Sunday, May 14

Santo Cristo Portuguese-American festival from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Saint Anthony Parish, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Ave., in the Wellington-Harrington neighborhood. Music, dance, games, food and a bazaar. Information is here.

Friends of the Somerville Public Library spring book sale from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., on Central Hill (and repeating Sunday). Free. Everything is $1. Information is here.

Duo Maresienne: A Masque of Characters from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. $20. Court entertainment for James I and Queen Anne with music by Dowland, Lanier, Bartlet, R. Johnson and others performed by mezzo-soprano Pamela Dellal with the viol and lute of Duo Marisienne. Information is here.

The Metropolitan Chorale. (Photo: Metropolitan Chorale via Facebook)

“Carmina Burana” from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square. $35. The Metropolitan Chorale brings Carl Orff’s musical drama to town with soprano Caroline Corrales, baritone Bradford Gleim and tenor Jonas Budris, with theatrics by the Pazzi Lazzi Troupe, a Boston-based Commedia dell’Arte company. Information is here.

Gather In the Clearing: Jamming for Solidarity from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. Augustine African Orthodox Christian Church, 137 Allston St., Cambridgeport. Free. A Mother’s Day jam session by the Black Cotton Club in memory of Arif Syed Faisal. Information is here.

Dance Now Boston at 7 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. $29 (and repeating next weekend). The ninth year of this two-weekend New York-Boston celebration – a partnership between The Bang Group and choreographer David Parker – includes “Schlemeizel,” Parker’s dance for two men in Velcro suits, the sequel to his Bessie-winning “Slapstuck” of a decade ago. This weekend adds Janelle Gilchrist, Meghan McLyman and Kristen Duffy Young, and Jenny Oliver to The Bang Group. Information is here.

Monday, May 15

Han Kang (via author website)

Han Kang reads from “Greek Lessons: A Novel ” at 6 at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square. $6, or $28 with a copy of the book. The award-winning author of “The Vegetarian” returns with the story of two people brought together at a moment of private anguish – a man losing his vision and a mute woman – in this Harvard Book Store event. Masks are required. Information is here.

Read It! Watch It! Book & Movie Group from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. This series continues with “The Maltese Falcon,” the classic detective noir by Dashiell Hammett. (Copies of books in the series are available at the library.) The 1941 version of this story was directed by John Huston and starred Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. Information is here.

Tuesday, May 16

Anne Berest. (Photo: Villa Albertine)

Anne Berest reads from “The Postcard” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square. Free. In this novel, Anne Berest is on the trail of the person who sent her Parisian family a postcard 15 years earlier, in 2003, with the names of family members killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. Berest will be in conversation with Audrey Schulman, author of novels such as “Three Weeks in December.” Information is here.

Wednesday, May 17

Break a Guinness World Record from 1 to 3 p.m. at Cambridge library’s O’Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Free. Lazar Krstić holds the record for throwing a paper airplane 200 feet, 5 inches in Salzburg, Austria, in May 2022. Those 8 and older are invited to come have some snacks and try to break that record. Information is here.

CX Cycle Fest from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Alberta Scott Station Plaza, 181 Morgan Ave., North Point. Free. In celebration of National Bike Month, there’s an exhibition from local cycling groups, an REI mobile bike shop pop-up, a MassBike group ride starting and ending at the Cambridge Crossing development, a stationary bike spin class, food, giveaways and more – serving as the official opening of this community space and the Kittie Knox Cycle Center, both named after Cambridge trailblazers. Information is here.

Inaugural Marcus and Amy Garvey Annual Lecture from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. Augustine African Orthodox Christian Church, 137 Allston St., Cambridgeport. Free. Black History in Action for Cambridgeport’s reactivation of its space as a community connector and center for arts, culture and education brings this lecture by public historian Paula Paris co-sponsored by History Cambridge. Information is here.

Cinema Strange from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., in the Winter Hill neighborhood. Free. Somerville High School junior Chris Hopkin curates bizarre and beautiful cinema, this month “The Holy Mountain” by Alejandro Jodorowsky, an R-rated journey of enlightenment from the trippy days of 1973 (and backed with money from Lennon and Yoko Ono). Information is here.

