Boston Pizza Festival This Weekend With Hot Slices, Cold Drinks And Big Fun

There is nothing like a fresh slice of hot pizza straight out of brick oven. There will be slices aplenty this weekend in the city welcomes us all to enjoy the Boston Pizza Festival.

Big news too, this year's Boston Pizza Festival is free to get in. Don't miss out on all the fun Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23. The times and location are provided for you, below.

Yes, there are delicious slices of pizza offered by many of Boston's best restaurants and chefs, but there is so much more! Water, soft drinks, lemonade will all be available. And those of age can enjoy some cold beer, wine and whiskey (sounds like a country song), among other indulgences. Sweet treats like ice cream and candy will also be offered.

This year the Boston Pizza Festival will offer FREE entry. You can get your pizza slice tickets throughout the weekend on site and online. Your QR code will be scanned for redemption at each stand. Each scan equals one slice. There is even a VIP add-on that gets you in the dedicated fast lane entrance, but that's not all. With the VIP ticket add-on you'll also get a commemorative Boston Pizza Festival pizza box and 2 free soft drink vouchers. (No slices are included in the VIP this is an ADD-ON)

Click HERE for tickets!

The Boston Pizza Festival is back at City Hall Plaza at Government Center this year. This is the biggest event of it's kind in New England. So, don't miss the Boston Pizza Festival this weekend, June 22 and 23 from 11am- 6 pm.

Here's the address:
City Hall Plaza
1 City Hall Square, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02201-2013

It's highly recommended you take public transportation. Take the T to Government Center or Haymarket.

Government Center Garage
0.2 miles away from City Hall Plaza
50 New Sudbury Street
Boston, MA 02114
http://www.governmentcentergarage.com/

Center Plaza Garage
0.4 miles away from City Hall Plaza
1 Center Plaza
75 Somerset Street
Boston, MA 02108
http://www.centerplazagarage.com/

According to The Boston Calendar, this is a big event with over 30 of the New England's best pizzerias participating. Plus, there will be a few select pizzerias from Italy! There really is something for everyone, including gluten free and vegan choices. Every one of the restaurants involved with be cooking in a Marra Forni artisan pizza oven.

Enjoy live music, a kids pizza tossing game area, pizza making demos and more!

It's not just a summer treat anymore. New Englanders seemed to be obsessed by ice cream, or is it just me? Nah. We all scream for ice cream and here you'll find the cream of the crop ice cream shops in Boston and slightly beyond.

In a recent article from Time Out Boston, they named their top 16 favorite frozen treat haunts. They named these ice cream shops in Boston as "amazing." Stating their choices range from adventurous to traditional, these are the places impressed the online local entertainment and news publication. They cover everything from theater to restaurant, activities, movies, events, shopping and must-see attractions.

In the list below, you'll discover a few sweet spots that score points for their creativity in concocting unique combinations. Meanwhile, a few others take the traditional flavors of days gone by and meld them into modern offerings. Here, I'll dig into 5 of the 10 listed.

In your wildest dreams, could you come up with an ice cream flavor that tastes of Guinness and cornbread? How about mango habanero? These are the things dreams are made of. These are just a few of the creations floating around ice cream shops in Boston.

If you are an ice cream purist, there's always a home for you. And you will find it here as well. It's funny, I have a friend who owns a homemade ice cream shop on the Cape, and she tells me people are always sharing their ice cream dreams with her. They love to suggest flavors, when in fact they top seller year after year is generally vanilla.

Perhaps man cannot live on ice cream alone. In that case, you may want to try one of our fabulous bakeries for your sweet tooth fix. Did you know Boston was recently named a top city for bakeries in the United States?

Yes, we love ours frozen treats year round, but is there anything better than a spoonful of cold, sweet creamy dessert slithering its way from your tongue to your tummy? Spoons up, Boston! And cheers to these fabulous and flavorful ice cream shops in Boston.

(Let me know if you have a favorite)

Locations: Union Square in Somerville and Kendall Square in Cambridge

Gracie's Ice Cream boasts some truly unique flavors. Above, I mentioned the Guinness and Honey Cornbread. You can always expect the unexpected here and you may want to enjoy your frozen concoction on their toasted Fluff cone. At least I would! You can also take ice cream making classes here. Oh, and they post their flavors daily. Here's one that caught my attention: "800 Hearts of Fury" (cinnamon ice cream with 800 cinnamon hearts. Yes, please.

Locations: 159 First St. East Cambridge and 899 Main Street

Cambridge Toscanini's is the OG of flavor-buster ice cream shops. They've been around, making incredibly adventurous flavors since 1981. I'm currently salivating over this flavor: "B3" (brownies, brown sugar, brown butter) and salty caramel. But I wouldn't say no to maple either.  

Location: 1702 Mass. Ave, Cambridge

At Honeycomb Creamery,  they think outside the cup. I mean, you can indulge in a new summer flavor of "gin and tonic sorbet!" Their small batch craft ice cream is made from scratch and locally sourced. There are always vegan options. And with flavors like Banana Rum Caramel and Cold Brew Coffee Chip, everyone is going home happy and feeling fearless.  

Location: 659 Centre St. Jamaica Plain (and many other locations you'll find HERE) 

JP Licks served it's first homemade ice cream in 1981 in Jamaica Plain. They became so popular, new stores popped up year after year. Now, with 17 locations in the Greater Boston area, JP Licks gives you the traditional flavors, along side some very unusual like Noodle Kugel and Fruity Pebbles Cereal Milk. Plus, they dabble in much more than ice cream, like cakes, pies and coffee. They set the gold standard for future small chain ice cream shops. 

Location: 743 Washington St. Newton

Cabot's Ice Cream has been a popular Newton attraction since 1969. Cabot's is a family owned and operated old-fashioned ice cream parlor and restaurant. They are famous for their generous portions of award winning ice cream and frozen yogurts. It's like stepping back in time when you go into Cabot's.  And there's no lack of interesting and traditional choices with 70 different flavors and a variety of over 35 different toppings! My favorite is Almond Joy, but I think you'll also love their Cinnamon Apple Crisp, Ginger Bread Cookie and Maine Black Bear.