Boston Closing Roads For Weekend Caribbean Festival

Drivers may want to plan ahead or find another method o transportation.

By Benjamin Pierce, Patch Staff

Aug 28, 2026 1:58 PM EDT

BOSTON, MA — The annual Caribbean Festival is returning to Boston this weekend, bringing several road closures and parking restrictions to neighborhoods along the parade route. This year's celebration will also include changes to the route and schedule for the J'Ouvert Parade.

The J'Ouvert Parade will take place exclusively on Circuit Drive in Franklin Park from 6 to 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29. According to the Boston Police Department, the parade will assemble near Shattuck Hospital before proceeding along Circuit Drive toward Blue Hill Avenue. Music will be shut off when the parade reaches the Zoo parking lot, and parade vehicles will disperse onto Blue Hill Avenue.

Circuit Drive will be closed to motor vehicle traffic, with no parking available from late Friday night until Sunday morning.

The Caribbean Parade will begin forming at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Warren Street at 11 a.m. Saturday. The parade is scheduled to step off at 1 p.m. and conclude at 6 p.m.

Traffic restrictions will also be implemented on streets leading to the parade route. Warren Street will be closed from Dale Street to Blue Hill Avenue, while Blue Hill Avenue will be closed from Quincy Street to American Legion Highway. Traffic will be rerouted around the parade route, which will be lined with barriers.

Parking restrictions are in effect from Thursday, Aug. 27, at 2 p.m. through Sunday, Aug. 30, at 7 a.m. on the following street:

Talbot Avenue – Both sides, from Blue Hill Avenue heading easterly to Bernard Street

Additional parking restrictions will be in effect throughout Saturday on the following streets:

Blue Hill Avenue – Both sides, from American Legion Highway to Westview Street
Westview Street – Both sides, from Blue Hill Avenue heading easterly to beyond 30 Westview Street
Livingstone Street – Both sides, from Blue Hill Avenue to Ashton Street
Ansel Road – Both sides, from Blue Hill Avenue to Ashton Street
Martin Luther King Boulevard – Both sides, from Warren Street to Washington Street
Warren Street – Both sides, from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Blue Hill Avenue
Dale Street – Both sides, from Washington Street to Warren Street
Columbia Road – Both sides, from Blue Hill Avenue to Seaver Street
Old Road – Both sides, from Glenway Street to Columbia Road
Ellington Street – Both sides, from Old Road to Blue Hill Avenue
Glenway Street – Both sides, from Blue Hill Avenue past Old Road to 11 Glenway Street
Glenway Street, School Yard – Along the fence abutting Glenway Street facing vehicles in the lot
Seaver Street – Both sides, from Blue Hill Avenue to a point approximately 300 feet west, near 280 Seaver Street
Walnut Avenue – Southeast, or Franklin Park, side from Seaver Street to Sigourney Street; both sides from Seaver Street to Park Lane
Sigourney Street – Southeast, or Franklin Park, side from Walnut Avenue to Glen Road
Circuit Drive – Both sides, from Blue Hill Avenue to Morton Street

Boston police said streets will be cleaned and cleared following both parades Saturday. After 6 p.m., there will be no additional festival events, and police said loitering will not be permitted in the area as streets are returned to normal traffic.

Officers from district stations and specialized units will also be deployed to address late-night and overnight activity. Police said weapons, violence, large or loud gatherings, reckless driving, excessive horn use, loud music, speaker cars, and off-road vehicles will not be tolerated during the weekend.