Thursday, Oct. 31
“From Tufts to the National Parks of Boston: A Career Connecting People to Parks” lecture from noon to 1 p.m. in the multipurpose room at Curtis Hall, Tufts University, 474 Boston Ave., Medford, near the Medford/Tufts MBTA station. Free. Marc Albert details science and stewardship initiatives on public park lands that demonstrate environmental conservation and community empowerment, and discusses the impacts of the changing climate. Also via Zoom. Information is here.
Gallery Talk: Graven Images from noon to 1 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but check in at visitor services to join the talk. Explore the “Spiritual Relief” installation of gravestone rubbings of early American gravestones from New England with curatorial assistant Casey Monahan. Information is here.
“European Economies: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place?” panel from 2:15 to 3:45 p.m. at Adolphus Busch Hall, 27 Kirkland St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. German, French and U.S. economic experts discuss how the small, open economies of Europe are challenged by global tension and conflict, especially the rising costs of national security and how to adapt Europe’s export-oriented economies in a less benign trade environment. Information is here.
2024 Autumn Sing and AntiMorris from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Somerville Community Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Pre-sunset singing from 5 to 5:30 p.m. followed by the Recently Traditional Fictional Morris troupe performing the “other” morris dance – to mark the turning of the year and help make the frost flowers bloom. Information is here.
Live Wire Sessions Halloween from 5 to 7 p.m. at Cambridge Community Television, 438 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. Free. Hear performances of ambient music from Caldon Glover, Neonach and State Vector Collapse: doom industrial, trance-inducing soundscapes and “overintellectualized experimental home brew power electronics,” respectively. Information is here.
Harvard Art Museums at Night from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Calderwood Courtyard at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. During this recurring event wander exhibits, catch spotlight tours, browse the shop, enjoy sounds from DJ C-Zone and buy brews from Night Shift and phyllo rolls and couscous stew from Olive World. For Halloween, there’s mask decorating in the Materials Lab and a themed scavenger hunt. Information is here.
“The Gang Does Halloween” from 5 to 11 p.m. at Roxy’s Arcade, 292 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free entry. This year, the arcade transforms into Paddy’s Pub with an “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Halloween party. Themed food and cocktail specials, DJ Frank White (8 p.m.) and an “Always Sunny” costume contest. Information is here.
Paper Bag Mummers Souling Tour at 6:30 p.m. meeting outside the gates of the Somerville Community Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Join this mumming-and-mayhem walking tour toward Oxford Street that uses traditional folkplay texts to create improvisational performance and street theatre, led by “North America’s only known skull hobbyhorse.” “Don a hat, grab a script, play a part and you’re a Paper Bag Mummer!” Information is here.
“Changing Climates” lecture and exhibition opening reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Gund Hall, 42 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Through a selection of projects featured in his exhibition (on display through Dec. 20), landscape architect Bas Smets explains how “a city can be understood as a juxtaposition of artificial micro-climates” and “thus becomes a second nature and a living laboratory.” A reception follows. Information is here.
Beth Castrodale reads from “The Inhabitants” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A new novel from the author of “Marion Hatley” and “In This Ground” about a woman who inherits an idiosyncratic Victorian house that may have had a spell – good or bad – put on it. Virginia Pye, author of “The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann,” joins. Information is here.
Blues Union Halloween party from 7 to 11 p.m. at Dance Union, 16 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville. $10 to $25. Tonight, Kara Fabina teaches Latin Blues momentum, Jenny and Julie DJ, plus a costume contest and treats. As usual the hourlong lesson is followed by an hour to socialize, rest or practice and two hours of social dancing. Wear shoes that allow you to pivot; no need to bring a partner. Masks required. Information is here.
Aeronaut Brewing presents Halloween Bonanza from 7 to 11 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free entry and 21-plus. Costume contest with winners chosen every hour, screenings of favorite creepy classics (“The Little Shop of Horrors,” “House on Haunted Hill” and more), DJ Javes turning up the tunes to “Monster Mash” levels as well as specialty seasonal beers on tap. Information is here.
Cirque of the Dead at 8 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $43 to $65 and 18-plus. Boston Circus Guild’s show blends aerials, acrobatics, contortion and more with creepy camp and humorous horror; this year’s story involves the “Cirque of the Dead Historical Society” as it brings to life the eerie and captivating world of the 1920s spiritualist movement with its psychic mediums and seances. Information is here.
