Kazky: The Fairytales of Ukrainian Children

The contemporary music and visual arts ensemble Soundscape Visions launches “KAZKY,” a new multi-part collaboration with Aza Nizi Maza, an extraordinary youth art studio in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Titled “KAZKY: The Fairytales of Ukrainian Children,” the free inaugural performance transforms monumental art works created by young people near the front lines of the war-torn country into immersive live experiences that combine electro-acoustic music, video art and visual storytelling. At the heart of the series premiere is original electro-acoustic music and video art based on a collection of large-scale drawings from Aza Nizi Maza’s evocative “Lost Fairytales” and “Underground Garden” collections. Filled with fantastical imagery and intricate details, the works are fantastical in their subject matter yet palpable in depicting real-world hopes, dreams and realities. The series premieres Saturday, September 26, 2026, 7:30 pm, at Washington Street Baptist Church, 256 Washington Street in Lynn. This inaugural performance is free; RSVPs are requested.

Washington Street Baptist Church

Boston Book Festival

The Boston Book Festival (BBF) returns to Copley Square for its 18th year this fall with its signature free Festival day Oct. 17, from 10am to 6pm, uniting the literary community around the transformative joy of reading and the vibrant exchange of ideas. BBF’s outdoor fair (open rain or shine) showcases 60+ exhibitors, from award-winning small presses and literary arts nonprofits to a colorful kids’ zone and buzzing coffee tent. More than 200 authors take part in 80+ sessions at Boston Public Library, Old South Church, Goethe-Institut, Church of the Covenant and Trinity Church, among other venues. Furniture retailer Room&amp;Board will host the popular after-hours “Poems &amp; Pints” gathering with the nonprofit Mass Poetry. The Festival kicks off with a ticketed event on October 16: #1 The New York Times bestselling author Michael Lewis in conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks about his new book Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State. The free Festival opens October 17 with a spirited kids’ costume parade (and special surprise guests),&nbsp;setting the stage for a day of lively conversations and presentations, animated read-alouds, and bountiful book-focused activities for every age. 2026 Line-Up Check out our extraordinary speakers who will be in Copley Square this fall. <a href="https://bostonbookfest.org/presenters/">See more</a>

Copley Square

Firebird, Part 2

Abilities Dance Boston presents the world premiere of FIREBIRD, PART 2, an evening-length, two-act sequel to the company’s 2021 radical reimagining of the 1910 ballet. Rooted in the intersectionalities of disability culture, FIREBIRD, PART 2 runs June 19–21, 2026 at Joan and Edgar Booth Theatre at &nbsp;Boston University. Directed and choreographed by Abilities Dance Boston Founder, Executive &amp; Artistic Director Ellice Patterson with a new original score composed by Abilities Dance Director of Music Andrew Choe, FIREBIRD, PART 2 reclaims a canonical ballet through a 21st-century lens. Centering racial and gender equity, the work poses a provocative question of advocacy and self-preservation: What happens when the Firebird stops saving everyone else—and saves herself? Free and sliding scale ticketing options available to ensure accessibility.

Joan and Edgar Booth Theatre at Boston University

Conversations on Photography with Winslow Martin

Join Boston-area photographer Winslow Martin for a conversation on his contemporary photography exhibition My Armenia (1999–2008)—a body of work shaped by long-term engagement, relationships, and a deep attentiveness to place, with intimate portraits of his many trips to Armenia. Moderated by Arto Vaun, Executive Director of Watertown's Project Save Photograph Archive, the discussion will explore Martin’s evolving connection to Armenia and the role of time, return, and observation in his practice. May 14 at 7pm. Samples of Armenian wines and light refreshments will be served.

Project Save Photograph Archive

Opening Reception: "My Armenia" Photography Exhibition

A new documentary photography exhibition by Arlington, Mass.-based photographer Winslow Martin, “My Armenia (1999–2008),” traces a deeply personal journey through post-Soviet Armenia and the historic moments he witnessed along the way. Opening April 16 through May 30, the exhibition inaugurates <a href="https://www.projectsave.org/">Project Save Photograph Archive</a>’s newly expanded gallery space in Watertown. Project Save Executive Director Arto Vaun says Martin’s exhibition, which includes 30 photographs, stands apart for its commitment to documentary photography rooted in lived experience, sustained presence and trust, rather than observation from a distance. The new gallery introduces a dedicated space for contemporary photography—amplifying the timeliness and impact of Project Save—and creating an environment where an already historic archive can be experienced in dialogue with present-day work. Opening Reception April 16th Wine &amp; light refreshments will be served. 6:30pm-9:00pm Project Save Photograph Archive 600 Pleasant Street Watertown, MA 02472

