Cambridge to host Safer Homes, Safer Communities Gift Cards for Guns Event
Help make Cambridge an even safer community by disposing of any unwanted guns! You'll receive a supermarket gift card for each firearm you turn in, ranging from $50-$200 in value, and help reduce the risk of suicide by accidental discharge, domestic violence and street crime. Bring firearms unloaded with the safety engaged in a bag, box, or case.
When: Saturday, June 6th, 2026 ; 10am - 12pm
Drop-off locations in Cambridge:
Reservoir Church - 170 Rindge Ave
Pentecostal Tabernacle - 77 Columbia Street
Not Available June 6th:
Schedule an appointment anytime in June to have any unwanted guns picked up in exchange for gift cards.
Questions: Call (617) 349-6009
Park Sounds: riah (Main)
riah is a Cape Verdean-American artist from Boston with a musical style that blends alt/pop, R&B, and neo-soul. After amassing over two million combined streams with her first widely successful hit “Too Fast,” riah released her first EP “Head/Space” in 2024. Her debut album "Garden" deals with themes of self-love amidst anxiety and uncertainty, and is streaming everywhere.
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.
City of Cambridge Announces Winning Projects for 11th Participatory Budgeting Cycle
Seven projects in total were selected after a record number of ideas were submitted and more than 10,000 Cambridge residents age 12 and older voted how to spend $1 million on capital and operating projects to improve the community. In order of ranked votes, the following seven projects won $1,060,000 in fiscal year 2026 funding:
1. Improve Parks with Shade Structures and Seating ($250,000)
2. Build a Pollinator Garden in a City Park ($75,000)
3. Funding for High School Clubs ($150,000)
4. Slower Speeds for Safer Streets ($250,000)
5. Mobile Center for Hard-to-Recycle Items ($75,000)
6. Welcome Baby Boxes for New Parents ($60,000)
7. Electric Vehicle Chargers ($200,000)
Park Sounds: Juneteenth Celebration with Tim Hall (Main)
Join us for a special Park Sounds in celebration of Juneteenth with saxophonist Tim Hall, an award-winning musician, performance poet, and producer from Detroit, MI, now based in Boston. His poetry draws inspiration from his lived experiences - charting the nuances of blackness, masculinity, and the beauties of life. Tim's music is used to underscore his vivid storytelling with warm neo soul, jazz, and hip hop influences.
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.
1648 & 1654 Massachusetts Avenue
In May 2026, the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) purchased two existing residential buildings located at 1648 & 1654 Massachusetts Avenue with financial support from the Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust (CAHT). The CHA will convert these properties to fully affordable housing as the existing market-rate units naturally turnover.
The buildings contain a total of 56,614 square feet, including 62 one-bedroom units and 17 two-bedroom units and two commercial spaces. The commercial spaces are located on the first floor of the 1654 Massachusetts Avenue building and are currently leased to Huron Cleaners and Marathon Sports.
Located between Harvard Square and Porter Square in Neighborhood Nine, the buildings are located in a prominent location with near access to local restaurants, shops, and public transit.
CHANGE OF VENUE: Park Sounds: Joyce the Singer (Main)
Due to rain, this event has been moved to the Lecture Hall on L2.
Joyce the Singer is a versatile artist, musician, and producer from Detroit, MI. With a deep passion for her craft, her sound draws from a beautiful blend of R&B, Neo-Soul, and Jazz influences. Through her artistry, she strives to inspire others with music that reflects real-life experiences in hopes of connecting with vast audiences.
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.
Artful Mechanisms with Playful Engineers (Valente)
Join us to celebrate Jasmine Warga's A Rover's Story, which tells the story of a rover's journey to Mars and the challenges it faces there. We will celebrate by building some artful mechanisms with Playful Engineers! Use simple machines to create mechanical automata and solve problems similar to those faced by rovers on Mars - using materials you could find around your own home. Registration is required.
This event is part of a special series promoting our 2026 Curious George Lecture (CGL) with Jasmine Warga, award-winning author of A Rover's Story, Other Words for Home, and many other popular children's books. Save the Date: the Lecture will take place on Wednesday, April 15, 6 p.m. at the Main Library.
Funding is generously provided by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation.
Artful Mechanisms with Playful Engineers (Boudreau)
Join us to celebrate Jasmine Warga's A Rover's Story, which tells the story of a rover's journey to Mars and the challenges it faces there. We will celebrate by building some artful mechanisms with Playful Engineers! Use simple machines to create mechanical automata and solve problems similar to those faced by rovers on Mars - using materials you could find around your own home. Registration is required.
This event is part of a special series promoting our 2026 Curious George Lecture (CGL) with Jasmine Warga, award-winning author of A Rover's Story, Other Words for Home, and many other popular children's books. Save the Date: the Lecture will take place on Wednesday, April 15, 6 p.m. at the Main Library.
Funding is generously provided by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation.
Stephen Greenblatt presents: Dark Renaissance (Main)
Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Stephen Greenblatt—Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University, a leading scholar of English Renaissance literature, and author of sixteen books, including the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award–winner The Swerve—to celebrate the paperback release of Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Greatest Rival, which released in hardcover in 2025 and received immense praise from The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and The Wall Street Journal.
In addition to the paperback release of Dark Renaissance, Greenblatt's first work Sir Walter Ralegh: The Renaissance Man and His Roles, originally published in 1973 and based on Greenblatt's dissertation, will be rereleased in paperback on September 1, 2026 with a new foreword from Greenblatt.
Registration is required.
Wildlife on Wheels (Collins)
Celebrate Jasmine Warga's new book, The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan, about an unlikely friendship between a cheetah and a rescue dog who are paired as an animal ambassador team at a zoo — at this special event. Meet animals from The Zoo in Forest Park (Springfield, MA) and discover the amazing adaptations that help them survive in the wild. Ask questions and learn what you can do to protect wildlife. Recommended for children ages 6 and up.
This event is part of a special series promoting our 2026 Curious George Lecture with Jasmine Warga, award-winning author of A Rover's Story, Other Words for Home and many other popular children's books. Funding is generously provided by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation.
Save the Date: the Lecture will take place on Wednesday, April 15, 6 p.m. at the Main Library.