10 things to do in Boston this St. Patrick’s Day weekend
BosTen is your weekly guide to cool events in the city.
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.
Finish Line: A Documentary Play About the 2013 Boston Marathon
Director Joe Frangieh and his team interviewed 94 people, including survivors, runners, doctors, police officers, journalists, clergy, and students, about their personal experiences at the Boston Marathon bombings, and weaved together their stories to tell the tale of the city’s resilience. The play premiered Wednesday, March 15, and runs through March 26 at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre, with tickets available for purchase on the center’s website. (Wednesday, March 15 through Sunday, March 26 at various times; Boch Center Shubert Theatre, Boston; tickets from $47.50; all ages)
Samuel Adams After Hours: St. Patty’s Day Kickoff
The famed brewery will be giving its monthly After Hours night a St. Patrick’s Day twist with this event: A $10 ticket will buy you five spring brew samples and a corned beef hand pie from the Roving Lunchbox food truck. The brewery will also offer their Black Harbor Stout, a rich brew with coffee and cocoa hints and a slight spice, in limited edition bottles in honor of the holiday. Lucky you. (Thursday, March 16 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.; Sam Adams Brewery, Boston; $10; 21+)
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Third Thursdays: Sounds Good
This month’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Third Thursday is taking place in the Sound Lab, a custom, interactive vinyl archive of music from Boston’s past and present. The event, which will include live music and a cash bar, will showcase an exhibition by Sound Lab artist Elisa H. Hamilton called Listen Here, featured until September. Tickets are available for purchase on the museum’s website, and it’s highly encouraged that you get them in advance—Third Thursdays events often sell out. (Thursday, March 16 at 5:30 p.m.; Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston; tickets from $5-15; all ages)
St. Patrick’s Day at Faneuil Hall
Starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Faneuil Hall will celebrate St. Paddy’s with live Irish music throughout the day and performances from the Mary Heavey Quinn Academy of Irish Dance every 90 minutes. For the 21+ crowd, several Faneuil establishments will participate in a pub crawl on Friday and Saturday, including Bell in Hand Tavern, the Ginger Man, and Clarke’s. Tickets are available for purchase from $15.77 on Eventbrite. (Marketplace entertainment: Friday, March 17 starting at 10 a.m.; Faneuil Hall, Boston; free; all ages/Boston Pub Crawl: Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18 from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.; locations vary; tickets from $15.77; 21+)
Aer O’Naut Presents: For the Love of Ireland!
Aeronaut Brewery is hosting a two-day celebration and fundraiser to benefit the Irish International Immigration Center, which is currently working with families and refugees directly impacted by the recent immigration order. The event—which will feature live Irish music, dancers, and poetry—is free, but the brewery will auction off raffle items to raise money for the IIIC. Attendees will also have access to Aeronaut’s first-ever Irish stout, 1916. One thing the brewery promises you won’t find at the event: green beer. (Friday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 18 at 6 p.m.; Aeronaut Brewery, Somerville; free; 21+)
Leprechaun Screening at Coolidge Corner Theatre
If drunken strangers running around pinching people for their wardrobe choices isn’t your thing, consider celebrating the holiday with a midnight showing of Leprechaun at the Coolidge instead. The 1993 horror comedy movie about an evil leprechaun features Jennifer Anniston scrambling to kill the monster with—brace yourself—a four-leaf clover. (Friday, March 17 at 11:59 p.m.; Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline; $12.25 per ticket; all ages)
Barre and Brew at Trillium
This exercise class makes dragging yourself out of bed on a Saturday morning much more enticing. Join Starr Yoga Studios founder Julie Starr for barre in the Trillium Brewing Company’s Canton taproom. After the 60-minute class, attendees are invited to sample some brews from the taproom while pretending that beer is a good option for rehydrating post-workout. Pre-registration tickets are available for $25 and include the class and one fresh pour. Don’t forget to bring your own mat. (Saturday, March 17 from 9 to 11 a.m.; Trillium Brewing Co., Canton; $25 for pre-registration, $27 at the door; 21+)
Nowruz 2017: The Persian New Year Festival
Welcome the long-awaited spring season and celebrate the Persian New Year at the MFA’s annual rendition of the ancient nowrux, or “new day,” festival. Special events include a calligraphy demonstration, classical and modern Persian dance performances from the Aftab Dance Group made up of students from local universities, and art-making activities for children. (Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; free with museum admission, which is free for students, children, and MFA members, and $25 for adults; all ages)
St. Patrick’s Day Parade Morning at South Street Diner
Head to the diner on Sunday morning to join in their tradition of honoring the policemen, firemen, and first responders of the Northeast. From 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., raise a toast to Boston’s bravest while they share stories and trade patches before heading off to march in the South Boston Parade. The diner also promises St. Paddy’s Day anthems and an Irish breakfast of bangers, brown and white pudding, and Guinness floats. (Sunday, March 19 before 11 a.m.; South Street Diner, Boston; prices vary; all ages)
St. Patrick’s Day Road Race
If you want to get in a little exercise amidst your corned beef and cabbage feast this weekend, head to this Southie 5K on Sunday. The run begins at 11 a.m. at the South Boston Boys & Girls Club. Proceeds from the race will benefit the organization, as well. Registration is available on the run’s website for $30, and the first 650 runners to register will receive the official race shirt, designed by the Dropkick Murphys themselves. (Sunday, March 19 at 11 a.m.; South Boston Boys & Girls Club, Boston; $30 to register; 11+)
