Program begins at 11:30 a.m. with Procession from City Hall to Prospect Hill 

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Museum will kick off the New Year on Monday, January 1, 2024, with a ceremony for the anniversary of the “Grand Union” flag-raising ceremony at Prospect Hill Park. A processional will leave from the City Hall Concourse at 11:30 a.m., followed by a ceremony at Prospect Hill Park from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. As always, members of the public, including families with school children, are invited to participate, and to inspire authenticity, all are encouraged to wear what they consider to be traditional colonial clothing.  

The annual ceremony commemorates the raising of the nation’s first official flag, featuring thirteen red and white horizontal stripes, atop Prospect Hill on New Year’s Day, 1776. At the time, Prospect Hill was a key site in a string of fortifications created by Washington and the Continental Army in their siege of British troops in Boston during the first year of the American Revolution.  

The afternoon’s program will include songs to join in, and remarks by participants from the Charlestown and Rhode Island Militia, and the Ancient and Honorable Company (first chartered in 1638). His Majesty’s 10th Regiment of Foot will bring a disturbing message from King George III, as a commemorative flag is raised atop the Prospect Hill Tower. 

Light refreshments will be offered, as well as a few items highlighting the city’s historic assets for purchase from the Somerville Museum. Depending on the weather, the tower will be open briefly to the public following the ceremony.