Picture a lobster bake under a tent at Lynch Park where 90% of the trash never sees a landfill. A LEGO model of four centuries of city history, built by a guy from Beverly. A long-hidden time capsule cracked open in Beverly Cove, and a wall of names from Vietnam standing on a high school lawn.
That’s Beverly Homecoming 2026 — fifteen days, the 61st one, and this year it’s carrying Beverly’s 400th birthday right along with it. Learn more about the year-long Beverly 400+ celebration here.
Here’s everything happening — plus the thing about Beverly’s 400th that ties it straight to Salem’s.
When is Beverly Homecoming 2026, and what does it cost?
Mark your calendars. Beverly Homecoming runs Sunday, July 26 through Sunday, August 9, 2026. That’s the 61st annual Homecoming. This year it’s doing double duty as the summer centerpiece of Beverly 400+, marking 400 years since the city’s 1626 settlement.
Most of it is free. Lynch Park, 55 Ober Street, is home base for the big ones. That means LobsterFest, the concert series, Tiny Tots Day, the movie nights, and the fireworks that close everything out.
Parking is the one thing to plan around. Lynch Park charges non-Beverly residents $15 on weekdays, $25 on weekends and holidays, and $5 for seniors and active military on weekdays. Beverly residents park free. One big exception: no parking fee at all on Wednesday, August 5 — that’s LobsterFest day, also known as the Annual David S. Lynch Appreciation Day. The whole run wraps Sunday, August 9 with fireworks over Mackerel Cove at 8:30 p.m.
What is Beverly Homecoming, and why is 2026 different?
Beverly Homecoming was built to bring people home. That’s not marketing — that’s literally the origin.
The city ran an Old Home Week from 1902 to 1958. Then in 1965, the Chamber of Commerce put together a committee to revive the idea, taking a cue from Newburyport’s Yankee Homecoming. The first Beverly Homecoming followed in 1966. Sixty-one years later, here we are.
Part of the original point was welcoming veterans home, and that thread still runs right through the schedule. This year opens with the traveling Vietnam Wall at Beverly High School and an entire day on August 1 built around honoring veterans.
What’s different in 2026 is Beverly 400+. The city is marking four hundred years since settlement. Here’s the smart part: the anniversary programming got folded straight into Homecoming instead of running alongside it. So a LEGO exhibition, a citywide scavenger hunt, a first-ever Garden Party, and a youth center ribbon-cutting all share a calendar with a lobster bake.
Mayor Mike Cahill hosts a Mayor’s Reception on Sunday, August 2 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Lynch Park Carriage House, specifically to thank the volunteers who make this thing run. Everyone’s welcome.
Beverly Homecoming Week One: July 26 – August 2
Sunday, July 26 — The Beverly 400+ Scavenger Hunt is live through July 28. Themed passports send you around the city chasing art, food, and history — solo or as a team, with a grand prize at the end. Also today: the Beverly Cove Time Capsule Reveal, 1:00–5:00 p.m. at the Cove Community Center, 19 East Corning Street, where the Beverly Cove Improvement Association opens a long-hidden capsule and shows off what’s inside.
Monday, July 27 — The McPherson Youth Center opens, 3:00–7:00 p.m. at 4 McPherson Drive. Ribbon cutting, live teen performances, free food, basketball, a community mural project, a youth time capsule, and tours of the new building. Free. Later, the Greater Beverly YMCA Summer Yoga Series runs free at Lynch Park at 6:30 p.m. Bring your own mat.
Tuesday, July 28 — Tours of the First Parish Church, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. That yellow church at Cabot and Essex is older than the city itself. Church historian Charlie Wainwright walks you through its role in Puritanism, the witch trials, and the Revolution. He’ll also show you the pew a sitting U.S. President once had designated for him. Then the Balch House opens for tours, roughly noon to 4:00 p.m., at 448 Cabot Street. The Balch family settled that property in 1636, and the oldest standing piece of the house dates to 1679.
