What to do in Boston this weekend (Apr 3 - 5)

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Boston is home to two of North America’s 100 Best Bars. The top 51 through 100 bars of the 100 Best Bars in North America list are out. There’s no surprise to see The Wig Shop and Heacate landing at numbers 86 and 88, respectively.

James Beard snubs Massachusetts restaurants. The 2026 James Beard Award finalists have been announced, and this year, no restaurant from Boston, Cambridge, or the rest of the state made the cut. According to Devra First, a former James Beard judge, the voting process is part of the problem. (The Boston Globe)

PNW ice cream shop headed to Seaport. Known for its unique flavors, Portland-based Salt & Straw will soon open on Seaport Boulevard. The shop will offer a rotating offering of flavors, plus have The Tacolate — their most popular — available. (MassLive)

Kush by Saba is set to open in Somerville this month. Union Square will soon get a new dinner spot, helmed by Chopped-winner chef Saba Wahid Duffy. The menu will feature globally-inspired dishes and modern takes on Mediterranean cuisine. (Boston Business Journal)

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TSA is getting paid again, and airport security wait times are improving. While some airports may still be experiencing some hiccups, most travelers are making it from check-in to the other side of security in minutes. (The Points Guy)

MBTA hikes rates for World Cup service, offers summer discounts for locals. The T will be offering a more expensive, “more robust” all-day pass for World Cup fans this summer, while offering discounts to local monthly pass holders. Plus, commuter rail riders will enjoy free rides on Fridays from June through August. (Boston Globe)

Europe’s new digital border system goes into effect on April 10. The 29 European countries in the Schengen area will adopt new border control protocols, ensuring easier travel among them. Since Americans have been using biometric passports, they will not have to do anything extra at this time. However, an ETIAS travel authorization process will be implemented later this year. (Afar)

United adds $10 to its checked bag fee to offset rising fuel costs. Airlines have seen an 80% spike in fuel costs since the start of the conflict in Iran. Now, checking a bag on United costs $45 in advance and $50 within 24 hours of the flight. (CNBC)

JetBlue also bumps up its checked-bag price. During peak travel periods, bag fees will go up by $9, while off-peak times will see a $4 increase. The airline says the increase in price of “optional services” (Boston.com)

United Airlines is adding lie-flat(ish) options for economy passengers. Called “Relax Rows,” the feature will provide passengers with a fitted mattress pad that covers what would otherwise be three individual seats. Ideal for couples, solo travelers, and families, United aims to offer premium comforts at not-quite-premium prices. (Afar)

Delta’s free wifi is getting faster. After partnering with Amazon Leo, Delta will upgrade in-flight Wi-Fi access. The airline will start with 500 planes, with installations beginning in 2028. (The Points Guy)

Boston’s landmarks are waking up from their winter slumber. The pond in Boston Public Garden is being refilled this week ahead of the Swan Boat re-launch on April 18. Plus, Washington Tower in Mount Auburn Cemetery and Hammond Castle in Gloucester open this week.

NBC10 and NBC Sports Boston will air Boston Legacy FC's inaugural NWSL games. Boston Legacy matches will now be televised locally on NBC10 Boston thanks to a multi-year deal between the football club and NBC Sports Boston.

Old State House is getting re-stabilized. Thanks to a $286,000 federal grant, Old State House and the plaza it sits on will be reinforced to allow trucks to drive and park in the plaza’s fire lane. The grant was secured by Revolutionary Spaces, with help from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey. (Axios Boston)

FIFA is the real winner of the World Cup. The games are only two months away, but Boston is still working on securing commercial sponsorship, which would help fund fan celebrations. FIFA, set to earn $1.8 billion from its sponsorships, does not allow host cities to take on sponsors that compete with FIFA's. This cuts out many would-be local corporate sponsors, leaving only three major sponsors for Boston so far: Meet Boston, Sonofi, and State Street. (Boston Globe)

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A curated rundown of unique events happening this (long for some) weekend in and around Boston that I’m either attending or wishing I were. If you’re looking for weekly happenings, like wine tastings and yoga classes, scroll down to the next section.

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The City Ballet of Boston will be performing Tradition, Reimagined on Friday, April 3, and Saturday, April 4, at Calderwood Pavilion at Boston Center for the Arts. Friday’s performance tickets are pay-what-you-wish, starting at $5, while Saturday’s tickets are $30.

Wicked Queer Film Festival returns to Boston from Friday, April 3, through Thursday, April 16. Screenings will be held at various theaters throughout the Boston area, including Brattle Theater and Coolidge Corner.

