What to do in Boston this weekend (Aug 15 - 17)

Also, if you have an event, new attraction, new hotel, or restaurant opening you’d like me to cover, don’t hesitate to contact me.

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MBTA promises “improved frequency” and an extra hour of service. The MBTA announced this week that there will be an increase in commuter rail, metro, and bus services beginning August 24, 2025. The Red, Orange, Blue, Green, and Mattapan Lines, along with the East Boston and Charlestown ferries, will all operate an hour later on Fridays and Saturdays only. Additionally, the Red, Orange, and Blue will operate with “improved frequency” on weekdays. (WBUR)

Amtrak’s Acela trains are finally hitting the rails. These trains will provide travelers in the Northeast Corridor (D.C., New York, Boston) with an upgraded experience, featuring modernized cabins, individual power outlets, and onboard high-speed Wi-Fi at speeds approximately 10 mph faster than those of existing Acela trains. New Acela trains are scheduled to go into service on August 28, 2025. (Afar)

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Everything here is happening this weekend only. Scroll down for recurring events every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Boston. For more ideas of what to do, check my Boston Guide.

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Feast season continues with the 115th North End Fisherman’s Feast, Boston’s oldest continuous Italian festival, being held from Friday, August 15, through Sunday, August 16, on North, Fleet, and Lewis Streets in Boston’s North End The festival kicks off on Thursday, August 14, at 6 pm with a procession to Christopher Columbus Park for a Blessing of the Fishing waters and continues through the weekend. The festival ends with the “Flight of the Angel” on Sunday, August 17, at 9 pm.

All month: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is once again sponsoring free Bluebike credits across the Greater Boston Area (including Salem!) in celebration of National Wellness Month. You can redeem a free $31 Bluebikes credit by entering the code BLUECROSSMARIDE in the “Rewards” section of the Bluebikes app.

Bakey Bakery + Cafe is celebrating the Grand Opening of their new Faneuil Hall Marketplace (4 S Market St, Boston, MA 02109) — their fifth location in the Boston area — on Friday, August 15, beginning at 10 am. The first 300 people in line will receive a complimentary freshly baked cookie with purchase. Note: This Bakey location will be the only bakery to carry the fan-favorite Boston Creme Babka year-round.

While JP Porchfest takes place on Saturday, the JP Porchfest Kickoff Party is happening on Friday, August 15, from 6 to 8 pm at the Sam Adams Boston Brewery (30 Germania St, Boston, MA 02130). Enjoy live music while sipping on some Porch(fest) Rocker, the official beer of JP Porchfest. Plus, grab a free JP Porchfest map. Entry is free, and food and drink will be available for purchase.

The North End just got a little sweeter with the Grand Opening of Matcha Loves Boba (227 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113) on Saturday, August 16, beginning at noon. This tea shop uses locally sourced, seasonal ingredients to hand-craft their delicious drinks.

Spend your Saturday wandering the stages (re: porches) of the 10th Annual JP Porch Fest being held on Saturday, August 16, from 12 to 6 pm. Stages will be set around the neighborhood, including at Sam Adams Brewery Beer Garden (30 Germania St, Boston, MA 02130), the JP Boathouse (507 Jamaicaway, Boston, MA 02130), and Ula Cafe (284 Amory St, Boston, MA 02130), where literature and poetry will be celebrated.

Celebrate the final days of summer at the Watershed Block Party at ICA Watershed (256 Marginal St, East Boston, MA 02128) on Saturday, August 16, from 12 to 4 pm. There will be music, performances, face painting, sidewalk chalk, corn hole, and more. This event is free and no ticket is necessary. Food and drink will be available for purchase by Aloe Natural Acai & Coffee Shop.

It’s giving island vibes. Time Out Market Boston (401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215) is hosting Love Island Drag Brunch & Bingo on Saturday, August 16, from 1 to 2:30 pm. Led by Big Atlas, enjoy an afternoon of fierce drag, flirty bingo, and themed cocktails. Entry is free, and food and drink will be available for purchase.

If you’ve been bedazzling-curious, don’t miss Bedazzling, Books, and Brews at Trident Booksellers + Cafe (338 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115) on Saturday, August 16, from 6 to 8:30 pm. Tickets are $30, including a $15 voucher to use towards a book of your choosing (or food + beverage if you bring your own book), book bedazzling tools, and jewels to decorate your book with.

Looking for an excuse to get dolled up? Come out to Book Club Girl’s Night: Overdressed & Over-Read with Paper Trails & Tales Book Club on Saturday, August 16, at 7 pm at Lolita Back Bay (271 Dartmouth St, Boston, MA 02116). This month, there are no assigned books; just be ready to dish on what you’ve been reading lately. If you don’t feel overdressed, you’re underdressed. Follow and DM Paper Trails & Tales Book Club on Instagram to join.

The Boston Women’s Market returns one final time this summer to Downtown Crossing (10 Summer St, Boston, MA 02110) on Saturday, August 16, from 11 am to 4 pm. This time, the 20 women-owned businesses will be showcasing the items they’re obsessed with right now, from they’re best sellers to new must-haves.

Enjoy a Car-Free Newbury Street this Sunday, August 17, from 10 am to 8 pm.

Help crown the best margarita in Boston at the Boston Margarita Festival on Sunday, August 17, from 12 - 6 pm at The Great American Beer Hall (142 Mystic Ave, Medford, MA 02155). Tickets start at $45 and include 10 3.5oz samples of margaritas ($20 for non-sampling admission).

Take a peek into your future with Tarot at All She Wrote Books with Lauren Walleser of Heronkind. Readings are $15 and include a three-card draw to help give guidance and support for where you are in your life right now.

