Friday, Dec. 29

Family Movie: “Abominable” from 2 to 3:45 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library O’Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Free. Snacks will be provided during the screening of this 2019 animated film. Information is here.

“A Taste of the Arts” New Year’s Fundraiser from 2 to 9:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge (and continuing through Sunday). $10 to $15 per workshop, $55 for a three-day pass. A three-day 21st anniversary celebration benefiting the Brookline/Cambridge Community Center for the Arts. Friday’s workshops include African beaded jewelry making; flamenco for everybody; introduction to Latin dance; locking vocab and freestyle dance lab; and an open-level house dance. Information is here.

Maccabee Bar pop-up from 4 p.m. to midnight at Noir at the Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and every day except Sundays through Dec. 31). À la carte pricing. Experience a different side of the holidays, whether you grew up celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza or anything else. Enjoy special decor, Hanukkah themed cocktails, latkes, grilled scallion hummus, duck confit flatbread and more. We wrote about it here. Information is here.

Bella’s Bartok performs at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $18 and 21-plus. This theatrical band creates a rich discordance with influences ranging from punk to folk and pop to Americana and an outspoken political message of finding hope in our cruel world. Also performing: Your Friends in Hell. Information is here.

A Celtic Christmas with The Gobshites and Force Us To Stop at 7 p.m. at The Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20 and all ages. The seven-member Irish punk band The Gobshites have released six albums and played for 21 years. The four-member Force Us To Stop is heavily influenced by Celtic Rock and is made up of music teachers employed around Boston. Information is here.

Union Comedy Weekend Show at 7:30 p.m. at Union Comedy, 593 Somerville Ave., Somerville (repeating Fridays and Saturdays). $15. This character-driven, narrative-style of improv features rotating teams of local performers. Tonight’s teams: Babe and Milkshake. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Jan. 21). $70 to $150. An award-winning team of Latine artists created this American Repertory Theater stage production of the 2002 film about the immigrant experience, friendship and big dreams. Information is here.

The Upstairs District, American Ink and Reservations at 8 perform at 8 p.m. at The Middle East Upstairs, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $12 to $15 and 18-plus. All three bands are young 20-somethings from Massachusetts, but one is a five-piece guitar-based indie electronic band formed after meeting at a Green Day–based rock camp – and one toured the country with “Wimpy Kid” author Jeff Kinney playing songs from his animated film about teens in a garage band. Information is here.

---

Saturday, Dec. 30

“A Taste of the Arts” New Year’s Fundraiser (continued) from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $10 to $15 per workshop, $55 for a three-day pass. Workshops include martial arts; dance; and jewelry making. Information is here.

Zumba with HDC from 11 a.m. to noon at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $18. A fun and challenging fitness class from a woman-owned business that values inclusiveness. Information is here.

Schitt’s Creek Drag Brunch at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Summer Shack, 149 Alewife Brook Parkway, Alewife, Cambridge. $20. Have a meal and enjoy this TV-show-themed dance party hosted by Neon Calypso. Information is here.

Bull Sh*t Boutique’s New Year’s Vintage Bash from noon to 5 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. Free. Vintage clothes from 20 vendors plus music, tooth gems and drinks. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $75 to $150. Information is here.

Last Dayz Showcase from 4 to 7 p.m. at The Jungle, 6 Sanborn Court, Union Square, Somerville. $10 and 21-plus. Presented by Hustle Killer, hosted by DBlockthaparty and Yolo Dabz and featuring FU360, Geovanni Quenzell, Ethereal Dreamz, Camarie Jones, Troy City Troy, Paradox, MgDirty, D3ad Rosez, Cyph GTTB, Aloot, Zani, Jemy and special guest Malik Noir. Information is here.

Maccabee Bar pop-up (continued) from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Noir at the Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. À la carte pricing. We wrote about it here. Information is here.

Ellis Paul and Friends perform at 5 and 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (also Sunday). $38 to $40. The award-winning songwriter who launched his career in 1990s Boston will perform with Radoslav Lorković on keyboard, Don Conoscenti on guitar and Laurie MacAllister on harmonies. Laurie MacAllister opens. Information is here.

Magic the Gathering: The Show! at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $18 and 21-plus. Improvisers bring the card game to life – on the stage. Information is here.

“A Taste of the Arts” Showcase from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $20. Performances by Boston-area Chinese lion dance teams, the Cambridge Youth Steel Orchestra with Tempo International, of Cuban bolero and Greek sirtaki dance; world music from Anwar Maghreb; and more. Part of a three-day celebration and fundraiser for the Brookline/Cambridge Community Center for the Arts. Information is here.

Union Comedy Weekend Show (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Union Comedy, 593 Somerville Ave., Somerville. $15. Tonight’s teams: Clyde and Big Allowance. Information is here.

