BosTen is your weekly guide to the best events and coolest things to do in 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].
Tap your toes at the Boston Celtic Music Festival
The 21st Annual Boston Celtic Music Festival returns to Camberville this Thursday through Sunday, providing music, song, and dance from Irish, Scottish, Cape Bretton, and other Celtic communities. The annual celebration is spread between several small but beloved music venues in the area, with shows at Club Passim, Crystal Ballroom, The Burren, and The Rockwell. Many festival shows are free, but for those that require tickets (and for more info on the artists), visit Club Passim’s website. (Thursday, Jan. 11, through Sunday, Jan. 14, at various times and locations in Somerville and Cambridge; $0-35 per show) — Kevin Slane
Celebrate ‘Mean Girls’ at Alamo Drafthouse
With the release of Tina Fey’s movie musical adaptation of “Mean Girls” this weekend, Boston’s newest theater, Alamo Drafthouse, is celebrating with two events that are so fetch. On Thursday, Alamo will host a Mean Girls Sing-Along, giving guests a chance to see the new film accompanied by interactive activities and inflatable microphones to sing along. Then on Friday, Alamo will host a Mean Girls Movie Party, giving guests a chance to enjoy the film with interactive props like personal burn books and Mean Girls-themed drinks. Since it’s not Wednesday, you don’t have to wear pink, but it wouldn’t hurt. (Thursday, Jan. 11, and Friday, Jan. 12, at 7:15 p.m.; Alamo Drafthouse, 60 Seaport Blvd., Boston; $20) — Kevin Slane
Sip wine at the Boston Wine & Food Festival
The 35th Annual Boston Wine & Food Festival returns to the city this Friday, bringing two months of wine-focused events to the city through March 29. Visitors can expect wine dinners, pop-up tastings, seminars, receptions, brunches, master classes, and more when they visit the Boston Harbor Hotel on the historic Rowes Wharf Harbor. Several events, including the opening night reception, are already sold out, so be sure to check out the festival website before all the tastings are full. (Friday, Jan. 12, through March 29 at various times; 70 Rowes Wharf, Boston; $70-645 per event) — Kevin Slane
See family-friendly films from around the globe
Let’s be honest: Your 4-year-old is probably fine watching the same episode of “Paw Patrol” for the 600th time. But if you want to expand your children’s horizons, the Belmont World Film’s Family Festival curates some of the best family-friendly films the world has to offer. This year’s fest, which begins this Saturday and runs through the 21st, has both feature-length films and shorts from countries around the globe playing at West Newton Theatre, Regent Theatre in Arlington, and Cambridge’s Brattle Theatre and Apple Cinemas. The festival also features a workshop that introduces kids to basic camera techniques in order to begin experimenting with their own filmmaking. For more information on tickets and a full list of programming, check out the festival website. (Saturday, Jan. 13, through Sunday, Jan. 21, at various times and locations; $8-12 per film) — Kevin Slane
Laugh it up with Jim Jefferies at the Wang
For an Australian, Jim Jefferies certainly seems to understand how things work here in America — as evidenced by his hilarious (and many would say dead-on accurate) analysis (warning?) about Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. America didn’t take his advice, but that hasn’t stopped Jefferies from returning to deliver his no-holds-barred takes on things like gun control, religion, cancel culture, and — after waiting patiently for her to turn 19 — Greta Thunberg. (“I waited three long years to talk about this sh**!,” he notes in his most recent stand-up special, “High & Dry.”) (Saturday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m.; Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St., Boston; $43-$234) — Peter Chianca
Enjoy free admission to the ICA
As has become tradition, the ICA will be offering free admission on MLK Day. Visitors can enjoy art-making, a special short-film screening, as well as a chance to see three exhibitions before they leave the museum in the next few weeks: “Tammy Nguyen” (through Jan. 28), “2023 James and Audrey Foster Prize” (through Jan. 28), and “Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora, 1990s–Today” (through Feb. 25). (Monday, Jan. 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Institute of Contemporary Art, 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston; free) — Kevin Slane
Enjoy free admission to the MFA
The Museum of Fine Arts has a full schedule of events to offer visitors who take advantage of free admission on MLK Day. Activities include a crown-making workshop, performances by the Boston City Singers and DJ WhySlam in the Shapiro Courtyard, and Butter Ur Biscuit, a pop-up Latin soul food restaurant. Monday is also your final chance to see “Fashioned by Sargent,” an exhibit that examines how John Singer Sargent’s discerning fashion tastes influenced his portraits. To see a full list of MLK Day activities, check out the MFA website. (Monday, Jan. 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Museum of Fine Arts, 20 Museum Road, Boston; free) — Kevin Slane
Join a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
This Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will be hosting a free program to honor the civil rights leader. Join a drum circle with award-winning composer Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor, enjoy live music and education from artists Tanya Nixon-Silberg and Bonnie Duncan, and learn more about King’s historic “I Have A Dream” speech. (Monday, Jan. 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way, Boston) — Kevin Slane
Visit Stone Zoo and Franklin Park Zoo for free
On MLK Day, Zoo New England will be offering free admission to both the Stone Zoo in Stoneham and Franklin Park Zoo in Boston all day long. Check out zookeeper chats centered around gorillas or snow leopards, enjoy the live animal theater, and be sure to check out the participatory community mural before you leave. (Monday, Jan. 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Stone Zoo, 149 Pond Road, Stoneham, and Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Road, Boston; free) — Kevin Slane
Visit all national parks for free
The National Park Service is waiving entrance fees during special events and holidays on six days in 2024, starting with MLK Day on Monday. While some national park sites are always free, others charge an entrance fee. New England parks where folks can save money during fee-free days include Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, where guests can tour the birthplace of John Quincy Adams; Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, where guests can experience a working 1920s-era weave room at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum; and Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, the location of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard. (Monday, Jan. 15, at various times and locations) — Kristi Palma
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