Mayor Menino, Sun Life Financial and the Boston Red Sox Partner to Sponsor Free Public Skating During Sun Life Frozen Fenway 2012

Thousands of Boston kids and families to skate at Fenway as part of City's Inaugural celebrations

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, in partnership with the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Management announced today that thousands of children and families in the City of Boston will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to skate on the ice at Fenway Park.

City of Boston residents will be able to skate for free at Fenway on Sunday, January 1 and Monday, January 16 from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. As part of the Sun Life Frozen Fenway 2012 celebrations, the City of Boston will give away close to 3,600 tickets to the free skate days at various locations throughout the city on Saturday, December 17, from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM.

Other events in the Frozen Fenway 2012 celebrations include eight high school hockey games featuring both East Boston High School, Boston Latin Academy, Catholic Memorial and Boston College High School, as well as six college hockey games with teams from the New England and Boston area.

"The Bruins' continued success has revived Boston's hockey heart, and skating on the rink at historic Fenway Park is going to be a fantastic way for thousands of kids and families to ring in the New Year,” Mayor Menino said. “I'm proud that the City has been able to partner with the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Sports Management and Sun Life Financial to bring this one-of-a-kind spectacle to Boston. There's no better city than ours to host an event like this and I encourage residents to take full advantage of all the free and fun festivities surrounding the events.”

Guests enjoying Frozen Fenway will need to provide their own ice skates for these events, as skate rentals will not be available at Fenway.

In an effort to provide children and families from every neighborhood the opportunity to enjoy the free skate at Fenway Park, tickets will be distributed at various locations throughout the City on Saturday, December 17. Each ticket distribution location will give away tickets on a first-come, first-served basis, with a maximum of four tickets per family. Tickets will indicate the date and time that guests will be allowed to skate. As this is an event for City of Boston residents, proof of residency will be required to secure tickets. Minors will need to have either proof of residency or a parent or guardian present that can provide proof of residency in order to get tickets. In the event that there are extra tickets, the City will create a waiting list to distribute the remaining tickets.

“As a local company, Sun Life Financial is committed to the greater Boston community,” said Wes Thompson, President, Sun Life Financial U.S. “We're happy to be supporting the City of Boston and Mayor Thomas M. Menino's public skating events as part of Sun Life Frozen Fenway.”

Tickets for the January 1 and January 16 free skates will only be distributed at the locations listed below on December 17 between 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. Residents that wait in line and do not receive tickets will be entered into a lottery for a small amount of extra tickets generously made available by the Boston Red Sox.

Ticket Distribution Locations

Location Address Boston Public Library – Copley Square Main Branch 700 Boylston Street, Copley Square BCYF Quincy Community Center 885 Washington Street, Chinatown BCYF Blackstone Community Center 50 West Brookline Street, South End BCYF Charlestown Community Center 255 Medford Street, Charlestown BCYF Paris Street Community Center 112 Paris St., East Boston BCYF Jackson/Mann Community Center Gym: 40 Armington Street, Allston BCYF Nazzaro Community Center 30 N. Bennet Street, North End BCYF Tobin Community Center 1481 Tremont Street, Roxbury BCYF Vine Street Community Center 339 Dudley Street, Roxbury BCYF Hyde Park Community Center 1179 River Street, Hyde Park BCYF Curley Community Center 1663 Columbia Road, South Boston BCYF Mildred Avenue Community Center 1-5 Mildred Avenue, Mattapan BCYF Leahy-Holloran Community Center 1 Worrell Street, Dorchester BCYF Curtis Hall Community Center 20 South Street, Jamaica Plain BCYF Roslindale Community Center 6 Cummins Highway, Roslindale BCYF Roche Family Community Center 1716 Centre Street, West Roxbury

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