More than 30,000 runners are set to descend on Massachusetts for the Boston Marathon 2026, a 130th running of the race scheduled for April 20, 2026. The field is expected to include entrants from all 50 states, underscoring the scale of a marathon that remains one of the biggest single-day sporting events in the country.
The race starts in Hopkinton and finishes in Boston after moving through eight Massachusetts communities, including Framingham and Wellesley. Because of that route, streets and roadways that comprise and abut the marathon course will be closed to vehicular traffic on race day, and drivers will not be able to park near the Boston finish line because of closed roads and traffic congestion concerns.
In Hopkinton, Main Street, Ash Street, Park Street and Hayden Rowe are set to close at 6:30 a.m. on April 20, while other roads leading into downtown Hopkinton are scheduled to close at 7 a.m. The town’s early shutdowns show how quickly the marathon changes daily life along the course, long before the lead runners reach Boston.
The Boston Athletic Association said parking will also be restricted on multiple streets in Boston during the marathon and in the leadup to it. It suggested the 100 Clarendon garage, the parking garage at 100 Huntington Ave., the Copley Place parking garage at 2 Copley Place and the Boston Common Garage on Charles Street as options, though the Boston Common Garage is closed the morning of the marathon.
The pattern is familiar for Patriots’ Day, when the race turns the region into a moving block of closures, detours and crowds. For runners and spectators, the next date that matters is April 20; for anyone driving into Boston or Hopkinton, the practical question is where to leave the car before the streets shut down.