Skalloween at 8 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $23 to $28 and 21-plus. Skaleton Crew as Skank Against the Machine (RATM ska covers); Battlemode as Limp Bizkit; Pink Slip as Less than Jake; The New Limits as the Interrupters; and Please Excuse My Enemies as Streetlight Manifesto. A Once presentation. Information is here.
Lamplighter Sessions at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Nov. 4). $28. Presented by the singer-songwriter-iconoclast Peter Mulvey, this multinight mini festival of improvisational art – music, spoken word, visual art and theater – always includes Hallowe’en. Some years have featured “Luthier expositions, a reading of Eugene Ionesco’s ‘Rhinoceros,’ in-the-round swaps between stars and fledglings, tributes to Greg Brown and Los Lobos, string-music extravaganzas, costume parties and one consistent event: some permutation of musicians performs Tom Waits’ classic record ‘Rain Dogs.’” Information is here.
“Rocky Horror Picture Show” with a live shadow cast at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. $16 to $20. The Teseracte Players of Boston and audience members bring an interactive screening of the 1975 musical comedy horror cult classic. Costumes and call backs are highly encouraged. Information is here.
ManRay Halloween from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at ManRay, 40 Prospect St., Central Square, Cambridge. $20 to $25 and 19-plus. Dancing all night with DJ John O’Leary and DJ James 808, plus ghostly go-go dancers, a terrifying tarot card reader and a costume contest with a $1,000 first prize! Dress to impress in costumes or creative attire. Information is here.
Friday, Nov. 1
Teddy Svoronos on “The Science & Implications of Generative AI” from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Taubman Building, 520 – Nye A, Harvard Kennedy School, 15 Eliot St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. The Harvard lecturer explains how he and co-teachers developed a course on rapidly developing generative AI and the insights gained from their first semester offering it. Information is here.
Cellist Kee-Hyun Kim from 5 to 7 p.m. at Killian Hall in the Hayden Library Building at 160 Memorial Drive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Free. A cello masterclass with a founding member of the Grammy-winning Parker Quartet. Information is here.
Buffalo Tom presents “Please Come to Boston” mini festival from 5 to 11 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (and continuing Nov. 2 and 3). $237 for a three-day pass. A weekend of music, arts, comedy, readings and film showings with guests Eugene Mirman, Perrotta, Dave Hill, Will Dailey and more. Each evening the stalwart Boston alt-rock band performs one full album from among their dozen (starting with “Let Me Come Over”). Information is here.
Authors John E. Buja and Randee Dawn at 6:30 p.m. at Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant St., Central Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. For Pandemonium’s 35th anniversary, two authors of dark fantasy and YA horror talk about current and future works. Information is here.
“Mayor” documentary film screening at 7 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building 4, Room 4-237, 182 Memorial Drive (rear), Cambridge. Free. David Osit’s Emmy-winning film about Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah in the central West Bank, “offers a portrait of dignity amidst the madness and absurdity of endless occupation, while posing a central question: How do you run a city when you don’t have a country?” Discussion follows. Information is here.
The Horszowski Trio presents “Railway to the New World and a New Time” at 7 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $20. Jesse Mills (violin), Reiko Aizawa (piano) and Ole Akahoshi (cello) perform Czech composer Antonín Dvořák’s music, reflecting on his life after arriving in America and his epic Trio in f minor. Information is here.
Poet Mosab Abu Tuha reads from “Forest of Noise” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The Palestinian poet, short-story writer and author of “Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear” discusses his new collection of poems, written after his home was destroyed during the current siege of Gaza. Information is here.
Poets Annelyse Gelman and Zoë Hitzig from 7 to 8 p.m. at Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $5 to $10, but register. With an introduction by Kevin Holden. Information is here.
Cambridge Chamber Ensemble presents “Labyrinth, an Operatic Riddle” at 7:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge (and continuing Nov. 2 and 3). $35 to $50. The first live American performance of composer Gian Carlo Menotti’s 1963 television opera about young groom lost with his bride in a grand hotel without their room key and no memory of the number or the floor. An assortment of characters all offer strange advice and bad directions. Information is here.
“Living a Triggered Life” podcast live taping at 7:30 p.m. in the blue wing at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free with preregistration and 18-plus. Join Keith Mascoll and Roxann Mascoll, creators and hosts of the podcast “The Triggered Project,” as they talk about the music they brought to their relationship and that keeps them dancing together. Information is here.
