Boston, MA
Celtics parade floods the streets of Boston with fans celebrating Banner 18: ‘A life dream’
Celtics fans won’t end this celebration anytime soon – 16 years in the making.
As green and white confetti fell along the 2-mile route from TD Garden to Hynes Convention Center, more than a million fans from near and far packed the streets, showing pride for a team that means so much to them and the city as a whole.
“This is like a life dream,” said Nicholas Day, a Pennsylvania resident who has stood by the Celtics long after he left New England. He showed up to Causeway Street with his young song Landon, well before the Duck Boats started rolling.
Thousands of other Celtics fanatics piled outside the Garden early Friday morning, some hours before daybreak.
Superfan Brian Babz showed up at 3 a.m., soaking in the atmosphere while reflecting on the Celtics’ dominance this season. Babz has become a fixture on Causeway Street by co-hosting watch parties at Big Night Live with his friend KJ Green, who got the nod to ride with fan favorite Kristaps Porzingis.
“My adrenaline has been going strong since Monday night,” Babz said, “and now after today, it’s going to last another week. The city is built on sports and championships. This is truly the start of the dynasty.”
“Let’s Go Celtics” chants wrung out on Causeway Street in the early hours, while Hurricanes at the Garden, the Harp, Banners, and other nearby bars, opened early for fans to get in their morning eats and drinks.
Merchandise tents sold “Kyrie (Irving) sucks” and “Luka (Doncic) sucks” shirts – a sign that the Finals win over Dallas is still freshly on the minds of all fans, just days after the Celtics clinched Banner 18 on the hallowed parquet.
And it didn’t take long for the classic Boston celebrations to be seen, with a fan climbing on top of a Canal Street traffic signal minutes before 9 a.m.
City resident Dennis Daniel, also stationed outside of the Garden, said he’s been a Celtics fan “forever” before rattling off the legendary names of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish.
Banner 18 is sweet, Daniel said, after the Celtics got within striking distance of accomplishing the ultimate goal the past two years, before falling short to the Golden State in the 2022 Finals and Miami in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals
“We lost to people that we shouldn’t have,” Daniel said, “but it was growth, it was learning, to keep a legacy alive.”
Friday’s parade marked Boston’s first since after the pandemic, with the last coming in February 2019 when the Patriots won their sixth Super Bowl. Boston Duck Tours has been part of all 13 rolling rallies in the past 24 years.
The Celtics – the entire organization; players, coaches, trainers, front office, dancers, Lucky the Leprechaun – passed the Garden, City Hall Plaza, and the Boston Common, before ending on Boylston Street by the Hynes Convention Center.
Fans piled rows deep along the entire route. Those gathered along the barrier in front of the Hynes got drenched in a shower beer by Celtics legend Paul Pierce, in a boat with members of the 2008 championship team.
Rhode Island resident Jeff Norman found a spot in the shade on Tremont Street next to the Boston Common. With his 10-year-old son Lucas out of school for the summer, the father decided to take advantage and soak in the glory.
“It was truly a team based on teamwork, and everybody participated, everybody contributed,” Norman said. “It’s an awesome feeling to have (the title) back in Boston.”
His son, never seeing the Celtics raise the Larry O’Brien trophy before, added, “I needed them to win.”
The Normans traveled into the bustling city on the commuter rail – a common way in for thousands. The Mansfield Police Department posted on Facebook just after 9 a.m. that several morning trains were 100% full, urging fans to seek alternate transportation.
Though temperatures broke after the heatwave, fans filled Dunkins along the route to the brim, seeking iced coffees and other drinks to stay cool in the day’s sun.
Brody Ernst and his friend Kaleb Cagnon, both 20 years old from South Portland, Maine, were just toddlers when the Celtics won in 2008, and Friday’s championship parade marked the first in their lives.
“They can’t say anything,” Ernst said of critics. “If you’re going to say this ring is a Mickey Mouse ring or whatever it is, you’re silly.”
Connor Eifert and his father Jim Eifert, walking through the Common after the parade, said they’re proud lifelong Celtics fans even though they live in Pennsylvania, not too far from Philadephia.
They called out Joel Embiid, a star on the 76ers who last week said he hates Boston and that the “whole East was kinda hurt this year, myself included,”
“He hates us because we are winners,” Jim Eifert said.
Worcester resident Stephanie Rodriguez held her 1-year-old son Nick in front of Hynes, minutes before the Duck Boats made their way past. Her husband Justin highlighted how this year’s Celtics played as a team.
“It’s great for him to have role models to look up to, especially if he gets into sports,” Stephanie Rodriguez said of raising her son as a Celtics fan. “He’ll probably look back at this team and be proud.”
After the duck boats reached the route’s end, city employees used leafblowers to sweep up the confetti-ridden streets, with thousands of fans continuing the party and looking forward to the years ahead.
Brockton’s Moyzilla food truck offers up Asian comfort food on the go
Moyzilla is a jewel of MA food trucks. Founded by Jon Moy — son of Brockton culinary royalty — it offers Asian comfort food from Brockton to Boston.
Looking for a new marketplace to shop at this spring? You’re in luck – Boston is home to one of the best public markets in the country, according to USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
The annual 10BEST awards highlight the best in travel, food and lifestyle, and winners are chosen by a public voting poll after being nominated by industry experts. In the 2026 food awards, highlighting the top food tours, food cruises, farmers markets and more from across the country, Boston Public Market ranked third in the best public market category.
Here’s what to know before you go to Boston’s top-ranked public market.
