 16, 5-6:30 pm. Connect with the nature of your city from the cockpit of a kayak during this guided ecotour! Kayaks, paddles, and safety gear are all provided. Program will begin with a beginner paddler instruction. Paddlers of all abilities are welcome to join. Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84859-charles-river-guided-kayak-tour
Singing Bowl Sound Bath, Sunday, August 28, 6-7pm. Join Ilona OConnor for a full-body listening experience as you are bathed in the resonance of seven Himalayan singing bowls. Open to all ages. Registration required:https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84444-singing-bowl-sound-bath
STEM Lecture by Women! (The third of a series…)
Thursday, August 27, 3-5pm, Coastal Resiliency with Dr. Heidi Neph, Dr. Danielle Perry, Annalee Tweitmann, and Dr. Julia Hopkins
Danielle and Annalee will describe the salt marsh climate adaptation and shellfish restoration strategies Mass Audubon is implementing to protect our coastline from climate change effects. They will discuss Mass Audubon’s past and current coastal restoration projects as well as future efforts being planning to enhance coastal resilience and protect communities against sea level rise.
Summer Bird Watching, Saturday 8.13, 8-10am. Observe waterfowl and waders on the river, nesting songbirds in the trees and brush, soaring raptors on the wing, and more as we travel around the park. Open to children ages 14 & up. Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/83992-summer-bird-watching
Be Free By the Bridge Festival, Sunday, August 14, 2-8pm
This is a free, outdoor, family-friendly event centered by soulful house music and dance classics hosted by Maurice “Dj Mojavi” and Linda “Wellness Warrior.”
Expect a mix of contemporary and classic underground dance music, and come prepared for a beautiful outdoor gathering with old and new friends. See: https://happeningnext.com/event/be-free-by-the-bridge-eid4snvodqoxx1 (Note: This is not a Mass Audubon or MBP event. I found it on the web!)
Stories & Song for Preschoolers, Monday, July 11, 18 & 25 and August 1, 8, 15 & 22 @ 10am. Meet at the picnic table under the trees, not far from the pedestrian footbridge. Led by beloved children’s librarians from the Cambridge Public Library. Cancelled in case of rain. Courtesy of Magazine Beach Partners!
Meet the Beekeeper, Sunday August 7 @ 5:30-7pm. Learn why honeybees and other pollinators are important to us all. See live bees in an observation hive and learn some of the basics about keeping honeybees with beekeeper Mel Gadd. Open to all ages. Registration required: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/magazine-beach/84441-meet-the-beekeeper
Nature in the City Festival, August 10, 5-8pm. Celebrate the community, connect with the nature of the park, grab a meal from a food truck and enjoy local Hip-Hop music from Bridgeside and The Hip-Hop Transformation!
Nature-based games and activities, art-making, and community workshops are suitable for all ages. Music starts at 7pm. Event takes place rain or shine!
Boston Music Project Campsite Concert, Thursday August 11, 6-8:15pm, the Boston Music Project (BMP) and REI will host a free music performance as part of the DCR’s Summer Nights programming. During the event, you can enjoy live music, outdoor games/activities, and story-telling with s’mores*.
Bring a blanket and friends to enjoy a variety of local artists that reflect the diversity and eclectic sounds of BMP and Greater Boston.
*Registration will reserve your spot and 1 (one) s’mores kit for each guest. Quantities are limited and registration is required.
Register for your free tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/campsite-concert-series-tickets-367553040037
- August 11 – Acoustic Sunset featuring Lindsay Foote at Magazine Beach, Cambridge
Here’s what to expect
- 6:00 PM | Lawn opens for seating and lawn games
- 6:25 PM | Story-telling and S’mores
- 6:45 – 8:15 PM | Live Music
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SIGN UP FOR THE PROGRAMS BELOW NOW!
Note: There’s a wait list for all August paddling programs. Stop by, though. There may be a place for you. There are two shifts.
DCR’s Learn to Swim, 9:30-10am, (ages 6-12) and 10:10-10:40am (ages 4-5)
Register here: https://www.mass.gov/locations/veterans-memorial-swimming-pool
Session 1: July 5-July 15
Session 2: July 18-29
Session 3: August 1-12
Want to support Mass Audubon’s FREE programs at the park? Donate here. Note for Magazine Beach!
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Magazine Beach Plastic Tapestry Project
For information about this important public art project, click here.
Drop by to help make the Magazine Beach Tapestry, a wall hanging composed of plastic trash — bottle caps, packaging, discarded toys. Neighborhood residents artist Michelle Lougee and curator Cecily Miller are creating this with community participation to install in Mass Audubon’s Nature Center. Students from Cambridge Rindge & Latin are contributing information about the dangers of plastic pollution. Five workshops in June at the Powder Magazine Building or outside, depending on weather:
May 3, 7-9 pm: Artist Talk & Mini Workshop
hosted by Gallery 263 (263 Pearl Street)
Learn more and work hands-on! Guest speaker: Eileen Ryan on the plastic crisis and what you can do. REGISTER
May 10, 7-8:30 pm: Free Film Screening
Watch Robin Frohardt’s magical film using humor, evocative puppets, and inventive staging to follow a plastic water bottle into a dystopian future (after “the Robot Wars”) where it is carefully excavated and misinterpreted to be a precious artifact from a vanished civilization – ours! Followed by an artist talk with Robin and Michelle on art & activism. View in person at Arlington’s Regent Theater or live-stream at home. MORE INFO and TICKETS.
