10 best events, things to do in Boston this weekend: Sept. 16-19, 2021

With more and more Massachusetts businesses and cultural institutions reinstating COVID-19 restrictions in the face of a resurgent coronavirus pandemic, residents may be torn on whether to venture out of their homes this weekend. With that in mind, this week’s BosTen offers a mix of in-person and virtual things to do in Boston this weekend. 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].

Say farewell to summer with a clambake at Clink

So long, summer; it’s been real. Just in case you need a little help transitioning into the new season, Clink is easing into fall with an end-of-summer clambake, held at The Yard at The Liberty Hotel on Friday. Tickets ($35–$95) include a four-course meal, featuring Cape Cod oysters; clam and lobster chowder; lobster with corn, baby squash, fingerling potatoes, butter, and lemon; and strawberry shortcake with buttermilk biscuits. Cocktails, beer, and wine available. Score your ticket here, and take heart knowing that you’re saying goodbye to summer on a full stomach.

Check out a breakfast and cookie pop-up at Time Out Market

“Good Morning Chubby” and “Good Night Fatty” might sound like insults, but they’re also the names of two Salem-based pop-ups coming to Time Out Market this Saturday. The first is a breakfast focused concept featuring “chubbies”: breakfast rolls stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon, and other morning meal ingredients. The second serves “fatties,” or thick cookies filled with treats like marshmallows, butterscotch chips, and more. Come by the Fenway food hall between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. to try both.

Sample dozens of restaurants at the Boston Local Food Festival

With a theme of “Healthy Local Food for All,” you’re bound to find something at the Boston Local Food Festival that makes you feel good. Sunday’s event, held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway, will host dozens of local food producers, restaurants, and food trucks, alongside entertainment, learning workshops, and more. Find sips and bites from Mela Indian Restaurant, Double Chin, American Vinegar Works, Hometown Poke, Crack’d Kitchen & Coffee, Matunuck Oyster Bar, and a slew of others. The zero-waste festival is a free event (though you’ll need to purchase food and drink), and is hosted by the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts.

Head to Sweet Cheeks Q for a Snax & Vax

If you’ve been putting off getting a COVID-19 vaccine and recently decided to get the shot, Sweet Cheeks Q is making the jab a little, well, sweeter. On Sunday, the Fenway barbecue joint will partner with the City of Boston Health and Human Services to host a Snax & Vax between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Not only will guests get a vaccine shot, but they’ll also be treated to a free serving of the restaurant’s famous buttermilk biscuits. 

Rock out at Climapalooza

Show your support for mother nature this Friday at Climapalooza, an annual benefit concert and climate action rally at Herter Park Amphitheater in Allston. Organized by Climable, a woman-run nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and increasing the accessibility of climate science, the concert will feature local performers Aldra, Katie Lynn Sharbaugh, and Lo. The free show kicks off at 7 p.m.

Snack on free tea and moon cakes in Fields Corner

Fields Corner has been a Vietnamese enclave for decades now, so it’s fitting that the Dorchester neighborhood will be hosting the ninth annual Trung Thu Festival (a.k.a. the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival). From 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., visitors to Town Field Park (1565 Dorchester Ave.) can enjoy complimentary tea and moon cakes, live music, relay races, lantern-making, and more family-friendly activities.

Stream ‘Worth’ on Netflix

Ken Feinberg’s Massachusetts ties run deep. Born in Brockton, the high-powered attorney graduated from UMass-Amherst, served as chief of staff for Ted Kennedy, and eventually as chairman of the board for the John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. But Feinberg may best be known to the world for his work as a mediator — specifically, his work as special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, a role for which Congress gave Feinberg unprecedented power and a near-unlimited budget to assist Americans impacted by the terrorist attacks. Feinberg’s work has been given the biopic treatment in “Worth,” a new drama out on Netflix, with Michael Keaton (“Spotlight”) playing Feinberg. Though the film deals with weighty topics, it never veers into deeply uncomfortable territory, and Keaton gives a top-notch performance.

Enjoy sunset s’mores on the beach on Spectacle Island

Celebrate the last weekend of summer in style this Saturday with Boston Harbor Now and AfroDesiaCity’s inaugural Soulful Bliss Arts and Music Festival on Spectacle Island. Along with stunning boat views of the Harbor, the festival will feature live music, a free Cardio Dance class from Trillfit, beverages from Night Shift Brewing, food from Brato Brewhouse + Kitchen, and sunset s’mores on the beach.

Enjoy free admission to 20 Massachusetts museums

This Saturday, Smithsonian Magazine will celebrate its 17th annual Museum Day, offering free admission to more than 1,000 museums nationwide, including 20 in Massachusetts. Participating institutions include the Discovery Museum in Acton, the Gibson House Museum in Boston, and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. For a full list of options, including additional museums in other nearby New England states, check out the Smithsonian website.

Sip beers from Notch’s Traveling Biergarten on Castle Hill

You don’t need an extra excuse to visit the Crane Estate at Castle Hill in Ipswich. The Trustees property is the closest thing you’ll find to a European palace in the Boston area, and its expansive gardens are well worth the price of admission. As a bonus, visitors to the property this Sunday will be able to enjoy beverages from the Notch Traveling Biergarten from noon to 4 p.m. Crack one of Notch’s session beers (Left of the Dial and Infinite Jest are favorites) and grab a snack from Empanada Dada while enjoying exquisite views of the Grand Allee, and you’ve got yourself a swell Sunday.