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10 things to do in Boston this St. Patrick’s Day weekend
BosTen is your weekly guide to the best events and coolest happenings in and around Boston.
This week’s BosTen offers a mix of in-person and virtual things to do in Boston this weekend. 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].
Sing (or shout) along with the Dropkick Murphys
They’re the Dropkick Murphys. And they’re playing four nights in Boston. Need we say more? The local rockers have been touring since the end of February, culminating in four nights in Boston for “St. Patrick’s Day Week.” Three of the four nights — this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday — will be at House of Blues (which, as of mid-February, were sold out except for verified resale tickets). The final show, on Sunday, is set for Roadrunner, with some tickets still left. The early start — 6 p.m. — is to allow for not one, not two, but three openers — The Bombpops, The Rumjacks, and Jesse Ahern at HOB, with Jim Lindberg from Pennywise taking The Bombpops’ slot at Roadrunner. The group just released a new album last year called “Turn Up That Dial,” their 10th — and as usual, it was rife with local references. — Arianna MacNeill
Stay up late with the MFA
While the MFA has yet to bring back its raucous overnight parties from a few years back, the museum is keeping its doors open past bedtime starting this Friday. Guests will be able to explore the exhibits until 10 p.m. on Fridays going forward, giving you extra time to scope out some of the newly reimagined galleries and enjoy themed treats that vary week to week. This weekend, for example, you can enjoy shepherd’s pie and a Guinness at the New American Café, the full-service restaurant in the glass-enclosed Shapiro Family Courtyard. — Kevin Slane
Skate over to TD Garden for the Hockey East championships
For the first time since 2019, the Hockey East men’s championships return to TD Garden this March, with the tournament’s two semifinals set for Friday and the title tilt to follow a night later. As always, the Lamoriello Trophy and an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament will be at stake. Tickets for the general public are on sale, with balcony seats for as little as $22.50 – or $15.50 with a valid student ID at the Garden box office on game day. — Dave D’onofrio
Watch Boston Ballet’s DREAMstate
After a successful run of “The Nutcracker,” Boston Ballet’s first in-person performance since the pandemic began, the company will put on a series of three shows this spring: “ChoreograpHER,” “DREAMstate,” and “MINDscape.” Running March 17 through 27, “DREAMstate” comprises three short, ethereal ballets, ranging in style from the pure ballet to the contemporary. The show opens with “Chaconne” by 20th-century choreographer and New York City Ballet co-founder George Balanchine, a mesmerizing pure ballet for 27 dancers set to music from the 1762 opera Orfeo ed Euridice. Next up is the world premiere of “DEVIL’S/eye” by Stephen Galloway, former principal at the Ballet Frankfurt and creative consultant for the Rolling Stones. Boston Ballet describes the much-anticipated show, set to rock music, as a “funhouse of choreography and couture.” Finally, the company welcomes the return of Jiří Kylián’s “Bella Figura,” a timely examination of the resilience of the human body, both spiritually and physically. Bella Figure in Italian means not only “beautiful body,” but also “putting on a brave face.” — Natalie Gale
Grab a St. Patrick’s Day drink special
St. Patrick Day is upon us, and Boston restaurants and bars are celebrating in a variety of ways. You can find liquid nourishment with The Tam‘s Dublin Drop shots: Irish cream liqueur and Irish whiskey dropped into a glass of stout. The venerable Sullivan’s Tap is serving the Dublin Strong, a shot of Baileys Irish Cream in Guinness, as well as Green Jell-O shots and Budweiser’s special green bottles. Each sale of Time Out Market Boston’s St. Pat’s special cocktail, The Phoenix Feather (Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey, Broadsheet cold brew, Bénédictine, and house-made Irish cream liqueur), donates $1 to BAGLY, a local, youth-led LGBTQ+ youth advocacy program. Click here for an even longer list of food and drink specials at Boston bars for St. Patrick’s Day weekend. — Linda Laban
Watch Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas get steamy in ‘Deep Water’
