Wednesday, April 24, 2024

The third and final debate of the presidential season – though with Donald Trump involved, it’s less presidential than some – runs from 9 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, and a few Cambridge and Somerville institutions have stepped up to host the people engaged enough in politics to want to watch some federal institutions decline.

If the unthinkable happens, this could be the last presidential debate ever. To watch in comfort, well fed and liquored, and to see whether Trump grabs anything or stalks Hillary Clinton again, stop by:

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bullet-gray-smallUpperWest, 1 Cedar St., North Cambridge, a wine bar and event space (inspired by the tiny wine bars on the Upper West Side of New York City, but not so tiny) will have the debate on with sound and offer its own selection of cheese, cured meats and wine or whiskey in the beautifully refurbished cellar of a veterans lodge. Information is here.

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bullet-gray-smallBukowski Tavern, 1281 Cambridge St., Inman Square, is bringing back the satirical specials chef Brian Poe created during the first debate: custom appetizers called The Trump (these “Buffalo Maple Dusted Little Fingers” nod to both the size of Trump’s hands and to Trump’s ex – and Poe’s ex-neighbor in Dalton, Ga. – Marla Maples, for what Poe calls “five little fingers for five little dollars”) and “The Clinton,” a $7.95 tower of “Crooked [Hillary] Tree IPA-battered onion rings” with a “private server” of sauces). The Craft Collective’s Poe Pub Crawl has already RSVP’d to stop at Bukowski’s for the debate, so the watching is guaranteed to be a bit boisterous.

bullet-gray-smallAeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville, has a third #Aerodebate event listed on its calendar. “Our first debate-watching party in the taproom was wild beyond any of our expectations,” managers said on Facebook, describing the scene as having “a raucous-yet-focused crowd, three massive screens, loads of snarky tweets broadcast on our giant tweetscreen, debate bingo and free swag giveaways.” Laptops and smartphones are welcomed to keep that hashtag humming.

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bullet-gray-smallSlumbrew, 15 Ward St., Somerville, between that city’s Inner Belt neighborhood and East Cambridge near the Twin City Plaza, also has debate bingo on tap (and everyone that plays gets at least one instant-win prize, including hoodies, hats and gift cards for food and beer) for everyone watching the action on each of it taproom TVs or projected on an upper wall. “The third and final presidential debate will take the same format as the first, which means you may need an extra pint this time around,” the Slumbrew team advises. Information is here.

Know of other debate-watching parties? Leave them in the comments.