Dungeons and … To Be Determined at 9 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $14 and 21-plus. The audience makes the rules and the performers improvise around the consequences with this tabletop role playing game of dungeons, dragons and quests. Information is here.

Unity Jam Dance Social from 9 to 11:45 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $15. Join BBoy/DJ Act1 for an all-styles, all-ages dance social as part of the three-day celebration and fundraiser for the Brookline/Cambridge Community Center for the Arts. Information is here.

---

Sunday, Dec. 31

“A Taste of the Arts” New Year’s Fundraiser (continued) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $10 to $15 per workshop, $55 for a three-day pass. Workshops include Kung Fu and self-defense; African beaded jewelry making; dance from Bachata to hip-hop; this history of the invention of Trinidad & Tobago steel pan with Tempo International Rhythm & Steel; and more. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $55 to $150. Information is here.

Maccabee Bar pop-up (continued) from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Noir at the Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. À la carte pricing. We wrote about it here. Information is here.

Ellis Paul and Friends perform (continued) at 5 and 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $50. Information is here.

New Year’s Eve Comedy Countdown at 7:30 and 10 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $40 and 21-plus. The standup showcase features Gary Petersen, Sam Buck and Deb Xiadani and comedians from Comedy Central, Netflix and Amazon. Information is here.

New Year’s Eve Prom from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. $25 and 21-plus. Throwback, prom-style celebration with photo booth, dancing and the crowning of Prom Royalty. Music from DJ Knife, food from Big Pig and more. Information is here.

Miss Lamplighter’s New Year’s Eve Drag Extravaganza from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge. $50 (includes two beer tokens) and 21-plus. In a night of high heels, high energy and high spirits, queens Big Atlas, Binx and Plain Jane (and a special guest) will slay the stage all night long while you strut your stuff on the dance floor between performances. Information is here.

New Year’s Eve at ManRay from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. at ManRay, 40 Prospect St., Central Square, Cambridge. $30 and 21-plus. Champagne toast at midnight, the famous “white trash buffet” and performances by Sham Payne and JP and DJs Chris Ewen, James 808, Pussywillow and Achaziyah, Brian Halligan and Arcanus. Information is here.

Donna Byrne Quartet performs from 9 p.m. to midnight at The Mad Monkfish, 524 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $50. The heralded jazz singer performs with Tim Ray (piano), Marshall Wood (double bass) and Les Harris Jr. (drums). Information is here.

New Year’s Eve with LesbianNightLife from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $45. Dress creatively, whether 1920s sexy, 1980s stylish, vintage or fashion forward, glamorous or dressed down – anything that works for dancing to DJ and live music. Information is here.

New Year’s Eve @ Satellite from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Remnant Brewing Satellite, 877 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge. Free. DJ Sumj of Fav45s spins all vinyl 45s all night, with funk, boogie, disco, reggae, hip-hop and more. Information is here.

A Very Fruitstand New Year’s Eve 2024 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at The Turing Tavern, 1281 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15 and 21-plus. DJ Frazzo rings in the new year with queer pop anthems to let loose and dance to. Information if here.

Midnight Renaissance: A New Year for the Ages from 10:30 p.m. to midnight at Down Under School of Yoga, 2000 Massachusetts Ave., near Porter Square, Cambridge. $50. A 90-minute experience with Marja Lankinen that opens with intention setting and flows into a 75-minute all-levels yoga class. Includes poetry and music selected to revive and revitalize. Information is here.

---

Monday, Jan. 1

New Year’s Day Amitayus Retreat from 10:30 a.m. to noon, 1 to 2:45 and 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. at Kadampa Meditation Center, 2298 Massachusetts Ave., North Cambridge. $10. Stop in for a session of Buddhist meditation with Gen Kelsang Khedrub. Information is here.

Marx Brothers Marathon 12:30, 2:45, 4:30 and 6:15 p.m. at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $12.50 to $27. The annual event returns, this time with “The Cocoanuts,” “Monkey Business,” “Horse Feathers,” and “Duck Soup.” Information is here.

New Year’s Celebration with Boston Baroque at 3 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square. $25 to $125. This celebratory program features works by Boyce, Biber, Bach and Handel. Information is here.

Ward Hayden and The Outliers play Hank Williams hits from 4 to 7 p.m. and 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at The Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Ave., in the Baldwin neighborhood between Harvard and Porter squares, Cambridge. $25. The band that celebrates the life, legacy and music of Hank Williams (who was born 100 years ago) are on tour playing his classics and some of their originals. Information is here.

Hatha Yoga class from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. at Gallery 263, 263 Pearl St., Cambridgeport. $15 or pay what you can. Leave strengthened and energized with yoga that emphasizes attention to alignment within a flowing sequence. Information is here.

---

Tuesday, Jan. 2

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. This month’s title: “Still Life” by Louise Penny. Information is here.