“Bumbled” at 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Nov. 3). $27 to $52. In this “one-person, bee-twerking, Irish slow-dancing, sex-dodging odyssey,” performed and co-written by Colin Hamell, a honeybee journeys to tell the world about the importance of the species, save the planet and find true happiness with his French girlfriend. Information is here.
Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club presents the musical “Anastasia” from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Nov. 9.) $10 to $20. Stephen Flaherty (music), Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Terrence McNally (book) created this stage adaptation of the 1997 animated film exploring the enduring mystery of the Princess Anastasia Romanov. Information is here.
Calling All Zombies Halloween Dance from 7:30 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., Suite 3, Fresh Pond, Cambridge. $15 to $22. Come in costume, if you’d like, to this annual event by Boston Swing Central and dance to music from The Whozit/Whatzit All Star Band. Kicks off with an all-level “Thriller” line dance lesson. No partner required; no street shoes. Information is here.
Lamplighter Sessions (continued) at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28. Information is here.
Femme Fatale Friday with Night Teacher and Jarsch from 10:30 p.m. to midnight at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15. Singer-songwriter Lilly Bechtel brings doom-folk and alt-rock; every Jarsch set is different and you’ll never know what to expect in terms of songs or instrumentation. Information is here.
Saturday, Nov. 2
“Power(s) of Water” festival from 9:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free with museum admission. A full day of immersive experiences, screenings of experimental cinema, panel discussions, youth workshops and more that celebrates water not only a resource, but as a creative force. (Reminiscent of the “Waterlines: Stories of Urban Ebb and Flow” show in February 2023 at the Somerville Museum.) Information is here.
Boston Cuban Dance Festival from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and continuing Nov. 3). $75 to $195. The festival moves from Boston on Friday to Saturday workshops in Cambridge on son, casino, rueda, Afro-Cuban dance and adding flair to your dance repertoire. Themed nighttime dance parties at the Elks Lodge (Cambridge) and Premiere on Broadway (Somerville) put the lessons into play. Information is here.
Day of the Dead Celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free with museum admission. Write a message to deceased loved ones for the museum altar and learn about this joyful and colorful Mexican holiday through craft making, live mariachis and folkloric dance and some additional-cost activities: customizing a sugar skull, tasting traditional bread of the dead and buying Oaxacan wood carvings and chocolate drinks. Information is here.
Dart: Under the Sea from 1 to 5 p.m. at Inman Square pubs An Sibin, Remnant Satellite and The Turing Tavern and Central Square pub New Republik, all in Cambridge (and continuing Nov. 3). Free. Dart isn’t about throwing sharp metal objects at a board, nor is the “Dancing America Rapper Tournament” about words spoken to music. This is the premier sword dancing competition in North America, with two days of performances and workshops led by U.K. and Boston champions. Information is here.
“The Art and Science of Grafting” lecture with slides from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. Plant scientist, horticulturist and plant propagator Sean Halloran talks about apple trees in conjunction with the exhibition “The Community Grafting Project: Science. Art. Social Experiment. Joy.” currently on view at Gallery 344, 344 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Information is here.
Samantha Lipsky’s “Timid Taxidermy” exhibition opening reception from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Gallery@SPL in the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free. Watercolor art inspired by “curious photos from critters on the Internet” and their incomprehensible expressions. The show runs through November. Information is here.
Halloween Party and media night at the New England Science Fiction Association from 2 to 10:30 p.m. at the group’s clubhouse at 504 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville. Free. A party with costumes welcomed followed by a special Halloween edition of watches starting at 7 p.m. Information is here.
Raúl the Third reads from “¡Vamos! Let’s Celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos” at 3 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The Medford author and illustrator and popular former Maud Morgan Arts faculty member discusses his new book, a “vibrant fictional world” where “there are near-infinite details, references and jokes to notice on every bursting-with-life spread; every Halloween costume, every altar and ofrenda” (says Horn Book). Information is here.
Día de los Muertos at The Foundry from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. Free. Son Jarocho music, Mexican foods, drinks, vendors, local artists and crafts to celebrate the Mexican holiday. Hosted by Boston’s Latin American Music Festival. Information is here.
Buffalo Tom presents “Please Come to Boston” mini festival (continued) from 4:30 to 11:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $237 for a three-day pass. Information is here.
