PNC Bank presents a New Year Fitness Challenge
Your challenge is to move at least 10 minutes or 1 mile each day in January while raising funds for charity.
10 things to do in Boston this holiday weekend
BosTen is your weekly guide to the best events and coolest happenings in and around Boston.
Toast to a new year with the Boston.com Cocktail Club
The rapid ascendance of the omicron variant has thrown some New Year’s Eve parties into flux this year. If you’re unsure about a large gathering this weekend, how about a virtual celebration instead? This Thursday at 7 p.m., Boston.com’s virtual Cocktail Club is ringing in 2022 (albeit a day early) as host Jackson Cannon (The Hawthorne, Eastern Standard) is joined by a group of mixologist guests including Kyisha Davenport (BarNoirBoston) and Jared Sadoian (Craigie on Main). The group will be mixing up a trio of rum cocktails: A Classic Daiquiri, a Hemingway Daiquiri, and a Rum Tonic Ritual. Attending the Zoom is free, and you can find a full list of necessary ingredients here.
Ring in 2022 at First Night Boston
After a year of virtual celebrations due to COVID-19 in 2020, First Night Boston 2022 will offer in-person New Year’s Eve festivities featuring fireworks, ice sculptures, parades, and performances. The 12-plus hours of entertainment in Boston’s Downtown and Back Bay neighborhoods start at noon on Dec. 31, and will be centered around Copley Square. City officials plan to offer COVID-19 vaccines and rapid tests at the almost entirely outdoor event. All of the time-honored First Night favorites will return, with ice sculptures spread around the city, fireworks at 7 p.m. and midnight, and musical performances at Copley Square, Boston Public Library, Copley Place, Boston Common, and surrounding churches. A full schedule for the day’s festivities is available at firstnightboston.org.
Say goodbye to Coppersmith at its Vegas-themed New Year’s Eve party
Just in case you hadn’t heard the news: Southie’s Coppersmith will close for good on Jan. 16. Say a proper goodbye, then, by attending its Vegas-themed New Year’s Eve party, a lively shindig featuring games, a best-dressed contest, specialty cocktails, an ice luge, a photo booth, and more. Each $65 ticket includes a glass of Champagne, appetizers, and party favors, and the promise that “what happens in Southie, stays in Southie” (does it really, though?). To reserve a private table, call 617-658-3452.
Raise a pint to the return of The Thirsty Scholar Pub
After closing for eight months, Somerville watering hole — and a popular spot for watching soccer — Thirsty Scholar Pub will reopen its doors on New Year’s Eve. That deserves a toast, right? Bring your friends and settle in for a beer, some bites, and a soccer match (apparently the English Premier League soccer season and 2022 World Cup qualifying matches are in full swing). The pub, which was featured in “The Social Network” and “Rachel Ray’s Tasty Travels,” was recently updated to give it a more modern feel, though it remains a lively hangout for soccer fans to cheer on their favorite teams.
Celebrate 2022 ‘Star Wars’ style with backbar
Those aren’t the droids you’re looking for — they’re the drinks you’re looking for. Somerville’s top cocktail spot backbar is planning to ring in 2022 Skywalker style by blowing up the Death Star at midnight. What that means is still unclear, but a ticket to the bar’s party gets you three cocktails, a Champagne toast, and a souvenir. There’s also a pre-party option earlier in the evening, in case you’re heading to another star system later in the evening.
Ring in the 2000s at Lamplighter Brewing’s throwback New Year’s Eve party
Nostalgia for the ’90s? That is so 10 years ago. These days, it’s all about remembering the cultural touchstones of the 2000s. That’s why you should double pop your collars, slip on your Juicy Couture tracksuit, and tap out an invite to your MySpace Top 8 on your flip phone to Lamplighter’s 2000s New Years Eve party. Tickets include three beer tokens (plus a bonus midnight beer pour), custom glassware, and a 375ml bottle of a special New Year’s beer release.
Check out even more ice sculptures around Boston
Along with the Back Bay-area ice sculptures associated with First Night Boston, you’ll be able to check out 25 ice sculptures on display at properties throughout the Boston waterfront thanks to Boston Harbor Now. The sculptures will be spread among sites in Charlestown, East Boston, and the Seaport, and will coincide with virtual scavenger hunts in those neighborhoods. To better connect Bostonians in neighborhoods that aren’t directly on the Harbor, the organization is also installing a sculpture at the Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library, and will offer a free shuttle to the New England Aquarium.
Ring in the new year with a visit to Toscanini’s new (old) location
Toscanini’s, Cambridge’s award-winning ice cream shop, temporarily closed its original location at 899 Main St. in Central Square over three years ago, opening a second location at 159 First St. To kick off 2022, the revered ice cream destination will reopen its original location on Jan. 1. Its surroundings look a little different — the site is now home to the 907 Main hotel — but Toscanini’s ice cream remains just as excellent. Stop by for a scoop of Italian egg nog, Mexican chocolate, or the always delicious B3 (brown butter, brown sugar, and brownies).
Enjoy old-school cartoons and cereal at Harpoon’s New Year’s Day brunch
Does your New Year’s resolution include tapping into your inner child? You might be able to find the little one at Harpoon’s Spoons, Toons, N’ Brews, a New Year’s Day brunch that will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each ticket ($35) includes a drink, access to Harpoon’s fully-stocked cereal bar featuring a plenitude of milk (including stout milk made with Harpoon’s Boston Irish Stout), a cereal bowl and spoon to take home, and the chance to play classic video games and watch cartoons on Harpoon’s TVs. Go ahead and wear your pajamas if it makes you feel more comfortable.
Start 2022 with a slam dunk thanks to the Harlem Globetrotters
With the Celtics forced to trot out players signed off the street due to COVID, you can check out another group of hoop stars this weekend in Lowell. The Harlem Globetrotters, in the midst of a 150-city tour, will bring their razzle-dazzle to Worcester’s DCU Center for a pair of shows on Saturday and Lowell’s Tsongas Arena on Sunday. The group’s current showcase has been dubbed “The Spread Game Tour,” which promises “new premium fan experiences with unprecedented access and interaction” in the form of meet-and-greets and engaging with the communities the players visit.
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