Gilman Square Pop-Up Park

Working alongside the City of Somerville, CultureHouse has transformed the vacant lot in Gilman Square (also known as the Homan's lot) into a three-month outdoor community space. The Gilman Pop-Up Park is a gathering space for local organizations, a hangout space for residents, and an opportunity for development for local businesses, artists, and creatives. This activation aims to connect Gilman Square with the rest of Somerville, bring back vibrancy, and test out future uses for vacant spaces in Somerville. Over the next three months, Gilman Pop-Up Park will be a beer garden and marketplace every Saturday, art workshops, community meet-ups, movie nights, and so much more!!

Gilman Pop-Up Park

CultureHouse Union Square 

The Union Square neighborhood has long sought a community center to rebuild social connections. As the neighborhood continues to grow and undergo changes with the onset of new developments, the need for a community center has become even more pressing. Working alongside the&nbsp;<a href="https://sites.google.com/view/usnc" target="_blank">Union Square Neighborhood Council</a>, we have transformed a vacant storefront into a community-driven pop-up to test ideas for a future community center. This free-to-enter intergenerational pop-up is a public space pilot, a living room for the community, a resource center, and an arts, culture, and business incubator.

RPG Night with Side Quest Books & Games

Side Quest Books &amp; Games is thrilled to partner with Culture House to bring fantasy and storytelling games to Union Square. Join us for an evening of storytelling, hanging out, and forming new adventuring parties! This event is free and all are welcome. If you would like to sign up to play a specific game, YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR A FREE RSVP TICKET ahead of time. Schedule: 4:00 — Let the games begin! 6:30/7:00 — Campaign matchmaking for long-format games Ongoing throughout — Side Quest Books &amp; Games pop-up shop, and hanging out in the front room! <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rpg-culture-house-takeover-night-tickets-902533330487?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank">RSVP and see more game details</a>

CultureHouse Union Square

Hymns Heal Herstory ✨

Sassy D’estany shares the story of her healing journey through storytelling, songs, and interactives. She believes that real healing occurs with community support and love. There will be oracle readings, sound bowl healing, food and plenty more. Healing starts within, come join if you feel called too!

Learn how to make an herbal syrup

The sweetness of honey combined with the flavorful tartness of medicinal berries…come learn how to make an herbal syrup! In this class, we will discuss what herbal syrups are, what they are used for, and how to make one. We will make an elderberry syrup together — bring $5 and a jar if you’d like to take some home with you! <a href="http://mokatzchristy.com" target="_blank">mokatzchristy.com</a> <a href="https://www.simpletix.com/e/learn-how-to-make-an-herbal-syrup-tickets-171464" target="_blank">Register to save your spot</a>

Jamming Out with Flying Turtle!

Come out for some fun, free music in Union Square! Flying Turtle is an energetic, rootsy jam band that will get you dancing and singing all of our ridiculous songs with us. From tight bluegrass tunes to Dead-style vibe-outs, we will take you on a JOURNEY. Come hang! Raindate: 06/09/24

Boston Queer Club Fair!

Learn more about the many queer clubs in the Boston area and how you can get involved. Clubs focus on sports, arts, gaming, the outdoors, and so much more. Find your queer community here!

Menstrual Cycle Awareness

Welcome to a nourishing space where we honor our Menstrual Wisdom. We’ll consciously connect and map our cycle and reflect on its impact on our health and abundance. Our facilitators will guide us through the Inner Seasons and the 2 Vías Map, fleshed out in the book Wild Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie H. Wurlitzer, expert leaders of the Red School. This event will take place at Culture House pop-up, Union Sq. 64 Union Square, on Thursday, May 30th, from 6 – 8 pm. Our goal is to activate your/our innate cyclic power, and hopefully, a supportive community too! We welcome you to share your existing wisdom and experiences during the circle.

