Free Things to Do in Boston, November 2015
Photo courtesy of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Have a high-brow, low-cost evening at the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra’s first (and free!) show of the season. Opening with Glinka’s “Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila,” continuing on to Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto (performed by soloist Ayano Ninomiya), diving into Debussy’s “La Mer,” and closing with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, the evening is sure to be one of delight.
Free, Monday, November 2, 7:30 p.m., Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue, bostonphil.org.
Calvin Klein
In 1968, Calvin Klein established his own company with only $2,000 of his own money and $10,000 from his best friend and investor, Barry Schwartz. Today, Calvin Klein, Inc. has reached over $7 billion in global retail sales. Catch the fashion mogul when he’s in town this month to speak at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Seating is limited—only 50 spots will be set aside for the public—so get there early.
Free, Monday, November 2, 6:30 p.m., Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy St., Cambridge, gsd.harvard.edu.
Diwali: The Festival of Lights
Celebrate the triumph of good over evil with the Festival of Lights hosted at the MFA, featuring a performance by Chhandika, a group of Kathak dancers who use swift and precise footwork to tell traditional Indian stories.
Free, Wednesday, November 4, 6 p.m., Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., mfa.org/programs.
Stirring Up the Past: Puritan Beliefs About Food
Here’s a fun fact: Puritans were highly suspicious of vegetables. Their solution? Boil them. From a New World recipe for a “French bisket” to a physical copy of the declaration of the day of Thanksgiving, the New England Historic Genealogical Society boasts a wealth of knowledge regarding founders’ food fortunes and follies alike.
Free, Wednesday, November 4, 6-7:30 p.m., New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99-101 Newbury St., americanancestors.org/education.
White on White: Churches of Rural New England
Boston photographer Steve Rosenthal set out to trace the evolution of church architecture styles in New England, and the result of his work manifests in 40 black-and-white images, which will be on display at the BSA Space through January 31. Attend the opening reception on November 12 beginning at 6 p.m. for free drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
Free, opens Monday, November 9, BSA Space, 290 Congress St., Suite 200, architects.org/bsaspace.
ICA College Night 2015
A DJ, a photobooth, and an art lab, oh my! You’ll find these, among spotlight talks in the landmark exhibition “Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933-1957,” at the ICA’s college night.
Free, Tuesday, November 10, 6-10 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art, 100 Northern Ave., icaboston.org/events.
Madison Park Technical Vocational High School’s JROTC marches in the 2014 Veterans Day Parade. / Photo by Tim Pierce via Flickr/Creative Commons
Boston Veteran’s Day Parade
In a city often referred to as the Cradle of Liberty, it’s fitting that we should have not one Veteran’s Day Parade, but two. The first will feature an array of military units, high school ROTC groups, honorary militias, marching bands, and veterans’ organizations. The second, known as the Veterans for Peace Parade, will follow three minutes behind, celebrating the armistice.
Free, Wednesday, November 11, 1 p.m. at the corner of Boylston and Tremont streets, boston-discovery-guide.com/veterans-day.
TEDxBeaconStreet 2015, Ideas In Action
No, not the crude talking bear—we’re talking TED, the annual conference series. TEDxBeaconStreet, a local edition created in 2012, is known for its “Ideas in Action” theme and emphasizes a multi-generational, diverse and open audience. If you’ve been hankering for some social-activism inspiration, you’re bound to find it at TEDxBeaconStreet.
Free, Friday, November 13, through Sunday, November 15, Lincoln School, 19 Kennard Rd., Brookline, tedxbeaconstreet.com.
A Portrait from the Final Approach to Pluto and Charon. / Photo courtesy of NASA
Rediscovering Pluto
Although Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet, its importance shan’t be minimized. This past July, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto after a nine-and-a-half year journey, making discoveries that will be discussed at this presentation.
Free, Thursday, November 19, 7:30 p.m., Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, cfa.harvard.edu.
SMFA Art Sale
Every year, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts receives nearly 4,000 works of art from around 800 artists for their SMFA art sale. Translation? Whether you want to window shop, or you’re ready to spend, the pickings will be plenty, and the art will be abundant.
Free, Thursday, November 19, through Sunday, November 22, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (until 5 p.m. on November 22), School of the Museum of Fine Arts, 230 Fenway, smfa.edu/artsale.
Final “Astronomy After Hours” at the Museum of Science
Don’t miss your last chance this season to attend the Museum of Science’s Astronomy After Hours program. Cross your fingers for clear weather, and you’ll be seeing stars.
Free, Friday, November 20, 8:30 p.m., Museum of Science, Science Park, mos.org/public-events.
Holiday Tree Lighting & Blink! at Faneuil Hall
Ditch your pumpkins and don your ugly holiday sweaters because December is coming. Celebrate the first tree lighting of the season in style with the crowds at Faneuil Hall and take in the splendor of 350,000 LED lights sparkling to the tune of Jingle Bells.
Free, Saturday, November 21, 4:30 p.m., Faneuil Hall, faneuilhallmarketplace.com/blink.
A huge band of volunteer musicians of all ages play tubas, euphoniums, and other instruments from the tuba family outside Boston’s Faneuil Hall at the 2012 Boston Tuba Christmas. / Photo by Peter Lee via Flickr/Creative Commons
30th Annual Boston Tuba Christmas Concert
If you’ve ever wanted to hear what “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” sounds like on a tuba—or, you know, 150 of them—the Boston Tuba Christmas Concert has you covered.
Saturday, November 28, 2 p.m., Faneuil Hall Marketplace, faneuilhallmarketplace.com.