Two Theatrical Choreopoems: Light Reading and Origami Night

Dance and poetry merge in a night of dual performances at Arrow Street Arts in Cambridge. “Two Theatrical Choreopoems: Light Reading &amp; Origami Night” brings the multi-disciplinary choreopoem Origami Night to Boston audiences before embarking on a U.S. tour. The piece blends spoken word, dance and design to express works by Boston-based poet Pamela Annas, adapted for the stage by her son – multimedia designer Christopher Annas-Lee, and Portland, OR.-based choreographer/producer Graham Cole. Origami Night traces a woman’s life from working class navy brat to radical feminist to mother, and explores issues of aging, love, loneliness, and growing up queer in Boston. Joining the performance is Peter DiMuro and his ensemble Public Displays of Motion, with Light Reading: a contemplation on family, queerness, and the weight of legacy. It’s the project that began his partnership with Annas-Lee,&nbsp; which they collaborated on previously at Gibney Dance in New York. Commissioned by the Cambridge Center for Adult Education 1990, “Light Reading” has been performed throughout the country and internationally by Public Displays of Motion and by Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Performances are: Mar. 5 @ 7:30 pm, Mar. 6 @ 7:30 pm, Mar. 7 @ 2pm and 7:30pm (with an artist talkback to follow), and Mar. 8 @ 2pm at The Studio @ Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street in Cambridge. Tickets are $15-$50 and the performance runs approximately 75 minutes with no intermission.

Arrow Street Arts

Conversations on Photography with Vahe Boghosian

Project Save’s photographic presentation series Conversations on Photography brings London-based Sudanese-Armenian historian Vahe Boghosian to Watertown for a dynamic discussion about his research on the realities and nuances of Armenian life in Sudan. Drawing from a rich and rarely seen collection of images. the program will explore the vibrant and often overlooked history of Armenians in Sudan, past and present. Post-presentation Q&amp;A and conversation will follow, along with wine and light refreshments. Free and open to the public at Project Save’s Watertown headquarters and gallery space, 600 Pleasant Street, Watertown MA, 02472.&nbsp; March 5th 7pm

Overture to Spring: A Black History Month Family Concert

“Overture to Spring: A Black History Month Family Concert” combines two community-rooted Boston music ensembles for a free, joyful and kid-friendly celebration of Black artistry and collaboration on Feb. 15 @ 3 pm at The Strand Theatre, 543 Columbia Rd. in Dorchester. Presented by Jamaica Plain-based Sheffield Chamber Players in collaboration with Roxbury-based City Strings United, the show opens with performances by CSU’s young musicians and expands into an accessible, family-focused program by Sheffield of works by Black composers, including: 18th century polymath Joseph de Bologne; 20th century pianist and arranger Margaret Bonds; contemporary musician/vocalist Hawa Diabaté (whose piece is inspired by rhythmic handclapping songs from her native Mali); violinist and educator Jessie Montgomery (recently named 2025 Classical Woman of the Year by NPR’s “Performance Today” show); and prolific Haitian American performer Daniel Bernard Roumain. The performance culminates in a special joint performance of rising Texas-born composer Kevin Day’s “Overture to Springtime,” a Sheffield commission created expressly for their City Strings United partnership that incorporates short musical ideas drafted by City Strings students. “Overture to Spring” performance is free. Reservations requested at sheffieldchamberplayers.org

Strand Theatre

Project Save Presents Astrig Agopian Exhibition

Watertown's Project Save Photographic Archive, which protects and preserves the global Armenian experience through photos, opens its first exhibition in its new gallery space on&nbsp;Thursday, November 13th at 6pm&nbsp;with French-Armenian photojournalist&nbsp;<a href="https://jmkpr-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com/2u_7ilZdAF18M_CnlZTQ3h7BC8dvbBOO_Svprz6L8couAxCV4mgHr-0RSUyRPhX_mNY-34axBCnDei_L6eddOEP-KfAgkJhKyC1B04PpN4PDa7F0NDWomxMiJW1g2IrC_sne5NHu83oL7SrvSHG1d6QNRv-wOUhY34lBf5J3KebA">Astrig Agopian</a>.&nbsp; Agopian’s multimedia exhibition Like There’s No Tomorrow will open at Project Save on Nov. 13, 2025 and run through Jan. 17, 2026. The exhibit focuses on the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region Armenians have inhabited for millennia and whose cultural heritage has endured centuries of upheaval. Agopian’s exhibition digs deeply into questions of cultural heritage, identity in diaspora, and wartime displacement. The exhibit is in partnership with ART WORKS Projects, a Chicago- and Hague-based visual arts non-profit. November 13th Doors open at 6pm 7pm Artist Talk Project Save, 600 Pleasant Street, Watertown RSVP and more information&nbsp;<a href="https://jmkpr-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com/2l3L91CmqWdHWEiDELJNFOPer9sYPNUdA_tyr98w961GBxCV4mgHEGfa4j0ZWjyICH4ESyUCt1btvgGWUC_0RPOohZrElNtCpHEFKH6_6RnJ8TBrrQ145xmqdLrxn7MSYNEeEujGRUGbEBuYAeXN1toMvRuIluMR1pTGksWp6ewT31ovF">here</a>

