Things to do in Boston this weekend, October 2nd - 5th

October 02, 2025

Spooky season and color trees are upon us. Please enjoy your weekend!

THURSDAY - OCTOBER 2nd

The B-52s @ Xfinity Center @ 7PM With Lene Lovich & Devo

Aidan Bissett @ Paradise Rock Club @ 7PM With Zach Hood & Lulu Simon

Deltron 3030 @ Big Night Live @ 7PM With Kid Koala & Lealani

The Sound of Animals Fighting @ Off The Rails @ 7PM With This Will Destroy You, The Casket Lottery, & Soft Blue Shimmer

Future Palace @ The Palladium @ 7PM With Hawk, Half Me, & Fathom Farewell

TOPS @ The Sinclair @ 8:30PM With Starcleaner Reunion

FRIDAY - OCTOBER 3rd

First Fridays Party @ MFA @ 6PM
Unwind with MFA First Fridays, an exciting evening of music, live performances, dancing, art making, and more!

First Fridays: So Fetch @ ICA @ 6PM Grab your friends, channel your favorite high-school clique, and make fetch happen for a night of 2000’s music, dancing, art, drinks, and fun!

Starship @ Hanover Theatre @ 7:30PM With Mickey Thomas & Foghat

Jordan Davis @ MGM Music Hall @ 7PM With Mitchell Tenpenny, Vincent Mason, & Mackenzie Carpenter

G Flip @ Roadrunner @ 8PM With Mercer Henderson

The Story So Far @ The Palladium @ 7PM With Neck Deep, Origami Angel, & Pain of Truth

Life Of Agony @ The Palladium @ 7:30PM With Jasta & Saved by Skarlet

Home is Where @ The Sinclair @ 8PM With Forests & Short Fictions

NU Metal Night @ City Winery @ 7:30PM Featuring Toxtricity: Tribute to System Of A Down

SATURDAY - OCTOBER 4th

Big Dig Treasure Hunt @ 251 Congress St @ 1:45PM Reader submitted and operated - The Big Dig Treasure Hunt is a 1-2 hour puzzling adventure that will take teams through 1-2 miles of walking through Downtown Boston. Players will use their surroundings to solve each puzzle, which will then lead them to the next location!

Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration 2025 @ MoS @ 10AM The family-friendly event will be filled with cultural connections. Guest speakers, activities, and science programs in English and Spanish.

Sake Day East @ 100 High Street @ 6PM Taste, learn and enjoy sake from various authentic breweries on display.

Ask Ronna’ Podcast Live @ The Huntington Calderwood @ 7:30PM Marblehead’s own Ronna Glickman and Bryan Safi are bringing their wildly popular podcast ‘Ask Ronna with Ronna’ (& Bryan) to Boston.

Black Violin @ Hanover Theatre @ 7:30PM For nearly two decades, Black Violin has been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals and building bridges in communities along the way.

Chance The Rapper @ MGM Music Hall @ 8PM With Adamn Killa & DJ Oreo

Ethan Regan @ Brighton Music Hall @ 7PM With The Man The Meat The Meatslab

BERTHA @ The Sinclair @ 8:30PM Don’t miss the world’s first Grateful Drag band perform their unique and electrifying the Grateful Dead tribute.

Talk Radio @ The Rockwell @ 7PM With Barefoot Young

SUNDAY - OCTOBER 5th

‘Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons’ Concert @ Wang Theatre ‘Symphony of Seasons’ features a 35-piece orchestra performing the most memorable music from the game and a screen above the stage showing gameplay footage, plus original content created exclusively for this tour.

The Callous Daoboys @ The Sinclair @ 7PM With Unity TX, Your Spirit Dies, & Crush++

ALL WEEKEND

FRIDAY & SATURDAY - Oktoberfest @ Harpoon Brewery
Harpoon Brewery’s 34th annual Oktoberfest promises flowing taps, live oompah music, stein-hoisting competitions, pretzel eating contests, chicken dancing, and more!

All weekend - Topsfield Fair Visit America's oldest and finest agricultural fair, complete with carnival rides, The Grand Parade, demonstrations, exhibitions, musical acts, crafts and art-making, & more! Ends 10/14.

All weekend - ‘Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern’ Performance @ Shubert Theatre Step into the heart of the Forgotten Realms for an interactive, live gaming adventure where audiences choose their heroes, battle monsters and help three adventurers on an epic quest to save the world.

All weekend - Mahler and Debussy in Concert @ Symphony Hall In celebration of Symphony Hall’s 125th anniversary, the BSO plays two beloved pieces by Mahler and Debussy which were composed at the same time as the hall was being built.

All weekend - Revolutions Per Minute Festival @ MFA The festival celebrates cutting-edge experimental media art that expands our experience of the world and understanding of what the moving image can be. Ends 10/14.

All weekend - InFATuation: Halloween Edition @ Crystal Ballroom @ 8PM Get ready for an electrifying night of burlesque and drag celebrating plus size bodies.

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 - ‘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 Hills of California’ Play @ The Huntington Theatre Complex family dynamics take center stage as the four Webb Sisters return to their mother’s run-down guest house in this compelling, tender, and savagely funny award-winning play. Ends 10/12.

All weekend - ‘Our Town’ Play @ Lyric Stage Capturing the themes of love, community, and the passage of time, this beloved production explores everyday lives of residents in a fictional New Hampshire town in the early 20th century. Ends 10/19.

All weekend - ‘Primary Trust’ Play @ Calderwood Pavilion Touching, funny, and quietly profound, this Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores how even the smallest acts of kindness can shift a life—and maybe even save one. Ends 10/11.

All weekend - ‘Silent Sky’ Play @ Central Square Theater Based on a true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, this play explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific and heart-bound discoveries. Ends 10/5.

All weekend - ‘Doubt: A Parable’ Play @ Hanover Theatre Two-time Tony-nominated Broadway star Johanna Day and acclaimed actor and playwright Jamie Wax bring John Patrick Shanley’s ‘Doubt: A Parable to life.’ Ends 10/5.

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 - 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 - Charlesgate Farmers Market @ Emerald Necklace Conservancy Sundays* - Come out to support your local farmers, small businesses, and musicians. Ends 10/5.

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.