Events

10 things to do in Boston this weekend

BosTen is your weekly guide to the best events and coolest things to do in Boston.

"Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience" is now at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston through September 25. Zoo New England

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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].

Bask in the glow of Boston Lights

Tickets were scarce in August when Franklin Park Zoo brought back its seasonal “Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience.” Luckily, Zoo New England is keeping the illuminated exhibit around through October 29, giving visitors a few more weeks to bask in its glow. Stroll through 55 giant luminescent displays spread across the zoo’s 72-acre grounds, including a 66-foot-long rose corridor, an 82-foot octopus tunnel with color-changing tentacles, and pathways lined with lotus, bamboo, and traditional Asian lanterns. Timed entry tickets are available now on Zoo New England’s website. (Nightly from 6-10:30 p.m. through Oct. 29; Franklin Park Zoo, Boston; $15-25) — Kevin Slane

Let loose at Honk Festival

Two popular festivals will join forces this Sunday when Honk Fest, Somerville’s annual brass band extravaganza, heads to Harvard Square for its Oktoberfest celebration. Honk is actually a 3-day event, bringing dozens of activist brass bands from around the world to the neighborhoods of Somerville on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The final event of Honk involves a raucous parade, in which hundreds of musicians march from Davis Square to Harvard Square to join its Oktoberfest activities. Between the four hours of live music and the multiple beer gardens scattered around the square, it’s an Oktoberfest you’ll definitely want to check out. (Friday, Oct. 6 to Sunday, Oct. 8; Davis Square, Somerville; free) — Kevin Slane

Visit Wonderland with John Mayer at TD Garden

Long before John Clayton Mayer’s father gave him a guitar for his 13th birthday, the Connecticut youngster had a go at music on the clarinet. Now, 30-something years later, it’s likely that his fans are happy about him putting that instrument down. Along with becoming a fine singer and songwriter, Mayer is also an accomplished guitarist, be it electric or acoustic. But when he visits Boston on his current tour this Friday, he won’t be strapping on one of his trademark Stratocasters. Nor will there be a band behind him. This time it’s a solo acoustic tour, kind of harkening back to the release of his first album, 2001’s acoustic “Room for Squares.” As Mayerites know, he’s regularly changed his sound and style over the years, sometimes going with the blues, moving into rock and soul and, in the case of his 2021 record, “Sob Rock,” touching on a bit of ’80s pop. (Friday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m., TD Garden, Boston. $89-199) — Ed Symkus

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Get lost in one of the best corn mazes in America

It’s officially apple picking season, which means it’s also the time of year when thousands of New Englanders spend countless hours lost in corn mazes across the region. If you want to try your hand at one of the the best corn mazes in America, according to USA Today readers, stop by Davis Mega Maze in Sterling, which opens for the season this Saturday. Visitors can choose from different levels of intensity, with the main maze this year themed around Witches and Wizards. While you’re there, play lawn games, enjoy delicious food and craft beers, and even get in some apple picking if you’d like. (Saturday, Oct. 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Davis Mega Maze, Sterling; $21.95-29.95) — Kevin Slane

Hoist a stein at Aeronaut Oktoberfest

In its final Allston-based event of the season, Aeronaut will host its Oktoberfest celebration at Aeronaut Allston, the warm-weather beer garden at Zone 3 on Western Ave. The 21+ event runs from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and features Oktoberfest-inspired bites like pretzels from Swissbakers and other nosh from vendors like Hungry Nomads. They’ll also host a stein-hoisting competition and live music performances by Dennis Polisky & Maestro’s Men, and they’ll be serving up their festival Märzen brew. (Saturday, Oct. 7 from 1-9 p.m.; Aeronaut Allston, Boston; free; 21+) — Natalie Gale

Sip wine while learning about how it’s made

If you’ve ever been curious about how wine is produced, visit Georgie’s next Flight Club: From Harvest to Glass. They’ll teach you about the winemaking process, and you’ll learn about how exactly the drink gets from a vineyard and into the bottle you pour at home. There will also be a tasting, small things to eat, and a welcome pour. Tickets are $40, and coming along with a friend is encouraged. (Saturday, Oct. 7 at 3:30 p.m.; Georgie’s Wine Shop & Bar, 100 Summer St., Boston; $40; 21+) — Shira Laucharoen

Sing along with Kiana Ledé at Big Night Live

Born in 1997 in Phoenix, Kiana Ledé drew the attention of RCA after winning a Kidz Bop’s Kidz Star USA talent contest at age 14. In addition to recording singles over the next few years, Ledé established herself as an actor with starring roles on “Scream: The TV Series” and the Netflix series “All About the Washingtons.” In 2018, she scored a major success with the single “Ex,” which would eventually sell more than one million copies. When Ledé stops by Big Night Live on Sunday, expect her to perform plenty of tracks from her latest LP, “Grudges,” the follow-up to her 2020 full-length debut, “Kiki.” (Sunday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.; Big Night Live, Boston; $35) — Blake Maddux

Laugh along with Brittany Brave

South Florida comedian Brittany Brave classifies her comedy as “frantic, raunchy, and as vulnerable as possible,” according to the Miami New Times, who named her Best Comedian of 2021. But besides being a self-described tiny-but-loud standup comedian and a weekend DJ for Hits 97.3, she’s also a filmmaker, with a documentary in the works on the Miami comedy scene. One word of warning: Crowd work is a specialty, so plan to pitch in if you sit up front when Brave visits Laugh Boston this Sunday. (Sunday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. Laugh Boston; $25) — Peter Chianca

Donate to a good cause at Give a Shuck

Are you a fan of oysters? Then you should head to Community Rowing along the Charles River this Sunday to slurp down some bivalves and help support a nonprofit working to preserve oysters in the Bay State. The Massachusetts Oyster Project, which is dedicated to the “restoration of water cleansing oysters and native shellfish to the state’s marine estuaries,” will provide plenty of oysters on the half shell at its annual Give A Shuck fundraiser, along with an array of beverages, food truck options, lawn games, and live entertainment. Tickets are available now on MOP’s website. (Sunday, Oct. 8 from 3-7 p.m.; Community Rowing, Boston; $50 and up) — Kevin Slane

Sit down to a mushroom dinner in Canton

If fall seems like the perfect time to settle down to a savory feast, Northern Spy in Canton has a meal that you’ll enjoy: Chef Marc Sheehan and Tyler Akabane of The Mushroom Shop in Somerville are putting together a Wild Mushroom Dinner with five courses. Snack on black trumpet garlic bread and fries with mushroom ketchup before you indulge in Matsutake with baked buckwheat pilaf, braised chicken mushrooms, and a smoked mushroom miso chocolate ganache tart. Tickets cost $85, and there will be an optional beverage pairing. (Sunday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.; Northern Spy, Canton; $85) — Shira Laucharoen

Kevin Slane

Staff Writer

Kevin Slane is a staff writer for Boston.com covering entertainment and culture. His work focuses on movie reviews, streaming guides, celebrities, and things to do in Boston.

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