“The Weirn Books, Vol. 2: The Ghost and the Stolen Dragon” book release and conversation with author Svetlana Chmakova at 5 p.m. at Hub Comics, 19 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville. Free. The creator of middle-grade graphic novels and author of 2022’s graphic novel “Enemies” spent her own middle grades in Russia (leaving at age 16). Information is here.
Día de los Muertos at Bow from 5 to 10 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. Free entry. The shop Amantolli hosts an evening that includes a traditional altar, Mexican chocolate and bread (pan de muertos), food from Taquísimo, cultural vendors and music from DJs and a mariachi band. Across-the-market food and drinks specials, too. Information is here.
New Gallery Concert Series: Reflect at 7 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $25. New Gallery’s 25th anniversary program features work by visual artist Steve Aldeus and the Boston premiere of a composition by Daniel Bernard Roumain, Arvo Pärt, Alvin Singleton and Lei Liang with musicians marimbist-composer Steph Davis, bassist Max Ridley, percussionist Aaron Trant and violinist Gabriela Diaz. Plus music by one of NewGal’s original advisers, the late composer Lee Hyla, arranged and performed by pianist Sarah Bob. Information is here.
“Zabriskie Point” (1970) film screening at 7 p.m. at Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. The Archives’ “Psychedelic Cinema” series continues (through Nov. 7) with Michelangelo Antonioni’s “meandering portrait of Sixties America,” starring nonprofessional leads Mark Frechette and Daria Halprin. “Encased within the glossy, seductive cinematography are abrasive scenes of police brutality, overt racism, oblivious consumerism, capitalistic violence and the ubiquitous drone of the Vietnam death toll,” writes the Archives’ staff. Information is here.
A Cappella with the Fallen Angels, the Harvard Veritones and the Krokodiloes from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10 to $20. The groups chose a name for the night that speaks louder than all their unaccompanied voices combined: “A Presidential Jam!” Information is here.
“Bumbled” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $27 to $52. Information is here.
Cambridge Chamber Ensemble presents “Labyrinth, an Operatic Riddle” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $35 to $50. Information is here.
Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club presents the musical “Anastasia” (continued) from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10 to $20. Information is here.
Lamplighter Sessions (continued) at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28. Information is here.
Harvard Jazz Orchestra featuring guitarist Mike Moreno at 8 p.m. at Harvard’s Lowell Lecture Hall, 17 Kirkland St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $8 to $15. The guitarist and composer who’s toured with some of the most venerable names in jazz performs after a weeklong residency of masterclasses at Harvard. Information is here.
Encore Dance Ensemble presents “Undercurrents” from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and continuing Nov. 3). $30. Original modern, jazz and improvisational choreography by dancers over 40 exploring love, loss, nature and memories. Information is here.
Sunday, Nov. 3
Cambridge Half Marathon + 5K at 7 a.m. in front of CambridgeSide on First St. near Charles St., East Cambridge. Free to watch. Cheer on while runners zip through this scenic, USATF certified course alongside the Charles River. Information is here.
Holiday Bazaar from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Saint Anthony Parish, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Ave., East Cambridge. Free entry. Raffles, a white elephant table, bake sale, craft vendor tables, malassadas (Portuguese fried dough), kids’ games, breakfast and lunch. Information is here.
Buffalo Tom presents “Please Come to Boston” mini festival (continued) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $237 for a three-day pass. Information is here.
“Awash in Color: A Fall Foliage Walking Tour” from 1 to 2:30 p.m. meeting at the Story Chapel at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. Free to $15. Walk and talk with arborist Jim Gorman while visiting some of the more colorful trees in the cemetery’s landscape and looking for plant and shrubs putting out their fall fruits and nuts. Information is here.
Tavern Talk: “How Beer Helped Win World War II” from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. $15 includes one beverage. The Somerville Museum hosts this lecture by Brandeis University’s Dan Breen, who explains how the U.S. government discouraged beer drinking among the Doughboys during World War I but went out of its way to provide beer to World War II soldiers and sailors, shaping American drinking habits to the present day. Information is here.
Dart: Under the Sea (continued) from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 1950 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $25. Information is here.
“Bumbled” (continued) at 2 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $27 to $52. Information is here.
