10 things to do in Boston this weekend (2023)

Events

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BosTen is your weekly guide to the best events and coolest happenings in and around Boston.

By Kevin Slane

January 4, 2023

Welcome to BosTen, your weekly guide to the coolest events and best things to do in Boston this weekend. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter here. 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 [emailprotected].

Ride the new wave with Robin Lane

It’s about time that Robin Lane decided to return to the live music scene. After moving to Boston from LA in the 1970s, Lane and her band the Chartbusters scored big-time when MTV put the song “When Things Go Wrong” in rotation. There were a few albums for Warner Brothers, then some time away from it all, and sporadic returns to the stage and the studio over the years. No doubt, her blend of pop, New Wave, and a bit of punk has been missed by her fans, who can catch her at Club Passim this Friday at 8 p.m. As has the sound of her powerful voice (especially its outstanding lower register). Now it can all be enjoyed again, with her most recent album “Dirt Road to Heaven” made up of mostly guitar-driven mid-tempo tunes, ranging in content from ballads to rockers to slices of country, and a tour. — Ed Symkus

Laugh along with a new ‘SNL’ star

“Saturday Night Live” is still on winter hiatus, which means now is a great time for its newest cast members to get out on the road and capitalize on the newfound name recognition. One of the fresh faces for Season 48 is Michael Longfellow, a stand-up comedian who has given “SNL” fans a taste of his act during his appearances on “Weekend Update,” joking about being a child of multiple divorces and coming to terms with conservative family members. Longfellow will be at Laugh Boston this weekend for a trio of shows — one on Friday (7 p.m.), and two on Saturday (7 p.m. and 10 p.m.). — Kevin Slane

Cool down with IceFlow

You’ve heard of hot yoga, but what about frozen yoga? This Sunday (and every other Sunday through the end of February), the 401 Park ice rink will host IceFlow, an ice skating yoga-inspired class conceptualized by Elin Schran of Joy Skate Productions. Skaters of all levels will strech, pose, breathe, and glide, focusing on the breath and centering themselves. The event is free to attend, and if you don’t have skates of your own, rentals start at $7. — Kevin Slane

Keep the holiday spirit alive with ZooLights

If you didn’t get enough holiday lights displays during the last few weeks, this weekend is your last chance to see ZooLights, a festive display of thousands of glowing lights spread across the Stone Zoo’s 26 acres. Lights line the paths to Yukon Creek, where the reindeer and arctic foxes will be surrounded by holiday decor. You’ll also find several large-scale animal lantern displays around the zoo, adding to the ambiance. Tickets are available now for the evening, which runs through Sunday. — Kevin Slane

See the lights one last time at Winterlights

Keeping with the theme of holiday lights being put away, three of the Trustees’ beautiful garden properties — Naumkeag in Stockbridge, Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens in North Andover, and Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton — are still sparkling with thousands of shimmering, artfully designed holiday lights during the annual “Winterlights,” which ends this Saturday. This delightful, fun, and safe outdoor experience is family-friendly and packed with holiday revelry, food, refreshments, and more.— Cheryl Fenton

Start off the new year at SoWa

If you’ve made a resolution to be more cultured in 2023, head to 450 Harrison Ave. in the South End this Friday after work. On the first Friday of every month from 5-9 p.m., most of the 80+ members of the SoWa Artists Guild open their studios to the public, peeling back the curtain on their creative process. Sip refreshments and chat with creatives as you wander from room to room watching the painters, photographers, and designers as they work. — Kevin Slane

See ‘Life Magazine and the Power of Photography’ at the MFA

This weekend is one of your last chances to catch The Museum of Fine Arts’ exhibit focused on the now-defunctLifemagazine, highlighting the publication’s cultural impact and the way its photos shaped American media throughout the mid-twentieth century. “Life Magazine and the Power of Photography” features dozens of original photos from the archives ofLife, which printed in some capacity from 1883 through 2000. The magazine defined photojournalism and chronicled historic moments of the last century, such as the moon landing and the Birmingham civil rights demonstrations. The exhibit, which runs through January 16, will display original photos alongside objects fromLife’s paper archives like assignment outlines, memos, and layout drafts, taking a close look at howLifephoto essays were constructed from assignment all the way through to completion. In peering behind the scenes of the magazine’s creation, the exhibit also examines howLifeshaped conversations around topics like race, war, technology, and national identity.— Natalie Gale

Take a trip through music history with ‘Preludes’

The Lyric Stage Company is kicking off its 2023 calendar with “Preludes,” Dave Malloy’s 2015 musical that explores the mind of acclaimed Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff as he suffers from writers block following a disastrous debut of his first symphony. Under the spell of hypnosis, the stage becomes an undulating blend of musical styles, and Rachmaninoff is visited by other great Russian artists of the era like Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Tchaikovsky. Catch the debut of “Preludes” this Friday, or keep an eye out for shows through February 5. — Kevin Slane

Laugh to infinity and beyond with Tim Allen

Well before “Home Improvement” and “Toy Story” star Tim Allen became a household name, the Michigan native cut his teeth in the world of standup comedy, performing his first show on a dare from friends in 1975. Even after a prison stint briefly curtailed his rise in the Detroit comedy scene, it couldn’t permanently derail Allen’s love of the mic, which is probably why he is back out on tour even as he pushes 70 years old. Allen will bring his blue-collar observational humor to the Boch Center this Friday at 8 p.m., and you can bet your bottom dollar you’ll hear a trademark Tim Allen grunt or two. — Kevin Slane

Unlock your inner child at ‘Snowmazing!’

It’s a bit unfair that so many of the best winter activities end only a couple of weeks after winter has officially started. Alas, that means you only have two more weekends to visit the Children’s Museum for “Snowmazing!,” a special block of wintry events and programming. Slip off your shoes and slide on the sock skating rink, greet the city’s largest snowman, snap a photo in the museum’s sleigh, and enjoy more seasonally appropriate activities through January 16. — Kevin Slane

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