Anime Boston returns from Friday, April 3, through Sunday, April 5, at Hynes Convention Center (900 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02115). There is a full schedule of panels, signings, workshops, and more. Tickets range from $75 through $250.

Don’t miss the third annual Boston Progressive Jass Festival from Friday, April 3, through Saturday, April 4, at Deep Cuts (21 Main St, Medford, MA 02155). There will be diverse, eclectic performances from musicians pushing genre boundaries. Tickets are $25 for a day pass, $40 for both days.

Final Call: Signal and Strata, a first-of-its-kind exhibition in the U.S., is now on display at The Carpenter Center (24 Quincy St, Cambridge, MA 02138) through April 5. The show features the work of “three Peruvian artists—Elena Damiani, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, and Ishmael Randall-Weeks—whose practices examine the complex entanglements of land, history, and extraction through materially rich, architecturally resonant, and often pre-colonial forms.” This gallery is free to the public.

Celebrate Opening Day in Fenway at Time Out Market on Friday, April 3, from 11 am to 7 pm. Pre and post-Red Sox game, there will be live music, drink specials, festive foods, and more. This is a free event with food and drink available for purchase.

Learn about karmic patterns and the spiritual lessons you’ve carried across lifetimes at the Past Life Compass workshop on Friday, April 3, from 5 to 6 pm at Venus House (16 Cohasset St, Boston, MA 02131). Tickets are $30.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is performing Sibelius Symphony No. 1 on Friday, April 3, at 1:30 pm. Tickets range from $55.99 to $153.99.

Learn how to line dance at Free Friday Night Line Dancing with the Line Dancing Queens on Friday, April 3, from 9 pm to 1 am at Premiere on Broadway (517 Broadway, Somerville, MA). No tickets required.

Join the India Society of Worcester for a Holi Celebration at Faneuil Hall (Boston, MA 02109) on Saturday, April 4, from 3 to 5 pm. A festival celebrating spring, color, and warmth, there will be “joyful play of dry colors” and festive dances. This is a free event.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and Mao Fujita will perform Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 in C and Sibelius Symphony No. 1 on Saturday, April 4, at 8 pm. Tickets range from $62.99 to $175.99.

Shop the April Book Sale on Saturday, April 4, from 10 am to 4 pm in Boston Public Library Copley Square’s McKim Building (700 Boylston St, Boston, MA, 02116). Books, DVDs, CDs, and vinyl records will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefitting City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library.

Don’t miss the FSM Easter Farmer’s Market on Saturday, April 4, from 11 am to 3 pm at First Street Market (59 First Street, Cambridge, MA, 02141). Shop spring blooms and sweet treats for your holiday table. This is a free event with food, drink, and more available for purchase.

The Bank of America Museums on Us program offers Bank of America and Merrill cardholders free admission to 225 cultural institutions across 35 states on the first weekend of every month. Locally, this includes MFA Boston, ICA Boston, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Orchard House, The Mount, The New Bedford Whaling Museum, and more.

The New England Conservatory will perform a Tribute to Coretta Scott King on Sunday, April 5, at Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough St, Boston, MA 02115). Curated by the Black Student Union, there will be performances of In Remembrance, composed by the Black Student Union, Sam Cooke’s A Change Gonna Come, Little David by Margaret Bonds, and more. This is a free event.

Let The Beehive (541 Tremont St, Boston, MA 2116) handle Easter Brunch or Easter Dinner this year! They’re offering a Three-Course Prix Fixe brunch ($89) and Easter specials for dinner on Sunday, April 5. Make your reservation.

Peregrein (170 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114) is also offering Easter Brunch on Sunday, April 5, from 10 am to 3 pm. This is a prix fixe at $65 each.

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As a reminder, the Commuter Rail offers $10 weekend passes that provide unlimited travel on Saturday and Sunday. The pass is activated during your first trip on Saturday and remains active until Sunday night.

For more ideas of what to do in Boston this weekend, check out our Guide to Roaming Boston.

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The Harvard Arts Museums (32 Quincy St, Cambridge, MA 02138) is exhibiting Celtic Art Across the Ages, the first of its kind in the U.S., through Sunday, August 2. With work dating back to 800 BCE and continuing to the present, the exhibition challenges the stereotypes we hold about “Celtic art.” Admission is free. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Framing Nature: Gardens and Imagination is open at MFA Boston (465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115) now through June 28. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Art in Bloom, the museum is exhibiting a blend of “beloved favorites and previously unseen masterpieces” from around the world that explore everything gardens are: “a plot of land, a relaxing retreat, a formal landscape, a place of constant labor.” Tickets are free for members, $30 for adults, and $14 for youths.