Music Speaks: Blue Sunrise from 2 to 3 p.m. in Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free, but register. This time, violinist Joshua Peckins plays music from Bach to Blues, Ysaÿe’s famous “sunrise sonata” and traditional Norwegian Hardanger fiddle music. Spoken stories about the composers, too. Information is here.
Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club presents the musical “Anastasia” (continued) from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10 to $20. Information is here.
Collage New Music presents “I Shall Be Brave: A Celebration in Song” at 3 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $35. Artistic partner Tony Arnold performs a vocal concert featuring the Boston premiere of Eric Nathan and librettist Mark Campbell’s “Some Favored Nook,” about Emily Dickinson’s struggle as a woman poet and Thomas Wentworth Higginson’s fight for the abolition of slavery and advocacy for female writers’ voices. Includes a postconcert talk with artistic director Nathan and guest soloists. Information is here.
Cambridge Chamber Ensemble presents “Labyrinth, an Operatic Riddle” (continued) at 3 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $35 to $50. Information is here.
“What’s Your Story” from 3 to 5 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. Free, but register. This storytelling series explores experiences across generations in Cambridge through art, tech and games; while sharing stories, participants for some reason learn about technologies such as AI and co-create a collaborative digital mural of narratives across town. Presented by Joint Family in collaboration with local artists, technologists and the Foundry Consortium. Tea and cookies provided Information is here.
Sunday Concert Series: Jazz Divas & Women Who Rock from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Distler Performance Hall, Tufts University, 20 Talbot Ave., Medford. Free. Vocalist and educator Celia Slattery and guests channel groundbreaking women in American popular music from Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday to Joni Mitchell and Carole King. Information is here.
Pianists Anthony and Joseph Paratore at 4:30 p.m. at Dante Alighieri Society Center, 41 Hampshire St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $39. The brothers have performed on the international stage for more than 40 years, whether four-hands on one piano or on two pianos. Tonight, on two pianos, works by Gershwin, Brubeck and MilhaudMilhaud. Information is here.
“Gender Reveal” podcast presents “Gender Ordeal” at 5 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20. Tuck Woodstock’s interview-style podcast exploring the diversity of trans experiences brings friends Mattie Lubchansky and Calvin Kasulke to help perform “all sorts of jokes and bits and games” including “comics (both kinds), historical personal ads … and something called ‘Jeremiah AFAB Sweatpants.’” Information is here.
Jazz for Mass General from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $20 suggested donation. Vocalist Kris Adams, jazz violinist David Eure, bassist Barry Smith and pianist Lee Adler perform jazz standards, not-so-standards and originals to raise funds for lung cancer research at Mass General Cancer Center. Information is here.
H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society’s “The Call of Cthulhu” film screening at 7 p.m. at Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant St., Central Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. The widely acclaimed and award-winning silent film uses “the Mythoscope process – a mix of modern and vintage techniques – to create the most authentic and faithful screen adaptation of a Lovecraft story ever attempted.” A finale party for Pandemonium’s 35th anniversary at 6:30 p.m., with refreshments and open play, precedes the 47-minute film’s screening. Information is here.
Lamplighter Sessions (continued) at 7 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28. Information is here.
Encore Dance Ensemble presents “Undercurrents” (continued) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $30. Information is here.
Blue Milonga from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Dance Union, 16 Bow St., Somerville. $15 to $20 (cash or Venmo). A night of milonga dancing – celebrating its 21st anniversary this month – with guest DJ Toshi. Masks recommended. Information is here.
Halloweekend at Lilypad from 9 p.m. to midnight at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15. Wrap up the witchy holiday with three bands with powerful female lead singers: Zara, Kassidy Collins and Amethyst Deceiver. Costumes encouraged! Information is here.
Monday, Nov. 4
Matter of Minds: Building the Science of Natural and Artificial Intelligence conference from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building 45, known as the Schwarzman College of Computing, eighth floor, 51 Vassar St., Cambridge. Free, but register. Neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, computer scientists and software engineers address real-world challenges that are beyond machine capabilities but within the ability of natural intelligence. Sponsored by MIT Quest for Intelligence. Information is here.
L’Étoile Duo presents “Look What Happened Now: Stars Entwine” for two violins from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Distler Performance Hall, Tufts University, 20 Talbot Ave., Medford. Free. Violinists Hsin-Lin Tsai and Miguel Perez-Espejo Cardenas present new works by John McDonald and Kareem Roustom alongside other bright chamber music by Tufts composers. Information is here.
