Weekend Event Picks, Aug. 8-10
Making plans? Short on ideas? No worries. See Milva DiDomizio’s picks for the top things to do around the Hub this weekend.
FRIDAY
DON’T MISS THE BOAT Thanks to the Highland Street Foundation and Free Fun Fridays, you can catch a free ferry ride to either or both of the most popular Boston Harbor Islands. Pick up your ticket for Georges Island and visit historic Fort Warren, or opt for the beach and five miles of hiking trails on Spectacle Island. Aug. 8. Ticket window opens 8 a.m., ferry leaves every half hour from 8:30 a.m. Tickets distributed on first come, first serve basis at Long Wharf North, 66 Long Wharf, Boston. Maximum of four tickets per adult. 617-223-8672, www.highlandstreet.org
CRAZY FOR COMICS It’s a big weekend for science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic book aficionados. The line-up at the Boston Comic Con includes Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo from “Game of Thrones’’), John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness on “Doctor Who’’), and the “Lord of the Rings’’ trilogy’s Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee). Plenty of other stars will be in attendance, along with more than 200 comic book creators. Aug. 8-10. $20-$120. Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Blvd., Boston. www.bostoncomiccon.com
ALL NIGHT LONG Local choreographers and dance companies go non-stop for an overnight festival of burlesque, vaudeville, contemporary, Jamaican folk, and other genres. See the creative process in action in a live video feed tonight, then go to public performances of the freshly minted works on Saturday. Choreofest performers include Lipstick Criminals, Monkeyhouse, Moving Target, and Luminarium Dance Company. Aug. 8, 8 p.m., live video feed begins. Aug. 9, 2 and 4 p.m., public performances. $15. Dance Complex, 536 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-477-4494, www.luminariumdance.org
SATURDAY
MUSIC OF LEGEND Pop and soul star John Legend makes a stop in Boston on his All of Me Tour. The video for his single “You & I (Nobody in the World)’’ was released in July and already has well over ten million views on YouTube. Aug. 9, 7:30 p.m. Blue Hills Bank Pavlion, 290 Northern Ave., Boston. www.bankofamericapavilion.net/events/john-legend/
ON THE WATERFRONT Spend a summer day enjoying outdoor entertainment, games, and penguins. The first ever Wharf Festival, co-presented by the New England Aquarium and Boston Harbor Cruises, is hosted by KISS 108’s Billy Costa. Performers include Bob at Large, Kilted Colin, Cate Great!, and Alakazam. Aug. 9, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free (Aquarium and whale watch tickets not included). New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston. www.neaq.org
SWING IT When sunset comes, Boston Swing Central will takes over the docks at Community Boating for a night of swing dancing under the stars. Don’t know a side step from a pretzel? No worries, Swingin’ on the Charles starts with a dance lesson. Aug. 9, 7-8 p.m. lesson, 8-11 p.m. dancing. $13-$20. Rain date Aug. 16. Community Boating, banks of the Charles between the Hatch Shell and Longfellow Bridge, Boston. www.bostonswingcentral.org
FOOD AND FIRE The Boston Circus Guild provides the fire throwers, Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band provides the brass, and local restaurants provide the samosas, tamales, and other noshes at Ignite! A Fire and Street Food Festival After Dark. Participating eateries include Cantina la Mexicana, Casa B, Union Square Donuts, Bronwyn, Pao de Acucar, and Ebi Sushi. Aug. 9, 6-10 p.m. Free admission. Union Square Plaza, Somerville. www.somervilleartscouncil.org
SUNDAY
FREE COUNTRY Line dancing? Corn hole tournament? Country music? It’s all at Hoedown at the Hall, where entertainers will include Jack the Whipper, Matthew Warner, and Tatu Mianzi. Kids, stop at the Animal Craze petting zoo to get up close and personal with goats, lambs, bunnies, and ducklings. Aug. 10, noon-4 p.m. Free. Faneuil Hall Marketplace, West End and South Market, Boston. www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com
LADIES OF THE BARD Shakespeare & Company founder Tina Packer has studied Will Shakespeare’s work for more than 40 years. She shares what she’s learned about Juliet, Desdemona, Lady M., and other Shakespearean females in the two-part “Women of Will.’’ The show features Packer and longtime collaborator Nigel Gore in scenes, analysis, and discussion of Shakespeare’s heroines. Aug. 10, 3 p.m. (Part 1) and 7 p.m. (Part 2). From $28. Shalin Liu Performance Center, Main St., Rockport. 978-546-7391, www.rockportmusic.org
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