10 things to do in Boston this weekend
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. You can also learn even more about awesome events around Boston by joining the BosTen Facebook group.
Somerville 70 mm and Widescreen Film Festival
People are increasingly watching movies on nontraditional screens like laptops and phones. Somerville Theatre’s festival is dedicated to showing classic films the right way, playing epics like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Gettysburg in the aspect ratio the directors intended. (Thursday, September 28 through Sunday, October 1 at various times; Somerville Theatre, Somerville; $12-15 GA; all ages)
Harpoon Oktoberfest
Fall is in the air (even if you can’t quite feel it yet), and that means that breweries around the Boston area will launch into Oktoberfest celebrations. One of the biggest and longest-running in the area is at Harpoon, where you can find German cake eating, three stages of live music, brewery tours, chicken dance contests, and plenty of Harpoon and UFO beer all weekend. (Friday, September 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, September 30 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, October 1 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Harpoon Brewery, Boston; $25; 21+)
Adult Swim on the Green
Adult Swim, the after-hours cable network that hits airwaves when its sibling station, Cartoon Network, goes to bed, is swinging through Waltham this weekend to present games, food trucks, trivia, and a screening of Adult Swim pilots, episodes, and specials that have never aired. Admission is free with the purchase of a $5 concession voucher. (Friday, September 29 from 5:45 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Gore Place, Waltham; $5; 18+)
Oktoberfest Yoga at Aeronaut
If you’re going to be heading to an Oktoberfest this weekend, you can get a healthier activity in first with Oktoberfest Yoga at Aeronaut Brewing. Following an all-skill-levels vinyasa flow, stick around for a beer (included in the ticket price) and conversation. (Saturday, September 30 from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.; Aeronaut Brewery, Somerville; $30; 21+)
Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival
The South End will be alive with the sounds of jazz, Latin, blues, and funk music this Saturday at the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival. The free music festival spans six blocks of Columbus Avenue, and will also feature food vendors, arts and crafts, and a family-friendly Kids Jam. (Saturday, September 30 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Columbus Avenue, Boston; free; all ages)
Quincy Food Truck and Music Festival
Boston’s neighbors to the south are getting in on the food truck festival frenzy, staging the first edition of the Quincy Food Truck and Music Festival on Saturday. More than 20 food trucks will be on-hand, as well as lacrosse players from the Boston Cannons and performers from the James Montgomery Band. (Saturday, September 30 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Quincy High School, Quincy; free; all ages)
Cambridge Oktoberfest 5k
If you haven’t been Oktoberfest-ed out by the time Sunday rolls around, head to the CambridgeSide Galleria for a German-themed 5k through Kendall Square. Registration includes a race T-shirt, as well as food and beer from Jacob Wirth, Swissbäkers, Cambridge Brewing Co, Notch, Slumbrew, and Bantam Cider. (Sunday, October 1 at 9:30 a.m.; CambridgeSide Galleria, Cambridge; $45; all ages)
Kids Really Rock
For the ultimate kid-friendly weekend festival, head down to the Lawn on D this Sunday. The Kids Really Rock festival will have more than a dozen kid-friendly performers, including Keytar Bear, plus fun activities like a Play-Doh and coloring station. (Sunday, October 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; The Lawn on D, Boston; free; all ages)
Smoke This Rib Fest 2017
Who has the best ribs in Cambridge? That question will be answered this Sunday at the Smoke This Rib Fest, with around 20 restaurants pitting pit master against pit master for rib supremacy. A ticket entitles you to 10 samples from the restaurants of your choice, while full portions will also be available for lower-than-normal prices. To top it all off, there will be musical performances from local acts like Monday Night Bluegrass Band and Muddy Ruckus. (Sunday, October 1 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.; 622 E. Cambridge St., Cambridge; $25; all ages)
Evolution of Hip-Hop Festival
Feel the beat at Somerville’s Evolution of Hip-Hop Festival, where rappers, singers, spoken word poets, dancers, beatboxers, and visual artists from the area will keep Union Square bumping all Sunday afternoon. (Sunday, October 1 from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Union Square, Somerville; free; all ages)
