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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 bestthings to do in Boston this weekend. Sign up for ourweekly email newsletter here. Have an idea about what we should cover? Leave us a comment on this article or in theBosTen Facebook group, or email us at [email protected].
Ship up to Boston for Dropkick Murphys
In what has become an annual tradition, The Dropkick Murphys will be shipping up to to Boston on St. Patrick’s Day weekend for a quartet of performances from Thursday through Sunday. Thursday’s concert will take place at the band’s longtime St. Patrick’s Day home, the House of Blues, while the next three will be down the street at the nearby MGM Music Hall. Dropkick fans not able to make the pilgrimage to Lansdowne St. can livestream Sunday’s show here. (Thursday, March 13 through Sunday, March 17 at various times; 15 Lansdowne St., 2 Lansdowne St.; $59.50 and up) — Kevin Slane
Visit a new exhibit commemorating the Holocaust
A Holocaust exhibition featuring over 700 original artifacts will make its New England debut at the Castle at Park Plaza this Friday. “Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away.” uses artifacts from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, Yad Vashem, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and over 20 other international museums to educate visitors about Auschwitz. These artifacts are curated to tell the personal stories of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. The exhibition is the first time such a large collection of artifacts from Auschwitz has traveled outside of Poland, and Boston will likely be the exhibition’s only stop on the East Coast. (Friday, March 15 through Sept. 2; 130 Columbus Ave., Boston; $27.95) — Rose Hollander
Snag restaurant deals during Dine Out Boston
Dine Out Boston kicked off this past Sunday, providing a two-week window to visit some of the restaurants you’ve been meaning to try at a fraction of the normal cost. Now through Saturday, March 23, restaurants in Boston and beyond will offer prix fixe lunch and dinner menus at four different price points — $22, $27, $32, and $36 for lunch, and $36, $41, $46, and $55 for dinner. So far, 171 spots have joined this year’s list of participating restaurants, with multiple options in every Boston neighborhood and beyond. Note that some restaurants don’t offer their prix fixe menus during peak times like Saturday nights, and reservations are recommended since restaurants can book up quickly. (Now through Saturday, March 23 at various times and locations; $22-55) — Natalie Gale
Laugh along with Roy Wood Jr. at The Wilbur
We’re as happy as anyone to see Jon Stewart back on “The Daily Show” (for one day a week, at least). But it really feels like a missed opportunity not to have given the host’s chair over to Roy Wood Jr., who had been one of the show’s most celebrated (and sharpest) correspondents since he joined in 2015. Plus he brought down the house as a post-Trevor Noah guest host, and even managed to win over maybe the toughest crowd going when he hosted the White House Correspondents Dinner last April. Sadly he didn’t get the job and parted ways with the show, but you can see him in his full topical comedy glory when he hits The Wilbur this Friday. ( Friday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m.; 246 Tremont St., Boston; $29-$49) — Peter Chianca
Get jazzy with Jon Batiste at The Orpheum
Most of us first got turned on to the musical talents of Jon Batiste when he was introduced as the bandleader during the debut of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in 2015. But by that time, the pianist, guitarist, vocalist, and melodica player already had four albums in release, and had established himself as a hot jazz and R&B artist. While fronting his band Stay Human every weeknight on the Colbert gig, he was regularly turning out new albums, winning Grammys and, when he moved into film scoring, winning Oscars (he contributed some great music to the Pixar movie “Soul”). After the Juilliard-trained Batiste left the TV world, he dug deeper into composing, as is depicted in the 2023 documentary “American Symphony.” Last year also saw the release of his studio album “World Music Radio,” which he’ll be highlighting on his current “Uneasy Tour” — the first, by the way, that he’s ever headlined. (Saturday, March 16 at 8 p.m.; 1 Hamilton Place, Boston; $58-$143.50) — Ed Symkus
Get classical at ‘The Dong with a Luminous Nose’
This strangely titled piece is a setting of the strange nonsense poem by 19th century British writer and painter Edward Lear. Those who know their Lear will recognize it as a tragic tale of love, concerning a mysterious creature — a Dong — who falls in love with another of Lear’s creations, a Jumbly, and uses his searchlight-like nose to look for her when she runs off. With music by Elena Langer, it was written for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the latter of which presented its world premiere last year. The three Boston performances will mark its American premiere. Also on the program are Ravel’s “Mother Goose,” Dvorak’s “The Noonday Witch,” and Janacek’s “Sinfonietta.” Sir Mark Elder conducts. (Thursday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 15 at 1:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 16 at 8 p.m.; 301 Mass. Ave., Boston; $40-$134) — Ed Symkus
Head out on the Get Lucky pub crawl
The Saturday before St. Pat’s Day will see the return of the 10th annual Get Lucky pub crawl. The city’s major St. Patrick’s Day crawl, the event features exclusive access to dozens of bars around town from noon to 6 p.m. Venues span neighborhoods from the Seaport to Faneuil Hall to Fenway, including spots like the Harp, Ned Devine’s, Big Night Live, and Royale. Tickets start at $15 per person, and the crawl will have two shuttle bus routes driving between venues all afternoon. (Saturday, March 16 from noon-6 p.m. at various locations; $15 and up; 21+) — Natalie Gale
Catch a St. Patrick’s Day show at The Burren
On any given day, there’s no better place to see live Irish music in the Boston area than The Burren in Somerville. Owners Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello are traditional Irish musicians themselves, and meals at the Davis Square hotspot are often accompanied by an Irish seisiún in the front room. For St. Patrick’s Day weekend, The Burren will offer 12 ticketed reservations for its annual St. Patrick’s Day Special Variety Show, which includes a traditional Irish meal of soda bread with corned beef and cabbage, Guinness beef stew, or a vegetarian entree, and a shamrock cake for dessert. Tickets are already sold out for select windows, so get stepping if you want to enjoy Irish jigs, ballads, and stories this weekend. (Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17 at various times; 247 Elm St., Somerville; $30) — Kevin Slane
Run the St. Patrick’s Day 5K Road Race
Before checking out the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, shake the lead out with a quick 5K road race through the streets of Southie starting at 11 a.m. Since 1950, the South Boston Boys & Girls Club on Sixth Street has served as the start, finish, and event sponsor of the race, and proceeds from the registration will benefit teen programs at the club. (March 17 at 11 a.m.; 230 W Sixth St.; $35) — Kevin Slane
Take to the streets for South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
This Sunday, the streets of Southie will be filled with green as Boston’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns in full force. In previous years, the celebration hosted by the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council (SBAWVC) has brought more than one million parade-goers to the area, so expect big crowds to line Broadway when the parade starts at Broadway Station at 1 p.m. For those celebrating at home, the parade will be broadcast live on NECN. (Sunday, March 17 at 1 p.m.; Broadway Station, Boston; free) — Kevin Slane
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