Water treatment plant tour from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Water Department facility at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, in West Cambridge at Fresh Pond, Cambridge. Free. Get to know where your water comes from, chat with staff and see the equipment in action, including the water-quality lab. Information is here.
The Enormous Chorus: An Evening of Radical Harmonies & Collective Soundings from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Woodberry Poetry Room at Lamont Library, Room 330, 11 Quincy St., Harvard Square. Free. For election eve, a series of participatory exercises celebrating the relationship between freedom, fellowship, harmony, courage and change. Boston vocalist Erin Hogan teaches and leads a range of powerful peace anthems for a group sing through the streets at departure. Information is here.
“The Science of Sugar” with Joanne Chang at 7 p.m. in Hall C at the Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The Science and Cooking Public Lecture Series brings back the local chef and owner of Flour Bakery and Café and Myers + Chang in Boston. Information is here.
Poet Chloe Garcia Roberts reads from “Fire Eater: A Translator’s Theology” at 7 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building 32, also known as the Ray and Maria Stata Center, Room 155, at 32 Vassar St., Cambridge. Free. The acclaimed Mexican-American writer, translator and editor lectures on poetry at MIT. Information is here.
Politics and Music Class: Election Eve Performance at 7 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $20. “Political resistance has always had a soundtrack,” organizers note for a “rousing and rambunctious night of music” on the eve of an election. Information is here.
Comedian Lucas O’Neil presents “Emotional Man” at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20. O’Neil talks family and how people in Boston are mean (he’s from Maine). Information is here.
Harrison Storm performs at 7 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $21.50. The prolific indie-folk singer-songwriter from the outskirts of Melbourne describes his musical journey as “a heartfelt escape from a culture of toxic masculinity.” Information is here.
Capoeira class from 7 to 8 p.m. at Dance Union, 16 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville (and every Monday). First class free, $15 thereafter. Learn a workout based on the Afro-Brazilian art form that combines dance, music and martial arts. Information is here.
Elan Mehler Trio from 7 to 8 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge (and every Monday). $15. The jazz pianist and composer who’s released 11 albums performs with Max Ridley and Dor Herskovits. Information is here.
Picture + Panel: Journeys with Ben Hatke and Dave Ortega from 7 to 8 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free to $15 and 21-plus. The monthly confab of graphic-novel creators sponsored by Aeronaut, Porter Square Books and the Boston Comic Arts Foundation brings in Hatke, author-illustrator of “Zita the Spacegirl” trilogy, and Ortega, whose “Días de Consuelo” was about the life of his grandmother during the Mexican Revolution. MICE director and co-founder Dan Mazur moderates. 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.
Lamplighter Sessions (continued) at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28. Information is here.
Tuesday, Nov. 5
Infinite Solar System Walking Tour at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the third floor of MIT Building 7, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge (and continuing Nov. 7 and 8). Free, but register. Explore MIT’s Infinite Corridor with professor Richard P. Binzel, who guides participants along a model of the solar system and brings to life the immense scale of space. The tour also highlights MIT’s contributions to our understanding of the cosmos. Information is here.
Decompress: Mindful Museum Musings from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but check in at visitor services to join the talk. An afternoon of relaxing, half-hour art-focused talks and activities offered by staff from the museums and the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. Information is here.
Great Books Book Group from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Curious George Room of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. This time it’s “Selected Stories” by Alice Munro. Information is here.
Smut Slam from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (and the first Tuesday of every month). $10 suggested donation. An open mic invites participants to tell five-minute, real-life dirty stories. The top three slammers win sexy swag from Good Vibrations. Kat Sistare hosts. Information is here.
Smilley, Mr. Man and The Frame perform from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10 to $13. For your mood enhancement: emotional, raw and nostalgic alternative-indie rock; a blend of alternative rock with the heart-on-sleeve ethos of emo and high-octane pop-punk; and a sweet-tea mix of classic, blues and Southern rock. Information is here.
“The Presidential Erection” dance and drag party at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $20 and 21-plus. Instead of spending the night at home stress-watching the results, dance and catch some voting-themed drag! With eight drag artists, music from Bars Over Bars and a pop-up arcade from Super Party Bros, you may not even notice the election coverage that’ll be streaming in the background. Information is here.
