Old South Meeting House And The New Boston Tea Party Ships(SM) & Museum Present: The 239th Anniversary Boston Tea Party Annual Reenactment

WHAT:

The Boston Tea Party comes alive this December!  It's December 16^th, 1773 and trouble is brewing in Boston.  Presented by Boston's famed Old South Meeting House and the new Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, the 239^th Anniversary Boston Tea Party Annual Reenactment is an opportunity for the public to join-in on one of Boston's most iconic public protests.  Reenactors from across New England will tell the story of the Boston Tea Party and dramatize the evening of December 16, 1773 which sparked the American Revolution.  The evening will consist of three parts, as it did 239 years ago, starting at the Old South Meeting House, followed by a procession to Boston Harbor and ending with a reenactment of the destruction of the tea into Boston Harbor.

WHEN:

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2012

4:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.

TIMELINE:

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
The Meeting of the Body of the People – TICKETED EVENT (includes access to the reserved viewing area along Boston Harbor for the destruction of the tea)
Old South Meeting House - 310 Washington Street, Boston, MA
Ticket holders join an authentic, spirited and theatrical colonial meeting at Old South Meeting House to protest the colonial tax on tea, just as unprecedented numbers of colonists gathered in this very building 239 years ago. Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere and other Patriot leaders join in a fiery debate with crown-loving Loyalists in this final attempt to peaceably resolve the crisis as the deadline to pay the tax approaches.  Visitors are encouraged to join the debate letting their voices be heard and joining in the vote in the very place where Liberty found her allies!

5:15 – 5:45 p.m.
Huzzah for Griffin's Wharf! – OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC
Procession to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum - Milk Street to Congress Street to Pearl Street
Led by fife and drums, the public is invited to march from the Old South Meeting House to Boston Harbor where Griffin's Wharf once stood with the Sons of Liberty and reenactors along the same route these Patriots walked to Boston Harbor to destroy the tea! Along the way, more colonist reenactors with join the procession.

5:45 – 6:45 p.m.
Boston Harbor, a Tea Pot Tonight! – OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC (Ticket holders have access to a reserved viewing area on the Harborwalk)
Destruction of the Tea at the new Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum - 306 Congress St. on the Congress Street Bridge, Boston, MA
The public is invited along with the reenactors to line the shores of Boston Harbor and watch as the Sons of Liberty storm aboard the Brig Beaver and destroy chest after chest of East India tea, just as colonists did 239 years before. When the Sons of Liberty arrive, they have an exchange with a Customs Officer and Captain Coffin, the captain of the Brig Beaver, before boarding the ship, open the hold and hoist tea chests on deck. Tea chests are broken open and the contents spilled into Boston Harbor. Viewers are encouraged to yell "Huzzah" as each chest is dumped into Boston Harbor as they witness the dramatic conclusion of the single most important event leading up to the American Revolution. This fully-narrated program lasts about 50 minutes.

TICKETS:

$15/person General Admission tickets through December 16 available.

To purchase tickets go to: www.brownpapertickets.com or call (800) 838-3006.

Tickets include admission to the Meeting of the Body of the People at Old South Meeting House, access to an exclusive reserved viewing area on the Harborwalk for the Destruction of the Tea and an exclusive Souvenir Pin. Ticket proceeds go to the preservation of Old South Meeting House.

HOTEL:

The luxury 424-room InterContinental Boston, located adjacent to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum overlooking Boston's historic waterfront and museum, is offering rooms from only $219.00 for the night of December 16, 2012.  To book, call 877-747-BOSTON or visit www.intercontinentalboston.com.

MEDIA
CONTACTS:

Stephanie Loeber

Robin DeBlosi

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

Old South Meeting House

Ph: 617-510-0577

Ph: 617-482-6439 ext. 15

E-mail:  [email protected] 

E-mail: [email protected]