10 things to do in Boston this weekend
BosTen is your weekly guide to not-lame events in the city.
BosTen is your weekly guide to events and cool happenings in and around Boston. Skip Netflix this weekend—here are 10 ways to get out of your home and not be bored in the city. If you’d like BosTen delivered to your inbox every Thursday, click here. Want more things to do? Check out our events calendar at boston.com/events.
Daybreaker Holiday Getdown
Lack of daylight getting you down? Daybreaker Boston is holding a holiday-themed version of their early-morning yoga/dance party extravaganza in the center rotunda of Quincy Market on Thursday. Attendees can start their day with a one-hour yoga session at 6 a.m. from local yogi Izzy Van Hall, then dance until the sun comes up in between sips of coffee and juice and bites of breakfast treats. (Thursday, December 1 from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.; Quincy Market; $35 for both yoga and dance party, $25 for dancing only; all ages)
75th Annual Boston Common Tree Lighting
Mayor Marty Walsh and the Honorable Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia, will host the 75th annual tree lighting event on the Boston Common, joining Canadian Mounties and Santa Claus on stage to light up the park. The fun kicks off at 5 p.m. with a free ice skating show at the Frog Pond, and closes with a bombastic fireworks display. (Thursday, December 1 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Boston Common; free; all ages)
Gingerbread Decorating Party
The newly opened Kendall Square restaurant Glass House is hosting a gingerbread house decorating party to get the holiday season started off right. A $25 ticket will get you your own gingerbread walls and roof, plus all the decorating supplies you need, with food and drinks from the restaurant also available for purchase. (Thursday, December 1st, 2016, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Glass House; $25; all ages)
See ‘Jackie’ for Free at the Brattle Theatre
One of the most hyped films of the upcoming awards season is Pablo Larraín’s Jackie, which stars Harvard grad Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Onassis in the days following JFK’s assassination. While the screening is free thanks to Independent Film Festival Boston, the tickets are first come, first served, so be prepared to wait in line. (Thursday, December 1 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.; Brattle Theatre; free; rated R)
Boston Winter at City Hall Plaza
Starting Friday, City Hall Plaza will be turned into a village of winter activities open to visitors seven days a week. The transformation, presented by Berkshire Hill Bank, will bring more than 50 activities, including wine and chocolate tastings, shopping, ice skating along a lengthy skating track, and musical performances. You’ll have a chance to check out the wonderland all the way up through the end of February. (Friday, December 2 at 3 p.m.; Boston City Hall Plaza; free; all ages)
ICA First Fridays: Snow Ball
For those of you who were in high school 10 years ago, school dances probably featured healthy doses of Nelly Furtado and Chamillionaire, and maybe a slow dance set to James Blunt. In honor of the ICA’s 10th anniversary in its Seaport home (after decades spent in the Back Bay), the museum is hosting a Snow Ball-themed First Friday event, complete with a DJ spinning throwback hits and the crowning of a Snow King and Queen. (Friday, December 2 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; ICA Boston; $10 GA, free for ICA members; 21+)
The Slutcracker
The Boston Ballet’s rendition of The Nutcracker returned to the Boston Opera House on November 25. Now, its sexy, satirical counterpart, The Slutcracker, is making its season debut at the Somerville Theatre. The decidedly R-rated take on Tchaikovsky’s classic showcases a mix of ballet, burlesque, belly dancing, and a whole lot of raunchy humor. (Performances begin Friday, December 2 at 8 p.m.; Somerville Theatre; $28; all ages)
SoWa Winter Festival
More than 100 of New England’s top artisans and specialty food vendors will be at the SoWa Power Station this weekend for a wide-ranging holiday shopping experience, selling everything from homemade brownies to knitted hats. Coffee and cocktails will also be available, care of local vendors. Down the block at 450-460 Harrison St., you’ll find a “Winter Wine Land” with plenty of great bottles available for both sale and sampling, as well as food from four local food trucks. (Friday, December 2 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday December 3 and Sunday, December 4 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; SoWa Power Station; free; all ages)
Santa Saturdays at Franklin Park Zoo
The Franklin Park Zoo is getting into the holiday spirit on the first three Saturdays this December, offering up free photos with Santa, winter-themed arts and crafts, and festive decorations for many of their animals’ habitats. (Saturday, December 3 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Franklin Park Zoo; $19.95 GA, $16.95 for seniors ages 62 and up, $13.95 for kids ages 2-12)
Harvard Book Store Winter Warehouse Sale
If you’ve got a bookworm on your holiday shopping list, this warehouse sale is a great place to stock up. The Harvard Book Store typically offers a 40 to 80 percent discount on their remaindered books, but will be offering an additional 15 percent off this weekend. (Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Harvard Book Store Warehouse; all ages)
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