Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day will be observed in Natick on Monday, Oct. 12. The holiday celebrates and honors Indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures.

All municipal buildings and offices are closed on Monday, October 12 for the Indigenous Peoples Day holiday. Regular operations resume on Tuesday, October 13.

Natick Indigenous Peoples Day closures on Oct. 12

• Public schools
• Town offices
• Libraries
• Regular business hours resume on Tuesday, October 13

EVENT: 6th Annual Indigenous Peoples Day Ceremonial Celebration, “Medicines of the Lands: Healing Through Ancestral Plants”
DATE: Monday, Oct. 12, 2026
TIME: 11am–5pm
LOCATION: Albemarle Field, 250 Albemarle Rd., Newton, MA
DESCRIPTION: All are welcome to this free, outdoor, family-friendly, Indigenous-led, volunteer-run event to enjoy great music, check out cultural dances and presentations, support local Indigenous vendors and non-profits, and eat delicious food. Rain or shine.

EVENT: 6th Annual Indigenous Peoples Day event
DATE: Monday, Oct. 12
TIME: noon-2pm
LOCATION: Camps of Edwards Church, 39 Edwards St., Framingham
DESCRIPTION: Edwards Church, UCC is hosting Framingham’s 6th Annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration. We honor the historical presence of the Nipmuc people on this hill, hundreds of years ago, and we celebrate the rich cultural traditions the Nipmuc people bring to our communities today.  The event features a talk and participatory presentation by Maria and Shani Turner.

Maria is  Chairwoman of the Natick Nipmuc Tribe and Sonskq (Chief) of the Nipmuc Nation Confederacy, holds a master’s degree in Education and Counseling. She recently retired from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and currently serves as Director of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) program for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

Shani Turner, Medicine Woman for the Natick Nipmuc Tribe, is active in her community and has organized several Wampanoag Week celebrations for Mashpee schools. She also performs traditional blanket dances with the Eastern Woodland Dancers.

All are invited.

EVENT: Indigenous People’s Day story time and craft celebration at Ten Trees Books in Natick
TIME: 11am
LOCATION: Ten Trees Books, 29 Main St., Natick
AUDIENCE: Fun for all ages!
Register to join: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2002081461546?aff=oddtdtcreator

Don’t see your event here? Contact natickreport@gmail.com for inclusion.

Natick’s many Halloween-time traditions are gearing up (already!), so be sure not to miss a single opportunity to dress up in costume, visit pumpkin patches, enjoy a fall festival, and more. Here’s our roundup of Natick Halloween Happenings, which we’ll be updating as activities get our attention.

• Don’t see your free or low-cost Halloween-time community event here? Email us at natickeport@gmail.com for inclusion.
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The pumpkins are here at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church!

It’s Pumpkin Patch time, one of Wellesley’s beloved annual traditions, now in its 23rd year.

DATES: Oct. 9 – 31
TIME: 10am-6pm every day
LOCATION: Wellesley Hills Church, 207 Washington St.

Haints, Haunts and Hollers: A Spooky Storytelling Adventure with Rona Leventhal

DATE/TIME: Monday, October 19, 7pm-8pm
LOCATION: Morse Institute Library, 14 E Central St, Natick, MA, 01760
DESCRIPTION: Join Rona for an evening of c-r-e-e-p-y stories. In this show you will find all manner of haints, dead folk, shape shifters, and mysterious players. Creepy! Eerie! Even humorous! This program is best suited for families with children ages 5 and up. Drop-in event. No registration required.

Natick’s Oldest Burial Grounds: Gravestone Carvers and Their Symbols

DATE/TIME: Thursday, Oct. 22, 7pm-8:15pm
LOCATION: Morse Institute Library, 14 E Central St, Natick
REGISTRATION: Suggested, but not required
DESCRIPTION: If you’ve driven past the South Natick Burial Ground or North Natick Cemetery without stopping, this talk is a reason to change that. Established in 1731 and 1744, these are the town’s two oldest burial grounds and hold gravestones cut by hand by carvers whose work can be identified and traced across eastern Massachusetts. We’ll look at who carved Natick’s earliest stones and at the symbolism they used—death’s heads, cherubs, urns, and willows—which was designed to be read and understood by anyone who passed by. Natick’s other cemeteries appear along the way, as a way of tracing how burial grounds evolved into cemeteries over three centuries.

Spooktacular at Natick Common

DATE: Oct. 24
TIME: 10am-1pm
LOCATION: Natick Common
DESCRIPTION: Join us for a Halloween celebration on the Common. FREE & fun events include pumpkin decorating, donut-on-a-string eating contests, and live music. Be sure to stick around for the Pumpkin Smash with the Natick Fire Department.

West Suburban YMCA’s Annual Fall Festival

DATE: Saturday, Oct. 24
TIME: 2pm-4pm
LOCATION: 276 Church Street, Newton
COST : Free and open to the public
DESCRIPTION: Get ready for an afternoon full of autumn excitement at the West Suburban YMCA’s Annual Fall Festival! Pumpkin decorating; baby animals petting zoo; music & games ; giveaways; snacks; and more.

