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Boston Tea Party anniversary 🍵

Dec. 16 marks the anniversary of the historic protest that took place in our city.

Boston Tea Party Museum on the Boston Harbor

Visit the floating history museum on Congress Street.

Photo by @jphotowlrd

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Allow us to spill the tea — today is the 249th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

On this day more than two centuries ago, ~116 American colonists dumped tea chests — weighing over 92,000 pounds — into the Boston Harbor to let Britain know that taxation without representation wasn’t their cup of tea.

How to mark the occasion

After a two-year hiatus, the official reenactment is taking place at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Old South Meeting House on Washington Street. You can still snag tickets to the action and stop by the pop-up tea shop at the museum store beginning at 5 p.m.

Plus, the Boston Tea Party museum is offering free admission today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Head over to rendezvous with history at the replica of an 18th century ship. You can also feast your eyes on the Robinson Tea Chest, which is the only known surviving tea chest from the 1773 protest. Can’t make it to the Seaport today? Stream the Facebook Live discussion tonight at 7 p.m.

What’s on tap for 2023

If you think this year’s events are exciting, think even bigger for next year. To mark the 250th anniversary in 2023, there will be a large commemoration with exhibits, performances + installations taking place throughout the whole year.

Starting today, people are invited to participate by sending loose leaf tea to our city, which will be thrown in the harbor during next year’s reenactment. Participants will even get an official certificate marking their historic involvement.

Get ready to sip on even more details and count down to next year’s programming on the official December 16 website.

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