Boston, Dec. 3, 2015, — The Boston Tea Party comes alive this December! It’s Dec. 16, 1773 and trouble is brewing in Boston. Presented by Boston’s famed Old South Meeting House and the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, the 242nd Boston Tea Party Anniversary Reenactment is an opportunity to experience one of America’s most iconic public protests live.
Picture from Boston Tea Party Anniversary Reenactment in 2014(file photo).
Reenactors from across New England tell the story of the Boston Tea Party and theatrically recreate the events of December 16, 1773, which sparked the American Revolution. It all begins with a fiery tea tax debate at Old South Meeting House, the actual historic hall where the colonists gathered to protest ‘taxation without representation’ 242 years ago. Then, the public joins a lively procession to the waterfront and witnesses the Sons of Liberty destroy actual tea in Boston Harbor! NEW this year, the East India Company, still in existence today in London from where the original tea came that was thrown overboard during The Boston Tea Party, will be providing 100 lbs of tea to be thrown into Boston’s historic waters…again!
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
The Meeting of the Body of the People – TICKETED EVENT (Ticket includes access to a reserved viewing area along the waterfront for the destruction of the tea)
Old South Meeting House – 310 Washington Street at Milk Street, Boston, MA
Ticket holders join a spirited and theatrical colonial debate at Old South Meeting House to protest the tax on tea and demand liberty from the British crown, just as thousands of colonists did in this very building more than 240 years ago. Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere and other Patriot leaders join in a heated debate with crown-loving Loyalists in this final attempt to peaceably resolve the crisis before the midnight deadline. Visitors are encouraged to join in, letting their voices be heard in the very place where Boston’s most famous act of rebellion began.
7:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Huzzah for Griffin’s Wharf! – OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC
Procession from Old South Meeting House to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum – Milk Street to Congress Street to Pearl Street
Led by fife and drums, the public is invited to march with the reenactors from Old South Meeting House to Boston’s historic waterfront where Griffin’s Wharf once stood along the same route the Sons of Liberty took to Boston Harbor to destroy the tea in 1773!
8:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Boston Harbor, a Tea Pot Tonight! – OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC (Ticket holders have access to a reserved viewing area on the Harborwalk)
Destruction of the Tea at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum – 306 Congress St. on the Congress Street Bridge, Boston, MA
The public is invited to line the shores of Boston Harbor and watch as the Sons of Liberty storm the Brig Beaver and destroy chest after chest of East India tea, just as colonists did 242 years before. In this fully narrated program, the Sons of Liberty open the hold and hoist tea chests on deck. Tea chests are broken open and actual tea from the East India Company is spilled into Boston’s historic waters. Viewers are encouraged to cheer “Huzzah” as they witness the dramatic conclusion of this single most important event leading up to the American Revolution.
This Event Sells Out Annually. Great Deals Online!
- AS OF JULY 1, 2015 – Early bird tickets are $15/per person
- AS OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 – Discounted General Admission tickets are $20/per person
- ON NOVEMBER 1, 2015 – General Admission tickets are $25/per person
To purchase tickets go to: http://gottea2015.bpt.me or visit Old South Meeting House at 310 Washington Street, Boston, MA. General Admission tickets are available for sale at the Old South Meeting House as of September 1, 2015.
Tickets include admission to the Meeting of the Body of the People at Old South Meeting House and access to an exclusive reserved viewing area on Boston’s Harborwalk for the Destruction of the Tea. All ticket proceeds help support Old South Meeting House, a non-profit National Historic Landmark. This event takes place rain, sleet, snow or shine.
