10 things to do in Boston this weekend
BosTen is your weekly guide to events and cool happenings in and around Boston.
Skip Netflix this weekend — here are 10 ways to get out of your home and not be bored in the city. If you’d like BosTen delivered to your inbox every Thursday, click here. Want more things to do? Check out our events calendar at boston.com/events. You can also learn even more about awesome events around Boston by joining the BosTen Facebook group.
Boston Comedy Festival
Boston has long been a hotbed of comedy, giving starts to comics like Bill Burr, Jay Leno, Pete Holmes, and Janeane Garofalo over the decades. Now in its 20th year, the Boston Comedy Festival celebrates both big-name comedians who once called the city home as well as up-and-coming talents in the area. Names like Emo Philips, Dana Gould, Eugene Mirman, and Caroline Rhea will be on hand at venues across the greater Boston area for the five-day festival, which also features 48 comics vying to win a cash prize as the festival’s stand-up champion. (Now through Saturday, Nov. 16 at various times and locations; $15 and up per show)
38th Annual Boston.com Ski & Snowboard Expo
As cliché as it is to say, the fact remains that winter is coming. Ski slopes are opening this weekend, and if you don’t have your gear ready for a season of shredding the gnar, you might want to visit the Seaport World Trade Center for the 38th annual Boston.com Ski & Snowboard Expo. Along with deals on all sorts of ski and snowboard apparel, visitors can enjoy live acts, interactive exhibits, and giveaways throughout the weekend. (Thursday, Nov. 14 through Sunday, Nov. 17 at various times; Seaport World Trade Center, Boston; $15, enter promo code BDCCON to receive $3 off when you purchase tickets online; all ages)
Taste of Jamaica Plain
Sample bites from more than 20 local eateries while supporting a good cause at the 24th annual Taste of Jamaica Plain this Thursday. Funds will benefit the Ecumenical Social Action Committee (ESAC), a nonprofit that helps create more opportunities for residents of Boston and eastern Massachusetts, particularly children and the elderly. (Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m.; Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, Boston; $10–$35; all ages)
Tool
With its packed headlining show at Boston Calling in 2017, prog-metal quartet Tool proved that its devotees are both loyal and numerous. Earlier this year, the group released its first album in 13 years, “Fear Inoculum,” which will bring them to TD Garden this Thursday. Expect trippy visual displays, angry missives from frontman Maynard James Keenan, and delicious polyrhythmic beats. (Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.; TD Garden, Boston; $153-$723; all ages)
Boston Antiquarian Book Fair
Last month, we had the Boston Book Festival. This month, we have its cousin, the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair, which caters to collectors of rare, antique books and other bibliophiles of all stripes. Now in its 44th year, the festival will have free appraisals, literary curiosities on display, and collectors from all over the globe over three days at Hynes Convention Center. (Friday, Nov. 15 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 16 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 17 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Hynes Convention Center, Boston; $25 for Friday’s session, free for Saturday and Sunday; all ages)
Boston Beer & BBQ Fest
Back for its fifth year, the Boston Beer & BBQ Fest at Cyclorama in the South End is a chance to enjoy unlimited craft beer and cider samples from 25 New England breweries along with delectable pulled pork, brisket, and ribs from seven local barbecue joints. Festival participants include The Smoke Shop BBQ, Smoke and Squeal BBQ, and The Porch Southern Fare, while breweries on hand include Allagash, Exhibit A, and Notch. (Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16 at various times; Cyclorama, South End; $60; 21+)
Danny Brown
Oddball rapper Danny Brown didn’t hit it big until his 30s, an anomaly in a music industry laser-focused on finding the next big thing. Once the Detroit MC found his audience, though, he hit the ground running, touring relentlessly and playing high-energy shows for audiences who embraced his eccentric delivery. On the heels of his latest album, October’s “U Know What I’m Sayin?,” the rapper will perform at the newly opened Big Night Live with British rhymer Ashnikko and fellow Motor City MC Zelooperz serving as openers. (Friday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m.; Big Night Live, Boston; $30.50; 18+)
Super Megafest Comic Con
The Sheraton Framingham will be celeb central this weekend, as Super Megafest Comic Con brings together famous figures from comics, movies, TV, wrestling, and more. Among the bold-name faces scheduled to appear are Carmen Electra (“Baywatch”), Tony Danza (“Who’s the Boss?”), Edward Furlong (“Terminator 2: Judgement Day”), and stars from “Dukes of Hazzard” and “The Warriors,” among others. (Saturday, Nov. 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sheraton Framingham Hotel, Framingham; $6-$50 GA, free for children ages 6 and under; all ages)
Holiday Grand Wine Tasting
Whether you’re looking for a holiday gift for the oenophile on your list or you just want to spend a Saturday afternoon sampling local wines, Boston Public Market will have you covered this weekend. Choose from more than 50 wines from more than a dozen local wineries, and get discounts on any bottles bought during your session. (Saturday, Nov. 16 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Boston Public Market, Boston; $10-15; 21+)
(Sandy) Alex G
Pennsylvania DIY indie rocker (Sandy) Alex G has been one of the more prolific albeit under-the-radar artists of the last decade, releasing eight albums since 2010. His latest, September’s “House of Sugar,” is arguably his most experimental and critically acclaimed, earning a Best New Music nod from Pitchfork among other plaudits. The new album brings the artist born Alexander Giannascoli to Boston this Sunday, where he’ll perform at Royale along with Louisville artist Tomberlin and Asheville indie-pop act Indigo De Souza. (Sunday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m.; Royale, Boston; $20-$24; all ages)
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