Poets Darius Atefat-Peckham, JD Debris, Robert Wood Lynn and Athena Nassar read at 7 p.m. at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square. $5. Masks are required. Proof of vaccination is requested at the door. Information is here.

Chasten Buttigieg reads from “I Have Something To Tell You – For Young Adults” at 7:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $35. The husband of a former Democratic presidential candidate and now Biden administration cabinet member has rewritten his inspirational memoir completely, with new stories and resources for readers, parents and teachers. The story of course, remains the same: growing up feeling out of place in a rural, conservative small town. Information is here.

Thursday, May 18

Free admission for International Museum Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square. Take in the Calderwood Courtyard before exploring three levels of art from around the world and across the centuries. On special exhibit is “From the Andes to the Caribbean: American Art from the Spanish Empire.” Information is here.

Cooking Concepts Series: vegan potluck from 6 to 7 p.m. at Cambridge Public Library Collins Branch, 64 Aberdeen Ave., West Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. A talk centered around “Veganomicon” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, which people are inited to check out and try recipes from, bringing dishes to share. Information is here.

Brad Fox reads from “The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Luminous Ocean Depths” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free. A marine expedition in 1930 drops a four-and-a-half-foot steel ball called the bathysphere into the Atlantic Ocean, where the man inside describes amazing discoveries – the first time a human has seen them – to the woman on the surface, with whom he’s having an illicit affair. The details of this breakthrough are fascinating, from backers that ranged from eugenicist conservatives to billionaire socialists to the ragtag team of eccentrics who staffed the mission and socialized with iconic figures of the period such as Theodore Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart and Gypsy Rose Lee. Fox will be in conversation with Wesleyan University’s Sadia Quraeshi Shepard. Well-fitting masks are required. Information is here.

Friday, May 19

Kamishibai Japanese Paper Storytelling and Craft with Yumi Izuyama from 11 to 11:30 a.m. at the Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free. A story about a monarch butterfly told in English and Portuguese using an art technique most popular during the 1930s and the postwar period in Japan. A craft activity follows. Information is here.

Bike maintenance basics from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Cambridge library’s O’Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Free. No bike required for this workshop from Tenzin Choephel of Cambridge’s Community Development Department covering such things as bike anatomy, fixing flats and chain maintenance. Information is here.

Cambridge-Somerville Asian Festival artist workshop from 5 to 7 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Meet photographers Sophie Park and Keiko Hiromi and take part in family-friendly art activities in an event honoring Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month. Information is here.

An image for the Joyce music and visual art experience.

Sound and projection performance installation at 7:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $10. The experimental improvising band Joyce, from the New England Conservatory, performs with artists such as Megan Farr while interacting with visual art from Katya Popova and Emiliano Lopez. Information is here.

“T: An MBTA Musical” from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $29 for this 21-plus show. This snarky play by John Michael Manship (book) and Melissa Carubia (music and lyrics) pulls back into the station for a twice-monthly staging. Three 20-somethings whose lives have been derailed by the MBTA’s incompetency discover a secret map that will enable them to overthrow the transit system’s corruption. Songs include “The Shuttle Bus Song (We Can’t Handle It),” “The People on the T” and “The Bro Song.” All aboard, with masks. Information is here.

Saturday, May 20

Comix Con 2023 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the Somerville Public Library system. Free. Learn about stage and light saber combat, cosplay, Magic the Gathering, painting D&D miniatures and comic crafts with a comic strip workshop, a musical meet-and-greet with Spider-Man and Wonder Woman, an interactive visit from members of the Rebel Legion’s Alderaan Base and stalls with local artists and vendors. Information is here.

Fundamentals of West African Dance from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. Augustine African Orthodox Christian Church, 137 Allston St., Cambridgeport. Free. More from Black History in Action for Cambridgeport’s reactivation of the neighborhood church as a center for arts, culture and education – this time with lessons in Djembe drum language and rhythmic sensibility, traditional dance movements, time for dancing together and a cool-down. Information is here.

Cambridge-Somerville Asian Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. Free. There’s an artist workshop, coffee with Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang, dance and musical performances and community karaoke along with art activities, Asian cuisine and pop-up vendors in an event honoring Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month. Information is here.

LadiesCon from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. An annual celebration of comics, science fiction, fantasy, cosplay and other realms of pop culture with a special focus on women, nonbinary people and the LGBTQ+ community. Information is here.