Dungeons and Dragons: Celebrating AAPI Month

Fight The Exposition and CultureHouse presents a very special Dungeons and Dragons adventure that celebrates Asian American and Pacific Island month! Open to all levels of experience. This event is designed to provide a safe and welcoming space for members of the AAPI community to come together and celebrate our unique cultures, stories, and experiences through the magical world of D&amp;D. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dungeons-and-dragons-celebrating-aapi-month-tickets-872866746937?utm-campaign=social&amp;utm-content=attendeeshare&amp;utm-medium=discovery&amp;utm-term=listing&amp;utm-source=cp&amp;aff=ebdsshcopyurl" target="_blank">Limited spots available</a>

Poetry Reading & Open Mic

Join Bottlecap Press authors Leticia Priebe Rocha and Indigo Kinsella for a poetry reading! After the featured readers, we open the floor for community members to share their own poems (5 minutes per person). Read more about the featured readers below: Leticia Priebe Rocha (she/her/hers) is a poet, visual artist, and editor. She is the author of In Lieu of Heartbreak, This is Like (Bottlecap Press, 2024). Leticia earned her bachelor’s from Tufts University, where she was awarded the 2020 Academy of American Poets University &amp; College Poetry Prize. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, she immigrated to Miami, FL at the age of 9 and currently resides in the Greater Boston area. Her work has been published in Salamander, Rattle, Pigeon Pages, and elsewhere. Leticia is a Reader for Yellow Arrow Journal and served as Guest Editor for their EMBLAZON issue. For more information, visit her website: <a href="http://leticiaprieberocha.com">leticiaprieberocha.com</a>. Indigo Kinsella (xe/xem/xeir) is a Boston based poet, baker, and beach combing fanatic. Xe explore the incredulous nature of indoctrination through intersecting identities and can’t help but note that “there’s a poem somewhere in what you just said!” Xe love public transit, tattoos, and making playlists emotively. You can find more of xeir work published in Decadent Cosmos zines and in the En*gendered Lit Mag archive. To stay in touch with xeir writerly updates you can find Indigo on IG: @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/uglyclogswrites">uglyclogswrites</a>.

Climate Café

A climate café is a reflective and empathetic space where people are welcome to share as much or as little as they would like about their emotions related to the climate and ecological crisis. The primary goal of a climate café is to provide a safe and accessible opportunity for individuals and communities to find ways to face and hold the unsettling realities of the planetary crisis. Climate cafés are not focused on advice-giving, or action-taking and do not have a specific political agenda. This climate café will be facilitated by two Climate Psychology Alliance of North America members who are also trained climate café facilitators. All people and all experiences are welcome in this group, and we ask that everyone who does attend is prepared to be respectful and understanding of others. The more we talk, the less alone we feel. Also, you must be 18 years old or older to attend this climate café.

Community Dinner

The CultureHouse Union Square pop-up is closing soon and we want to celebrate you, the neighborhood, and all the amazing events that have happened over the last few months. After spending the last evening painting the picnic table, we now invite you to a community dinner! Bring food from home or support some of our amazing local Union Square businesses and join us for another evening of fun. If you come early enough, you can eat at the tables that you painted!!

Saturday Stitch-In

All crafters are welcome to hang out and work on your latest hand stitched project (knitting, crochet, weaving, quilting, etc.) and meet some amazing people. No registration required.

Community Paint Day

The CultureHouse Union Square pop-up is closing soon and we want to celebrate you, the neighborhood, and all the amazing events that have happened over the last few months. We will be meeting at the pop-up and heading outside to paint the picnic tables!! Join us to meet your neighbors, ask the Union Square Neighborhood Council about the future of the square, and be a part of rebuilding your community!

Writing Disability and Illness

In this writing workshop we will read aloud poems from the disability poetics movement for discussion. We will then walk through prompts to create our own poem or short narrative about disability or illness. Those who feel comfortable will have an opportunity to share their works within the workshop group. Because of the sensitive nature of this workshop, we ask participants to be sixteen or over. Feel free to bring notepads or laptops or your phones to write on. Please note that as we will be reading and discussing poetry about illness, this may contain material sensitive to some. As this is a workshop model, we ask that you come at the start time.

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S19: interest based

WBUR’s 75th birthday celebrations 💫

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.