Friday, Nov. 24

Herbstalk Wintergreen Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free, but some classes come with fees. The marketplace, back after a two-year pause, features handmade herbal products and botanical goods created by New England crafters, an array of free educational talks related to herbalism and holistic well-being, as well as Bipoc-led classes and art exhibitions. Information is here.

THANGsgiving 2023: Pecan Pie Edition from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Hive, 561 Windsor St., Somerville. Free. Paul Kafka-Gibbons brings his annual “Thang” event to this new performance space in the Taza Chocolate building, this time during the fall holiday. Enjoy dance, music and poetry from local artists, much of it experimental. (“Thang” is a blues term for “a conglomeration of funky, different things.”) Information is here.

“The Rocky Horror Show” at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and now extended through Dec. 3). $21 to $80. This is the final weekend for the original musical by Richard O’Brien that launched the cult movie. We wrote about it here. Information is here.

Post Thanksgiving DJ Jam from 8 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., Suite 3, Fresh Pond, Cambridge. $8 to $13. This social partner dance includes a lesson for beginners in the first hour. No partner required; no street shoes. Information is here.

12th Annual David Boobie Burlesque at 9 p.m. at the Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. $25 to $50 and 18-plus. One of the area’s unique holiday traditions – sort of the Harvard Square November complement to Davis Square’s December “Slutcracker” – is the Bowie-flavored striptease that comes just after Thanksgiving every year. Features Niki Stardust and her Total Blam Blam David Boobie Band (aka Niki Luparelli and The Gold Diggers). Information is here.

---

Saturday, Nov. 25

Danehy Park Parkrun at 9 a.m. at Danehy Park, 166 New St., Cambridge. Free, but register your first time. Fun and friendly 5k community event every Saturday. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. Information is here.

Small Business Saturday Annual Maker Market from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. Free. Shop from more than 50 independent businesses and win prizes in a small-business bingo challenge. Information is here.

Boston Women’s Holiday Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (also Sunday). Free. Sponsored by the Boston Women’s Market, this event on two floors celebrates Small Business Weekend and features more than 30 women artists and makers who sell handmade gifts, jewelry, beauty products and more. Includes live music. Information is here.

“The Rocky Horror Show” (continued) at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $21 to $80. Information is here.

Soy Wax Candle Making Workshop from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Studio by Garden Streets, second floor, CambridgeSide Galleria mall, 100 CambridgeSide Place, East Cambridge. $55. Just in time for the holidays, crafting experts guide you to make, scent and decorate two candles in your choice of 7-ounce glass jars with fitted bamboo lids. All materials included. Information is here.

Chinese Culture Club from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and every Saturday). Free and all ages. For adults: mahjong and Chinese folk dancing. For kids: Learn about Chinese culture and language while playing games, singing and listening to stories. Sponsored by the Chinese American Association of Cambridge. Information is here.

Cafe Raqs from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Cafe at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $10 suggested donation. A legion of regional belly dancers performs American Cabaret, Raqs Sharqi, fusion and more, with longtimers and up-and-coming stars. Information is here.

---

Sunday, Nov. 26

Boston Women’s Holiday Market (continued) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. Information is here.

“The Rocky Horror Show” (continued) at 2 p.m. at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $21 to $80. Information is here.

CircleSinging Somerville from 3 to 5 p.m. on the third floor of Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $10 to $20 suggested donation. This improvisation-based group-singing practice involves a wide range of melodies, rhythms and harmonies spanning a range of music styles. Organized by Joshua Daniel. Information is here.

Scramble!!! Biweekly Improv Jam at 5 p.m. at Union Comedy, 593 Somerville Ave., Somerville (repeating every Saturday and Sunday). Free. Jump up on the stage to participate or sit back and watch a show starting with a performance by a local indie team or a class, followed by a jam, with a different improv challenge each time. Information is here.

We ‘R’ All Pee-Wee: A Tribute to Pee-wee Herman from 7 to 11 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $20 to $25. After a screening of Tim Burton’s revolutionary 1985 film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” (and a few highlights of the TV show), float upstairs to the ballroom for a raucous celebration of the icon’s legacy with a cast including comedians, drag kings and queens and musicians, all amid reimagined playhouse sets, an interactive Picture Phone and on-theme cocktails. Information is here.