The 1980s and ’90s were the pinnacle of the erotic thriller, with auteurs like Paul Verhoeven (“Basic Instinct”), Brian De Palma (“Body Double”), and William Friedkin (“Cruising”) updating the 1940s noir for then-modern audiences. No director more typified the genre, however, than Adrian Lyne, whose filmography contains some of the best erotic thrillers ever put to celluloid, including “9 1/2 Weeks,” “Fatal Attraction,” and “Indecent Proposal.” For “Deep Water,” his first film in 20 years, Lyne tapped Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas (“Knives Out”), who ended up dating for a year following filming. “Deep Water” follows a couple in a loveless marriage, with Vic (Affleck) quietly seething as Melinda (de Armas) flaunts her numerous affairs in his face. When her lovers begin to turn up dead, however, the movie turns a corner, and the protagonists’ dynamic shifts drastically. While “Deep Water” can’t quite reach the dizzying heights of Lyne’s best, de Armas and Affleck — in full “Gone Girl” mode — are delightful to watch as they revive a long-dormant genre. “Deep Water” seems to have been deemed too risky (or perhaps risqué) for the studio honchos at Disney, so instead of hitting theaters, “Deep Water” is headed directly to Hulu starting this Friday. — Kevin Slane
Spit rhymes with Freestyle Love Supreme
Before “Hamilton” won 11 Tony Awards and “In the Heights” became a feature film, playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda had “Freestyle Love Supreme,” a hip-hop musical improv show with co-creators Thomas Kail and Anthony Veneziale. The energetic performance (now without Miranda) comes to Emerson’s Colonial Theatre for a two-week run, featuring Veneziale alongside six other performers: Aneesa Folds aka “Young Nees,” Andrew Bancroft aka “Jelly Donut,” Jay C. Ellis aka “Jellis,” Kaila Mullady aka “Kaiser Rözé,” Morgan Reilly aka “Hummingbird,” and Chris Sullivan aka “Shockwave.” Since it’s improv, no two shows are the same. Cast members take audience suggestions each night, spinning them into rhymes, riffs, and even full-length musical numbers. — Natalie Gale
Make Ron Swanson and Leslie Knope proud by pairing whiskey and waffles
Ron Swanson and Leslie Knope from “Parks and Recreation” are two of TV’s most iconic colleagues. They have very different worldviews, but one thing they wholeheartedly agree on is that breakfast foods are the best. Played exuberantly by Burlington’s Amy Poehler, Leslie is dedicated to Belgian waffles. Ron would be more likely to order steak and eggs, bacon, or The Four Horse-Meals of the Egg-Pork-alypse (a signature dish at JJ’s Diner in Pawnee, Indiana) — but knowing his (and actor Nick Offerman’s) love of Lagavulin Scotch, we’re certain that Ron would approve of Whiskey & Waffles at Brookline gourmet shop Vom Fass. This bimonthly tasting event will be held this Sunday and pairs a hot, fresh, Belgian-style waffle with a flight of small-batch whiskey. Vom Fass is an international franchise of European style-markets and tasting rooms, selling white-label products like olive oils, vinegars, wine, and spirits. The Brookline shop carries nearly 40 different whiskeys (and bourbons and scotches) from producers around the world, all resting in small wooden casks lining the shelves. — Jacqueline Cain
Head to Southie for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
After two years of pandemic-related cancellations, Boston’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will return to the streets of Southie this Sunday at 1 p.m. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the parade will take place on a shorter route, which has been used during years in which the parade was held during inclement weather. The festivities will start at Broadway T Station and will continue down the entirety of Broadway before concluding at the corner of East Broadway and Farragut Road. For those who don’t want to make the trek to Southie, the parade will be broadcast live on NECN starting at 1 p.m. — Kevin Slane
Laugh along with Jonathan Van Ness
Jonathan Van Ness, of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” fame, brings “Imaginary Living Room Olympian,” a dazzling comedy show full of life lessons — and even gymnastics — to Boston for two nights this Friday and Saturday. A hair stylist-turned-personality-turned-one-person-show powerhouse, Van Ness joined the “Queer Eye” “fab five” in 2018 when Netflix rebooted the Bravo reality series in which gay men give self-help advice to straight men (and in the reboot, women, too). The Emmy Award nominee’s first live tour in 2019, “Jonathan Van Ness: Road to Beijing,” included a sold-out Radio City Music Hall stop. This year, he hits the road for his second comedy act, sharing his passion for equity, inclusion, and a better world for all — with a heavy dose of humor. — Natalie Gale
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