Wednesday, July 29 — The Vietnam Wall arrives at Beverly High School, 100 Sohier Road, and stays through August 2. Elsewhere: Music & Movement with CFCE of the North Shore at the Farms Branch Library, and a Tie Dye Drop-In on the Beverly Common. Later, Flash Fitness in the Park runs free at Lynch Park at 6:30 p.m. Then Women’s Pickup Basketball takes over Balch Playground, 7:00–8:30 p.m., 18+.
Thursday, July 30 — Vietnam Wall Opening Ceremonies, 5:00 p.m. at Beverly High School. Then the Honey Steelers take the Beverly Common gazebo, 6:00–8:00 p.m. — Lowell Americana with cowboy swing and country rock in it. Inner Cycle’s Homecoming Hustle at the Half Shell brings a 45-minute all-ages workout to Lynch Park at 6:00 p.m. And Historic Beverly runs the Old Planters Path Walking Tour at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, July 31 — The Homecoming Tennis Tournament opens at Beverly Golf & Tennis Club and runs through August 2; registration goes through Bass River Tennis Club. The North Shore Concert Band plays Beverly High School, 6:00–7:30 p.m., under conductor David Benjamin. It’s free, and it honors Vietnam veterans. Also today: a Jelly Bean Taste Test for teens at the Main Library, because Homecoming contains multitudes.
Saturday, August 1 — Celebrating Veterans at Beverly High School. The whole day is built around it:
- Celebrating Veterans Family Fun Day, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
- Horses Healing Hearts, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. — equine-assisted therapy for veterans and first responders
- Veterans Car Show, 2:00–6:00 p.m.
- Beverly Veterans BBQ, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
- Ricky Lee in concert, 7:00–8:30 p.m.
Elsewhere that day: Open Farm Day at the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, 733 Cabot Street, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Food truck, local produce, free kids’ activities, and guided farm tours at historic Moraine Farm. Then in the afternoon, the Hastings House PorchFeast Pig Roast Block Party runs 4:00–8:00 p.m. Live music from Good Stuff, plus a 21+ cash bar. Tickets at hastingshouse.org or the door.
Sunday, August 2 — Vietnam Wall Closing Ceremony at 10:00 a.m. Then the Mayor’s Reception, 4:00–6:00 p.m. at the Lynch Park Carriage House. Same hour, the Cabot Theater History Exhibit Opening Reception opens free at the Bower Building, 248 Cabot Street. Expect 1960s-style neon marquee letters, century-old movie posters, and Le Grand David memorabilia. There’s a short history talk at 5:00. Afterward, Nate Perry & Ragged Co. play Lynch Park, 6:00–8:00 p.m., followed by The Devil Wears Prada on the lawn at 8:30.
Beverly Homecoming week two: August 3 – August 9
Monday, August 3 — Free YMCA yoga at Lynch Park, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, August 4 — Hale Farm opens for guided tours in the afternoon with Historic Beverly. Also today: Makers Day at the Farms Branch Library, 1:00–4:00 p.m., and a teen Downtown Clean Up, 3:30–5:00 p.m.
Then the 2026 Lip Sync Extravaganza hits Lynch Park, 5:30–8:30 p.m. Every BevRec park and camp performs, and ACME SR is defending its Grand Prize. Meanwhile, The Cabot hosts a free family movie — doors 5:30, film 6:30. And Let’s Craft: Bad Art Night runs at the Main Library at 7:00 p.m., ages 16+, where talent is explicitly optional.
Wednesday, August 5 — LobsterFest. No parking fee today.
This is the big one. LobsterFest runs 12:00–8:00 p.m. at Lynch Park — traditional lobster bake, chowder, chicken, picnic tables under the tent. Local businesses and nonprofits set up around the park. Cash and cards both work. Check beverlyhomecoming.org the day before for that day’s lobster price.
The free parking comes courtesy of the Annual David S. Lynch Appreciation Day, which shares the date and runs 12:00–6:00 p.m. Call Beverly Recreation at 978-921-6067 for details.
One detail worth pausing on. With help from Beverly’s Waste Reduction Committee, roughly 90% of the trash from this event gets diverted from the waste stream. Look for the composting and recycling stations under the tent. For a festival feeding this many people, that number is genuinely impressive.