Lucifer & Coven present “The Satanic Panic Tour” at 8 p.m. at The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $25 and all ages. Two bands offer shades of occult rock. Lucifer arose in Berlin in 2014, is now based in Stockholm, boasts the awesome and charismatic lead singer Johanna Platow Andersson; Coven formed in the late 1960s in Chicago and is considered the progenitor of heavy metal/doom rock and cult lyrics – singer Jinx Dawson is credited as the first to make the “sign of the horns” with her hands. Information is here.

Sean Wayland’s Merge Conflict project performs at 9 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $25. The Australian-born New Yorker keyboardist and composer plays (and sings) in a rare Boston appearance with Raghav Mehrotra (drums) and Santiago Bosch (also keyboards). Information is here.

---

Monday, Nov. 27

Millennial Crisis presents Boston Social Conversations from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free and 21-plus. You’ll be placed in small groups with other Millennials and Gen Z-ers and be given prompts to spark thought-provoking conversations about topics that matter to you (because you’re the generation with the most connections but least community). Information is here.

Zentangle Meet-Up from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill (and continuing the last Monday of each month). Free. Be social or work quietly in this group setting as you enjoy Zentangle, a meditative drawing technique developed in Massachusetts by a former monk and a botanical illustrator couple. Create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns that are nonrepresentational and unplanned, allowing you to focus on each stroke and not worry about the result. Information is here.

The Landlord’s Cats performs at 7 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $61. The singer/songwriting duo of Wu Peiling (guitar) and Wang Xinyi (vocals) have composed and sung music for movies, television dramas and animation episodes and tour throughout Asia. Information is here.

Science and Cooking Lecture Series: Chef/Owner Mauro Colagreco at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. For the final public lecture in a series organized each fall by Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the three-star Michelin chef of Le Mirazur in Menton, France, does a demo and describes his permaculture garden and “a kitchen inspired by the cosmic influences on living things.” A short science talk from a faculty member opens the event. Information is here.

Joanne McNeil reads from “Wrong Way” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. McNeil documented how the Internet has changed us as humans in her nonfiction book “Lurking: How a Person Became a User.” In this debut novel she captures the existential perils imposed by a nonstop, full-service gig economy facilitated by technology. Juliana Castro Varón, author of “Papel Sensible,” joins the conversation. Information is here.

YA (for Adult Readers) Book Club at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge (and continuing monthly). Free, but register. This month’s selection is “All of Us Villains” by Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman. Information is here.

---

Tuesday, Nov. 28

Boudreau Mystery Book Group from noon to 1 p.m. at Cambridge Library’s Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9. Free. November’s title: “The Mapping of Love and Death” by Jacqueline Winspear. Information is here.

Mindful Unwind: Yoga Care with Jenn for the Holiday Season from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill (and weekly through Dec. 19). Free. Local yoga teacher Jenn Falk’s class includes various accessible yoga shapes, attention to breath and meditative rest. Bring your own yoga mat. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves” film screening at 5:30 p.m. at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Before the American Repertory Theater’s musical adaptation hits the stage Dec. 6, catch the 2002 film that inspired it. Part of the Brattle’s free “Elements of Cinema” series. Information is here.

MIT Chamber Music Society Jazz Combos from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Hayden Library Building at 160 Memorial Drive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Free. Directed by Boston jazz bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa, 25 students make up four jazz combos and perform traditional and contemporary works. Information is here.

Mark Kurlansky reads from “The Core of an Onion: Peeling the Rarest Common Food – Featuring More Than 100 Historical Recipes” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Julia Child once said “It is hard to imagine a civilization without onions.” Erica Jong wrote poetry about the onion – it recurred in her thoughts. Today the prolific author and historical food-fact-finder Kurlansky expounds on the onion’s scientific qualities and notes that Hemingway added it raw to his peanut butter sandwich. Boston Globe food editor Sheryl Julian joins to contribute her perspective. Information is here.