Why Boston Public Market ranked third
A year-round indoor marketplace in Downtown Boston, Boston Public Market celebrates the bounty New England has to offer with fresh groceries, prepared meals, crafts and specialty items from over 30 local artisans and food producers, with a focus on seasonal items.
Along with browsing through groceries and goods, guests are invited to join the public market for a variety of special events, including trivia, live music, magic shows and face painting.
Boston Public Market is located at 100 Hanover St. on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, directly above the Haymarket MBTA station. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
What other markets made the list?
Here is USA TODAY’s full ranking of the top 10 public markets in the country:
- Reading Terminal Market – Philadelphia, PA
- Milwaukee Public Market – Milwaukee, WI
- Boston Public Market – Boston, MA
- Eastern Market – Detroit, MI
- West Side Market – Cleveland, OH
- Essex Market – New York City, NY
- Lancaster Central Market – Lancaster, PA
- Midtown Global Market – Minneapolis, MN
- Grand Central Market – Los Angeles, CA
- North Market Downtown – Columbus, OH
The Green Line B branch trains will not run between Kenmore and Boston College through April 30, according to the MBTA.
The nine-day outage will allow T officials to work on several infrastructure improvements and maintenance, the installation of Green Line Train Protection System (GLTPS) infrastructure, replacement of 130-year-old wooden overhead catenary wire “trough” near the Green Line portals and more.
The MBTA announced free, accessible shuttle buses between the two stops, Kenmore and Boston College during the outage. The buses will not stop at Griggs Street, Allston Street, and Packard’s Corner due to “accessibility issues,” T officials said.
During the weekend of April 25 and 26, the outage will extend through Copley, and shuttle buses will skip Griggs Street, Allston Street, and Packard’s Corner during the same weekend.
Throughout the shutdown all Green Line frequency will be reduced between Copley and Government center.
The MBTA urged riders to use the Orange Line at Back Bay during the outage. The agency also noted riders can transfer to Copley from Back Bay, an approximately five-minute walk.
The route 57 bus will also be free from April 22 through 24 and April 27 through 30 for alternate service between Kenmore and Packard’s Corner, the MBTA stated. During the April 25 and 26 weekend, the T noted the bus will not be a good alternate with not Green Line service at Kenmore.
During the shutdown, riders taking shuttle buses should budget extra travel time, the T said.
“For example, a rider travelling to Park Street from Boston College should budget at least an additional 10 minutes of travel in additional to their regular commute,” the MBTA stated.
More information is available on-site through transit ambassadors and T staff, virtually through T-Alerts or following the MBTA on X @MBTA, or via the mbta.com/GreenLine.
Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 59 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers looked like a completely different team against the Boston Celtics in Game 2.
And unlike Game 1, the Sixers’ defense also showed up, holding Boston to 43 second-half points and 39 percent shooting for the game in a 111-97 road win to tie this Eastern Conference first-round series at 1-1.
Edgecombe scored a team-high 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting, and Maxey added 29 points and nine assists. The Sixers’ backcourt duo combined to shoot 11-for-22 from 3-point range. The Sixers were 19-for-39 from 3 after going 4 of 23 from that distance in Game 1.
Boston was led by Jaylen Brown’s game-high 36 points, but Jayson Tatum was the only other Celtics player who scored in double figures with 19. Boston shot 13-for-50 from 3-point range.
Here are some takeaways with Game 3 set for Friday in Philadelphia.
Celtics offense falls flat
The Celtics knew to expect a different effort from the 76ers.
One adjustment from Philadelphia likely didn’t take Boston by surprise. After taking just 23 3-pointers in Game 1, the 76ers sought out more long balls in Game 2.
Maxey called his own number more often. Edgecombe was aggressive from the start. As a team, the 76ers played with more freedom, firing plenty of shots that they might have turned down in the series opener. Philadelphia made plenty of those looks while shooting 48.7 percent from behind the arc.
Still, the Celtics would have been all right if they had played their usual offensive game. Instead, their offense was their biggest issue. They shot just 39.3 percent on field goal attempts. They missed 37 of 50 3-point attempts. They committed an atypical 13 turnovers.
Trying to come back in the fourth quarter, they had too many empty offensive possessions. Jaylen Brown got blocked while trying to beat the shot clock buzzer and picked up an offensive foul while hitting Maxey in the face. Jayson Tatum missed a contested pull-up 3-pointer early in the shot clock on one possession and threw away a pass on another. Derrick White was left wide open in the left corner but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. The 76ers left the door open early in the fourth quarter by missing several shots, including a couple of layups, but the Celtics couldn’t fully capitalize. Eventually, Maxey sank a series of baskets to create more separation for Philadelphia, and the Celtics largely went away down the stretch. — Jay King, Celtics beat writer
Sixers bounce back in Boston
This is the way the 76ers have to play if they want to extend this series as far as possible.
Maxey and Edgecombe have to dominate their guard matchups, which is exactly what they did in Tuesday night’s Game 2. Paul George needs to be a deterrent to Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He doesn’t have to eclipse them, because that would be difficult. But he does have to give them a bit of pause. Most of all, the 76ers have to play the focused brand of basketball they exhibited in Game 2 rather than the sloppy and slapstick kind of hoops they played in Game 1.
The Celtics are such a good team that the above equates to near-perfect basketball. But that’s the task the Sixers are facing, particularly without star center Joel Embiid. On Tuesday night, this was a team up to the task. They were focused. They executed on both ends of the floor. They got much better play from their role players. Maxey and Edgecombe were absolutely dominant.
Overall, on both ends of the floor, this is the best game the 76ers have played in months. And they got it at just the right time. Now we have a 1-1 series heading back to Philadelphia. — Tony Jones, Sixers beat writer
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