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In late August, Chinatown (see Chinatown, the Theater District, & South End)commemorates the summer’s fullest moon – signifying the beginning of the harvest season – with a jubilant, unique festival. A dragon dance snakes through the area and vendors line the streets hawking everything from hand-painted fans and herbal remedies to the festival’s official food, the semisweet mooncake.

A February tradition pits Boston’s top collegiate hockey teams against each other at the Fleet Center.

Energetic crowds cheer this ice hockey team at the Fleet Center.

The Celts keep basketball playoff dreams alive at the Fleet Center.

For nearly 40 years, Boston’s squares, parks, and bandstands have staged the greatest names in jazz and blues for one week in June. All the shows – save the marquee acts like Harry Connick Jr., Branford Marsalis, and Natalie Cole – are free.

The country’s oldest marathon beckons sports lovers.

Chinatown (see Chinatown, the Theater District, & South End) buzzes with the pageantry of the Chinese New Year every February. Streets are transformed into frenzied patchworks of color, while sidewalk vendors peddle steamed buns, soups, and other Chinese delights. Don’t miss the annual parade, held the Saturday following the Lunar New Year.

The Feast of St. Anthony caps an entire summer of feast holidays in the North End (see North End & the Waterfront). On the last weekend in August, from morning well into the night, Hanover Street bulges with revelers, parades, and food vendors giving a vibrant display of the area’s old world Italian spirit.

Despite being plagued in recent years by staggeringly cold weather, the New Year’s Eve festivities remain among the most highly anticipated events of Boston’s year. A $15 pass grants access to countless concerts, performances, and museum exhibits throughout the city, not to mention a dazzling midnight fireworks display over Boston harbor.

Given Boston’s indispensable role in securing independence for the original 13 colonies, Independence Day adopts a certain poignancy here. With beer-fueled barbecues and a fireworks display on the Charles River banks, Boston throws the nation a rousing birthday party.