Bomba by the Sea at Spectacle Island!
About this Event
Bomba by the Sea: Spectacle Island Birthday Bombazo, presented by Eli Pabón and BOMBAntillana.
Sunday, September 6, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Spectacle Island | Ferry from Boston
For our final 2026 Bomba by the Sea summer series installment, we are taking a Ferry to Spectacle Island, an island on the Boston Harbor. Bomba By The Sea: Spectacle Island Birthday Bombazo will be a free, intergenerational cultural arts gathering rooted in Bomba, an Afro–Indigenous Puerto Rican folkloric tradition. Let's celebrate life, ancestry, and collective joy through Bomba music, movement, and shared rituals.
For over 400 years in Borikén (Puerto Rico), Bomba has functioned as a tool for healing, resistance, storytelling, and community connection. Historically, Bomba gatherings marked important communal milestones—births, birthdays, marriages, rites of passage, labor, and mourning—creating space to affirm life and strengthen bonds. This birthday-themed gathering taking place on another island draws from that lineage while offering a contemporary, culturally affirming space for Boston’s diverse communities to experience an AfroIndigenous–Puerto Rican tradition in an accessible and welcoming environment on one of our Harbor Islands. This event welcomes all ages and backgrounds.
This event was made possible in part by the support of La Sala in Nubian Square and by the Innovation Harbor Grant Program, which aims to empower and invest in local groups and organizations by supporting events and programs on the Boston Harbor Islands and Boston Harborwalk. To learn more, visit
LIVE MUSIC! FREE! ALL AGES!
Your FREE ticket(s) include(s):
- Guided group stretch with live Bomba music
- Oceanfront birthday celebration for September bdays!
- Live Bomba Music by BOMBAntillana
- Open bombazo (bring a drum if you have one!)
- Ocean and ancestry inspired art-making
- A community altar honoring our ancestors
- Swim/hike/walk/explore the island together
- Ferry rides for all ages on Sept 6th to/from Spectacle Island
Check in time is 12:00pm & the Ferry leaves promptly at 12:30pm to Spectacle Island from Long Wharf.
Return to Long Wharf on the 5:30pm ferry (requests to depart on the 3:30pm ferry back to Long Wharf available)
Please note if planning to swin: NO LIFEGUARDS ON DUTY - PLEASE BRING FLOATING DEVICES &/or LIFE JACKETS IF NEEDED (for yourself and/or your kids)
LIMITED FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE BY RESERVATION ONLY!
Reserve yours today!
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
