Things to do in Boston this weekend, October 23rd - 26th

October 22, 2025

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Please enjoy your weekend! As a reward to my newsletter subscribers, I’ll send these a day before the list goes out elsewhere. There is an ad at the bottom you can click on if you would like to support the newsletter as it isn’t cheap to run!

THURSDAY - OCTOBER 23rd

Diwali Celebration @ MFA @ 5PM Catch music and dance, make art, tour the galleries of South Asian art, and more in celebration of Diwali, festival of light.

ArtsThursdays: Halloween at the Museum @ Harvard Museum of Natural History @ 5PM This free Halloween night includes trick-or-treat trails, photo booths, exhibition tours, contests, and more!

‘Rewind, Record, Play’ Party @ Crystal Ballroom @ 5:30PM Celebrate Somerville Museum’s 100th anniversary with a dazzling night of retrofuturism where music, magic, AI, and community collide.

FRIDAY - OCTOBER 24th

Guided Sake Tasting @ MFA @ 6PM Enjoy a 60-minute guided sake tasting with light bites and explore the galleries!

Teen Night: Moonlight @ ICA @ 6PM ICA’s free teen night is full of exciting happenings including an open mic, art-making, drinks and snack bar, and endless opportunities to connect!

‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’ Screening + Taste-A-Long Experience @ Chevalier Theatre @ 7:30PM Step into a one-of-a-kind cinema experience as you watch the beloved childhood classic while snacking on taste-along bites of candy perfectly timed to the film.

Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics @ Temple Ohabei Shalom @ 7PM / 9PM Hear spooky season favorite tunes from ‘The Addams Family,’ ‘Beetlejuice,’ ‘Stranger Things,’ as well as contemporary and classical compositions.

Chase Matthew @ House of Blues @ 7PM With Trevor Snider & Austin Williams

Sofia Isella @ Royale @ 6PM With Ayleen Valentine

Counterparts @ The Palladium @ 7PM With Thrown, 156/Silence, & Split Chain

Chaparelle @ The Sinclair @ 8:30PM With Ian O’Neil & Dennis Ryan of Deer Tick

BumbleBee Radio: Spooky Season Showcase @ Crystal Ballroom @ 8PM BumbleBee Radio celebrates its 5th Anniversary with a frighteningly fun evening of indie rock featuring local bands.

SATURDAY - OCTOBER 25th

Color Flows Family Fest @ Winter Street @ 12PM Don’t miss this full day of family-friendly activities happening on Winter Street in Downtown Boston, including the Doggone Halloween Pet Parade and Chowderfest!

Boston Book Festival @ Copley Square The festival hosts author presentations, panels, and hands-on demonstrations at outdoor venues throughout the Copley Square area.

Halloween: Black + White Ball @ ICA @ 8PM Dress to distress in inky black or ghostly white for an evening of DJ music, surprise performances from Boston Circus Guild, and spooky specialty food and drinks.

Crawl-O-Ween @ Big Night Live @ 12PM Boston’s official Halloween bar crawl gathers 25,000+ people bar hopping through Fenway, West End, Faneuil Hall, Theater District, Seaport, & Financial District at 50+ exclusive venues.

Heaven & Hell Ball @ Colonial Hall at Rockafellas @ 8:30PM Party the night away at Salem’s most daring Halloween extravaganza!

‘Nosferatu’ Screening + Live Orchestra @ Peabody Essex Museum @ 1PM Experience the 1922 silent film ‘Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror’ with a live performance of the score for theater orchestra.

Parcels @ Agganis Arena @ 8PM With The Lemon Twigs

Mudvayne @ MGM Music Hall @ 7PM With Static-X & Vended

Ezra Furman @ The Sinclair @ 8PM With The Golden Dregs

SUNDAY - OCTOBER 26th

Spooky Science Sunday @ MoS @ 9AM Visit the Museum of Science for family-friendly Halloween-themed live presentations, hands-on activities, and a costume dance party!