Thursday May 19, 7-9 pm: Workshop
hosted by Gallery 263 (263 Pearl Street, Cambridge)
Learn more and work hands-on! REGISTER
Sunday May 22, 1-4 pm: Workshop
NEW: At the Powder Magazine at the park (NOT at Gallery 263)
Learn more and work hands-on! Stay the whole time or just stop by for an hour. REGISTER
Sunday June 5 and 12, 1 to 4
Tuesday, June 7, 14 and 21, 4 to 6
Full Moon Party: Tuesday, June 14, 5 to 8 — music, activities, bring a picnic!
- Tuesday, June 14 — it’s a full moon! We’ll be there from 5 to 8 pm, and Mass Audubon is throwing a party from 6-8 pm, with art/nature/science activities and LIVE MUSIC at 7 pm. Plus maybe some fresh produce from Drumlin Farms…
- Sunday, June 19, 1 to 4 pm
- Tuesday, June 21, 4 to 6 pm
BONUS: Thursday, June 23, 7:30 pm a free experimental concert with layered, looped, improvised saxophone by Ken Field and projected manipulated digital maps by visiting artist Eric Thiese in the Magazine! We’ll set up a Tapestry Workshop from 4 to 7 pm and then watch the show!
July 13: Celebration And save the date of Wednesday, July 13 6 to 8 pm for an unveiling celebration for the finished tapestry installed in the Mass Audubon Nature Center in the Powder Magazine, plus live jazz by the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble! It’s another Mass. Audubon Full Moon celebration, with art/nature/science activities and more!
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More Past Programs:
Wednesday, July 13, 5-8pm: Mass Audubon Full Moon Celebration
Unveiling of the Plastic Tapestry, plus live jazz by the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble! (Music at 7pm.) Plus art/nature/science activities and more!
Thursday Evening Yoga with Carol Faulkner June 30-July 28, except for July 7, 5:30-6:30pm. Meet in the field under the trees, not far from the pedestrian footbridge. Bring your mat. Cancelled in case of rain. Courtesy of Magazine Beach Partners!
Cromwell Cup Regatta at Riverside Boat Club, Sunday, July 24, 7am-3:45pm. With over 600 participants, ages 16 to 70+. Watch from the park!
Cambridge Carnival Jamboree Friday, July 29, 5-8pm. At the Powder Magazine. Come dance to the rhythms of a variety of African music including Soca, Samba, Compa, Salsa, Merengue, and Reggae in the natural setting of Magazine Beach Park. This Jamboree is a precursor to the Cambridge Carnival happening at University Park on September 11th. Click here to learn more.
Thursday Evening Yoga with Carol Faulkner June 30-July 28, except for July 7, 5:30-6:30pm. Meet in the field under the trees, not far from the pedestrian footbridge. Bring your mat. Cancelled in case of rain. Courtesy of Magazine Beach Partners!
Cromwell Cup Regatta at Riverside Boat Club, Sunday, July 24, 7am-3:45pm. With over 600 participants, ages 16 to 70+. Watch from the park!
Sunday, July 10, 3-5pm, Clean Energy and Climate Solutions with Dr. Krista Reichert
Explore your climate action potential with help from students and professors representing Bunker Hill Community College. At the Powder Magazine.
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Poetry Beside the River – A Reading by Three Local Poets, Focusing on Their Surroundings, Sunday, July 10, 6-7pm. At the Powder Magazine. FREE!
Denise Bergman is the author of five books of poetry, most recently The Shape of the Keyhole (2021). She conceived and edited City River of Voices, an anthology of urban poetry. The first lines of her poem “Red,” about a slaughterhouse in East Cambridge, is permanently installed in Dana Park, on Magazine Street in Cambridgeport.
Peter Payack, the first Poet Populist of Cambridge (2007-2009), founded the PHONE-a-POEM hotline in 1976 (now archived at Harvard’s Lamont Library) and edited a collection of fortune-cookie poems in 2021. In the intervening half-century, he invented the Stonehenge Watch, won the Rhysling Award for the best poem in science fiction, ran 24 marathons, coached the CRLS varsity wrestling team, and wrote the poems in The Migration of Darkness: New and Selected Science Fiction Poems, 1975-2020.
Scott Ruescher has set his descriptive poems on the BU Bridge, the 47 bus, the tracks that run through MIT, and the banks of the Charles, as well as in Central Ohio, the South, Central America, and Birmingham, UK. Poems from his 2017 book Waiting for the Light to Change won prizes from Able Muse, Poetry Quarterly, and the New England Poetry Club.
