10 best events, things to do in Boston for Labor Day weekend 2021

Events

BosTen is your weekly guide to events and cool happenings in and around Boston.

With more and more Massachusetts businesses and cultural institutions reinstating COVID-19 restrictions this month in the face of a resurgent coronavirus pandemic, residents may be torn on whether to venture out of their homes this weekend. With that in mind, 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].

Get your hands on the new Harpoon x Dunkin’ fall beer collaboration

This isn’t the first time Harpoon Brewery and Dunkin’ have teamed up to brew fall beers together. But this is the first time that Harpoon is hosting a Dunkin’ walk-through at its Seaport digs, scheduled for Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets include the fall mix pack, featuring Dunkin’ Midnight, Dunkin’ Blueberry Matcha IPA, Dunkin’ Maple Creme, and Dunkin’ Pumpkin Spiced Latte Ale, and the first 200 people to pre-order will also receive a Dunkin’ Harpoon IPA doughnut, filled with a Harpoon IPA jelly and topped with a candied malt crumble.

Celebrate your love of the outdoors with a beer in hand

Remnant Brewing is throwing a party to celebrate Mother Nature — with beer, of course. On Thursday, stop by the Bow Market brewery to try Open Trail, a new beer collaboration from Urban Lodge Brewing Co. The project hopes to raise money and awareness for the Mystic River Watershed Association and Greater Boston Trout Unlimited, two organizations that will be on site to talk about getting involved with herring counts, river cleanups, and more. Tickets ($10) include one beer and a donation to each organization, and guests will be able to enjoy live music from The Electric Heaters.

Come together over a guided communal eating experience at Haley House Bakery Café

Part dining experience, part open mic night, Adobo-Fish-Sauce’s In the Park event at Haley House Bakery Café will invite guests to take a deeper look at their cultural identity through food, asking questions that promote cross-cultural discussions. The event starts at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday with light drinks and art exercises, followed by lunch catered by Haley House and a guided eating experience. An open mic will feature special guest performances, including youth poet-chefs and friends of Adobo-Fish-Sauce, which was founded by artists Anthony Febo and Ricky Orng.

Ring in the end of summer with a block party at The Speedway

So long, summer — it’s been real. If you’re hoping to give the season one last hurrah, head to the newly-opened Speedway in Brighton on Saturday for its End of Summer Block Party. The day will kick off with a free yoga class from ​​Artemis Yoga Studio (be sure to register here), followed by a preview and tasting of current and upcoming vendors (think Notch Brewing, Tipping Cow, The Koji Club, and more). You’ll also be treated to games, music, giveaways, and more — a solid way to send off summer. 

Sip disco-era drinks with the Boston.com Cocktail Club

Just like clothes, music, toys, and accessories, cocktail trends tend to change with the times. This Thursday at 7 p.m., Boston.com’s virtual cocktail club is heading back to the 1970s as host Jackson Cannon (The Hawthorne, Eastern Standard) and guest bartender Brian Hoefling (Herzog Cocktail School) teach you how to make two “disco cocktails,” drinks that were popular back when the Bee Gees ruled the charts. The duo will start with the old school version of a Tequila Sunrise and finish up with a Morgenthaler Amaretto Sour. Attending the Zoom is free, and you can find a full list of necessary ingredients here.

Nerd out at Fan Expo Boston

Fan Expo Boston, the celebration of geek culture formerly known as Boston Comic Con, returns to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center this weekend from Sept. 3-5. Along with attractions catered to fans of movies, comics, anime, and more, celebrities such as Brendan Fraser (“The Mummy”), Billie Piper (“Doctor Who”), and voice actor Dante Basco (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”) will be in attendance.

Gallop to the annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit

If you’ve ever been to Hamilton, you know that the town is all about horses, from its many horse farms to the weekly polo matches at Myopia Hunt Club. It makes sense, then, that the town is home to the annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, which features horse-themed works from more than 50 artists from across America. The exhibit, which opens this Saturday, is housed on the campus of South Hamilton’s Pingree School and will be on display through the end of November.

Get medieval at King Richard’s Faire

Starting Saturday, you can don your finest 1300s fashion and head to King Richard’s Faire, New England’s oldest and longest-running renaissance fair. Located on an 80-acre wooded site in Carver, the fair will welcome acrobats, aerialists, jugglers, fire-eaters, and hundreds of other talented performers to its eight stages for its 40th-anniversary celebration. The fairgrounds will be open Saturdays, Sundays, and Monday holidays through October 24.

Look up at the heavens for the Illuminate the Harbor fireworks

Did inclement weather force you to miss your town’s annual Fourth of July fireworks this year? Get a fresh dose of pyrotechnics this Friday at Boston Harbor Now’s Illuminate the Harbor Spectacular, which will light up the sky along the waterfront beginning at 8 p.m. Visitors can view the fireworks from the official viewing locations at Fan Pier, Christopher Columbus Park, or Piers Park. Earlier in the day, Boston Harbor Now will also hold its first-ever “Chalk The Walk,” a family-friendly event featuring chalk murals from more than 10 Massachusetts artists spread across the viewing locations.

Enjoy brews and baseball at the annual Fenway Beer Fest

As the Red Sox fight to remain in playoff contention as the regular season winds down, Fenway Park will offer an additional incentive to head to the ballpark this Saturday with its annual Fenway Beer Fest. Head to the park early to get a free T-shirt, exclusive pre-game entry to the park, a musical performance from Lisa Bello, and plenty of photo-ops and surprises. Most importantly, you’ll get a ticket to the 4:05 game between the Red Sox and Cleveland Indians, as well as plenty of beers and ciders to wet your whistle.