Things to do in Boston this weekend, May 15th - 18th

Now with a new subject line!

May 14, 2025

Welcome to the Wednesday newsletter! I hope your power is back on or even better, never went out! Lots of great stuff this weekend, have fun!

THURSDAY - MAY 15th

‘Star Wars: The Story in Music’ Concert @ Symphony Hall @ 7:30PM Take an intergalactic musical journey with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops and relive the entire saga as a live narrator and the orchestra bring this epic story and iconic music to life.

Vitamin String Quartet @ The Wilbur @ 8PM An international sensation thanks to its features on ‘Bridgerton,’ VSQ brings their famed pop music covers to a live concert experience.

Pet Symmetry @ Brighton Music Hall @ 7PM With PONY & Jimmy Montague

FRIDAY - MAY 16th

Fulci @ The Palladium @ 7PM With Mutilation Barbeque, Kryptosporidium, & Survive The Sun

Carsie Blanton @ The Sinclair @ 8:30PM With Brittany Ann Tranbaugh

SATURDAY - MAY 17th

Ales & Tales @ Stone Zoo @ 5PM Walk on the wild side while enjoying local craft beverages. This popular beer tasting event is a favorite among animal and beer lovers alike!

AAPI Heritage Month Celebration @ MoS @ 10AM Enjoy a day of community and celebration featuring inspiring guest speakers, hands-on family activities, live performances, and more.

Kite & Bike Festival @ Franklin Park @ 12PM This Boston tradition brings families together to enjoy picnicking, kite flying, bicycles & music.

‘Flamenco! A Percusión’ Show @ JMAC BrickBox Theater @ 7PM This captivating show blends the vibrant energy of Latin jazz with the passion of contemporary flamenco.

The Wonder Years @ The Palladium @ 8PM With Kevin Devine & The Little Kruta String Ensemble

Bed Bath & Beyoncé Party @ The Sinclair @ 9:30PM Playing favorite sultry grooves from Beyoncé, Janelle Monae, Doechii, & Rihanna

SUNDAY - MAY 18th

Red Sox vs Braves @ Fenway Park @ 1:35PM Promotion: Kids Run the Bases

Ongoing - Open Market @ SoWa @ 11AM One of the largest open-air farmer and artist markets returns this summer season! Ends 10/26.

Esplanade Community Day @ Hatch Shell Lawn Enjoy the kickoff to the GroundBeat Concert Series as well as family friendly activities, vendors market, and more!

‘Naruto: The Symphonic Experience’ Concert @ Orpheum Theatre @ 8PM Featuring film montage of iconic scenes, this live concert brings the beloved anime to life with symphonic orchestra performing Toshio Masuda’s original score live.

Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer @ The Huntington Theatre @ 6:30PM Hear Hans Zimmer’s best soundtracks from ‘Inception,’ ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Interstellar,’ ‘The Dark Knight,’ and more.

ALL WEEKEND

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - Oddities & Curiosities Expo @ Hynes Convention Center Visit the largest internationally traveling oddities expo showcasing unique oddities vendors and dark artists.

All weekend - Nantucket Wine & Food Festival Enjoy food and drinks tastings, seminars, brunches, and parties as the annual festival uncorks the island for the summer!

All weekend - ‘Utopian Hotline’ Immersive Show @ MoS In this immersive theater show, you’ll hear from astronauts, neighbors, and others as they answer the same question: “How would you envision a more perfect future?” Ends 5/18.

All weekend - ‘Spring Experience’ Ballet @ Citizens Opera House Explore Boston Ballet’s dynamic and captivating Spring program composed of three masterful ballets featuring classical and modern dance elements. Ends 5/25.

All weekend - ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ Musical @ Emerson Colonial Theatre Follow teenager Kimberly as she navigates family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush, and much more in this 5-time Tony Award-winning musical sensation. Ends 5/18.

All weekend - ‘The Prom’ Musical @ Footlight Club Set in a small town high school in Indiana, this hilarious and heartwarming musical follows the fierce drama between a Parent-Teacher Association, an LGBT couple, and a group of Broadway stars as they fight for prom. Ends 5/17.