The Moth Story Slam at 7:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $15. This monthly open-mic storytelling competition is open to anyone who can share a five-minute tale on the night’s theme – this time, “Hustle,” about grit, persistence, thinking on your feet, diving for the loose ball or searching the couch for loose change to keep the lights on. Information is here.

Ovlov, Disco Doom, Pile and Rong perform at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $25. Get ready to call in late for work tomorrow, because Get to the Gig Boston has put together a supersonic four-band lineup for a Tuesday night. Information is here.

Jazmin Bean performs at 8 p.m. at The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20. The North Londoner’s nightmarish-slash-fantastical universe of alternative pop has undergone a transition since rehab from drug addiction last year, from angry and sad music to songs focused more on beauty and joy. The artful makeup, bits of blood here and there and layered frock costumes (matched with clunky marching boots) continue. Also playing: Lucy Loone. Information is here.

---

Wednesday, Nov. 29

Starr Forum: Does democracy imply majority rule? Insights from the United States and around the world from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Bartos Theater, 20 Ames St., Building E-15, atrium level, Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Panel discussion with “Tyranny of the Minority” co-authors and Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt; Hebrew University of Jerusalem professor Netta Barak-Cohen; and New York University professor Melissa Schwartzberg. Moderated by MIT professor Evan Lieberman, who is director for the Center of International Studies, which co-sponsors this event. Information is here. (Update on Nov. 27, 2023: This event has been canceled.)

Askwith Education Forum: 20 years of educational reform, lessons from Chicago from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, near Harvard Square. Free. Current and former CEOs of the fourth-largest school district in the nation (Pedro Martinez, Janice K. Jackson and Arne Duncan) discuss how to sustain improvement despite changes in leadership. Information is here.

Samuel Dolbee reads from “Locusts of Power: Borders, Empire and Environment in the Modern Middle East” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard, 38 Kirkland St., Room 102, Cambridge, near Harvard Square. Free. Editor-in-chief of the “Ottoman History Podcast,” Vanderbilt University assistant professor Dolby offers a new account of the end of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of the states of Iraq, Syria and Turkey grounded in the ecology of the Jazira region, its mobile people and distinctive locusts. Information is here.

CelebriTea Book Club from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the community room of the Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free. Bring a favorite mug or teacup and discuss a tell-all celebrity memoir while drinking tea (provided). This month: “Dying of Politeness” by Geena Davis. Information is here.

“The Rocky Horror Show” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $21 to $80. Information is here.

---

Thursday, Nov. 30

Writers Speak: A Conversation with Sheila Heti from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Harvard University’s Boylston Hall, 5 Harvard Yard, Cambridge. Free. The acclaimed author of 10 books of fiction and nonfiction, including her most recent novel “Pure Colour” (2022) and the upcoming “The Dug Out” talks with Harvard literature professor Beth Blum, who wrote “The Self-Help Compulsion: Searching for Advice in Modern Literature” (2020). Information is here.

“The Aorta of an Archivist” screening from 6 to 8 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, Menschel Hall, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Artist Dario Robleto talks about his sound and video installation tracing three “firsts” in the history of recording bodies: when live music and singing were first recorded; when brain waves were first recorded in a dream state; and when a human heartbeat was first recorded while listening to music. Art historian Jennifer Roberts joins the conversation. Selections from Robleto’s related print series can be seen in the exhibition “Seeing in Art and Medicine” on Level 3. Information is here.

Joshua N. Winn reads from “The Little Book of Exoplanets” at 6 p.m. at the Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, or $24.38 with book. The professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton introduces the search for exoplanets, the sophisticated detective work astronomers perform and the fascinating findings that move us closer to a new age of discovery. Information is here.

Urban Waggle Stage Stories from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $40. A storytelling event benefiting the programs at Boston’s nonprofit Urban Bee Lab with eight personal narratives that are sticky, sweet or raw. (A waggle is a series of figure-eight movements performed by a bee to indicate the direction and abundance of a food source.) Information is here.