The Ataris @ Big Night Live @ 7PM With Wheatus & Sparks the Rescue

Big D and The Kids Table @ The Sinclair @ 7:30PM With Westbound Train & The Rins

ALL WEEKEND

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - AppleFest @ Wachusett Mountain This fall festival celebration includes over 100 craft exhibitors, a farmers' market, kids entertainment, and peak fall foliage viewing from the SkyRide.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - Zoo Howl @ Franklin Park Zoo @ 10AM This year’s Haunted Happenings include a trick-or-treat trail, costume contests, education stations, tasty treats, and more family-friendly activities.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Performance @ Hanover Theatre This free performance puts a unique and original twist on the beloved fairytale.

All weekend - Pigeons Playing Ping Pong @ Paradise Rock Club With Big Something, Chalk Dinosaur, & Dizgo

All weekend - Bernstein, Copland, & Prokofiev in Concert @ Symphony Hall Scintillating pianist Yuja Wang joins the BSO in a program of technically challenging yet soaring classic compositions.

All weekend - Phantoms by Firelight @ Old Sturbridge Village Wander fire-lit paths and step inside historic buildings, gather by the crackling bonfire for eerie tales, and revel in the dazzling spectacle of fire dancers, soaring acrobats, and haunting melodies.

All weekend - Big Apple Circus @ Suffolk Downs Witness the comedic performances, jaw-dropping trapeze artistry, and high-energy acrobatics and human pyramids in this renowned circus show. Ends 11/2.

All weekend - Cirque of the Dead @ Arts at the Armory This year, Cirque of the Dead presents a classic horror anthology, with twisted tales pulled from the shadows of film noir, creature features, and ‘50s-era sci-fi. Ends 10/31.

All weekend - Boston Palestine Film Festival @ Multiple Venues The Boston Palestine Film Festival presents compelling films with independent views of Palestine’s history, culture, and geographically dispersed society. Ends 10/26.

All weekend - Boston Asian American Film Festival
BAAFF empowers Asian American filmmakers and showcases Asian American experiences and perspectives through award-winning films. Ends 10/26.

All weekend - GlobeDocs Film Festival @ The Brattle
The festival returns for its 11th installment with area premieres of documentary features and shorts from award-winning filmmakers and local Boston-area talents.

All weekend - ‘Hamilton’ Musical @ Citizens Opera House Don’t miss the chance to see this epic saga about the life and legacy of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and find out why it has made a profound impact on the way we think about our history. Ends 11/2.

All weekend - ‘TINA: The Tina Turner Musical’ @ Emerson Colonial Theatre Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her most beloved hits, this musical follows the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll.

All weekend - ‘Lizard Boy’ Musical @ Calderwood Pavilion Featuring a genre-blending indie-rock score, ‘Lizard Boy’ is a heartfelt and wildly inventive coming-of-age story about self-acceptance, connection, and becoming the hero of your own life. Ends 11/22.

All weekend - ‘The Cher Show’ Musical @ North Shore Music Theatre ‘The Cher Show’ is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, and countless EGOT awards, all in one unabashedly fabulous new musical that will have audiences dancing in the aisles! Ends 11/2.

All weekend - ‘The Ballad of Little Jo’ Musical @ BCA Plaza Theatre Inspired by a true story and told through a folk-infused score, the musical explores identity, prejudice, fear, and the beauty and horror of the American West at the end of the 19th century. Ends 11/2.

All weekend - ‘300 Paintings’ Play @ Farkas Hall In his renowned solo performance, comedian Sam Kissajukian brings audiences on a hilarious and wildly original rollercoaster ride exploring the ties between art, mental health, and creativity. Ends 10/25.

All weekend - ‘Macbeth’ Play @ The Mosesian Center for the Arts Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, Actors’ Shakespeare Project present their own rendition of Shakespeare’s masterpiece of betrayal, control, and tyranny. Ends 10/26.

All weekend - ‘Sardines’ Play @ The Huntington Theatre This deliciously authentic, insightful, and laugh–out–loud show created and performed by actor-comedian Chris Grace explores answers to life’s most difficult questions. Ends 11/16.