All weekend - ‘Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)’ Musical @ Loeb Drama Center Taking inspiration from traditional rom-coms, this funny and inventive new musical balances life’s sweetness and struggle as two characters discover the meaningful impact a stranger can make in life. Ends 6/29.

All weekend - ‘Hello, Dolly’ Musical @ Lyric Stage See one of musical theater's most enduring and acclaimed musicals bursting with romance, humor, and some of the greatest song and dance numbers in musical theater history. Ends 6/22.

All weekend - ‘The Light in the Piazza’ Musical @ The Huntington Theatre A lush and soaring romance unfolds in this brand-new production of Adam Guettel’s sweeping Tony Award-winning score and Craig Lucas’ profound book on motherhood and familial love. Ends 6/15.

All weekend - ‘Jaja’s African Hair Braiding’ Play @ Calderwood Pavilion Set in Harlem, New York, this equally affecting and hilarious play follows a group of women whose life perspectives get altered by shocking news. Ends 5/31.

All weekend - ‘As Bees In Honey Drown’ Play @ BCA Plaza Box Theatre This satirical play skillfully lampoons our culture and takes us down the rabbit hole of fame, fortune, lies, and consequences.

ONGOING

Ongoing - Summer Market @ Seaport Seaport’s summer bazaar returns with a mix of popular returning artisans and new entrants, all offering a unique assortment of products from clothing to home décor, pet goods, food, and much more. Ends 9/21.

Ongoing - Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience @ Mercantile Center This captivating 360º digital art exhibition invites you to step into the universe of the Dutch genius, Vincent van Gogh. Ends 6/15.

Ongoing - ‘Titanic: The Artifacts’ Exhibition @ The Castle at Park Plaza Embark on an interactive tour of the Titanic with incredible re-creations of the Ship’s interior and exterior, plus see authentic artifacts, recovered from below the surface of the North Atlantic. Ends 6/1.

Ongoing - ‘Sara Cwynar: Alphabet’ Exhibition @ ICA In this exhibition, multi-disciplinary artist Sara Cwynar examines the excess of pictures in today’s image-saturated culture through a vast archive of visual material, including self-made, downloaded, and found photographs. Ends 8/3.

Ongoing - ‘The Visionary Art of Minnie Evans’ Exhibition @ MFA Experience Minnie Evans’ imaginative and intricately detailed drawings inspired by the artist’s religious beliefs, interest in mythology and history, and the landscapes in her native North Carolina. Ends 10/26.

Ongoing - ‘Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits’ Exhibition @ MFA Displaying 23 works by the artist, this exhibition explores Van Gogh’s tender relationship with one family who became subjects of his groundbreaking portraits. Ends 9/7.

Ongoing - ‘Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson’ Exhibition @ MFA Featuring approximately 110 works by Massachusetts-born artist, the exhibition explores the many ways Wilson called attention to racial, social, and economic injustices through his art. Ends 6/22.

Ongoing - ‘Landscape and Labor’ Exhibition @ MFA The exhibition explores works of The Hague School artists whose works offer an intimate and profound look at everyday life in the Dutch countryside. Ends 6/22.

Ongoing - ‘Robert Frank: Mary’s Book’ Exhibition @ MFA Celebrating the centennial of photographer Robert Frank’s birth, this exhibition takes an in-depth look at the personal scrapbook of photographs Frank made for his first wife Mary Lockspeiser. Ends 6/22.

Ongoing - ‘Waters of the Abyss: An Intersection of Spirit and Freedom’ Exhibition @ ISG Museum The exhibition presents a collection of works by Haitian artist Fabiola Jean-Louis, whose art takes inspiration from traditional spiritual knowledge, personal histories, and politics of Haiti. Ends 5/25.

Ongoing - ‘Edvard Munch: Technically Speaking’ Exhibition @ Harvard Art Museums The exhibition offers rare insight into the Norwegian artist’s innovative techniques and the recurring themes across his paintings, woodcuts, etchings, and combination prints. Ends 7/27.

Ongoing - ‘Draw Me Ishmael: The Book Arts of Moby Dick’ Exhibition @ Peabody Essex Museum ‘Draw Me Ishmael’ is the first exhibition focused on the book arts of the hundreds of editions of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick - the most persistently pictured of all American novels. Ends 3/29/2026.

Header image credit to /u/shortbusgangster112 on reddit.