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10 things to do in Boston this weekend
BosTen is your weekly guide to the best events and coolest happenings in and around 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].
Explore the otherworldly Realms of Wu Junyong
The realm of Chinese artist Wu Junyong isn’t a quiet one. Heroes face off in mighty clashes with their enemies; charming animals growl at one another, vying for superiority; and troubled souls retreat into murky caves, searching for inner peace. The exhibition, which opened last week at the MFA, marks the artist’s U.S. museum debut with more than a dozen mixed-media works on paper. You’ll be immediately pulled into the playful imagery created with exuberant brushstrokes and riotous color. — Cheryl Fenton
Celebrate Lunar New Year with Mei Mei
Lunar New Year marks a whole new phase for Mei Mei. A new headquarters for the Boston dumpling company is set to open in South Boston during the Chinese New Year festival this Saturday, which will bring together owner Irene Li’s growing wholesale business, cooking classes, and award-winning Chinese-American fare in an innovative location. From noon to 6 p.m., you can celebrate Mei Mei’s move with dumpling-making demos, tours of the brand-new manufacturing facility — and of course, plenty of dumplings and Double Awesomes. — Jacqueline Cain
See a candid Bob Dylan at ‘Don’t Think Twice’ photo exhibit
Photographer Daniel Kramer got the chance of a lifetime in 1964 – to photograph the man (and sometimes myth) Bob Dylan. Kramer ended up accompanying the folk musician for a year, and his efforts are catalogued in “Don’t Think Twice: The Daniel Kramer Photographs of Bob Dylan, 1964-65,” a new exhibit at the Boch Center Wang Theatre’s Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame (270 Tremont St.). Tours of the exhibit ($23 adults, $15 kids) highlight Kramer’s natural instinct to point and shoot every unguarded moment. The extensive collection of often candid photographs immortalizes Dylan in a different way than his music does — Kramer’s artistry captures a year of Dylan as a person. This weekend, let yourself see the quintessential Dylan, a bohemian, captured by the artist alongside him. Don’t think twice. — Ariella Weiss
Appreciate the whole for the sum of its parts with Mathemalchemy
Brought to you by two dozen “mathematical artists and artistic mathematicians” from across the globe, “Mathemalchemy” brings math out of the abstract and highlights its ubiquity in our reality. A free art installation housed in BU’s 808 Gallery (808 Commonwealth Ave.) from Jan. 19 through March 4, the exhibit is all math and all art, simultaneously. In the magical world of Mathemalchemy, signposts point us to must-see stops like “Pi Bakery,” “Integral Hill,” and the many directions of Infinity. The installation plays with words, math, and imagination, where squirrels can serve pastries and octopi swim in a “knot”ical bay made up of knots. Mathemalchemy’s world may be fictional, but it nudges visitors to notice the ‘math’sterpiece of shapes, objects, and patterns that are integral to the world around them. That’s magic to believe in. The best part? It’s everywhere, in plain sight. To RSVP for Friday’s opening night reception or learn more about the installation, visit the BU Art Initiative’s website. — Ariella Weiss
Experience a history lesson you won’t forget at ‘Hamilton’
You do not want to miss your shot at seeing one of Broadway in Boston’s most anticipated musicals when it takes the stage at Citizens Bank Opera House now through March 12. Tickets are now on sale for “Hamilton” — a hip-hop, jazz, and R&B-laced musical inspired by Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography that relives the story of American revolutionary, statesman and American founding father Alexander Hamilton. Historical figures including Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Aaron Burr, and Marquis de Lafayette are all brought to life as the story unfolds in this revolutionary moment in theater created by American composer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda that has earned Tony, Grammy, and Olivier awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors. Tickets may be hard to come by, but the “Ham4Ham” lottery — which allows you to enter a daily drawing where a lucky few can purchase “Hamilton” tickets for a Hamilton ($10) — is up and running. — Cheryl Fenton
Be a guest at the Beauty and the Beast cocktail party
Before the last rose petal falls, check out this enchanted Beauty and the Beast-themed adventure in Boston. A theatrical, alternative reality takes over the downstairs level of The Merchant Kitchen & Drinks now through March 20, transforming the restaurant’s usual private-events space into the enchanted — some may say cursed — castle from the iconic fairytale. Based on the story by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, the Beauty and the Beast Cocktail Experience is a theater performance, escape room, and dessert bar all in one. For 90 minutes, ticketholders will craft two themed cocktails, be invited to dance and revel with the whimsical residents of the palace, and solve riddles and challenges to lift the curse and escape the enchanted castle. Tickets include a welcome drink plus two bespoke cocktails, a sweet treat, and an unforgettable hour-and-a-half of charm and carousal. Victorian cocktail attire is encouraged. — Jacqueline Cain
Blast off on an immersive ‘Space Adventure’
Following “Immersive Van Gogh,” “Immersive Monet,” and “The Immersive Nutcracker,” the newest immersive exhibit coming to the Boston area is out of this world. “Space Adventure,” a traveling exhibit celebrating humanity’s arrival on the moon, will make its U.S. debut in Chelsea now through Feb. 26 before moving on to other North American cities throughout 2023. Guests to the 35,000-square-foot space (located at 121 Webster Ave.) will be able to see more than 300 NASA artifacts, including many never shown to the general public before. Following an introductory video, visitors will travel through rooms to learn more about the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions of the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. Among the objects on display are the control panel and counting clock of the Houston Space Center, as well as computers, astronaut suits, cameras, astronaut food, and hygiene products that were designed for the early space exploration missions. — Kevin Slane
Explore the wide-ranging works of Cy Twombly
The MFA’s newest exhibit, “Cy Twombly: Past and Present,” is a first in several regards. It’s the first Boston exhibit dedicated to the influential painter, sculptor, and photographer, who studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. It’s also the first exhibit to explore the artist’s sustained engagement with antiquity, and will showcase several works by Twombly that have never been seen in the U.S. Featuring more than 60 works by Twombly, the mix of paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, and prints are displayed alongside Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Near Eastern art from the MFA’s collection. — Ria Goveas
Plan your next trip at the Boston Travel & Adventure Show
This Saturday and Sunday, the Boston Travel & Adventure Show is packing the Hynes Convention Center with two days of exciting travel-centric experiences. Visitors will discover thousands of vacation options from more than 250 top destinations, tour operators, and travel providers from around the globe, as well as meet with on-hand travel experts to help plan (and even book) their next trip. With three on-floor theaters, guests will receive up-to-date travel tips and advice during 60 travel seminars, along with the chance to meet travel celebrities such as Brian Kelly, founder and CEO of The Points Guy and Peter Greenberg, travel editor at CBS News. Visitors also have access to show-only travel savings, trip giveaways, and show-only deals. — Cheryl Fenton
Learn to read nature’s signs with Mass Audubon
Spotting wild animals in the dead of winter can be difficult, with many hibernating or heading south for the season. To help you become a wildlife master, Mass Audubon will hold a hands-on Family Winter Animal Tracking hike this Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. The walk will be mostly outdoors, and geared toward kids ages 5 to 12, though there should be plenty of fun for the whole family. Those who want a kid-free nature experience can show up a bit earlier for the Nature Center’s morning bird walk from 8-10 a.m. Advanced registration is required. — Kevin Slane
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