The Lady Hang performs at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $23 to $25. Rachel Sumner, Emily Haviland, Kimaya Diggs and Wallace Field are Boston-area independent musicians and songwriters who, for an evening, are hanging out together. Information is here.
Laugh Giraffe Comedy Show at 8 p.m. at Union Tavern, 345 Somerville Ave., Union Square, Somerville (and every Tuesday). Free, but reserve your space. Stand-up comedy showcase. Information is here.
Sasha Alex Sloan at 8:30 p.m. at The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $32.50. The singer-songwriter went gold and platinum before turning 30, then left her major label and released “Me Again” independently in May, with its pop-inflected songs pointing to her embattled emotional health. Information is here.
Wednesday, Nov. 6
“From MITHenge to MarsHenge: Foreshadowing Our Future as a Multiplanetary Species” lecture at 4 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building 10-250 at 222 Memorial Drive, Cambridge. Free, but register. On Saturday and Sunday the cosmos and MIT will align such that the setting sun shines straight down the third floor of the Infinite Corridor. Professor Olivier de Weck envisions what special alignments future human settlers might witness on the Moon and Mars. A reception follows in lobby 13. Information is here.
Cambridge Cooks: Vietnamese spring rolls from 6 to 7 p.m. in the community room at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. Chef Winson Dao from Cambridge’s own Pagu teaches how to make Vietnamese spring rolls. A tasting and Q&A follow. Information is here.
Writing Wednesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Side Quest Books & Games in Bow Market at 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville (also Nov. 13 and 20). $5 (ticket price redeemable for store credit during event). Bring your novel, your campaign, your RPG sourcebook – whatever you’re writing now – and join fellow writers to suffer together. Information is here.
Sufi Utterances for Peace: Qawwali Mehfil from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Distler Performance Hall, Tufts University, 20 Talbot Ave., Medford. Free. The Qawwali ensemble of classically trained vocalists known as “Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and Brothers” perform Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional voice and instrumental performance originating in South Asia. Information is here.
Collaps, Neighborhood Shit, BadTerms and Impulse Control at 7 p.m. at Massasoit Elks Lodge, 55 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square, Cambridge. $15. A punk band from Herne, Germany, lands in town and three Boston groups line up to support. Information is here.
Diet Lemon joined by Daphne Eckman at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20. Mid-Atlantic rock bands tour not so far from home. Also playing: locals Stella Starfox. Information is here.
Sy Montgomery reads from “What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird” at 7 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $36 with book. Among the revelations by the author of the National Book Award finalist “The Soul of an Octopus” are that chickens can walk and run only hours after leaving the egg; can recognize more than 100 other chickens; remember the past and anticipate the future; and communicate information through at least 24 distinct calls. WGBH’s Boston Public Radio cohosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan join. Information is here.
Bert Seager’s Heart of Hearing performs from 7 to 8 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15. The jazz quartet of piano, tenor-saxophone, upright-bass and drums brings listeners into improvised jazz. Information is here.
Brewery Book Club from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP and 21-plus. A collaboration with the Cambridge Public Library that this month discusses “The Backyard Bird Chronicles” by Amy Tan. 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). Donations welcome. 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.
Ken Schaphorst Big Band with the NEC Jazz Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $30. Well-known Boston jazz musicians (five saxophonists, four trumpists, four trombonists and a guitarist) join members of the New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra for a night of blissful distraction. Information is here.
Ryanhood performs at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $23 to $25. Ryan Green and Cameron Hood’s independent folk rock band (Tucson-based but formed in Boston) offers “strong acoustic guitar interplay and turn-on-a-dime harmonies” forged from performing for more than 20 years. Information is here.
Cursive performs at 9 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $25 to $30. For two decades the band has brought brutal honesty to challenging themes. On the side, band members run an Omaha bar, launched their own label and work solo; frontman Tim Kasher even wrote and directed an indie film. Also playing: Gladie. Information is here.
Bachata Room dance party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at La Fábrica Central, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and every Wednesday). $15 and 18-plus (21-plus to drink). An hourlong bachata dance lesson for beginners followed by social dancing to DJ music (salsa, bachata and kizomba). No partner required, walk-ins welcome. Information is here.
Lebanese stand-up comedian (and entrepreneur) John Achkar from 10:15 to 11:45 p.m. at The Comedy Studio in the basement at 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $55 to $90. The show “Shou Zakeh?! How Smart?!” reflects on Achkar’s corporate life experiences, new relationships and travel stories (he’s the co-founder of a startup that designs board games for schools and company training programs.) Information is here.
