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].
Discover a new favorite restaurant with Dine Out Boston
Been slow to get back to fine dining post-COVID? Dine Out Boston (formerly known as Restaurant Week) is the perfect excuse to try somewhere new, thanks to two weeks of prix fixe menus and discount meals at some of the area’s most incredible restaurants. It’s a great chance for restaurants to bring in new customers during the traditionally slow month of August, and it lets diners try out spots that might normally be out of their price range. Split a surf and turf into two meals, with lunchtime steak tips at Abe & Louie’s followed by fried oysters and a cup of clam chowder for dinner at Union Oyster House. Or bask in the natural light at Glass House in Cambridge while sampling Faroe Island salmon. With more than 100 restaurants participating, the options are nearly endless. — Kevin Slane
Join LeVar Burton at the Museum of Science
In the 1960s, NASA won the space race by sending the first astronauts to the moon. Now, NASA’s Artemis program is poised to embark on the next great milestone by sending a crew to Mars. This Thursday at 7:30 p.m., “Reading Rainbow” host and “Star Trek” star LeVar Burton will visit the Museum of Science to host a conversation with members of the Artemis program. Burton will ask the scientists about its Mars objectives and the rigorous crew training, while experts in planetary science and spacecraft development will reveal what astronauts can expect both on the journey to Mars and while living on the surface. The event is free with pre-registration, but is first come, first served, so be sure to get there early. — Kevin Slane
Catch a free outdoor movie (or two)
Assuming you don’t melt from the summer heat, this weekend’s forecast calls for another round of free outdoor movies in the Boston area. On Thursday, you can catch “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” at Revere Beach or the 2022 animated film “Strange World” at Seven Hills Park in Somerville. On Friday, you can enjoy “Lightyear” and additional space programming as part of the Mayor’s Movie Nights series at Hynes Playground in West Roxbury. Then on Saturday, the Prudential Center will open up its lawn for a showing of “The Princess Diaries” at dusk. Finally, on Sunday you can see “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” at Christopher Columbus Park. — Kevin Slane
Attend a cookbook signing and dinner
“Viral social media spearfisherwoman and ocean evangelist” Valentine Thomas is launching a cookbook, “Good Catch: A Guide to Sustainable Fish and Seafood with Recipes from the World’s Oceans.” To celebrate, join her at The Winsor House at Island Creek Oyster Farm this Thursday for a book signing and dinner. Cocktail hour will include appetizers and fresh oysters, while you’ll enjoy a three-course dinner afterward. The meal will feature crudo, whole fish made with feta and sun-dried tomato, a zucchini and fennel salad, and smoked potatoes. Currant pana cotta, made with fish scale gelatin, will be served for dessert. Tickets are $95 per person. — Shira Laucharoen
Celebrate ‘Hip-Hop at 50’ at the Coolidge
Comparing your life to a movie is kind of a trope in rap, but it’s true that hip-hop has inspired countless films. This August, the Coolidge Corner Theatre is honoring the cultural movement that is hip-hop with 20 movie screenings and special events. This weekend you can catch the Ice Cube and Chris Tucker classic comedy “Friday” (fittingly on Friday), or watch an early Chris Rock role in the 1993 mockumentary “CB4.” — Jacqueline Cain
Enjoy free admission to Drumlin Farm and the Otis House
Before the kids head back to school, why not take them to a museum free of charge? Every day in the month of August, the Highland Street Foundation provides free admission to a different museum or cultural institution in Massachusetts. This Saturday, play with the barnyard animals and walk the trails that crisscross 291 acres of land at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln. Then on Sunday, step back in time when you visit the Otis House, the historic Beacon Hill mansion that once belonged to former Boston mayor James Otis, who was largely responsible for creating the neighborhood. — Kevin Slane
Enjoy the spectacle of sunset views from a Harbor Island beer garden
Just four miles from downtown Boston, Spectacle Island provides a whole new perspective of the city. The public park is accessible year-round via ferry and boat, with a beach, hilly hiking trails, and panoramic views of Boston Harbor. This Saturday, it’s a full-on party, thanks to the Spectacle Summer Nights Series. The after-hours event will serve up Night Shift beer and food by ZaZ Restaurant, plus live music and lawn games. Grab a 4 p.m. Long Wharf North departure, then enjoy the setting sun as you ride an 8 p.m. ferry back to shore. — Jacqueline Cain
Visit the annual Chinatown August Moon Festival
For the 53rd year, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) of New England will host the August Moon Festival in Chinatown this Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Second only in importance to the Chinese New Year, the August Moon Festival celebrates a successful harvest, similar to American Thanksgiving. Vendors will line the streets for this free event around the Chinatown Gate — Beach, Tyler, and Hudson Streets, and Harrison Avenue. Along with purveyors of Chinese cuisine, arts and crafts, Chinese calligraphy, and other merchandise, eventgoers can expect cultural performances like lion dancing, traditional folk dance, and martial arts. — Natalie Gale
Skate over to the Boston Roller Derby All-Star Showcase
If you’ve ever been intrigued by the fast, brutal sport of roller derby, this weekend is your chance to see some tough ladies dish out elbows on wheels. The Boston All-Stars will take on skaters from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey during a triple-header at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington. In all, the event runs from 2 to 10 p.m., with tickets ranging from $8-16 and free for kids aged 5 and younger. — Kevin Slane
Enjoy a sumptuous Italian dinner
Geppetto, The Lexington’s Italian-inspired dining spot from Will Gilson, will offer its Sunday Gravy menu every Sunday through the end of October. Once you book a table between the hours of 5-9 p.m., you’ll be able to dig into a bread basket that comes with focaccia, garlic knots, and more. Enjoy a salad, either chopped or Caesar, starters like arancini, meatballs, and clams casino, then fill up on a plate of pasta (think: rigatoni with vodka sauce, mafalde “alfredo,” or shrimp scampi). Dessert options include tiramisu and gelato. Tickets are $45 per person and $20 for children under 12. — Shira Laucharoen
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