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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].
Roll into the weekend at a new pop-up bocce club
From an indoor mini-golf venue to a ping-pong bar, the Seaport knows how to have fun. Starting this weekend, the neighborhood will be adding a pop-up bocce club to its stable of games. The Project Paulie Bocce Club will be open for reservations and walk-up games starting Saturday. Located at 88 Seaport Blvd., the bocce club will have three lanes open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through August 13. In between rolls, players can chow down on a variety of hot dogs from local food truck Buenas, or grab an emPAWnada for their canine friends. Renting a court costs $40 an hour for up to four people, with a portion of that rental fee going to Project Bread, a local nonprofit that helps to ensure people of all ages have access to reliable sources of healthy food. — Kevin Slane
Rock out at Somerville Porchfest
Once a year, Somerville transforms into one huge concert during PorchFest, with hundreds of musicians performing on porches across the city. The annual celebration returns this Saturday from noon to 6 p.m., with performances split into two-hour windows: West Somerville porches will play during a noon to 2 p.m. window, Central Somerville from 2-4 p.m., and East Somerville from 4-6 p.m. To see a full schedule of the almost 400 acts scheduled to put on a show, check out the official 2023 Somerville Porchfest map. — Kevin Slane
Visit a renovated City Hall Plaza at Boston Night Market
Get a taste of Boston’s booming Asian cuisine scene when Boston Night Market returns this Saturday from 4-10 p.m. The evening event will bring a lineup of local food, art, and entertainment back to a renovated City Hall Plaza for the first time since 2019. Inspired by a traditional type of after-hours bazaar popular in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Chinatowns across the world, Boston Night Market will feature dozens of local food vendors, craft makers, performers, a beer garden, and even a boozy boba bar. Whether you’re craving banh mi, mochi doughnuts, eggrolls, fresh fruit, poke, Tex-Mex tacos, corn dogs, or something else entirely, you’re bound to find it at Boston Night Market. Check out the full lineup of vendors and performers for this pay-as-you-go festival. — Jacqueline Cain
Pass the puffballs at The Mushroom Shop’s cannabis dinner
What a time to be alive: Not only does Somerville have its own shop dedicated to edible mushrooms, but the proprietor of said shop — Tyler Akabane, aka @mushroomsformyfriends — is collaborating this spring with a local chef of another type of edible. The Mushroom Shop and Sacrilicious chef David Yusefzadeh are teaming up this Saturday at 7 p.m. for a cannabis-friendly, seven-course mushroom tasting menu. No, not those mushrooms; this dinner will feature locally foraged items curated by Akabane. Expect as local a menu as possible at this celebration of spring. Each course is served without THC or CBD infusion, with the opportunity to dose each dish to your liking. The dinner will be hosted in a cannabis-friendly location in Framingham revealed to ticket holders ahead of the event. Find tickets on SeatLeaf, a cannabis events hub for Greater Boston. — Jacqueline Cain
Bring the kids to the Duckling Day Parade
Duckling Day returns to Boston Common and the Public Garden this Sunday, celebrating both Mother’s Day and Robert McCloskey’s beloved book “Make Way for Ducklings.” Festivities kick off at 10 a.m. near the Parkman Bandstand with “Playtime on the Common,” where children can play interactive circus games with Esh Circus Arts, see a magician, check out the “Make Way for Ducklings” reading station, and visit with the Harvard University Marching Band. The parade begins at noon, marching from the bandstand through the Common and Public Garden and ending at the “Make Way for Ducklings” statues. Last year’s Duckling Day was the biggest one yet, with thousands attending the sold-out event. Registration costs $35 per child and includes a goodie back full of Duckling Day-themed gifts. — Natalie Gale
Celebrate spring at Arnold Arboretum’s annual Lilac Sunday
Lilac Sunday returns to the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in Jamaica Plain this Mother’s Day, a sure sign that spring is here in Boston. This year’s celebration will be the 113th annual Lilac Sunday, celebrating the park’s hundreds of fragrant purple lilacs while they’re in peak bloom. Visitors can explore the arboretum’s lilac grove with an expert tour, self-guided tour, or by downloading the park’s mobile app, Expeditions. The day also includes hands-on children’s programming, and picnicking in the arboretum’s landscape is allowed on Lilac Sunday only. — Natalie Gale
Celebrate Mother’s Day at the Boston Harbor Hotel
Enjoy a luxurious brunch spread at the Boston Harbor Hotel with family this Mother’s Day. The menu features breakfast items like the Frosted Flakes-crusted French toast, Maine potato and short rib hash, and eggs Benedict. Other dishes include lobster mac and cheese, ricotta gnocchi bolognese, and Faroe Islands salmon, with shrimp fried rice and scallion ginger jus. Delicious dessert options range from honey lavender bonbons to raspberry linzer tarts and dulce de leche panna cotta. The cost for brunch is $210 per person, $80 for children 5-12, and free for children under 5. Book here. — Shira Laucharoen
Feast on a delicious brunch at Henrietta’s Table
Take the Mom in your life to a sumptuous meal at Cambridge’s Henrietta’s Table. For a first course, choose between Maine rock crab and corn chowder or roasted vegetable soup. Next, you’ll have the option of dining on the Busa greens or Caprese salad. Entree items include the leg of lamb, Atlantic cod loin, Bell and Evans chicken breast, or a warm grain bowl. The Mother’s Day dessert sampler features treats like the chocolate truffle cake, key lime pie, strawberry sponge cake, and fresh cream. The cost is $115 per person, while a kids menu for children 12 and under is $30. Make reservations at 617-661-5005. — Shira Laucharoen
Bring Mom to the Mother’s Day Makers Market
Still searching for the perfect Mother’s Day gift? Let her pick one out herself at the Mother’s Day Makers Market this Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Charles River Speedway in Brighton. The event, run by Boston Women’s Market, features 30 women-founded local businesses, selling a mix of jewelry, art, home goods, and more. There will also be a number of activities throughout the day, including a Mother’s Day Bracelet Making Workshop with Nabia Designs, a Bubbles and Brunch Classparty from Super.bien, and a Self-Care Mother’s Day Workshop from House of Arts and Crafts. — Kevin Slane
Celebrate good times with Kool & the Gang, The Spinners, and Average White Band
This Sunday at 8 p.m., MGM Music Hall at Fenway has a triple threat concert featuring veteran groups who share genre essentials, have attained major musical success, and hail from scattered locations around the world. Kool & the Gang formed in 1964 in Jersey City, N.J. But it wasn’t until 1974 that they had the first of many chart hits with “Jungle Boogie.” The Spinners began harmonizing in 1961 in Detroit. It took them 11 years to score their first smash, “I’ll Be Around.” Average White Band has its roots in Perth, Scotland, where they started their act in 1972, and enjoyed the No. 1 spot with “Pick up the Pieces” in 1974. The lineups have changed over the years, and each group has its own recognizable sound. But the reason they’re creatively packaged together on this tour is that they all specialize in a remarkable mix of pop, jazz, funk, and R&B. — Ed Symkus
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