BOSTON – The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) today announced results of The Lawn On D Powered by Citizens Bank’s 2018 season. In its fifth anniversary season, Boston’s most innovative outdoor space welcomed more than a quarter million visitors and garnered several awards and accolades including “2018 Best Place to Feel Like a Kid” by The Improper Bostonian, “Insanely Innovative Meeting Space” by PCMA Convene, and “Best Outdoor Play Space” by Winnie. The Lawn On D continued to be a popular venue for private events and remained financially self-sustaining with $1.62 million in revenues.

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) continued investing in public and community-focused programming including monthly special family events, pop-up activities, and live performances by some of Boston’s best bands and DJs.  Among the most popular offerings were Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Lawn of Champions, Summer Block Party, Jaws On D, Flannel Friday, and Guinness OysterFest. The final special family event of the season, Pumpkin Palooza (scheduled to take place over two days at the end of October and expected to attract a crowd of over 17,000 people) was cancelled due to inclement weather. However, all was not lost as the MCCA created a pumpkin patch in the Signature Pavilion and more than 2,500 pumpkins were given away to people in the community, as well as several schools and non-profit organizations.

In its 2018 season, The Lawn On D also launched a weekly movie series featuring blockbusters like Black Panther and Jurassic Park, and continued collaborating with local fitness studios like Rev’d Indoor Cycling, SweatFixx, and BKBX to bring free fitness events to the South Boston Waterfront. Boston Herald Radio also returned for its third year with a wide variety of shows broadcast live from The Lawn On D on Fridays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Another new addition this season was ALT 92.9’s SoundStage event series which showcased some of the best acoustic solo artists, duos, and bands in the city.  

This year, the MCCA partnered with the Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) to bring youth camps and community centers from all over Boston to The Lawn On D for Monday Fun-days. Every Monday in July and August hundreds of kids from dozens of community centers traveled to The Lawn On D to enjoy games and interactive programming courtesy of community partners like Animal Adventures, the Museum of Science, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the New England Aquarium.

“A highlight of season five at the Lawn On D was our expanded community programming,” said David Gibbons, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. “We have a wonderful partnership with the Boston Center for Youth & Families and welcomed 2,500 campers, staff and senior citizens to The Lawn On D in addition to our weekend community programming and we’re looking forward to building on this success next year.”

Partnership with Citizens Bank

The Lawn On D’s title sponsor, Citizens Bank, continued its Bankers On D ambassador program. On weekends, the Bankers On D provided information to visitors about the latest events happening at The Lawn On D, offered special giveaways and activities, and hosted weekly cornhole tournaments with prizes for the winners.

In addition, Citizens Bank co-hosted the Lawn Of Champions special event in June and brought twelve of their community partners who provided a variety of fun activities, exhibits, and entertainment for kids and families.

”We were once again thrilled to be the title sponsor of The Lawn On D, which continues to be an innovative space for the community to gather and relax,” said Jerry Sargent, President of Citizens Bank, Massachusetts. “We’re proud that our support enables the MCCA to provide engaging events that strengthen the community and build lasting memories in the South Boston Waterfront District.”

Enhanced Food & Beverage Experience

The Lawn On D’s food and beverage provider, Rebel Restaurants, further expanded its menu offerings and introduced additional food and beverage stations and a more efficient ordering and food pick-up process for customers.

Rebel Restaurants continued to provide catering services for private events through its Seaport Catering division and continued to play a key role in programming and sponsoring weekly live entertainment throughout the season under the main Pavilion On D.

Private Events & Capital Improvements

The Lawn On D remained a tremendously popular venue for private events, offering clients a unique outdoor space in the heart of South Boston’s Waterfront District. 100 private events were booked through October 2018 generating rental revenue of nearly $900,000.

Several new features were added to the Signature Pavilion including additional furniture, enhanced lighting, and an exciting new attraction: The Halo Swing. The 6-person swing, designed by Swing Time creators Eric Höweler and J. Meejin Yoon, of Höweler + Yoon Architecture, is outfitted with solar-powered LED lights that change color when in motion.

Financial Performance

The Lawn On D remained self-sustaining, with revenues of $1.62 million for the 2018 season. The projected expenses in 2018 were roughly $1.42 million, versus $1.43 million for the same period last year.

To stay up to date on the latest announcements, full program, and schedule of events, go to LawnOnD.com/calendar, “like” The Lawn on Facebook at facebook.com/TheLawnOnD, or follow The Lawn On D on Twitter and Instagram at @LawnOnD.

About the MCCA

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority owns and oversees the operations of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA, the Boston Common Parking Garage, The Lawn On D Powered by Citizens Bank, and The Lot On D. The BCEC and Hynes have earned a rare gold standard from the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC), making Boston only the fourth city in North America and the 12th worldwide to have been awarded this top standard, the highest certification level a convention facility can achieve under strict AIPC guidelines.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $158.6 billion in assets as of September 30, 2018. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 2,900 ATMs and approximately 1,150 branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers corporate, institutional and not-for-profit clients a full range of wholesale banking products and services, including lending and deposits, capital markets, treasury services, foreign exchange and interest rate products and asset finance. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

About Rebel Restaurants, Inc.

Rebel Restaurants, Inc. is comprised of an elite collection of restaurants that span all facets of the restaurant industry both in and out of the city of Boston.

Under the guidance and support of The Cronin Group, LLC, Rebel Restaurants, Inc. has been able to flourish and grow immensely since opening its first location. The group quickly followed up by opening Tony C’s Sports Bar & Grill and Temazcal Tequila Cantina in 2011, all located on the waterfront in South Boston’s thriving Seaport neighborhood. Between 2014 and 2017, Rebel Restaurants, Inc. expanded its concepts just outside of the city with new Temazcal (Lynnfield, Burlington, and Dedham) and Tony C’s locations (Somerville, Burlington, and Fenway, as well as a new Peabody location) and adding Jack’s Coal Fired Pizza in Burlington.

Rebel Restaurants, Inc. has also owned and operated Seaport Catering Company since 2011. Located at Black Falcon Pier in South Boston, Seaport Catering operates a 6,000 square foot commissary that prepares and delivers food throughout the Seaport District. The group has assembled an operations team that has poised the company for an aggressive expansion around the state of Massachusetts.