Summer Kickoff Party: Plant a Seed, Sing & Read! (Main)
Join us in Joan Lorentz Park (outside the Main Library) for a Summer Kickoff Party for all ages! Enjoy a live concert with award-winning, GRAMMY nominated folk musician Alastair Moock and friends! Take home a tiny blossom kit and enjoy ice-cream (while supplies last). You can also register for Summer Reading, pick up a bingo board and learn more about special events happening across branches all summer long. The Department of Public Works, Community Gardens, and Office of Sustainability will join us to celebrate summer and the natural world.
[CANCELLED] Park Sounds: The Lion Sisters (Main)
The Lion Sisters are a sibling duo with Josi on fiddle and vocals, and Lily on guitar and vocals. They're from New Hampshire, known for tight sister harmonies and genre-blending sound that fuses folk, bluegrass, Irish fiddle, vintage country with a modern edge.
PARK SOUNDS 2026 brings free outdoor musical performances featuring local artists to the front lawn of the Cambridge Public Library Main Branch. These events are all-ages. Bring a chair, food, and loved ones to celebrate the summer! Funding is provided by the CPL Foundation in memory of Janet Axelrod.
Summer Reading: Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop (Main)
Art urges us to look more closely at the world around us, and at ourselves. In this generative writing workshop, facilitated by Heather Nelson, participants will choose an image with which to “converse”: each writer will be given prompts and questions in order to interact with their image and, after having this dialogue with the art, writers will work to edit and arrange their observations into a working draft of an ekphrastic poem. There will be a little time at the end of the session for sharing drafts and discussing next steps. Registration is required.
CANCELLED: It Takes a Village: Raising a Healthy Child (Virtual)
Join this free 1-hour interactive workshop for parents and caregivers ready to spark powerful conversations about race, identity, and belonging. You will gain historical insights, tools to affirm your child’s cultural roots, and connect with others committed to raising antiracist children. The workshop will feature a presentation by Vice Mayor Marc McGovern and a special giveaway: The Village We’re Building digital zine! This is a virtual event, a Zoom link will be sent to all registrants. Cosponsored by the Healthy Children Task Force and Cambridge Public Library.
Gaelynn Lea presents: It Wasn't Meant to Be Perfect (Main)
Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Gaelynn Lea—folk musician, Broadway composer, and disability advocate—for a discussion of her new memoir, It Wasn't Meant to Be Perfect. She will be joined in conversation by Adrian Anantawan—violinist, current Chair of Music at Milton Academy, the Artistic Director of Shelter Music Boston, and Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music—and Colleen Flanagan—longtime activist for disability rights, working at the City of Boston Mayor's Commission for Persons with Disabilities as the Outreach and Engagement Specialist. Registration is required.
Summer Reading: Cambridge City Growers Seed & Seedling Swap (Main)
PLEASE NOTE LOCATION CHANGE from Joan Lorentz Park to CPL Rindge Room.
Swap extra seeds, plants or harvested items from your garden at the Library! Learn informally about Cambridge's pollinator biodiversity and why it's so important to grow and share food, strengthen and grow our local food economy, and most of all...to get our hands dirty while we get to know our neighbors, our community and our place in the world around us.
Kids can make a pollinator finger puppet or take home a kit to make one.
Stories, Songs & Play: Celebrate Meet Your Neighbor Month! (Main)
Join us for songs, stories and rhymes followed by open play. Meet and connect with your neighbors and other members of the community as you all play together! Recommended for children of all ages and their caregivers. This program can accommodate 50 people. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis on the day of the program. The entire party must be present to receive a ticket. This program starts promptly. Unclaimed seats will be offered to someone waiting. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Please call 617-349-4038 for more information.
Government Job Fair
Attend this job fair, offered by the Office of Workforce Development, to connect with representatives from state and local government agencies, explore job openings, and expand your network!