Ben Austen reads from “Correction: Parole, Prison and the Possibility of Change” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Austen’s nonfiction narrative follows two men, each imprisoned for murder, and offers a behind-the-curtain look at the process of parole. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, author of “The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime and the Making of Modern Urban America,” joins the conversation. Information is here.

“The Rocky Horror Show” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $21 to $80. Information is here.

Bipoc/PGM Climbing Meet-up from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Central Rock Gym, 20 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (repeats every other Wednesday). $15 (includes gear) and free for the first 20 nonmembers through Arc’teryx Boston Sponsorship. A community of climbers who want to make friends while climbing. Information is here.

A Day Without Love performs with friends from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15. The band is promoting its new record “A Stranger That You Met Before” and have enlisted friend bands Troll 2 and Nervous to support them as they play songs from their own LPs. Art vendors also show up for the fun. Information is here.

La Boum Queer Dance Party at 10 p.m. at ManRay, 40 Prospect St., Central Square, Cambridge. $13 and 19-plus. Dress creatively and partake of the feel-good energy, queer bangers and dance jam gems from the ’80s, ’90s, Y2K and today. Information is here.

---

Friday, Dec. 1

Cambridge Arts 2023 Holiday Art Market from noon to 6 p.m. at 650 E. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge (and Saturday and Sunday). Free. Shop for gifts by local creators at this event presented in partnership with BioMed Realty. Information is here.

Day With(out) Art 2023: “Everyone I Know is Sick” from 2 to 3 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. This program of five videos – newly commissioned by artists from Hong Kong, Brazil, Canada and the United States – highlight a range of experiences spanning HIV, Covid, mental health and aging, inviting viewers to understand disability as a common experience rather than an exception to the norm. Information is here.

“Head Over Heels: The Musical” at 7 p.m. at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s Fitzgerald Auditorium, 459 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (through Dec. 10). $10. Those fond of songs by The Go-Gos will love this jukebox musical produced by students from CRLS, based on a play written in 1589 and featuring Elizabethan costumes with a 1980s twist. The high school’s Visual and Performing Arts Department often mounts shows that ran on Broadway. Information is here.

Dance, Film and Disability: Empowering Opportunities and Fostering Visibility at 7:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free. Margot Greenlee, founding director of the dance lab BodyWise in Washington, D.C., explores how screen dance empowers artists with disabilities and promotes inclusivity in the film industry. The event includes the premieres of films “Traveling Light” and “Dance Out Loud.” Information is here.

Culomba Vocal Ensemble performs from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 838 Massachusetts Ave., Riverside near Central Square, Cambridge. $10 to $20. Close harmony singing from around the world with this Massachusetts ensemble whose repertoire includes American folk; the music of Georgia, Corsica, the Balkans and Ukraine; early European polyphony; and original compositions. Information is here.

“The Slutcracker” at 8 p.m. at The Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square (and continuing through Dec. 31). $35 and 18-plus. Our area’s naughty holiday stage tradition is a burlesque version of “The Nutcracker” showcasing the talents of people from nearly every walk of life, body type and kink. Information is here.

“The Rocky Horror Show” (continued) at 8 p.m. at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $21 to $80. Information is here.

Composer Éliane Radigue: Works for percussion and trumpet from 8 to 10 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $12 to $18. Two champions of the celebrated 91-year-old experimental French composer, Italian percussionist Enrico Malatesta and the American trumpeter Nate Wooley, perform “Occam X” for trumpet, “Occam XXVI” for bowed cymbals – the second time Malatesta has performed this in the United States – and “Occam River” for percussion and trumpet in this rare Boston performance. Information is here.

Annie & The Fur Trappers performs for Boston Swing Central from 8 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., Fresh Pond, Cambridge. $13 to $20. This social partner dance, which includes a lesson for beginners in the first hour, welcomes Annie & The Fur Trappers, a band originally from St. Louis, Missouri, that is dedicated to preserving and performing music from the 1920s and 1930s with instruments ranging from trombone and banjo to washboard. No partner required; no street shoes allowed. Information is here.