NOTE: Both Old South Meeting House and Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum will be free and open to the public on Wed., December 16, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
HOTEL InterContinental Boston, a 424-room luxury hotel located adjacent to the Boston Tea
INFO: Party Ships & Museum, is offering its Revolutionary History: Boston Tea Party Package starting from $299.00. This package is valid year-round and includes:
- Deluxe accommodations overlooking Boston’s historic waterfront and the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
- Two (2) adult (age 13+) combo tickets with access to both the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum and Old South Meeting House
- Two (2) tea infused beverages – choice of RumBa’s hard tea rum cocktails (Life & LiberTeaor The Tea Act) or hot tea
- Tea Amenity – Boston Tea Company Connoisseur’s Mini Wooden Tea Chest which includes 20 tea bags in five gourmet blends: English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Oriental Treasure Green Tea, Pomegranate Green Tea and Lemon Honey Chamomile Herbal
- Tickets for two (2) to the 242nd Boston Tea Party Anniversary & Annual Reenactment – valid Wed., Dec. 16, 2015 ONLY. Includes VIP waterfront viewing along the Fort Point Channel overlooking the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
NOTES: Additional tickets can be purchased separately. Package is based on double occupancy, blackout dates apply. To book, call InterContinental Boston directly at 617-217-5033 or 877-747-BOSTON. The hotel is located at 510 Atlantic Ave., adjacent to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
BOSTON RESTAURANTS & BARS OFFER DOSE OF PATRIOTISM WITH TEA-INSPIRED SPECIALS:
Offered the month of December 2015 –
- Barlow’s (241 A St) – Hard Teatini – Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka, Cointreau and lemonade – $11
- Bastille Kitchen (49 Melcher St) – Tea Smoked Mussels Marinière with Earl Grey salt and rouille toast – $14
- Blue State Coffee (155 Seaport Blvd & 957 Commonwealth Ave. – Boston, MA) Also available at cafes in Providence, RI & New Haven, CT) – Patriot Blend Coffee & Revolutionary Blend Tea
- Bon Me (313 Congress St) – BON ME TEA SPECIAL – choice of sandwich, rice bowl, noodle salad or salad, a deviled tea egg – eggs soaked in a black tea topped with homemade spicy mayo, cayenne pepper and scallions, and a Thai iced tea – $12
- Harpoon Brewery (306 Northern Ave) – annual/seasonal Boston Tea Party Ale – craft beer made with Souchong tea, a classic black tea from the Wuyi Mountains in the Fujian province of China. Tea is provided by the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum and is famous for its very distinctive smoky aroma. It is one of the five tea blends thrown into Boston’s historic waters during the Boston Tea Party.
- Pastoral (345 Congress St) – …Two, If By Tea – Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum, limoncello, chai masala syrup, Earl Grey tea topped with espresso and lemon verbena foam – $12
- RumBa (510 Atlantic Ave):
- Life & LiberTea – Rum steeped with Earl Grey tea, honey syrup and muddled lemons – $14
- Tea Act – Rum, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur,Mathilde Pêche, iced tea, muddled ginger and lemon juice – $14
- scholar’s (25 School St) – Smirnoff Boston Tea Party – Smirnoff® Vodka, house-infused honey peach tea, topped with a splash of lemon juice – tall and over rocks – $10
Offered Wednesday, December 16, 2015 (242nd Boston Tea Party Anniversary) –
- Barking Crab (88 Sleeper St) – The Crabby Tea Party – one cup of clam chowder, one entree of Harpoon IPA battered fish & chips and a pint of Harpoon IPA – $25
- Pi Alley Garage (275 Washington St) – special parking rate from 5p.m. – 11 p.m. – $9/hour
- Smith & Wollensky (294 Congress St):
- Boston Tea Party Reenactment Prix Fixe Dinner – 3-course prix-fixe menu featuring fall seasonal preparations of signature steaks, seafood, sides & desserts, paired with Samuel Adams Boston Lager™ – $45
- Boston Tea Party Martini – Absolut® Wild Tea Vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup – $13
2015 SPONSORS:
- The Colonnade Hotel, Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, Hotel Commonwealth, Liberty Mutual, Marriott International Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Massachusetts Lodging Association and Salada Tea.
ABOUT BOSTON TEA PARTY SHIPS & MUSEUM:
The Boston Tea Party, “the single most important event leading up to the American Revolution,” occurred the night of Dec. 16, 1773. With the grand opening in June 2012, the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, owned and operated by Historic Tours of America, is dedicated to accurately reliving and representing a key time in history (1773 to 1775). Through actors, tea throwing reenactments, high-tech interactive exhibits, authentic replica ships: the Beaver and the Eleanor and an award-winning multisensory film, Let it Begin Here. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is open 7 day/week from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Summer/Spring) and from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Fall/Winter). Tours run every 30 minutes in the fall/winter and every 15 minutes in the spring/summer and last 1 hr. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum was voted ‘Best New Museum’ by Yankee magazine in the ‘2012 Best of New England Issue’ and ‘Best of the New 2012’ by Boston Globe Magazine. To learn more visit www.bostonteapartyship.com or call 1-855-(TEA)-1773. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is located at 306 Congress St. on the Congress St. Bridge, Boston, MA 02210.
ABOUT OLD SOUTH MEETING HOUSE:
Famed as the place where the Boston Tea Party began, the 1729 Old South Meeting House is one of the nation’s most important colonial landmarks and was the center for Boston’s protests against British rule in the years leading to the American Revolution. Saved from demolition in 1876, this treasured National Historic Landmark has been open to the public since 1877 as a non-profit historic site, museum and an active center for public dialogue and free expression in the heart of downtown Boston. Open daily year round, presenting a full schedule of programs and events. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day. For more information visit www.osmh.org call 617-482-6439 or contact [email protected]. The Old South Meeting House is located at 310 Washington St., at the intersection of Milk Street, Boston, MA 02108.