Photos by Michael Blanchard and Melissa Ostrow
Party in the Park is one of the Conservancy’s surest signs of spring and one of the most anticipated social events in Boston. To date, the luncheon has generated more than $11.2 million for the parks. The proceeds of the Party in the Park support the work of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.
Every May, just as spring declares itself in Boston, the luncheon draws more than 700 parks champions to gather for an elegant lunch served in a beautiful tent in one of the Emerald Necklace parks. Known as the “hat lunch” because so many guests complement their spring wardrobes with flowers, feathers and fascinators, the party is planned over the course of a year by an all-volunteer committee to ensure a memorable afternoon.
In the spirit of commemorating 20 years of Party in the Park—created to preserve and celebrate the legacy of the Emerald Necklace, Boston’s largest park system—this year’s party highlighted the importance of parks, nature and greenspaces for all of us. Since 2003, thanks to friends and supporters like you, Party in the Park has made possible care for more than 9,000 inventoried trees, significant restoration and improvements in the historic, 1,100-acre Emerald Necklace park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted