BosTen is your weekly guide to the best events and coolest happenings in and around Boston.
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].
See Tony Massarotti discuss his new book with the Boston.com book club
After two-plus years of virtual readings and Q&As, the Boston.com Book Club will hold its first in-person event this Thursday at Capital One Cafe in the Seaport from 7-8 p.m. Former Globe reporter Tony Massarotti, one half of the popular “Felger & Mazz” sports radio show on 98.5 The Sports Hub, will be discussing his new book, “This Is Our City: Four Teams, Twelve Championships, and How Boston Became the Most Dominant Sports City in the World,” with Boston.com sports writer Khari Thompson. You can RSVP for this event on the Globe Events website, and the first 50 people to arrive will receive a free copy of “This Is Our City.” — Kevin Slane
Get a taste of ‘Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home’ with Eric Kim
If recipes from the New York Times’ venerable cooking section such as Sheet-Pan Kimchi Fried Rice, a Doenjang Salmon Rice Bowl, Chocolate-Cherry Cake, or The Best Miso Soup of Your Life have tempted you to click lately, you have Eric Kim to thank. The rising-star staff writer brings a user-friendly and fun Korean American point-of-view to the Times Food section. Previously, Kim was a contributing editor to Saveur and a senior editor at Food52, where he wrote the “Table for One” column. Kim recently published his first cookbook, Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home, and he’s bringing his perspective to Boston this Thursday from 7-8 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts. In conversation with Boston Globe food writer Devra First, Kim is set to discuss his multifaceted approach to cooking and forging new culinary traditions. — Jacqueline Cain
Block out some time for ‘The Art of the Brick’
“The Art of the Brick,” an art exhibit composed completely of LEGO bricks, makes its triumphant return to Boston starting this Friday. Contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya last brought his block-filled creations to Faneuil Hall in 2014, treating sold-out crowds to plastic versions of famous works of art as well as sculptures of his own imagining. This time around, “The Art of the Brick” will be twice as large as 2014’s show, with more than 90 works filling a gallery space at 343 Newbury St. through Sunday, April 23, 2023. Among the attractions are LEGO versions of Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” and a 20-foot T-Rex skeleton. Sawaya will also add a series of LEGO-infused photography, and one of his most famous works, “Yellow,” in which a large LEGO man rips open his own chest, spilling thousands of bricks from the cavity. Tickets are available now at the exhibit’s website. — Kevin Slane
Celebrate the 10th year of the Boston International Kids Film Festival
The Boston International Kids Film Festival (BIKFF) returns for its 10th annual weekend dedicated to films for kids, by kids, and about kids. Featuring workshops, panel discussions, and nearly 80 films from a dozen different countries, the celebrated kid-centric movie event will run Friday through Sunday at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown. Local ties are strong during this year’s festival, with a feature documentary chronicling a female debate team from Newton as they struggle to find their voices in the male-dominated high school activity, along with two additional features including a story of four young friends and their struggles growing up queer and a fictional film about ballet starring a local Boston dancer. A true all-ages experience, even young audience members have their own on-screen moments with animated shorts for children 10 and under and short films appropriate for middle school-aged and beyond. — Cheryl Fenton
Catch new films at Wicked Queer Docs
Wicked Queer: Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival is the 4th longest-running LGBTQ+ film fest in America, and has been showcasing queer storytelling since 1984. Along with its annual festival, this year Wicked Queer is adding a fall documentary fest to its programming for the first time, which will be held this Friday through Monday at the MFA and Brattle Theatre. Highlights include documentaries about a World War II lesbian love story (“Nellie & Nadine”) and the International Male catalog craze of the late ’80s and early ’90s (“All Man: The International Male Story”). Tickets and additional info for Wicked Queer Docs can be found on the festival’s website. — Kevin Slane
Kick off ski season at the Snowbound Expo
