Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend
PHOTO BY BRIAN WILKINS/FLICKR
Festival
Boston Comic Con
Feel free to nerd out in public—Boston Comic Con is taking over the Seaport World Trade Center this weekend. Dress up as your favorite superhero and enter the costume contest, check out artist panels and a film festival (zombie movies on Sunday!), play trivia (there’s even a separate one for anime!), watch a performance by country music singer Allen Shervelle (he’ll be singing songs exclusively about Superman!), and even learn how to create and publish your own comics. Oh, and try to keep it together when you spot celebrity guests Laurie Holden from The Walking Dead, Dean O’Gorman and Aidan Turner from The Hobbit, and Kristin Bauer from True Blood.
$25 for single day, $40 for weekend pass, Saturday, August 3, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday, August 4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Blvd., bostoncomiccon.com
Free Concert
Radio 92.9 Concert at Copley: Panic! at the Disco
They’ve lost two original members since their heyday in the mid-2000s, but they’ve regained the exclamation point that they lost sometime around 2008, and this week, they’re coming to rock out in Boston. Go to Copley Square Park tonight to catch a free performance by Panic! at the Disco, courtesy of Radio 92.9, and enjoy samples from some local vendors. It’s been a while, but we know you remember all the words to “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies.”
Free, Thursday, August 1, 6-8 p.m., Copley Square Park, facebook.com
21+
MFA First Friday: ’60s Dance Party
A museum is probably the last place you’d think of if you want to get your groove on, but if that’s what you feel like doing this Friday, the MFA is just the place to be. In honor of the new “Hippie Chic” fashion exhibit, the theme of this month’s First Friday—a monthly MFA celebration—is ” ’60s Dance Party.” Put on your finest bohemian garb, enjoy fine art, tapas, and signature cocktails, and get groovy to beats by DJ Denise LaCarubba.
$25 for adults, $23 for seniors and students, Friday, August 2, 6:30-9 p.m., Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., mfa.org
Scavenger Hunt
Watson Adventures’ Secrets of Old Boston Scavenger Hunt
Boston is a historic city—everybody knows that. But secrets hidden all over historic places along the Freedom Trail? Not everybody knows about that. This Saturday, you can uncover them by participating in a scavenger hunt hosted by Watson Adventures. They promise a payoff in the form of new knowledge, surprise, or a good laugh to every single one of their tricky questions, which can only be answered if you’re standing in the right spot. No previous knowledge required—just an open mind and comfy shoes.
$20, Saturday, August 3, 4 p.m., starts at Faneuil Hall, watsonadventures.com
Family Fun
Free Fun Friday at the Arnold Arboretum
The Arnold Arboretum is participating in Highland Street Foundation’s 5th annual Free Fun Fridays, and they’ve got more to offer you than just free admission. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Arboretum will provide special free programming on the lawn outside of its Hunnewell Building. Check out arborist demos and a horticulture truck display, take a guided or self-guided tour, and bring the kids out for art and science activities with the Arboretum staff and the Art+Bio Collaborative, as well as story time in English and Spanish—it’s fun in the sun for the whole family.
Free, Friday, August 2, park open from sunrise to sunset, special activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, 617-524-1718, arboretum.harvard.edu