Booklovers, rejoice. Trident Booksellers + Cafe (388 Newbury St, Boston, MA, 02115) is hosting their 2nd Annual Romance Bookfair on Sunday, August 17, from 1 - 3 pm. Come for the romance novels, stay for the latest Stormalong Cider and love birth chart readings from Venus House. Entry is free, and birth chart reading, food, and drink are available for purchase.

Shop one of the biggest indoor vintage markets in the Northeast at the Select Markets Summer Vintage Market @ SoWa Power Station (350 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02118) on Sunday, August 17, from 1 to 6 pm. Shop 80+ vintage and Y2K vendors, plus enjoy DJs, a full bar, and more.

Clean out your bookshelf and find new reads at the Porter Square Books Book Swap being held on Sunday, August 17, from 2 to 3 pm at Porter Square Books: Boston Edition (50 Liberty Drive, Boston, MA 02210). Note: You must leave with the same number of books you brought. This is a free event with food and drink available for purchase from Travelmug Cafe.

As a reminder, the Commuter Rail has $10 weekend passes, which give the ticket holder unlimited travel on Saturday and Sunday. The pass is activated during your first trip on Saturday and remains active until Sunday night.

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Taste your way through Back Bay with a Back Bay Evening Chocolate Tour. For $55, take a guided walking + tasting tour of one of Boston’s most beautiful neighborhoods while learning about Back Bay’s historical and architectural significance. Plus, enjoy tastings at four different locations where you’ll sample hot chocolate, cookies, cupcakes, and cake from Back Bay’s most iconic establishments.

Learn the real history of Salem with a Salem Witch Tour from Boston: History, Hysteria, & Handcrafted Brooms. These guided tours begin at Boston’s North Station and take you through the streets and history of Salem before ending in a private broom-making workshop (including a custom spell). Tickets are $149 - $159 and include a round-trip train ticket, broom-making class materials, spell satchel, and guided walking tour of Salem.

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.

Surround yourself with skyline views during a Saturday Community Yoga session at Rooftop@Revere, on top of Revere Hotel Boston Common (200 Stuart St, Boston, MA 02116), every Saturday from 10 - 11 am. Tickets are $10 and include a post-session smoothie.

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.

If you need a weekend pick-me-up, come to The Moxy Boston Downtown (240 Tremont St, Boston 02116) for Rooftop Yoga on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 - 10 am. Led by Julianne Maquire (Saturday) and Claire Metrick (Sunday) from YogaHub, you’ll flow through a dynamic vinyasa yoga experience, expending energizing movement with breath and community. Tickets are $25.

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.

Wind down from the weekend and prepare for the week ahead with a Grounding Meditation session every Sunday from 5 - 6 pm at Blissful Monkey Yoga Studio (663 Centre Street, Boston, 02130) in Jamaica Plain. Led by Licensed Mental Health Counselor Brennan Mallonnee, you will be guided through techniques on how to calm stress responses and practice trauma-informed grounding techniques for anxiety. Tickets are $20. Yoga mats, cushions, and blankets are available, but you can bring your own.

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.

If you’re new to oysters or want a fun way to spend a sunset this summer, don’t skip Shucking oysters by Boston Harbor with EBO Oysters + EBO Grocery-owner Alex Cervasio. Tickets are $65 and include a hands-on workshop on how to shuck oysters right on a dock in East Boston, fresh oysters, and a shucking knife you’ll get to take home.

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.

Whether you’re looking to get to know new beers or just have a happy hour to kick off the weekend, come out for Hop-Up Series: Local Brewery Tastings at Boston Public Market (100 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02108) on Fridays from 5 - 7 pm. This free tasting features a rotating lineup of breweries, including Frost Beer Works (August 8) and a patio beer garden featuring Dirigible Brewing Company and Red Apple Farm's hard cider (August 22).

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.

Every Friday at 6:30 pm, GrandTen Distilling (383 Dorchester Ave) in South Boston holds Friday Night Flights: a chance to get to know their full line-up of spirits (plus special limited-run bottles not available elsewhere) at an intimate tasting. Tickets are $25, and seating is limited (10 max).

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

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.

Beginning Friday, May 23, Sam Adams Downtown Boston (60 State St, Boston, MA 02109)will host Decked Out every Friday and Saturday night from 8 to 11 pm through October. Come out for a rooftop hang featuring a different DJ every night. No ticket is necessary; roof access is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Come to The Urban Grape (303 Columbus Ave) in the South End on Saturday for The After Brunch, between 2 pm and 5 pm, for their weekly free wine tasting.

Shop local artisans every Thursday and Friday at the Downtown Boston Arts Market. Located in Downtown Crossing (8 Summer St, Boston, MA 02110) between Macy’s and Roche Brothers, this outdoor market will recur weekly from 11 am until 5 pm until October 24.

The Boston Open Market returns to Boylston Street, between Arlington and Charles (across from the Boston Public Library), every Saturday through October from 12 to 5 pm.

Alongside the Boston Waterfront, shop over 50 vendors at the Greenway Artisan Market on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Beginning May 3, the market will be held every Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and every Saturday and Sunday beginning June 1.

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).

The Unique Square Farmers Market returns for their 21st season in Somerville’s Union Square Plaza (66-70 Union Square Plaza, Somerville, MA 02143) every Saturday through October 25 (except Sept 20).

One of Boston’s largest open-air markets, SoWa Open Market (500 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA), is held every Sunday from 11 am - 5 pm until October 26. Stop by to shop various regional and local vendors, including food and beverage trucks.

Shop the Seaport Summer Market (88 Seaport Blvd, Boston, MA 02210) every Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm. Like the winter market, the summer market is full of unique vendors selling everything from original artwork to pet goods. Food and beverages will also be available for purchase, and a DJ and game area will be available for all ages to enjoy.