Two-Day Hockey Fan Festival Set for City Hall Plaza

Today Mayor Michelle Wu announced the National Hockey League (NHL®) will hold NHL Winter Classic Plaza™, a two-day free, non-ticketed fan festival on December 30th and December 31st on the newly reopened City Hall Plaza. City Hall Plaza will host interactive hockey-themed activities, including appearances by Boston Bruins alumni. NHL Winter Classic Plaza™ builds up to the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic®, an outdoor regular season hockey game that this year will be at Fenway Park on January 2nd, 2023.

“We’re excited to host Bruins fans and Boston families for one of the first big events on City Hall Plaza since we reopened the space,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Especially during the colder months we need spaces to bring people together. I encourage everyone to come out to build community and get ready to cheer on the Bruins.”

City Hall Plaza will treat hockey fans to many interactions and experiences, including autograph sessions featuring current and former Boston Bruins greats, family-friendly hockey interactives, giveaways, food, and an appearance by the oldest trophy in sports – the Stanley Cup®. NHL Winter Classic Plaza™ will run Friday, December 30 from 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, December 31 from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. A full list of activities that are free and open to the public can be found here.

“An event of this nature and size is exactly what we designed the renovated City Hall Plaza for,” said Chief of Operations Dion Irish. “This is a great opportunity for Boston families to see the new features of the Plaza while building excitement for the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic®. I want to thank the NHL for their partnership in hosting this family-friendly event.”

The 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic® outdoor game will feature the Boston Bruins facing off against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Fenway Park on Monday, January 2, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.

The hockey fan festival builds on Mayor Wu’s vision to reimagine how the City can use public spaces to foster community and a family-friendly environment. In November, Mayor Wu reopened City Hall Plaza as a transformed civic space for all residents, with universal accessibility, new communal spaces, increased environmental sustainability, and critical infrastructure improvements. Phase 1 of the City Hall Plaza reopening includes the planting of 250 new trees, 3,000 new shrubs, and over 10,000 new perennials and grasses. The renovation also includes an increase in green infrastructure through permeable surfaces that will soak up stormwater.

NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and the word mark NHL Winter Classic are registered trademarks and the NHL Winter Classic logo and NHL Winter Classic Plaza name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © NHL 2022. All Rights Reserved.