Project Save's Holiday Open House

Join Project Save for their year-end&nbsp;Holiday Open House as they open the gallery for connection, reflection, and community. Project Save Photographic Archive is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving the global Armenian experience through photography. Currently on display in Project Save’s gallery is French-Armenian photojournalist and documentary filmmaker Astrig Agopian’s multimedia exhibit&nbsp;Like There’s No Tomorrow, which shines a light on the human side of the ongoing conflict affecting the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. Agopian invites viewers to consider their own answer to the question, “If you had to flee your home, what would you take with you?” Wine and light refreshments will be served. RSVP requested.&nbsp;

Cubamor: A Staged Reading 

Front Porch Arts Collective and Teatro Chelsea present a traveling staged reading of the new musical CUBAMOR, a Cuban-American reimagining of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” from composer/lyricist Charles Vincent Burwell (Boston Conservatory @ Berklee Professor of Theater) and actor/writer/lyricist James Sasser (Jonathan Larson Award finalist).&nbsp; Inspired by the Sundance Award-winning film by Joshua Bee Alafia, CUBAMOR weaves Afro-Cuban cultural traditions, contemporary dance and hip-hop into a dynamic theatrical experience. The story follows two Americans in love with two Cubans who navigate historical divides of both cultures. The couples are guided and challenged by the island’s spiritual forces and diverse musical heritage, and ultimately the power of their own love. This reading is directed by Boston’s Arthur Gomez. Casting includes Davron Monroe (as “Tata”), Amber-Nicole Rodriguez (“Elena”), David J. Castillo (“Renato”), Joselyn Gil (“Maria”) and Isabella Garcia (“Zoe”).&nbsp;CUBAMOR performances span two Boston-area locations: Wed / Thu, Nov 12 &amp; 13 @ 7PM at Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea and Fri, Nov 14 @ 7PM at Hibernian Hall, 185 Dudley St., Roxbury.

Chelsea Theatre Works

Conversations on Photography with Claire Beckett

Boston-based photographer Claire Beckett, in conversation with&nbsp;Boston Public Library Lead Curator &amp; Manager of the Arts Kristin Parker, will show and discuss photographs from her body of work that offer a critical lens on American identity and the impact of global conflict. Beckett will discuss her new photobook, Defense Language,&nbsp;which explores costumed role-players, elaborate Hollywood-inspired sets and staged tableaus on military bases across the United States. Beckett embedded herself on these bases between 2006 and 2023 to explore the depiction of Arabs and Muslims during counterinsurgency training for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thursday, November 6th at 7pm, Project Save, 600 Pleasant Street in Watertown. FREE with RSVP.

Conversations on Photography with Toni Pepe

Project Save Photographic Archive, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving the global Armenian experience through photography, hosts a series of artist talks,“Conversations On Photography,” to spotlight acclaimed local photographers.&nbsp; BU Chair of Photography Toni Pepe, in conversation with Project Save Executive Director Dr. Arto Vaun, will discuss her project, Can I Hold You?, which explores press photographs and newspaper clippings found in the Boston Public Library’s Women and Gender Issues Collection. These photographs were hidden within a larger archive, and the collection’s origins remain unknown. The handwritten notes, paint overlays, date stamps, and creases that layer the surfaces of these prints offer a glimpse into the editorial process, revealing how editors shaped the stories before publication. FREE with RSVP, Thursday October 30th at 7pm.&nbsp;

Churchill 

British statesman and former United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill was awarded an honorary U.S. citizenship by President John F. Kennedy in April 1963. In recognition of that unprecedented occasion, The American-Oxford Society has invited Mr. Churchill to address them and discuss what the honor means to him. So starts the funny, engaging and surprisingly relevant solo performance CHURCHILL – created by and starring acclaimed British actor David Payne – which comes to Boston this October. CHURCHILL plays Oct 7-12, 2025 at the Wimberly Theatre at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, located at 539 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End. Performances are Tue-Thu @ 7pm, Fri and Sat @ 7:30pm, matinees on Wed, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. Tickets are $30-$120 plus fees and available now at <a href="http://bostontheatrescene.com">bostontheatrescene.com</a>.&nbsp;

Calderwood Pavilion

The Mountaintop

Front Porch Arts Collective opens its 2025/26 season with a new production of Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winning play, THE MOUNTAINTOP. The gripping two-character drama reimagines events on the night before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. While a fictional take on events, Hall creates a profound and humanizing glimpse into the civil rights leader’s final hours, his life away from the crowds, and his thoughts. THE MOUNTAINTOP is directed by the Porch's co-founder and Producing Artistic Director Maurice Emmanuel Parent. It runs Sep 19 to Oct 12, 2025, at The Modern Theatre at Suffolk University, 525 Washington Street in Boston.&nbsp;Performance times are Thursdays and Fridays @ 7:30pm, Saturdays @ 2pm and 7:30pm, and Sundays @ 2pm. $17.45 to $58.78 (fees included). Student, Card to Culture and Opening Weekend discounts are available.

Modern Theatre

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

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 📈

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

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.

Where

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Experiences