The music runs all day:
- The Gemstones, 12:00–2:00 p.m. — four brothers playing 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, and swing
- Kids Dance & Sing Along with Ariel, 1:30 p.m., then the Spirit of LobsterFest Costume Contest at 2:00 (sign up at the Homecoming table by the food line by 2:00)
- Birds Eye View, 3:00–5:00 p.m. — jazz guitar meets modern indie pop
- Beer Garden, 4:00–8:00 p.m., 21+, with the East Regiment Beer Company tap truck. Space is limited, so go early. A portion of proceeds goes right back to Beverly Homecoming.
- Judes & The Hutch in the beer garden — a Salem and Beverly acoustic duo who dropped their debut album Peckish in April 2026
- 12 Barz Band, 6:00–8:00 p.m., closing it out
Thursday, August 6 — Senior Day in the Park, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. under the big tent at Lynch Park. Vendor fair, DJ, lunch, door prizes, the Senior of the Year award, and the annual Brad Gaige Ice Cream Social served by the Beverly Rotary Club. Tickets are $13 for anyone 60+, sold in advance at the Beverly Senior Center, 90 Colon Street — a limited number go on sale the day of. Call 978-921-6017.
Also today: Little League Invitational Tournament of Champions semi-finals at the Harry Ball Complex, 410 Essex Street, 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Music with Dara at the Beverly Farms Library, 10:30–11:15 a.m. Concert on the Common: 2 of Us, 6:00–8:00 p.m. — a Beatles tribute at the gazebo. Historic Beverly runs the Conant Street & Second Parish Walking Tour at 6:30 p.m. And the Greater Beverly YMCA Homecoming 5K goes off at 6:30 p.m. from Lynch Park on a flat oceanside course.
Friday, August 7 — BevRec Carnival at Lynch Park, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Bring cash for game tickets. Little League finals at noon. The Homecoming Bike Bus rolls at 3:45 p.m., followed by the Bicycle Safety Rodeo, 4:00–6:00 p.m. — free helmets, bike inspections, and a safety course in the Lynch Park lot, run by the Beverly Kiwanis and Beverly Police.
Then: Family Pictures in the Park, 5:00–7:00 p.m., free 15-minute sessions in the Rose Garden with Erinn Kiley Photography. The Ice Cream Social runs 5:30–7:30 p.m. with State Representative Hannah Bowen — $5 adults, $3 kids and seniors, proceeds to the fireworks. And The Advocates close the night at 7:00 p.m. This big band is six decades deep, 19 musicians strong, and still has an original member on the roster.
Saturday, August 8 — Family Fun Day at Clay Dreaming Pottery Studios, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., 186 Cabot Street, half-price studio fees. Next, Hospital Point Lighthouse tours run 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. That’s a working Coast Guard station normally closed to the public, so this one’s rare.
Meanwhile, the Beverly 400+ Garden Party takes over Beverly Common, 12:00–5:00 p.m. First one ever. Food, entertainment, art installations, local vendors, and a Champagne Chateau for the adults. Garden party attire strongly encouraged.
Also today: Tiny Tots Day, 1:00–4:00 p.m., ages 1–5. The All Ages Knockout Basketball Tournament, 4:00–5:00 p.m. at Balch Playground — pre-register at bevrec.com. Family Pictures in the Park again, 4:00–7:00 p.m. Then Big Ol’ Dirty Bucket, 6:00–8:00 p.m., a 10-piece Boston funk powerhouse. And Top Gun: Maverick on the lawn at 8:30.
Sunday, August 9 — the finale.
- Beverly Multifaith Coalition service at Lynch Park, 10:00 a.m.
- BHS Alumni Breakfast, 10:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m. at Danversport Waterfront, honoring the class of 1976
- The Bordellos, 12:30–2:30 p.m. — Americana and outlaw country
- Cardboard Boat Race for Kids, 3:00 p.m. at Lynch Beach. Build a boat out of cardboard, launch it, find out how long you stay afloat.
- Express, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
- Horizon & The Horns, 6:30–8:30 p.m. — a 7-piece led by Ray and Kelly Novack
- Fireworks at dusk, 8:30 p.m., over Mackerel Cove off Lynch Beach. You can catch them from Dane Street Beach and Independence Park too — or from the water, if you’ve got a boat.
