10 things to do in Boston this holiday weekend

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]on.com.

Take a (virtual) trip to Europe with ‘Immersive Vatican’

Following in the footsteps of “Immersive Van Gogh” and floor-to-ceiling installations inspired by the work of Monet and Klimt, Lighthouse Immersive and Maestro Immersive Art are taking visitors on a virtual trip overseas with “Immersive Vatican.” The Boston exhibit, which opens Friday at Lighthouse Artspace Boston (130 Columbus Ave.), takes visitors on a tour from the depths of the Roman catacombs to the towering ceilings of St. Peter’s Basilica, tracking centuries of history cataloged in the Bible and in history books. Similar to past immersive exhibits, the images projected on the walls at “Immersive Vatican” are composed of thousands of high-resolution photos, and enhanced by animation and a musical score accompanying audiences on the historical journey. Visitors will see the frescoes of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, the artifacts of the Vatican Museums, and other Vatican City treasures. Tickets to “Immersive Vatican,” which is in Boston through November 6, are available here. — Kevin Slane

Visit the Discovery Museum for free on Friday

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Discovery Museum will offer free museum admission on the first Friday of each month from 4:30-8 p.m., starting this Friday and continuing through June 2023. Advance reservations are required, and can be made on the museum’s website up to 10 days in advance. First opened inside an old Victorian house in 1982, the museum focuses on children’s healthy development, emphasizing play and the joy of learning. Exhibits include the Water Gallery, the Sound Gallery, the Illusions Wall, the Light & Color Gallery, and “The Diner,” immersing children in science, math, and art-focused playtime If Friday night isn’t your ideal visiting time, the museum is also offering $2.50 admission for the entire month of October for its “Pay and Play Like It’s 1982” initiative. — Natalie Gale

Groove to the sounds of HONK!

For the 17th year, the HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands will return to the streets of Somerville, bringing street bands, dancers, and other entertainers to Davis Square for three days of fun. The weekend kicks off on Friday evening with a showcase of bands and a parade of lanterns through Somerville neighborhoods. On Saturday, hundreds of performers, many of whom travel from out of state for the festival, take to the streets of Davis Square for a loud, proud, carnival-esque celebration of music and entertainment—all on the street, and all free. On Sunday, local community groups and activists, representing causes like the environment and economic and racial justice, join the performers for a parade along Mass Ave from Davis to Harvard Square. Bands continue performing throughout the day. — Natalie Gale

Catch an outdoor screening of ‘Beetlejuice’

With spooky season in full swing, “Beetlejuice” will be screening at the Loring Greenough House Lawn this Friday at 7 p.m. Tim Burton’s classic will be presented by the Jamaica Plain Tuesday Club, which preserves the Loring Greenough House and its grounds for the people of Jamaica Plain, and hosts historical, cultural, and educational activities. Starring Michael Keaton as the titular malevolent ghoul, “Beetlejuice” begins with a recently deceased couple, played by Alec Baldwin and Wareham native Geena Davis, discovering that they are indeed dead. Things quickly go awry when the couple hire Betelgeuse, a “bio-exorcist,” to rid their Connecticut home of its new, alive owners, played by Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones, and Winona Ryder. Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5, and are available via Eventbrite. — Rea Goveas

Squeeze in a solo show from Glenn Tilbrook

Longtime (like, really longtime) fans of the celebrated UK band Squeeze might still remember the group’s 1982 farewell performance on “Saturday Night Live,” featuring robust versions of “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Pulling Mussels From The Shell” and some words of heartfelt thanks from one of the group’s founders, Glenn Tilbrook. Of course, if you don’t remember the band breaking up at that time, you can be forgiven: By 1985 they were back together again, and in 1987 they released “Babylon and On,” the record that wound up yielding the band’s only top 40 hits in the U.S., “Hourglass” and “853-5937.” The group has been on-again, off-again ever since, both in Squeeze form — the band’s 2017 disc, “The Knowledge,” was called a “masterly latter-day work” by Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic — and as the duo of Tilbrook and co-founder Chris Difford, a.k.a. Difford & Tilbrook. In advance of a scheduled Squeeze tour in the UK later this year, Tilbrook is back on the solo trail, celebrating both the Squeeze tracks for which he wrote memorable melodies and his own solo work. Don’t worry if you’re not especially familiar with Tilbrook’s solo albums like “The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook” and “Happy Ending” when you check him out at his City Winery show on Friday at 8 p.m. Recent setlists have been chock full of Squeeze favorites like “Up The Junction,” “Black Coffee in Bed,” and “Tempted,” not to mention covers of the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Human League, and Elton John. — Peter Chianca

