Want to ride the Green Line in a hoop skirt? Drink Dunkin in a corset? Join us to celebrate Boston's Victorian history with a Promenade!

On Saturday, May 9th, in partnership with Boston Parks & Recreation, we will be hosting a Promenade in the Public Garden to celebrate Boston's Victorian history! Dress up in your Victorian (or Victorian-inspired) finest and experience firsthand the Boston elite practice of parading around to be seen.

Enjoy a formal promenade and costume contest at the Public Garden, where one extravagantly-dressed socialite will be crowned the “Garden Rose” of the season. Then walk just half a block to the Gibson House Museum for an open house and our special exhibition “It’s About That Walk: Victorian Promenade Culture and Costume.”

10 AM: Gibson House Museum Open House Begins

12 PM:

1. Costume Contest Registration Begins at Public Garden
2. Flour Bakery Sells Swan Soft Serve Boats (while supplies last)

12 PM, 12:30 PM, 1 PM, 1:30 PM: Public Garden Historical Tours

2 PM: Official Promenade and Costume Contest*

2:30 PM: Costume Contest Winners Announced

4:00 PM: Gibson House Museum Closes

*Costume contest participants can register onsite at the Public Garden starting at 12 PM. Registration is not required to participate in the open house, promenade, or other activities.

The best part? It’s all FREE! Our goal: take over the Public Garden with Victorian history. Bring your history buff friends and experience the glitz and glamour of Gilded Age Boston. There are more surprises in store, so stay tuned!

Yours in Victoriana,

The Gibson House Team