MAYOR WU AND BOSTON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT CELEBRATE IMPROVEMENTS TO HARAMBEE PARK CRICKET FIELDS

MAYOR WU AND BOSTON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT CELEBRATE IMPROVEMENTS TO HARAMBEE PARK CRICKET FIELDS

BOSTON – Thursday, August 14, 2025 – Mayor Michelle Wu joined Interim Boston Parks Commissioner Cathy Baker-Eclipse, Caricom and Conway Cricket Clubs, elected officials, and residents to cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Harambee Park cricket fields. The celebration marks a $2.4 million investment including two cricket fields—one competition field with lighting, one practice field—bleacher seating, pathways and pedestrian lighting. “Transforming our city parks into engaging, community spaces has been a powerful driver in creating vibrant connections and welcoming spaces for everyone to enjoy,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Harambee Park has long been a space for all communities to come together and I'm grateful to continue to witness it thrive.” The new cricket competition and practice fields mark the completion of Phase 4 improvements at Harambee Park, a major milestone in the City of Boston’s decade-long investment in this multi-use community space. Since 2018, the City has committed more than $13 million to phased upgrades at the park, including a $4.1 million project for a new playground, basketball courts, lighting, and pathways; $3.9 million for multipurpose fields, an amphitheater space, and additional lighting in 2020; and $3.15 million in 2022 to enhance the football field, add fitness equipment, improve lighting, and more. "When we create spaces like this for our city's cricket players, it shows we're committed to ensuring all of our Boston athletes - no matter the sport - have a place to play in the city," said City Councilor, Brian Worrell. "Our Caribbean community's talents are on display daily in Boston, but their strength knows no boundaries on the cricket pitch in Harambee Park." Harambee Park, formerly called Franklin Field, is an active recreation park with 45 acres of fields for a variety of sports. Originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1889 to provide dedicated space for recreation, cricket has been a mainstay of Harambee Park for over a hundred years.

Playing cricket at Franklin Field [ca. 1905]. Photo: Boston Pictorial Archive “Harambee Park has been home to cricket for over a century, and today we’re proud to carry that tradition forward with the completion of these brand-new competition and practice fields,” said Cathy Baker-Eclipse. “We’re grateful to our community partners, especially the Conway Cricket Club and Caricom Cricket Club, for their advocacy and guidance throughout this project.”  The $2.4 million project included $170,000 for design and $2,230,000 for construction, funded through the City’s five-year Capital Plan. Design work was led by Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc., and construction was completed by Fleming Brothers, Inc. The design and development of Harambee Park cricket fields were driven by community feedback collected during several public meetings beginning in the fall of 2022. In partnership with local cricket teams – including the Caricom and Conway Cricket Clubs – sight screens, a concrete warm-up area, scoreboards, and a cricket boundary rope were incorporated into the final design.   "Cricket is more than a game;” said Kevin Fagan of Caricom Cricket Club, “It's a classroom where young minds learn discipline, patience, and the courage to rise after every fall.