1 - East Cambridge
Once a village of its own, East Cambridge is one of Cambridge's oldest residential neighborhoods and is historically home to many of the city's industries, both old and new. It sits along the Charles River north of Kendall Square and east of the Grand Junction Railroad.
Boosting Business Blocks Grant
The Boosting Business Blocks Grant offers Cambridge businesses, business associations, and groups of neighborhood businesses the opportunity to secure one-time grant funding for well-designed projects that bring together neighborhood business interests around shared goals of improved design, promotion, and business resilience in a commercial area.
Apply for an Annual Sidewalk Business Use Permit
A business use sidewalk obstruction permit is required if you are a business in the City of Cambridge and want to use an “A” framed sign, sandwich board, display merchandise, temporary banner or use tables and chairs on a sidewalk in the public way.
May 31 Weekend Traffic Alert
The City of Cambridge is notifying residents, businesses, and visitors of multiple temporary street closures throughout the weekend due to scheduled community events on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1. Events include the Attic Block Party (affecting Harvard Square) and the Cambridge 5K at CambridgeSide.
Sacred Songs and Rituals: In The Roundhouse: A Celebration of Indigenous Music (Main)
This Sacred Songs and Rituals is in celebration of National Native American Heritage Month. Featuring Thea Hopkins, Asa Peters, and Jim Peters.
A member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe of Martha’s Vineyard MA, award-winning performing songwriter Thea Hopkins calls her music Red Roots Americana. She has been described as a “standout writer” by the Washington Post and "superb" by Americana (UK). Venues where Thea has performed include Lincoln Center (NY), Massey Hall (CN), the Kennedy Center (DC), the Atkinson (UK), the Woody Guthrie Festival and the Bluebird Cafe (TN). She first came to greater public notice when Peter, Paul & Mary recorded her song, “Jesus Is On The Wire” in 2004 and again in 2010 with the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Her new album, "Blossoms & Ghosts", released in February 2026 is both timely and timeless.
Asa Peters and Jim Peters are members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers, a group that preserves and performs traditional Wampanoag dances, songs, and cultural practices. The Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers are a group of musicians, educators, and artisans from the tribal communities of Mashpee on Cape Cod, Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard, and Herring Pond in Bourne.
OST Expansion Updates
Out-of-School Time Expansion Study provides a road map for phased afterschool expansion in Cambridge to ensure that the city's OST ecosystem can support every child in Cambridge who wants or needs an afterschool seat. This webpage provides updates on the process.
Fossil Fuel Free Demonstration Program
Another community action we are pursuing is a first-of-its-kind Fossil Fuel Free Demonstration Program. We sat down with Susanne Rasmussen, Director of Environmental and Transportation Planning at the Cambridge Community Development Department to learn more about this new program.
Math is Power
The Cambridge STEAM Initiative partners with the Cambridge Public Schools’ Math Department on initiatives that focus on math as a civil right. As part of this collaboration, the STEAM Initiative has hosted screenings of Counted Out, a documentary exploring how inequitable access to math literacy impacts us.
The Margret and H. A. Rey Curious George Lecture: Jasmine Warga (Main)
Children and families are invited to meet Jasmine Warga, award-winning and best-selling author of many popular middle-grade novels, including Massachusetts Children's Book Award winner A Rover’s Story and Newbery Honor winner Other Words for Home. Warga will talk about her work, answer questions from the audience and sign books. Porter Square Books will have books available for sale. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Registration is not required.
About the Lecture
The annual lecture is an initiative sponsored by the Cambridge Public Library, the Curious George Fund, and the Cambridge Public Library Foundation. The series aims to bring the community together to celebrate outstanding and engaging books for young readers.
About the Author
Jasmine Warga is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of middle grade novels; her books have won numerous awards, including a Newbery Honor, been named to many state award reading lists, and listed as best books of the year by publications such as NPR, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly and others. Her newest release - “The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan” - explores the bond between a rescue dog named Finnegan and a cheetah cub named Chase. Inspired by true stories from zoos across the country, award-winning author Jasmine Warga creates a deeply moving tale about how the power of friendship can transcend anything – even species.
Monthly Blood Pressure Screenings for Older Adults in Cambridge
The Cambridge Department of Public Health and the Council on Aging are offering free Blood Pressure Screenings for Cambridge residents 60 and older. Cambridge Public Health nurses will take your blood pressure and provide information about how to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.