All weekend - ‘The Cottage’ Play @ Company Theatre The true meaning of fate, identity and marriage are called into question as a surprising and hilarious web of secrets unravels in this ridiculous – potentially murderous – romantic comedy. Ends 10/26.

ONGOING

Ongoing - ‘Sinister Streets’ Walking Tour @ Peabody Essex Museum This indoor/outdoor walking tour takes visitors through the dark side of Salem history - highlighting landmarks from the 1600-1800s. Ends 11/23.


Ongoing - ThotBot Implantation Center @ Bow Market, Somerville Is your ThotBot Glitched? Find out at this immersive installation and multimedia concert based in a 1990s post-apocalyptic dystopian storyworld. Ends 3/28/26

Ongoing - New England Renaissance Festival @ King Richard’s Fairgrounds Saturdays & Sundays* - King Richard’s Faire is the premiere fall entertainment event for all things Renaissance. Ends 10/30.

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

Ongoing - Artisan Market @ Rose Kennedy Greenway @ 11AM Saturdays* Run by Somerville Flea, this summertime market features talented area artists, crafters, and independent designers. Ends 10/25.

Ongoing - Downtown Boston Arts Market @ Summer Street Plaza Thursdays & Fridays* - Located in the heart of the city, the Arts Market features artisans, crafts people, and local creative talent selling their wares in Downtown Boston. Ends 10/24.

Ongoing - Farmers Market @ Copley Square Fridays* - The largest market in the city, Copley Square Farmers Market offers a cornucopia of local produce, meats, dairy, baked goods, and prepared meals, as well as some non-edible products. Ends 11/25.

Ongoing - Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience @ Franklin Park Zoo
Prepare to be dazzled by the magic of all-new lantern displays, immersive walkthroughs, enchanting interactive displays and Instagrammable moments at every turn. Ends 11/2.

Ongoing - ‘Monsters of the Deep: Between Imagination and Science’ Exhibition @ MIT Museum Using historical prints, this exhibit traces the scientific process of observing, measuring, and describing that turned whales from monsters into mammals. Ends 1/2026.

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 - ‘Rachel Ruysch: Artist, Naturalist, and Pioneer’ Exhibition @ MFA This exhibition brings together 35 of the finest works by pioneering Dutch artist Rachel Ruysch, whose still life paintings invite viewers to reflect on the beauty of the natural world and women’s role in 18th century Netherlands. Ends 12/7.

Ongoing - ‘Deep Waters: Four Artists and the Sea’ Exhibition @ MFA Weaving together artworks by four artists made over centuries and across the Atlantic, this exhibition follows a genealogical thread united by the sea. Ends 11/9.

Ongoing - ‘Rituals for Remembering’ Exhibition @ MFA This exhibition brings together works by influential Cuban artists María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Ana Mendieta whose art explores the notions of displacement, exile, and nature as transformative tool. Ends 2/15/2026.

Ongoing - ‘Portia Zvavahera: Hidden Battles / Hondo dzakavanzika’ Exhibition @ ICA Inspired by Indigenous Shona and African Pentecostal faith traditions, Zimbabwean artist Portia Zvavahera’s exhibition centers around wild animals, where bulls, snakes, rats, and owls represent mysterious forces and potential threats. Ends 1/19/2026.

Ongoing - ‘Sketch, Shade, Smudge: Drawing from Gray to Black’ Exhibition @ Harvard Art Museums This exhibition celebrates the act of drawing using familiar tools—charcoal, chalk, crayon, and graphite, showcasing how simple tools can be powerful vehicles for artistic expression. Ends 1/18/2026.

Ongoing - ‘Jung Yeondoo: Building Dreams’ Exhibition @ Peabody Essex Museum Photographing ordinary families and individuals, Artist Jung Yeondoo’s work invites viewers to take a closer look at those strangers we don’t notice and imagine their dreams. Ends 1/25/2026.

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.

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