The 25th Boston Turkish Film & Music Festival will be celebrated from Friday, March 20, through Friday, May 22, at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115). Tickets to films for MFA members are $12 and $15 for nonmembers.

Shop the Charles River Farmers’ Market every Friday (12 - 6 pm) and Sunday (10 am - 3 pm) at The Charles Hotel (1 Bennet St, Cambridge, MA, 02138). During the winter, vendors are set up in red sheds and still have fresh bread, pasta, meat, and seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Jamaica Plain holds its weekly Farmers Market every Saturday from 12 pm to 3 pm year-round in the Bank of America parking lot (677 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, 02130).

Shop the legendary Haymarket, America’s oldest open-air market, every Friday and Saturday from 6 am to 7 pm. Vendors offer fresh, affordable produce, dairy products, meat, and seafood. Just steps from Boston Public Market and MBTA’s Haymarket Station.

Every Saturday from November 1, 2025, through April 11, 2026, you can shop for local and healthy foods at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market at Arts at the Armory (191 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143). The market is held weekly from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm except for 11/29/25 and 12/27/25.

You can find a full rundown of recurring walking tours, food tours, bus tours, and trolley tours of Boston in my Beginner’s Guide to Boston.

Start your weekend with a dose of wellness at The Hidden Art Gallery (25 Myrtle Street) in Beacon Hill, which hosts weekly Explore Meditation with Watercolor classes. Held every Friday from 3 pm - 6 pm, learn the basics of meditation while intuitively creating with watercolor. Classes are $55.

Reconnect with your ability to digest and rest during a Sound Bath Meditation with Ramon of Ib and Flow (247 Walnut St, Brookline, 02445). Sessions ($50) are held every Sunday.

If you’re trying to bring balance into your life this year, start your Sunday brunch with a gentle yoga flow with Brewery Yoga at Lamplighter CX. The class is held every Sunday from 12:30 - 1:30 pm at Lamplighter Brewing Co.’s CX location (110 North First Street, Cambridge, 02141) in their upstairs taproom. Tickets are $25 and include a beer token or a complimentary non-alcoholic drink.

Or, if you’re looking for a grounding experience free of any alcohol, join NamaStay Sober’s weekly free Yoga Session at The Point Yoga and Barre Revere (56 Salt St, Revere, MA 02151). These sessions are appropriate for all levels, including beginners.

If you’ve always wanted to learn how to navigate Boston by bicycle but have been too intimidated to start, join a Weekend In-And-Back Guided Ride with A Better City TMA. On Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm this spring and summer, join a free, three-hour bicycle ride from one of the many bike paths outside the city (meeting location disclosed upon sign up) and traverse the Urban Loop through downtown before returning to the start location.

Whether you already love screenprinting or are completely new to this printing method, DARK MODE hosts DIY Screenprinting workshops at their storefront in Bow Market (1 Bow Market Way, #24) in Somerville on Friday (7 pm) and Saturday (6 pm and 7 pm) nights. Tickets are $45, including t-shirts.

DARK MODE also hosts Candle-Making and Intention-Setting Workshops every Thursday at 7 pm in their storefront at Bow Market in Somerville. Tickets are $50.

Spend your Friday learning to make classic Italian cuisine with Self Up Cooking Classes (19 Kingston St) in Downtown Crossing from 6 pm - 9 pm. Every week, they host an Italian Dinner with Tiramisu Finale cooking class and dinner experience, where you can learn how to make a three-course meal, including a luscious tiramisu for dessert. Tickets are $100 and include all ingredients.

Love Child hosts free wine tastings every Friday from 5 pm to 7 pm and Saturday from 12 pm to 3 pm at their South Boston location (364 West Broadway, Boston, MA). These tastings are free and require no reservations.

Coffee lovers, this one is for you. Every Friday at 10 am, Counter Culture Coffee (374 Somerville Ave) in Somerville opens their Training Center for free coffee tastings. Anyone can learn and connect over perfectly brewed, high-quality, sustainable coffee.

Come to DeLuca’s Market Wine Cellar (11 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114) in Beacon Hill for a free wine tasting every Friday from 4 - 7 pm. Every week, resident wine expert Donovan handpicks a mix of familiar favorites and bottles from up-and-coming vineyards or hard-to-find vintages to share among participants. No ticket is required.

On Saturdays, Boston Harbor Distillery (12R Ericsson St, Boston, 02122) leads VIP tours ($50) and barrel-side tastings of their spirits ($20).

From 12 - 4 pm every Saturday, Petrova Chocolates (61 Salem St, Boston, MA) hosts free wine tastings of their Eastern European Natural wines.