With great powder comes great responsibility. Here’s your chance to get ready for the upcoming ski season at the area’s greatest premium, multi-sensory, immersive experience — Snowbound Expo. Bringing the entire industry and community together, the weekend-long event at Hynes Convention Center celebrates New England’s collective excitement about winter and outdoor sports through inspirational speakers, the latest gear, cutting-edge technology, apparel, and resorts all under one roof. This year’s Snowbound highlights new activities for all ages, including a dry slope built for families and those new to skiing/snowboarding, a cross country experience interactive feature, a giant curling activation set, and aprés ski parties Friday and Saturday afternoons and evenings. A huge speaker lineup is expected across two main stages, as pros and athletes including Bode Miller, Conrad Anker, Chris Davenport, Dani Reyes Acosta, Dan Egan, and Vasu Sojitra relay stories and inspiration. Snowbound is open 2-7 p.m. on Friday, 10-5 p.m. on Saturday, and 10-4 p.m. on Sunday. — Cheryl Fenton
Keep it local and festive in Roslindale
Don’t have a clue about what to get for everybody on your holiday shopping list? Relax, grab yourself a beer and maybe a breakfast sandwich, and browse the collection of local gift ideas at the Roslindale Substation. Every Friday and Saturday now through December 23, the community gathering place in Roslindale Village will host a rotating lineup of local vendors, along with food pop-ups and beers from current resident brewery Jack’s Abby. Community-owned bookstore Rozzie Bound sets up shop in the Substation every Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Other holiday market pop-ups on the calendar so far will bring in local art, bottled cocktail mixers, and more. Breakfast Ninjas will be in the house each weekend through November 19, and Bullfinch Coffee is on for a free tasting beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12. The Beer Hall at the Substation is open Fridays from 4-10 p.m. and Saturdays noon-10 p.m. — Jacqueline Cain
Celebrate Thanksgiving in America’s hometown
For 25 years, hundreds of thousands of people have traveled to historic Plymouth Harbor. And there’s no better time to join them than in the fall to experience America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration. For three days and nights, history is brought to life, as pilgrims, native Americans, soldiers, patriots, and pioneers proudly climb out of the history books and onto the streets of Plymouth. The weekend kicks off with a Friday night concert by The Plymouth Philharmonic for cherished American classics followed by Mozart’s stellar Violin Concerto No. 5 and a fiery rendition of Vittorio Monti’s Czardas. The following day, one of America’s only historically accurate chronological parades steps off Plymouth Rock to highlight our country’s rich heritage from the 17th through the 21st centuries. The weekend also brings a waterfront festival with a children’s pavilion, food trucks, a beer and wine garden, Alumni Drum and Bugle Corp concert, and a harvest market. Visit America’s Hometown “Portal to the Past” Historic Village for one-on-one time with “living historians” from four centuries of American history to experience our country’s past for yourself. For more info and a full schedule of events, click here. — Cheryl Fenton
Volunteer for a Thanksgiving food pantry in Southie
The Fourth Presbyterian Church Food Pantry in Southie will be hosting a multi-day Thanksgiving volunteering event from Friday through Tuesday, with a wide variety of roles to choose from. You can help with Cantonese or Spanish translations, pack groceries, be a food mover, or deliver food to those in need. Volunteering shifts start the weekend before Thanksgiving, and you can sign up online for your desired role and time slot. Dress appropriately as you may be assigned to be inside or outside. — Joel Ang
See the Magic of Lights at Gillette Stadium for the final time
For the third and final year, Magic of Lights returns to Gillette Stadium starting this Friday, bringing dazzling family-friendly holiday light displays in a drive-through attraction through December 31. The display debuted in 2020 and uses the latest in CAD technology and digital animations to enliven returning displays like the 200-foot Enchanting Tunnel of Lights, Candy Cane Lane, Toyland, 12 Days of Christmas, Prehistoric Christmas with life-sized dinosaurs, and the BIGFOOT Monster Truck. New this year is a 32-foot tall animated Barbie, plus dancing displays synchronized to popular holiday songs. For more details and a full schedule, visit the Magic of Lights website. — Natalie Gale
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