Thursday, Nov. 7
Infinite Solar System Walking Tour (continued) at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the third floor of MIT Building 7, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Free, but register. Information is here.
Catalyzing Innovation: Designing with Life from 4 to 6 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free with museum admission. Experts in medical technology and architecture explore how the use of living organisms in biotechnology and design drives innovation. Co-hosted by MIT MAD and Innovators for Purpose. Information is here.
MIT Composer Forum Series: Patrick Harlin from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Lewis Music Library in the Hayden Library Building at 160 Memorial Drive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Free, but register. The composer’s research in soundscape ecology – understanding ecosystems through sound – has taken him to the Amazon rainforest and the Book Cliffs of Utah. His compositions draw parallels between the sounds of the natural world and those of the concert hall. A Q&A and light reception follow. Information is here.
Martin Puchner on “The Case for Cultural Appropriation” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Room K262 of the Center for Government and International Studies Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge St., Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The Harvard comparative literature professor argues that, while well-intentioned, the theory of cultural appropriation disregards the fundamental role of exchange in how cultures develop and thrive; he proposes an alternative way of avoiding exploitation, one more in keeping with the history of culture. Information is here.
Stephen Puleo reads from “The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free, but register. The acclaimed author and historian discusses his groundbreaking biography of a forgotten civil rights hero and close friend of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Information is here.
Lewis Room opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library Central Square Branch, 45 Pearl St. Free. A reopening celebration with refreshments from S&S Restaurant and entertainment by Somerville soul, R&B and alternative-pop artist Aldra. Information is here.
Laurie Olin on “First We Read, Then We Write” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Gund Hall, 42 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The renowned landscape architect talks about creativity. Information is here.
Eighteenth Annual Fly Fishing Film Tour at 7 p.m. at Patagonia, 39 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Films that travel the world, including to the depths of the jungle in search of the massive peacock bass. Information is here.
Serene Khader reads from “Faux Feminism: Why We Fall for White Feminism and How We Can Stop” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The CUNY philosophy professor discusses her myth-busting, incisive examination of why the pillars of feminism have eroded and argues that women of color, especially in the Global South, are the ones from whom today’s feminists can learn. Information is here.
Poets Darius Atefat-Peckham, Sarah Kearsey and Raisa Tolchinsky from 7 to 8 p.m. at Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $5 to $10, but register. With an introduction by Alex Braslavsky. Information is here.
Authors Tara Tai and Aislinn Brophy from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Side Quest Books & Games in Bow Market at 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $10 ($5 redeemable for store credit during event). The authors of the forthcoming romance “Single Player” and the recently published YA romance “Spells to Forget Us” talk about their self-proclaimed “nerdy” novels and the role of RPGs in their writing. Information is here.
Gender Free Scottish Country Dance from 7 to 9 p.m. at the New England Science Fiction Association clubhouse at 504 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville (and also Nov. 21 and Dec. 5 and 19). $5 to $20. Learn and practice in gender-neutral language. A warm-up and lesson in the first hour is followed by an hour of social dancing. Kat Dutton emcees and teaches. Information is here.
Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club presents the musical “Anastasia” (continued) from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10 to $20. Information is here.
Paul r. Harding’s Juju Seahorse from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15 to $20. The Creative Music Series welcomes the New York author and poet with saxophonist Eric Barber, bassist Hilliard Greene and drummer Michael Wimberly. Information is here.
Hubby Jenkins and Elijah Wald at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $23 to $25. A concert with multi-instrumentalist Jenkins and folk blues guitarist Wald, author of “the Mayor of MacDougal Street,” which inspired the Coen Brothers’ movie “Inside Llewyn Davis,” and “Dylan Goes Electric!,” the source material for the new “Complete Unknown” film starring Timothée Chalamet. Information is here.
Upstairs at Bow Comedy Showcase from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at Upstairs at Bow, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $15 to $20. Howling Wolf Productions’ comedy show featuring some of the best local comedians. Information is here.
Honeydew U Love Me with Leila Lamb from 10:40 to 11:30 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15 to $17. The indie-rock foursome out of Berklee College of Music “blends raw alternative energy with introspective lyricism.” Providing support is the artist project of Leila Bahrami, merging “femininity and horror.” Information is here.
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