Somerville Bike Kitchen Bike Pageant at 12:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free, but 21-plus unless accompanied by a legal parent or guardian. A celebration of unique, fun, creative, colorful and otherwise one-of-a-kind bikes with a handful of prize categories. Information is here.

An etching of poet Phillis Wheatley Peters.

Finding Mrs. Phillis lecture, house tour and poetry workshop from 2 to 4 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. Poet Toni Bee and Northeastern University English and Africana Studies professor Nicole Aljoe look at the relationship of Gen. George Washington and poet Phillis Wheatley Peters, who corresponded. Information is here.

“The Corrections” opening reception from 4 to 7 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. The launch of an art exhibition by female artists who passed through the “Troubled Teen Industry,” multibillion-dollar programs claiming to change “delinquent” behavior in the young such as “promiscuity,” anger issues and “sexual confusion.” Information is here.

Wild Rabbit Community Motor Show from 5 to 11 p.m. at Naco Taco, 297 Massachusetts Ave., in The Port neighborhood. $14. Motorcycle enthusiasts gather, check out bikes and dance to DJ’d tunes in an annual party with a first visit in 2015. Information is here.

Shakes-queer Production: “Much Ado About Nothing” at 7:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (and repeating Sunday). $15. In this adaptation by the all-volunteer Queer Theatre Project, young “Don” Peter and his friends Claud and Benedick return to Camp Messina, a summer theater camp for talented youngsters, with one thing on their mind; miscommunications, hormones, hookups and teenage treachery ensue. Information is here.

Dance Now Boston at 8 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. $29 (and repeating next weekend). The ninth year of this two-weekend New York-Boston celebration – a partnership between The Bang Group and choreographer David Parker – includes “Schlemeizel,” Parker’s dance for two men in Velcro suits, the sequel to his Bessie-winning “Slapstuck” of a decade ago. This weekend adds the Megan Williams Dance Projects, Kairos Dance Theater and Lorraine Chapman the Company to performances by The Bang Group. Information is here.

Niki Luparelli presents Strip Zeppelin at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $25 and 18-plus. This returning blend of live Led Zeppelin tunes with burlesque comes from the producer of shows celebrating such icons as David Bowie, James Bond, Madonna and Prince. Information is here.

Longwood Symphony Orchestra from 8 to 10:30 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave. A Cambridge debut for the orchestra of musicians from the Boston medical community who play to help raise money and awareness for health-related charities. Avlana Eisenberg conducts and flutist Anthony Trionfo guests on works by Chaminade and Griffes, along with Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and William Grant Still’s “Can’t You Line ’Em.” This performance benefits YWCA Cambridge. Information is here.

Smoke & Shadows: Burlesque and Variety Show from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $28 and 21-plus. Vaudeville, music and comedy in a monthly show that defies decade and genre. Masks are required. Information is here.

Sunday, May 21

Somerville Book Swap from noon to 2 p.m. in Seven Hills Park, Davis Square, Somerville. Free. Bring books in good, readable condition to give away and leave with new-to-you books in return. Information is here.

An Inman Eats & Crafts promotional image from 2022. (Photo: East Cambridge Business Association via Facebook)

Inman Eats & Crafts, from noon to 4 p.m. on Cambridge Street in Inman Square, between Springfield and Prospect streets. $23. The East Cambridge Business Association’s annual celebration of “everything Inman Square” has a long list of restaurants with food stands, a beer garden, live music and vendors that include more than 30 local makers set up in a Handmade Marketplace. Information is here.

Lou Jones jazz photography exhibit opening reception and sale from 3 to 7 p.m. at The Middle East Upstairs, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. Free. “Juke Joint Snapshots: A closer looks at Jazz Greats” (curated by Out of the Blue Art Gallery and up through June 27) opens with a full band, signings and a meet-and-greet with Jones, whose work is  exhibited in galleries around the world. Beyond capturing performance, his work ranges from death-row portraits to a series commissioned by the Museum of Afro-American History called “Sojourner’s Daughters.” Information is here.

Shakes-queer Production: “Much Ado About Nothing” (continued) at 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $15. Information is here.

Dance Now Boston (continued) at 7 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. $29. Information is here.