Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
10 things to do in Boston this weekend
BosTen is your weekly guide to the best events and coolest things to do in Boston.
Welcome to BosTen, your weekly guide to the coolest events and best things to do in Boston this weekend. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter here. Have an idea about what we should cover? Leave us a comment on this article or in the BosTen Facebook group, or email us at [email protected].
Save a last dance for the Donna Summer Disco Party
Disco queen Donna Summer ranks near the top of the greatest Boston musicians of all time, having won five Grammys and sold millions of records during her decades-long career. Since 2014, the city of Boston has celebrated the Queen of Disco’s legacy with an annual Roller Disco Party, which returns to City Hall Plaza this Thursday from 5-9 p.m. The pandemic era meant the party briefly lost its wheels, but this year you’ll be able to bust out your skates as DJ Vince 1 spins some of Summer’s greatest hits. Stick around for performances from Summer’s sister, Mary Gaines Bernard, and her nephew, O’Mega Red. (Thursday, June 27 from 5-9 p.m.; 1 City Hall Square, Boston; free) — Kevin Slane
Catch fireworks shows in a town near you
Don’t want to make the trek into the city for the 2024 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on Thursday? You’ll likely be able to catch a great pyrotechnics display in a town near you, with more than 100 Fourth of July fireworks shows in Massachusetts scheduled to take place between now and July 13. Fireworks fanatics can find a show every night from now through July 4, with the fun kicking off Thursday night in Dracut and Somerville. For a comprehensive list of town-by-town info (and the latest information in case of rain delays), check out our full list of 2024 July 4 fireworks shows in Massachusetts. (Thursday, June 27 through Sunday, June 30 at various times and locations) — Kevin Slane
Get loose at the Cambridge Dance Party
This Friday evening from 6-10 p.m., the city of Cambridge will close its main thoroughfare to traffic but open it to dancers. Thousands are expected to descend on City Hall for the city’s annual dance party, which turns Central Square into a rollicking mass of rhythm and grooves. A DJ will spin music, and after the sun sets, the city will launch bright, colorful lights to keep the party going. (Friday, June 28 from 6-10 p.m.; 795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge; free) — Kevin Slane
Get together again with Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson will be together again with the people of Boston for a concert this Friday. The youngest of 10 children in the prodigiously talented Jackson family, Janet has sold more than 100 million records in her decades-long career. She has also amassed 10 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Miss You Much,” “Black Cat,” and 1997’s “Together Again,” which gives Jackson’s current tour its name. The “Together Again” tour first launched in April 2023, and included a stop at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield in May 2023. Now fans who missed out — or want to see Jackson a second time — can see her at TD Garden before the tour concludes in July. Jackson will be joined for her Boston concert by rapper Nelly, who collaborated with the singer for her 2006 hit “Call on Me.” Tickets are available in nearly every section of the Garden for as low as $40 via Ticketmaster. (Friday, June 28 at 8 p.m.; 100 Legends Way, Boston; $40 and up) — Kevin Slane
Pick up Dry Cleaning at Paradise Rock Club
Ignore the laundry-based joke in the headline: Dry Cleaning is a contemporary post-punk quartet from South London whose two LPs — 2021s “New Long Leg” and 2022’s “Stumpwork” — have both been ranked among the best of their respective years by various publications. Their sound is distinguished by Florence Shaw’s spoken-word delivery, rubbery, ominous bass lines, genre-bending guitar, and mostly subtle but still ear-grabbing drums. You’ll likely hear a little bit from every part of the group’s career when Dry Cleaning visits Paradise Rock Club this Friday. (Friday, June 28 at 8 p.m.; 967 Commonwealth Ave, Boston; $25) — Blake Maddux
Catch a midnight screening of ‘The Room’
Each year, Brookline’s Coolidge Corner Theatre showcases some of the campiest, creepiest, and downright weirdest films for its After Midnite series, where film aficionados gather to catch rare and unconventional delights. This weekend, be sure to catch one of the most unintentionally bad movies ever created, “The Room.” The misbegotten vanity project directed by and starring amateur filmmaker Tommy Wiseau achieved such a cult status it eventually inspired a big-screen adaptation, “The Disaster Artist.” Other midnight options this weekend include a 35mm print of Zack Snyder’s “300” on Friday and Frank Miller’s neo-noir “Sin City” on Saturday. (Friday, June 28 at 11:59 p.m.; 290 Harvard St., Brookline; $19) — Kevin Slane
Tap into your imagination at LEGO club
In the words of Alice Cooper, school’s out for summer, which means you’re likely scrambling for kid-friendly things to do pretty much every day of the week. For a hands-on activity, visit the Boston Public Library’s Honan-Allston branch and build, build, build during LEGO club, which meets monthly on the final Saturday of the month throughout the summer. Both LEGO and Duplo bricks are provided by the library, so matter what your child’s skill level, they’ll have something to put together. (Saturday, June 29 from 10-11:30 a.m.; 300 North Harvard St., Allston; free) — Kristi Palma
Feel the groove at Quincy Porchfest
It’s been more than a decade since Somerville held the Boston area’s first Porchfest, bringing hundreds of talented musicians to the city’s porches, decks, and yards. More and more towns and neighborhoods are getting in on the fun, and this Saturday you can head to Quincy for the City of Presidents’ own version. Held from 3-9 p.m., you’ll find a dozen performers (with more likely to be announced) spread between the Merrymount, Wollaston Hill, and Squantum neighborhoods. To see a full list of Porchfests happening over the next few months, check out our full Porchfest guide. (Saturday, June 29 from 3-9 p.m. at various locations; free) — Kevin Slane
Rock your body with Justin Timberlake
Get ready, Boston: Justin Timberlake is set to rock your body not once, but twice this weekend. Despite his recent DWI arrest, Timberlake is pressing forward with his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, the former NSYNC singer’s first in five years. Timberlake’s pair of shows at TD Garden on Saturday and Sunday follow the recent release of “Everything I Thought I Was,” Timberlake’s first album in almost six years. Tickets are still available for both shows via Ticketmaster, though at this point, most of them are Verified Resale seats. (Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30 at 7:30 p.m.; 100 Legends Way, Boston; $82 and up) — Kevin Slane
Enjoy a car-free Newbury Street
Boston’s Open Newbury Street initiative, which first began in 2016, has steadily grown in recent years, going from six pedestrian-only days to every single Sunday from now until Labor Day. From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Newbury Street will close to vehicle traffic between Massachusetts Avenue and Berkeley Street. The intersections at Berkeley, Clarendon, and Dartmouth will remain open to cars, but the rest will become foot traffic-only along with Newbury Street itself, meaning folks can walk in the street. Businesses are encouraged to activate the space outside their shops too, with tents, music, or expanded outdoor dining. (Sunday, June 30 from 10-8 p.m.; Newbury St., Boston; free) — Natalie Gale
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com