Bostonians awoke Wednesday to a taste of spring.
At a balmy 70 degrees, birds sang in the trees, couples soaked up the sun, and little ones played on the Common at the Children’s Winter Festival, which didn’t feel so wintry at all.
“Kind of feels like a summer, late-spring fest,’’ said Tara DeSisto, 34. “It’s getting me excited for summer in the city.’’
The free annual event, sponsored by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, gave the Newton resident and throngs of other families a place to spend a few hours during school vacation week. DeSisto brought her 7-year-old son Lucas and their dog, Dutch.
The crowds made the most of it — knowing perhaps that the warm temperatures would be short lived. On Thursday, rain is forecast and temperatures are expected to reach a high of just 38 degrees during the day, according to the National Weather Service. The area may see sleet or even snow.
But on Wednesday, none of that mattered. Kids wandered through the muddy grass, balloon swords clutched in hands. They colored a mural with crayons and played Connect 4.
The most intrepid of them climbed a 30-foot-high inflatable Everest Climb ’N Slide and zoomed down. Others made their way through the Snow Mazing maze or the 45-foot-long Toboggan Tunnel.
“We’ve got to take it when we have it,’’ said Swissy Rodriguez as she waited in line with her 9-year-old daughter, Selenes Rivera. “Tomorrow we’re supposed to get the white stuff again.’’
Ryan Woods, spokesman for the Parks and Recreation Department, said every year they prepare for the Winter Festival with alternate plans for a variety of weather.
That means snowman contests if it’s snowy and freezing, inflatables if it’s sunny and warm.
“Sixty degrees last year, 70 degrees this year,’’ said Woods, laughing. “We’re two years in a row. It’s a great streak we’re having.’’
The city estimated there were about 7,500 visitors this year. Soon after the festival opened, wait times for some of the attractions were running about 45 minutes.
“It started right away and hasn’t stopped,’’ Woods said.
Six-year-old Eliza Baptiste was happy to be outside in the warm weather.
“I don’t like winter that much,’’ the little girl admitted.
Nikisha Dennis’s husband waited in line for more than an hour so his kids could scale the inflatable mountain.
The 34-year-old Mattapan resident had a disagreement about the weather with her 6-year-old that morning. Her daughter wanted to wear shorts.
“I said, ‘you know what? Go right ahead. You’re going to be cold,’ ’’ Dennis said, laughing. “Don’t say I didn’t tell you. Shucks. I should’ve bought shorts for myself.’’
Cristela Guerra can be reached at cristela.guerra@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristelaGuerra.
