Events

10 things to do in Boston this weekend

BosTen is your weekly guide to events and cool happenings in and around Boston.

ZooLights at Stone Zoo in Stoneham. The Stone Zoo

January 7, 2021

While Massachusetts businesses and cultural institutions remain partially open amid reopening rollbacks, many residents are continuing to stay home due to the coronavirus pandemic amid new orders and advisories from Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. With that in mind, this week’s BosTen offers a mix of in-person and virtual things to do this weekend. Have an idea about what we should cover? Leave us a comment on this article or in the BosTen Facebook group, or email us at [email protected].

New England’s Finest Chefs Series at La Brasa
La Brasa’s pop-up series featuring some of New England’s best chefs continues on Thursday with a special menu from chef John DaSilva (Chickadee). Available for dine-in (5 to 7 p.m.) or takeout, the multi-course menu highlights dishes like hamachi crudo, cauliflower pilaf, fire-roasted halibut, and chocolate semifreddo. Tickets can be purchased here for $75 per person.

Turn the pages with the Boston.com Book Club
This month, the Boston.com Book Club has been working its way through “The Cousins” by Karen M. McManus, a thrilling page-turner about three cousins who travel to a fictional Massachusetts coastal town to unravel a family mystery set in motion by their grandmother. McManus, a bestselling author for previous works like “One Of Us Is Lying” and “Two Can Keep a Secret,” will join the book club for a virtual book discussion at 6 p.m. Thursday hosted by Porter Square Books manager Kate Mikell. To register for the talk, visit the event website.

Sip tequila drinks with the Boston.com Cocktail Club
Book club isn’t the only virtual get-together we’re hosting on Thursday. For the second straight week, Boston.com is teaming up with one of the most celebrated mixologists in Boston for its new virtual cocktail club. At 7 p.m. Thursday, host Jackson Cannon (The Hawthorne, Eastern Standard) and guest bartender Jared Sadoian (Craigie on Main) will mix two tequila-based cocktails, starting with a margarita and finishing with a tequila old fashioned. Attending the Zoom is free, and you can purchase all the cocktail ingredients you’ll need here.

Stock up on New England-raised heritage pork
Newton Centre’s Thistle & Leek wants to share its bounty of heritage pork with guests through its very first pig share, featuring various cuts of pork from New Hampshire’s Chickering Chicks. Each pig share costs $100, and includes four bone-in pork chops, four sausages, one-half pound of bacon, one pint of pork rillettes, pork jus, and seasoning salt. Want to make a meal of it? For $175, you’ll receive a pork chop dinner, sausage dinner, and pork rillettes, all with their own bevy of sides. To order, e-mail [email protected]; pick-up is on Jan. 12.

Treat yourself to one more dazzling holiday display with ZooLights
For most of the winter, ZooLights, Zoo New England’s popular light display, has been sold out at least a week in advance, if not more. The dazzling tree-lined paths bring visitors to see animals like black bears, a bald eagle, and more over the zoo’s 26 acres, all while enjoying sparkling lights and large-scale lantern displays. Tickets are still available for Thursday and Sunday (as of publication), and the event ends for good on Jan. 17.

Catch the final weekend of Gillette Stadium’s Magic of Lights
Speaking of holiday light displays about to leave town: You have until Jan. 9 to visit Gillette Stadium for The Magic of Lights drive-through holiday experience. Created by FunGuys Events, Magic of Lights features themed light displays built using LED technology and digital animations, with highlights including the 12 Days of Christmas, Winter Wonderland, the Night Before Christmas, and the newly created Blizzard Tunnel. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the Magic of Lights website.

Grab a gluten-free pizza at Gracie’s/Earnest Drinks
Rethink pizza night: Chef Mark O’Leary (Shojo) has been perfecting a gluten-free and keto-friendly pizza during the pandemic, and you can now snag your own pie at Gracie’s/Earnest Drinks in Cambridge. Sold frozen, the pizza comes with instructions to cook it in your own oven. Pair it with a make-your-own-sundae kit, pop in a movie, and enjoy a comfort food-driven night at home.

Take a breath with Boston Public Library yoga
After a chaotic week, we could all use a chance to unwind. On Friday, the Boston Public Library and the Hands to Heart Center will team up for Friday Unwind: Gentle Yoga, a beginner-level flow that will stream for free on the Hands to Heart Center’s YouTube channel starting at 4 p.m.

Start a dance party with the whole family
The Cabot Theater is putting on an all-ages show at 10:30 a.m. Saturday with its Virtual! Kids at the Cabot concert. The morning’s performance from award-winning musician Vanessa Trien will be interactive and lead families through music and movement during songs like “Tickle Monster.” For more information, visit the Cabot website.

Try a new beer-pairing dinner from Remnant Brewing
Somerville’s Remnant Brewing has teamed up with Cambridge rotisserie Shy Bird to collaborate on a heat-and-eat meal kit, available between noon and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Each kit includes a variety four-pack of beer with a pour for each course: Start with a Cosmic Dawn Plum Sour, followed by a wedge salad paired with Dream Pop Pale Ale. For the entrée, you’ll get a whole chicken, roasted broccolini, and potatoes au gratin alongside a Hang Time NEIPA, while dessert includes cookies paired with Brighter Days Are Coming dark lager. Purchase your ticket ($70) here.