Canal Street to close to vehicular traffic for Bruins and Celtics home playoff game

Mayor Michelle Wu, in partnership with Downtown North Association, today announced the return of the Boston Playoff Hub on Canal Street, creating a car-free zone for fans to gather before and during home playoff games at TD Garden. Starting with the first Celtics playoffs home game on Saturday, April 15, approved restaurants and bars will be able to extend their outdoor patios onto the sidewalk on Canal Street. The return of this pedestrian zone builds on Mayor Wu’s commitment to reimagining Boston’s streets and transforming public space in a way that’s enjoyable for residents, small business owners, and visitors.

With both the Bruins and the Celtics in the playoffs this year, we’re excited to give Boston fans a space to safely gather, cheer on their favorite teams, and support our local businesses,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “I’m grateful to our partners for teaming up with the City to bring back the Playoff Hub, creating a fun experience for our hockey and basketball fans.”

The Playoff Hub will be free and open to the public, providing more space for Boston residents to gather outdoors and celebrate our home teams. Canal Street will be closed from three hours before the start of game time, to one hour after the game ends. Extended patios can open three hours before the start of the game and must close an hour after the start of the game. Parking regulations will be posted ahead of the first Celtics playoff game on Saturday, April 15. Vehicles in violation of posted regulations will be towed. 

“Boston’s streets belong to everyone,” said Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Chief of Streets. “The Playoff Hub will help reimagine Canal Street during playoff games, creating a unique, vibrant experience for residents and visitors to enjoy.” 

“This is a great opportunity to activate the space on Canal Street and create a vibrant experience for everyone to enjoy,” said Segun Idowu, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. “This also serves as an opportunity to support the local businesses in the area during this very exciting time for Boston sports.”

“It’s been an amazing season and we are so excited that TD Garden is one of just a few arenas in the country to have both teams headed to the playoffs,” said Amy Latimer, president of TD Garden.  “Thanks to the great partnership with Mayor Wu, City of Boston and Downtown North Association for extending the Playoff Hub beyond TD Garden and The Hub on Causeway.”

"The Downtown North Association is thrilled to see the return of Canal Street as the Playoff Hub. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome Bruins and Celtics fans to the area to create a festive atmosphere,” said Jay Walsh, Director of the Downtown North Association. “We are grateful to Mayor Wu and our members and look forward to cheering the teams to cap their historic seasons with championships."

This announcement builds on Mayor Wu’s commitment to reimagine how Boston streets work for residents and visitors and how reconfiguring public spaces can foster community. In January, the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) announced findings from the Copley Connect pilot in summer of 2022. Following the success of the pilot, transportation planners with the BPDA and BTD intend to study permanent improvements to Dartmouth Street between the Boston Public Library and Copley Square Park that would improve the public realm between three of Boston's most iconic civic spaces and formally unify Copley Square. Additionally, the Boston Transportation Department will be announcing more Open Streets events in the coming months following the success of last year’s events creating more than a mile of car-free space in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Dorchester. 

The first Celtics playoff game is Saturday, April 15. The Bruins will continue their record-breaking season to the playoffs on dates to be announced by the NHL.