Bonginator, Frog Mallet, Body Farm and Choke Out perform at 7 p.m. at The Middle East Upstairs, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $15. If the sound of these bands makes you hungry, there’s 25 percent off food at the restaurant with your ticket. Information is here.

Chess Night from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill (and continuing monthly). Free. Players of all skill levels are welcome, and chess sets are provided. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $70 to $150. Information is here.

Smut Slam from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $10 suggested donation. This fast-paced storytelling open mic invites participants to tell five-minute, real-life dirty stories. The top three slammers win sexy swag from Good Vibrations. Information is here.

---

Wednesday, Jan. 3

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $70 to $150. Information is here.

Drum, Yoga, Sweat! from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and every Wednesday). $25. An energetic and playful Vinyasa-based movement flow with live drumming by award-winning musician Toussaint the Liberator and friends. Some yoga experience is recommended but not required. Bring your own yoga mat if you can – there will be some to share. Information is here.

Poets Cynthia Bargar, Shari Caplan and Hannah Larrabee read from 7 to 8 p.m. at Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10, but register. With an introduction by Eileen Cleary. Information is here.

Songwriters in the Round from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rooted Café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (and every month on the first and third Wednesdays). $10. Four songwriters take turns playing songs, and Somerville singer/songwriter David Thorne Scott hosts this jam inspired by the “guitar pulls” of the legendary Bluebird Café in Nashville. The lineup of performers shifts often. Information is here.

Open Mic Night @ West from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free, but register. Even if you’ve never had the chance to perform in public, bring your own instruments and your love of song and jam with others at this low-stakes night of music and fun. Keyboard and microphone will be on site. Free. Information is here.

Brewery Book Group from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the back taproom of Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port, Cambridge (and every other month). Free, but register and 21-plus. The brewery teams up with the Cambridge Public Library to highlight contemporary works from marginalized voices. This evening’s title: “When Women Were Dragons” by Kelly Barnhill. Information is here.

---

Thursday, Jan. 4

Thursday Morning Talks: Beth Mendelson from 10:15 a.m. to noon at Holy Trinity Armenian Church, 145 Brattle St., West Cambridge. $125 (suggested donation for a series subscription), and registration is required. The senior executive producer of special programming and documentaries at Voice of America discusses the topic “Symphony of Courage: A New Generation of Afghan Musicians Defying the Taliban’s Ban on Secular Music.” The Thursday Morning Talks lecture series, a fundraiser for Mount Auburn Hospital that’s in its 87th year, is held every January and February. Information is here.

Laura Zigman reads from “Small World” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The author discusses her novel, just out in paperback, about two offbeat and newly divorced sisters who move in together as adults – and finally reckon with their childhood. Joanna Rakoff, local author of the international bestselling memoir “My Salinger Year,” joins the conversation. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $55 to $150. Information is here.

Ryan Leddick sings and plays guitar at 7:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. The soulful-voiced folk-rock fusion musician based in Troy, New York, has released two live LPs and is working on his first studio record. Information is here.

Concert and screening of “The City Without Jews” with Alicia Svigals and Donald Sosin from 8 to 10 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $20 to $54. The world-renowned klezmer violinist and celebrated silent film pianist perform their original music live for a showing of the 1924 film by Austrian Expressionist filmmaker Hans Karl Breslauer. Presented by the Boston Festival of New Jewish Music. Information is here.

The Brother Brothers perform from 8 to 11 p.m. at The Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Ave., in the Baldwin neighborhood between Harvard and Porter squares, Cambridge. $20. Identical twins Adam and David Moss are known for their mix of folk, bluegrass and jazz and exquisitely close vocal harmonies reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel. Information is here.

Monty (1985 Music) performs from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Phoenix Landing, 512 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $20 to $25 and 19-plus. The drum and bass sets from this Toulouse, France-based DJ and producer are famously diverse, progressive and high energy. Opening set by MRPH and visuals by v.Kash. Information is here.

---

Friday, Jan. 5

Yoko Miwa Trio performs from 7 to 8:15 and 8:45 to 10 p.m. at The Mad Monkfish, 524 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free, but $25 food-and-drink minimum. The Japan-born jazz pianist performs with Brad Barrett (acoustic bass) and Scott Goulding (drums). Information is here.

Raaaatscraps Improv from 7 to 10 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and also Saturday). $20 and 21-plus. This fully improvised show from New York City features a guest monologist who tells true stories from their life; a rotating cast of improvisers (most from top TV shows) use the stories as inspiration to make up scenes on the spot. For Boston shows, the “guest” will be an audience member. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $50 to $150. Information is here.

The Sarah Blacker Band performs at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge, $23 to $25. The award-winning multi-instrumentalist performs her new “Beautiful Murderer” and other originals with Aaron Z. Katz (percussion), Phil Selsnick (keys/bass) and Mark Lipman (vocals). Information is here.