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].
Sip and snack at Salem So Sweet
Witch City’s annual chocolate and wine festival returns for its 22nd year this Friday through Sunday. All weekend long, visitors can find special deals at Salem’s shops and restaurants, along with a scavenger hunt to win prizes. Over 20 ice sculptures will be installed and illuminated throughout town on Friday and Saturday night, and guests can usually find free refreshments at many of the town’s shops. It’s a great excuse to visit the city during the off-season and try out a new restaurant or even head to the Peabody Essex Museum. (Friday, Feb. 9 through Sunday, Feb. 11 at various times and locations; free) — Natalie Gale
Get fancy at the Boston Wine & Food Festival
Speaking of wine, Boston’s annual wine and food festival is in full swing right now, providing three months of delectable dinner pairings and wine tastings at the Boston Harbor Hotel and other associated locations through March 19. This weekend you can book a romantic dinner at the hotel on Friday night, attend a champagne and sake master class on Saturday night, or head to a Sunday morning Valentine’s champagne brunch. If there was ever a time to treat yourself, this is it. (Friday, Feb.9 through Sunday, Feb. 11; Boston Harbor Hotel, 70 Rowes Wharf, Boston; $95-245) — Kevin Slane
Visit a rooftop bar turned winter wonderland
Craving the feel of a ski lodge weekend without traveling north this weekend? Head over to YOTEL in the Seaport for a drink at “Après at Deck 12,” a rooftop bar that has been transformed into a ski resort atmosphere with themed food and beverages and breathtaking views of the city. The menu includes elevated takes on spiked hot chocolate, a hot toddy, and a fondue menu featuring your choice of four cheese, butterscotch, or dark chocolate. (Friday, Feb. 9 through Sunday, Feb. 11 from 5-11:30 p.m.; YOTEL, 65 Seaport Blvd., Boston; free) — Kristi Palma
Lunar New Year Festival at PEM
The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) will be celebrating Lunar New Year this Saturday with a daylong festival in Salem. Included with museum admission, the day’s programming focuses on Chinese traditions and includes dance performances, storytelling, live music, and art making activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. One of the PEM’s most distinguished exhibits is Yin Yu Tang, a carefully reconstructed 18th century house brought from China’s Anhui province that visitors can walk through. (Saturday, Feb. 10 from 10-4 p.m.; Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem; $20 GA, free for members and guests ages 16 and under) — Natalie Gale
Watch a romantic movie marathon at the Coolidge
All month long, the Coolidge Corner Theatre has been screening some of the most romantic movies of the last 100 years to Brookline. The series continues this Sunday with Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy, a triumph of the Linklater’s conversation-heavy film style starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Each film chronicles a moment in the couple’s transatlantic relationship, beginning with a single night in 1995’s “Before Sunrise.” Each film in the trilogy was shot nine years apart, giving Hawke and Delpy the appropriate time to age from lovestruck twentysomethings to parents enjoying a sense of perspective in middle age. (Sunday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m.; Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline; $12.50) — Kevin Slane
Take a couples cooking class
Valentine’s Day isn’t until Wednesday, but for those with busy work lives, celebrating a little early might be a good idea. Thankfully there are a variety of options for a romantic evening learning something new with your loved one at a cooking class. Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge has some fun, cheese-based classes throughout February including “Charcuterie 101” and “French Cuisine and Rare Wines.” Selfup has cooking classes for couples at its downtown Boston location such as “Asian Dumplings and Dim Sum” and “French Steakhouse Dinner,” and Cozymeal lets guests book from dozens of classes like “Authentic Nepalese Cuisine” or “Regional Italian Favorites.” (Friday. Feb. 9 through Sunday, Feb. 11 at various times and locations; $89-150) — Natalie Gale
Attend a Black History Month Film Series
With February’s Black History Month honoring the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history, Showcase Cinemas and the Museum of African American History | Boston & Nantucket (MAAH) have formed a new partnership that aims to raise awareness and education through film. The two Massachusetts-based institutions bring moviegoers and history enthusiasts together for a Black History Month Film Series that will include five inspirational films selected for their historical relevance and powerful messages. This weekend, catch a screening of “Malcolm X,” the Oscar-winning biopic directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington. Participating Greater Boston theaters include Showcase Cinema de Lux at Legacy Place in Dedham and Showcase Cinema de Lux Randolph. (Sunday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m.; various locations; $10) — Cheryl Fenton
Be awestruck by the WNDR Museum
As of this week, Boston has a new museum dedicated entirely to immersive, interactive art. WNDR Museum, now open on Washington Street in Downtown Crossing, brings together multi-sensory installations created by cutting edge artists and technologists. The centerpiece of the museum is Yayoi Kusama’s “Let’s Survive Forever,” which features stainless steel balls suspended from the ceiling and arranged on the floor along with 360-degree mirrored surfaces that simulate a feeling of infinity. Elsewhere you’ll find art that creates a mood, such as Leigh Satchwitz’s “Inside Out,” which simulates the feeling of a summer rainstorm inside a screen tent. The exhibits are ever-changing, and more local artists are expected to be added to the mix in coming months. (Daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; WNDR Museum, 500 Washington St., Boston; $22-32) — Kevin Slane
Pick a book from the BPL Black History Month reading list
Each year, the Boston Public Library curates a list of book titles suited for all ages that celebrate Black authors and the African-American experience. For young girls, there’s the Babysitter’s Club-esque “Curlfriends: New in Town.” For history buffs, there’s “Ketanji,” about Associate Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s path to the highest court in the land. The entire list is available on the BPL website, with links to check out all titles for free with a library card. — Kevin Slane
Join the Black Restaurant Challenge
It goes without saying, but we should be showing love to Black-owned restaurants every month. Still, the Boston Black Restaurant Challenge, which takes place throughout February in honor of Black History Month, can serve as a helpful reminder. First organized by State Rep. Chynah Tyler in 2018, the annual challenge encourages diners to order takeout or delivery from a Black-owned restaurant at least once per week in February. For a list of Black-owned restaurants in your neighborhood, check out the Boston’s Black Restaurants website. — Kevin Slane
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