One weekend, two 400ths: why Beverly and Salem are celebrating at the same time
Almost nobody is saying this out loud.
Beverly and Salem are both turning 400 this summer because they used to be the same town.
Roger Conant and the Dorchester Company came down from Cape Ann in 1626 and settled at Naumkeag. That settlement became Salem. Meanwhile the land across the water — then called Bass River — stayed part of Salem for the next forty-two years. Then, on October 14, 1668, Bass River was set off as its own town and named Beverly, after Beverley in Yorkshire.
One landing party. Two cities. Four hundred years later, both throwing a party in overlapping weeks — Salem’s runs August 1 through 9, entirely inside Beverly’s.
Look closely at the programming, and you’ll spot it.
Both cities are racing cardboard boats. Beverly’s kids’ race hits Lynch Beach on August 9. Salem’s Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta runs at Derby Wharf on August 1. Two cities, two fleets of cardboard, bookending the same stretch — with no coordination between them whatsoever.
And the same band is anchoring both weeks. The North Shore Concert Band, led by David Benjamin, plays Beverly High School on July 31 and the Salem Willows on August 4. They’re Salem-based and both dates are on their regular calendar — but that’s what makes it so cool. The same 32 musicians are helping two cities celebrate 400 years.
If you’re in Beverly, these four Salem events are worth the fifteen-minute drive:
- Salem 400+ Heritage Days Parade — Saturday, August 1, 10:00 a.m., from Salem State’s O’Keefe Center down Lafayette and Derby to Derby Wharf. First one in over 30 years, organized as a chronological walk through four centuries.
- Pride of Baltimore II deck tours — free, Saturday, August 1 (11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.) and Sunday, August 2 (9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) at Salem Maritime National Historical Park. A 1988 reproduction Baltimore Clipper, and you can walk her deck.
- The Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta — Saturday, August 1, 1:00–3:00 p.m. Watch from Derby Wharf. Some float, some don’t.
- Fusion Fest at the Gables — Sunday, August 2 at the House of the Seven Gables. Fourth annual, celebrating the cultures that built modern Salem.
Full details are in our Salem Heritage Days 2026 schedule and guide.
Frequently asked questions
When is Beverly Homecoming 2026?
Beverly Homecoming runs Sunday, July 26 through Sunday, August 9, 2026. It’s the 61st annual Homecoming and doubles as the summer centerpiece of Beverly 400+. The week closes with fireworks over Mackerel Cove at 8:30 p.m. on August 9.
When is Beverly LobsterFest 2026?
LobsterFest is Wednesday, August 5, from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Lynch Park. Traditional lobster bake, chowder, and chicken, with live music all day and a beer garden from 4:00 p.m. Parking at Lynch Park is free that day.
Do you have to pay to park at Lynch Park during Homecoming?
Beverly residents park free. Non-residents pay $15 on weekdays and $25 on weekends and holidays; seniors and active military pay $5 on weekdays. The exception is Wednesday, August 5 — LobsterFest day — when there’s no parking fee for anyone.
What time are the Beverly Homecoming fireworks?
The fireworks start at dusk, around 8:30 p.m., on Sunday, August 9. They launch over Mackerel Cove off Lynch Beach and can be seen from Dane Street Beach and Independence Park as well as from the water.
Is Beverly really turning 400 at the same time as Salem?
Yes, and for a reason. Beverly was settled in 1626 as part of Salem. It stayed part of Salem until October 14, 1668, when it was set off as its own town. Both cities count their founding from that same 1626 landing.
About the author: John Andrews is the Founder and President of Creative Collective, covering small business, arts, and community across Essex County. He’s spent nearly a decade producing and covering festivals across the North Shore — and he’ll be at LobsterFest on August 5 and the fireworks on August 9.
This story comes from the Creative Collective community — Essex County businesses who believe when we thrive together, our whole region becomes more vibrant. We’re entrepreneurs, creators, and service providers across all industries, collaborating to build the community we want to be part of. If you see your business as more than just commerce — as a way to contribute to our regional ecosystem — you belong here. Discover how to join our community
