10 things to do in Boston this weekend: September 22-25, 2022

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].

Catch a movie or two at the Boston Film Festival

The annual Boston Film Festival returns to the city from Thursday through Monday with a full slate of features, documentaries, shorts, and animated films. The festival celebrates the film hub that Boston has become in recent years, and presents awards for submissions like Best Film, Best Performance, and Best Documentary, along with a Lifetime Achievement award. This year’s Boston Film Fest opens with a 7 p.m. screening of the drama-filled production “Don’t Worry Darling” on Thursday at the Landmark Center in Fenway. Other screenings throughout the festival include the world premiere of comedy “Bromates” on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at The Wilbur and the U.S. premiere of “The Power of Activism” on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Boston Public Library. Find the full schedule of in-person and online screenings here. — Natalie Gale

Welcome back the BSO for a new season

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 2022-23 season — which returns with grand opening shows this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Friday at 1:30 p.m. — is absolutely abounding with music from every imaginable corner of the classical continuum. Music Director Andris Nelsons will be leading 13 programs, but the BSO will also feature a series of familiar conductors as well as many who are stepping up to the Symphony Hall podium for the first time. Among those returning are Thomas Adès, Alan Gilbert, and Giancarlo Guerrero, while those making their debuts are Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Omer Meir Wellber, Karina Canellakis, and Lahav Shani. Thursday and Friday’s opening shows will feature Nelsons conducting pianist Awadagin Pratt, who will perform J.S. Bach’s Piano Concerto in A, and Jessie Montgomery’s Rounds for piano and string orchestra. Also on the set list for the evening are John Williams’ “A Toast!,” and Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” — Ed Symkus

Head to Oktoberfest at the Sam Adams Taproom

Sam Adams is one of many breweries celebrating Oktoberfest this weekend, hosting three days of revelry at its Boston taproom next to Quincy Market. The brewery will be dishing out a beer and pretzel combo, holding stein-hosting events on the hour, and hosting live music all three nights. Friday’s festivities will be held from 5-10 p.m., Saturday’s shindig will be from 11:30-9 p.m., and Sunday’s capper will be from 11:30-6 p.m. Advance tickets are sold out, but a $10 ticket at the door gets you a free Oktoberfest pour and festival-specific swag. — Kevin Slane

Sing along to ‘Tina Turner: The Musical’

Following its 2019 Tony-winning premiere on Broadway, “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” comes to the Opera House for a two-week run now through Sunday, October 2. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall, the musical features plenty of music by the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” who first rose to prominence in the 1960s alongside ex-husband Ike Turner. After cutting the abusive Ike loose, Turner blossomed as a solo artist in the ’80s, winning eight Grammy Awards in her lifetime. Starring Naomi Rodgers and Zurin Villanueva, who split the role of Tina over the show’s 2+ hours, “Tina” garnered 11 Tony nominations in 2020, winning for Best Actress. Tickets for the musical are currently on sale on Ticketmaster. — Natalie Gale

Check out Bow Market’s Bavarian-style makeover for Oktoberfest

Remnant Brewing’s Fest beer is lagering away, food specials are in development at vendors throughout Bow Market, and the festive decorations are getting ready to rise, as Oktoberfest returns to the Somerville courtyard this Saturday and Sunday. The weekend-long party centers on Remnant — an anchor tenant at Bow Market — which will celebrate the return of Fest Lager, a traditional Märzen style and an annual favorite release. Along with Remnant’s usual taproom and outdoor patio, a beer station in Bow Market’s main courtyard will join the fun this weekend. Elsewhere around the small-scale marketplace, there will be live music and food specials from other vendors. Pair your Fest Lager with the likes of a vegetarian currywurst from Saus, jalapeño popper-sausage empanadas from Buenas, a Black Forest brownie by Gâté Comme de Filles, and more. Entrance to Oktoberfest at Bow Market is free, but if you’d prefer to sit in the coveted courtyard seating instead of the patio or taproom, reservations are recommended. — Jacqueline Cain