Sashay your way to Boston Fashion Week

Following two years of COVID-19, Boston Fashion Week is back in full force for 2022. Starting this Saturday and running through October 15, the weeklong event features a series of fashion shows, exhibits, educational programs, and parties. This year’s event kicks off with a collaboration with the Cambridge Science Festival, a weeklong pop-up festival featuring demonstrations, workshops, and performances throughout Cambridge. On Saturday, the two festivals will present “Science + Fashion,” an all-day exhibit at the Kendall/MIT Open Space with shows and discussions featuring high-tech fashion like smart clothing and advanced fabrics. Featuring local designers and models, along with some national and international artists, the remainder of the week aims to increase the visibility of the local fashion industry and provide visiting designers a chance to connect with a Boston audience. To stay updated on Boston Fashion Week’s 2022 lineup, visit bostonfashionweek.com, or the event’s Instagram. — Natalie Gale

Get in the fall spirit at Short Path Distillery’s Apple Booze Bash

Here’s a tasty way to get in the spirit of spooky szn: Hit the street this Saturday for the Apple Booze Bash at Short Path Distillery. The fourth annual festival celebrates all things appley, from apple cider flights spiked with housemade Apple Brandy to apple cider doughnuts. The all-day party (11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. takes over the Everett tasting room, patio, and the street outside with two outdoor bars in addition to the inside option. Short Path will have just released two annual fall spirits, each made with local apples: Apple Brandy, distilled from local apples and aged in oak barrels; and Pommeau, a barrel-aged apple cordial derived from locally grown and pressed apple cider. Experience each liqueur in a spiked cider flight, or as essential elements of special cocktails. Short Path is also conjuring up a limited-edition surprise release, which will only be available for purchase during the Apple Booze Bash. Boston-area food vendors are joining the fall fun with food trucks rolling in throughout the event, including The Nada Cart, Bonetown Burgers, and Lala’s Neapolitan-ish Pizza. Tubb’s Doughnuts, new to the pop-up scene from Watertown, is frying up apple cider doughnuts for the occasion. — Jacqueline Cain 

Trillium celebrates autumn with bluegrass music, farm animals, and plenty of beer

It’s always a good time to visit Trillium Brewing Company’s headquarters in Canton: With an expansive taproom, restaurant, and patio at the base of the Blue Hills, it’s a destination-worthy short drive from Boston for world-class beers and beautiful views. This Saturday and Sunday, add to those reasons for visiting a weekend of family-friendly live music, festive fair food, and even a visiting petting zoo. Trillium’s first-ever Canton Fall Fest is a weekend-long celebration of autumn. Along with a seasonal beer and hard seltzer selection, the kitchen is preparing classic fall treats like apple cider doughnuts, roasted corn on the cob, and cider-braised pulled pork. Boston-based bluegrass band The Vinegar Flies is providing the entertainment, along with a visiting petting zoo from Mcdonny’s Traveling Farm. More than 10 local artists and vendors will be on site selling candles, home decor items, jewelry, pottery, and more. — Jacqueline Cain

Enjoy a North Shore trifecta of music, beer, and food at the Roast Beef and Beer festival

Picture this: It’s a beautiful fall day, and you decide to take a jaunt to the North Shore for a juicy roast beef sandwich — an iconic regional delicacy — and to partake in the region’s awesome beer scene. We’re here to tell you this day trip is even closer than you imagined. The folks at Bent Water Brewing Company in Lynn are sharing what they love about their local food and beer scene at the inaugural Roast Beef and Beer Festival this Saturday at 4 p.m. This walk-around tasting event brings together three North Shore breweries and a few restaurants for an evening of local flavor and fun. Expect slider-size North Shore three-ways and other food available for purchase from Jamie’s Roast Beef of Peabody; Nick’s Pizza, Subs & Roast Beef out of Beverly; Nick’s Place with multiple locations; and Ciao Restaurant and Bar from Lynn. (For anyone uninitiated, a North Shore three-way traditionally tops a squishy onion roll with thinly sliced roast beef and barbecue sauce, American cheese, and mayo. It’s meaty, it’s messy, and it’s dang delicious when you’re craving cold cuts.) Tickets are available via Eventbrite, and a portion from ticket sales will be donated to My Brother’s Table, a soup kitchen and hunger relief organization in Lynn; and Black Balloon Day, which supports families of people lost to the opioid crisis. — Jacqueline Cain

Get your grunge on with Alice in Chains, Breaking Benjamin, and Bush

The Gen. X-ers out there may have a hard time believing this: “Dirt,” Alice In Chains’ breakthrough sophomore album, turns 30 years old on Sept. 29. The record spurred five major hits for the band, from “Them Bones” to “Down in a Hole,” and cemented the Seattle rockers as formidable heavy hitters in the grunge scene that had taken the country by storm. And three decades later, Alice In Chains is still at it — and they’re bringing their best to the Xfinity Center this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. alongside their contemporaries Bush and Breaking Benjamin. Given that the show will wrap up the 2022 outdoor amphitheater season at Xfinity Center, you may want to bring a sweater. — Christopher Gavin

See More Events