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Thursday, June 30, 3-6pm. Summer Celebration & Journaling Creation. Register at Mass Audubon website.
Sunday, June 26, 10am-1pm. Paddle for Pride. Register at Mass Audubon website.
Thursday, June 23, 7:30-8:30pm. A Synesthete’s Atlas. Register at Mass Audubon website.
Saturday, June 25, 11am-3pm. River Open House.
Four boat clubs open: Riverside Boat Club (at Magazine Beach), Cambridge Boat Club, Community Rowing, & the Union Boat Club
Stop by, experience the deck, and feel what it’s like to row. Tour the workout rooms and the porches. Courtesy of the boat clubs!
Sunday, June 19, 8-10am. Father’s Day and Juneteenth Bird Watching. Register at Mass Audubon website.
Full Moon Party: Tuesday, June 14, 5 to 8 — Come for the music and healthy food and stay for the art, live animal observation (a bat), and learn how to protect the nature of your city!
Sunday, June 19, 8-10am Father’s Day & Juneteen
Saturday, 6/11, 3-5pm, All About Pollinators with Jean Devine
Discover the special relationship between plants and their pollinators -native bees, butterflies and birds – and the role of other beneficial insects. Learn how Cambridge community members are taking action to protect this vital ecosystem service.
Foraging Walk with David Craft
(for adults and children ages 8 and up)
June 4, 2022 (Saturday) 4:00-5:30pm (Register at the Mass Audubon website above!)
Plants have been used as medicine by humans for over 60,000 years and as food for animals for hundreds of million years. Many of the plants that we name ‘weeds’ have amazing properties and deserve a lot more credit than we give them. Join David Craft PhD, author of Urban Foraging, for a Plant Foraging walk at Magazine Beach Park to learn more about the many different uses of plants growing in Cambridge.
Saturday, 6/11, 3-5pm, All About Pollinators with Jean Devine (See below.)
Sunday, May 1st 2-4pm: Charles River Art-Out for Kids and City Nature Challenge for Al
Join Mass Audubon and Green Cambridge to participate in the Boston Area City Nature Challenge, a fun worldwide collaborative bio-blitz with cities across the world to document and identify the most species!
Sunday May 1st 4-5pm: Women in STEM Speaker Series- Waterfowl Adaptations with Dr. Lorna Gibson
From birds to bees and climate to coasts, visit the Powder Magazine building at Magazine Beach Park each month to celebrate the excellent work and research of women in STEM from the Cambridge/Boston area. Presenters will share their research through an interactive display. Some events will include a walk around the park.
Bird watching program for all. Binoculars are available to participants. This weekend will be one of the best to see rare birds migrating through Cambridge. Bring your mother! Register for this
May 15th 4-6pm Orienteering with Navigation Games and Cambridge Sports Union
Join Navigation Games, Mass Audubon, and Cambridge Sports Union for orienteering and orienteering games at Magazine Beach. There will be activities for all ages. Explore the natural history of the park while navigating with the map to visit checkpoints.
COMMUNITY EARTH DAY CLEANUP AT MAGAZINE BEACH, Saturday, April 23, 10am-12noon.
To sign up, email the CRC’s Sasha Vallieres: svallieres@thecharles.org.
MASS AUDUBON SPRING SEASON KICK OFF, Saturday, April 23, 1-4pm
For further info, click here.
Also, Paul Kelley of MassAudubon and Mary Badger and Mary Howard of Many Helping Hands 365 are organizing a bird walk of the park from 8-9:30am that morning, starting at the Powder Magazine. No sign up needed and Paul will provide binoculars. All ages welcome! Please take public transportation to the site, or park in the parking crescent at the foot of Magazine Street or beside the BU Bridge. Cancelled in case of heavy rain.
Magazine Beach 
I am planning on attending the Zumba classes on Magazine beach however, I’m concerned about receiving information for weather cancellations. For example, today is supposed to have rain and thunder storms. I’m ok with dancing in the rain, however I’m not making assumptions for everyone. Please let me know and thank you for your time in advance.
Sosa,
Sorry for the late reply. We were noting rain cancellations at magazinebeach.org, under events. Can you think of a better way to communicate this? Lots of rain on Tuesday nights this past summer!
The Zumba and Yoga classes now being held at the park are not organized by us and I don’t think that they’re officially permitted by DCR. I’d like to know more about them!
We’re hoping to offer some FREE yoga classes this fall with Cport’s own Carol Faulkner. Stay tuned! I’ll be posting at magazinebeach.org/events once DCR approves them.
Is charcoal grilling allowed?
If yes, is there a specific area of the park to do so?
Thank you
Grilling at the park is against DCR regulations, however, folks grill there all the time. Please dump coals next to trash bins and NOT at the foot of trees. We want those old trees to be there for the decades to come….
As a young person, I spent most of my time here as a person who in played little league baseball and enjoying my lifep I am m surprised to see wh ass t is going on there, in my in home town, viele glucklische, Joe Johnson