Celebrate Oktoberfest with exclusive new beer releases at Night Shift Brewing

Joining in the Oktoberfest fun, Night Shift Brewing will host two free events this weekend, one at its Everett taproom on Saturday from noon to 11 p.m., and the other at its Lovejoy Wharf taproom on Sunday from 11:30-8 p.m. The pair of parties will be highlighted by the release of three new beers: Freudian Sip, a Vienna-style lager; Prost Malone, an unfiltered Munich lager; and One Mighty Festbier, a Helles Style Lager brewed with freshly milled wheat from One Mighty Mill in Lynn in an example the ancient art of shared food systems between local bakers and brewers. Saturday’s party will have live music from the Hofbrau Spieler Band, food trucks, a stein-holding competition, and best dressed contests. Sunday’s shindig, meanwhile, also features an appearance from the Hofbrau Spieler Band, as well as a plentiful selection of brats, pretzels, and more thematic foods. — Ria Goveas

Watch a reversed production of ‘La Bohème’

This Friday and Sunday, the Boston Lyric Opera is flipping the script on a tried-and-true stage favorite. The New England premiere of a new, time-flipped production of Giacomo Puccini’s famous opera “La Bohème” opens with the tragic ending and runs the story in reverse. Keeping each act untouched and music and libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa intact, our heartstrings are tugged on by carefree Parisian artists in love instead of sadness. As Director Yuval Sharon put it, “We move backward, so our audience can move forward.” Audiences can catch a 7:30 p.m. performance on September 23 and 30, or a 3 p.m. Sunday show on September 25 and October 2. — Cheryl Fenton

Get spooked at Six Flags New England’s Fright Fest

This Saturday, Six Flags New England’s annual Fright Fest — featuring live entertainment, haunted houses, and over 200 scary performers — returns to the theme park on weekends and select weekdays through November 6. Once the sun goes down, rides and roller coasters get even scarier—and “scare zones” set up throughout the park will contain dozens of costumed performers such as witches, zombies, and other ghouls, who will be ready to give guests a fright. This year’s five themed scare zones are “Screampunk,” “CarnEvil,” “Holiday Horror,” “Slaughter Hollow,” and “Demon District.” Fright Fest will also include five haunted houses, which require a separate Haunted Attraction Pass, though ticket bundles offering admission to both the park and the haunted houses are available. To purchase tickets and check out a full list of fall entertainment options, visit the park’s website. — Ria Goveas

Bite into breakfast favorites at Brunch Battle

Since 2015, District Hall has played host to an annual showdown between top local restaurants to see whose brunch fare reigns supreme. The only assured winner of this Saturday’s event is you, as you help decide who between Gather, Community Servings Kitchen, Alcove, Grana, Yellow Door Taqueria, Rosa Mexicano, and Tuscan Kitchen will wear the 2022 Brunch Battle crown.
Proceeds from the event, held from noon to 2 p.m., will benefit Community Servings, a nonprofit food and nutrition program dedicated to helping those living with critical conditions in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. — Kevin Slane

Check out classic cars at the annual Boston Cup

Classic car fans should drive over to Boston Common this Sunday for the 11th edition of The Boston Cup, an annual event showcasing both American-made and foreign vehicles and celebrating automotive innovations over the decades. Rich Doucette, a board member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America and a manager of the New England Region of the Classic Car Club of America, started the event in 2012. Doucette was inspired after visiting “Speed, Style and Beauty: Cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection” at the Museum of Fine Arts in 2005, and the realization that the discontinuation of The Trustees’ annual Castle Concours d’Elegance in 2003 left a vacuum of classic car events in the area. Now, Doucette and other classic car enthusiasts descend on the Common, where judges give out Best in Show awards for the region’s best classic autos. Tickets to the showcase are available at thebostoncup.com. — Ria Goveas

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