Know before you go

• Confirm the date and ticket rules on the school's commencement page: guest tickets are often limited.
• Book the celebration dinner when you book the hotel. Every restaurant in town is full that weekend.

Airport to Nickerson Field

Logan (BOS) has free Silver Line buses to South Station and the Blue Line subway; downtown is 15 to 30 minutes away.

Green Line B to Amory Street.

Public transport directions to Nickerson Field

Where to stay by budget

Three hotels we would book

• Budget: Freepoint Hotel Cambridge
• Mid-range: The Lenox Hotel
• Splurge: Fairmont Copley Plaza

Links search the nights from 15 May to 17 May. Event weekends sell out early and prices rise as the date gets closer: book a cancellable room as soon as you know you are going.

Day plans for the free hours

Built around the usual graduation weekend schedule for Sunday, 16 May 2027. Session times change: check the official timetable and move the blocks around.

Family-friendly picks

• New England Aquarium.
• Museum of Science.
• Boston Children's Museum.

Evening and day-trip tours

After dark

• Fenway bars and Seaport rooftops.

8 tours worth booking for BU

Event weeks sell out. Book tours with free cancellation as soon as the session times are published.

Where to eat

• Neptune Oyster Lobster rolls in the North End
• Mike's Pastry Cannoli
• Quincy Market Food hall
• Union Oyster House Oldest restaurant in the US
• Mr. Bartley's Burgers by Harvard Yard

Reserve dinner for the nights around the event: restaurants near the venue fill up days ahead.

Rainy-day backups

• Museum of Fine Arts.
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
• MIT Museum.

Getting around on event days

• MBTA subway (the T) takes contactless; the Green Line serves the marathon finish area.
• The marathon closes streets from Hopkinton to Copley: plan cheering spots near T stations.

Day trips from Boston

• Salem: 30 minutes by train
• Cape Cod: 1.5 hours
• Newport: 1.5 hours

Questions people ask

When is Boston University Commencement 2027?

The next edition is Sunday, 16 May 2027, following the usual pattern. The organiser has not confirmed it yet.

How do I get from the airport to Nickerson Field?

Logan (BOS) has free Silver Line buses to South Station and the Blue Line subway; downtown is 15 to 30 minutes away. Green Line B to Amory Street.

Where should I stay for Boston University Commencement?

For most visitors the best base is Back Bay: Walk to the marathon finish and Newbury Street.

What else can we do around Boston University Commencement?

Good short outings in Boston include Freedom Trail walking tour, Harvard campus tour, Whale watching from Boston harbor. See the day plans on this page for a full schedule.

What is there for kids and families near Boston University Commencement?

Family-friendly picks: Freedom Trail walking tour, Harvard campus tour, Whale watching from Boston harbor. New England Aquarium.

How far is Nickerson Field from Boston centre?

About 5 km in a straight line. Green Line B to Amory Street.

More events in Boston

More University graduations

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