Weston High School’s annual Haunted House

DATE/TIME: Saturday, Oct. 24, 6pm-8pm
LOCATION: Weston High School, 444 Wellesley St., Weston, 02493
DESCRIPTION: Presented by the Class of ’29—all proceeds from ticket sales go to the sophomore class! Admission is $15 per person or $45 per family. Pay at the door with cash or card. The event also includes a children’s area for little ones. Snacks and beverages will be sold.

Jack O’Lantern Decorating Competition

DATE: Friday, Oct. 30
LOCATION: The Eliot Church, 45 Eliot St.
DESCRIPTION: Kids and adults awards categories. 12:30pm-5:30, drop off carved pumpkin(s) for judging; 5:30pm-6:30pm, public viewing, awards; 6:45pm, take your pumpkin home for Halloween

Malloween at the Natick Mall

DATE: Saturday, Oct. 31
TIME: 10am-noon
LOCATION: Center Court
DESCRIPTION: A fang-tastic day featuring trick-or-treating, costumes, spooktacular entertainment, and more. With a $5 suggested donation to Second Chance Animal Services, kids will receive a special passport to collect stamps while they trick-or-treat. Once completed, they can turn the passport in for a prize!

Natick Center trick or treating

DATE: Oct. 31
TIME: 1-3pm
LOCATION: Natick Center shops
DESCRIPTION: Wear a costume and trick or treat around Natick Center businesses. More information and a map to come.

Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31

Natick is definitely an October 31st trick-or-treating kind of town. Generally speaking, the littlest ones go out in their own neighborhoods at about 6pm.The older kids head out a little bit later, around 6:30. We heckle kids who show up either without a costume or wearing a Patriots jersey and claiming, “I’m dressed up like a football player.” Seriously, big kids, if you’re too cool to put together a real costume, it’s time to let it go. Most residents at 8pm close their doors, blow out the candles in their jack o’ lanterns, and turn off their front porch lights to signal that their house is done with Halloween.This can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, but not by much. As far as the candy goes, certain houses have a reputation for handing out full-sized bars, and the rabid following that goes with such generosity. We’re not going to spill those sweet secrets here. You’ll have to get out there and find the best pickings for yourself.

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Happy Labor Day weekend, Natick. Here’s what’s closed on and around this upcoming Monday, Sept. 7 federal holiday, which celebrates the achievements of American workers.

Uncle Sam stopped by to wish everyone a happy 4th of July, and led the children’s parade around the Common. Craig Sutton Entertainment provided a prop patriotic cake for visitors to take selfies with.

“Everybody wants the parade back. The parade is exciting,” said Nancy Kelly, owner of the dance studio on Pond Street. For more than four decades, Kelly and her students have taken part.

The Friends of the Fourth are seeking volunteers and donations. For information, visit https://www.natick4th.org/ or go to its Facebook page.

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All Town of Natick departments and offices are closed on Friday, July 4th, in celebration of Independence Day.

The Recycling Center will be open on Friday, July 3, 8am-noon; closed on Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5.

Morse Institute Library will be closed on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4; (closed all Sundays during the summer)

Bacon Free Library will be closed on Friday, July 3 (closed all Saturdays during the summer, and always on Sundays)

Banks and post offices will be closed. Supermarkets, package stores, and other retailers will be largely open, but some with special holiday hours, so check before you go.

Natick July 4th Community Picnic!

Celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday on the Common with your friends and neighbors.  Music, games, fun, kid’s parade with decorated wagons, bikes, strollers, wheelchairs!

Bring your picnic basket and be prepared to smile.

Learn more: Natick4th.org

Host: Natick Friends of the 4th (an all-volunteer, non-profit organization)

Fireworks—leave the rockets’ red glare display to the pros

July 3rd, Needham—Fireworks on Friday, July 3. They’ve also got activities and celebrations going on all weekend.

July 3rd, Walpole’s annual Night Before the Fourth includes a parade at 6pm with food, music and fun behind the Center Fire Station (20 Stone St.), immediately after the parade. Fireworks start around 9pm.

July 4th, Needham—The Charles River YMCA is hosting its Annual July 4th Road Race with a start time of 8:15am from the Needham Free Public Library. Registration is $45 for adults, $30 for adaptive, $20 for ages 12-17,  and free for ages 12 and under.

July 4th, Newton—There will be a full day of activities going on, including fireworks at dusk at Albemarle Field, 250 Albemarle Rd.

Where to see all Massachusetts fireworks displays

Here’s a list of every (legal) fireworks display in the state. Pro tip—fireworks, they’re not just for the 4th of July anymore. There are many displays scheduled into late September, so you can keep the oohs and ahhs going all summer long.

Wellesley did its official fireworks in May as part of Wellesley Wonderful Weekend activities.

Save the date:  July Jubilation, Saturday, July 18

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