Events this week in Cambridge and Somerville: 9/11 rememberance, Boston Lyric Opera and Oktoberfest

For a searchable calendar of events with your choice of list or map view, or to submit an event of your own, go to the main calendar.

Thursday, Sep. 10

5 to 7:30 p.m.
Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Ave., Central Hill.

Civic Day
Free. This family-friendly event kicks off with free pizza and activities on City Hall Concourse. It will offer interactive opportunities to learn about Somerville’s local government, programs, services and ways to get involved.

6 to 8 p.m.
Street Theory Collective, 541 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square.

Community Art Center: Artist Talk and Book Signing
Free. Join Cambridge-raised artists Sean Alonzo Harris and Dr. Myrah Brown Green for a discussion and book signing.

Friday, Sept. 11

6 p.m.
Davis Square, Somerville.

Somerville hosting Annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony
Free. On the 25^th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, the City of Somerville will host a moment of silence, invocation and benediction by Father Paul Coughlin, as well as remarks by Somerville Mayor Jake Wilson and Veterans Director Jerome Thomas. A bagpipe tribute will follow, and attendees will be given individual roses to place on the 9/11 Memorial. The ceremony includes a presentation of and retiring of the colors (national, state, and unit flags) by the Honor Guards of the Somerville Police and Somerville Fire Department.

8 p.m to 9:30 p.m.
Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill.

Level Up Circus
$15 to $40. Local performers will present circus acts inspired by video games. Experience a celebration of both classic and independent video games through dynamic aerial performances and mesmerizing stage acts.

Saturday, Sept. 12

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Lincoln Park at the Albert F. Argenziano School, 290 Washington St., Ward 2.

Fifth Annual Veterans Health and Wellness Day
Free. The City of Somerville’s Veterans’ Services department invites local veterans, first responders, their families, and community members to enjoy yoga, Zumba, and strength classes; chair massages; and children’s activities including a bounce house and face painting.

Noon to 5 p.m.
Pacific Park, 82 Pacific St., Central Square.

Pan in the Park Panorama Showcase
Free but register. Enjoy an afternoon filled with steel pan music, Caribbean cuisine, local craft vendors and family-friendly fun. The showcase features performances by steel bands from across Greater Boston and New England, including the Cambridge Youth Steel Orchestra, Tempo International Steel Orchestra and others.

Sunday, Sept. 13

2 p.m.
Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square.

“Eleanor”
$27 to $103. In this portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt, Elliot Norton Award winner Paula Plum returns for this one woman show where Eleanor revisits her marriage to Franklin Roosevelt, her activism and her role in shaping modern human rights. Running through Oct. 4. 

3 p.m.
Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St.

Concert: Juventas New Music Ensemble
Free. Juventas New Music Ensemble is a contemporary chamber group with a special focus on emerging voices. At this event, violinist Hannah O’Brien and cellist Matthew Smith perform selections including fiddle tunes drawing on Scottish and Appalachian traditions, and other works inspired by American folk music.

6:30 p.m.
Titus Sparrow Park, 75 W. Rutland Square, South End.

Boston Lyric Opera brings Street Stage to the South End
Free. For the last Street Stage performance this summer, Boston Lyric Opera performers will sing and play familiar operatic arias, musical theater hits and favorites from the American Songbook.

Monday, Sept. 14

5:45 to 8 p.m.
Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge.

Documentary Film Screening: “Recovery City”
Free but register. In honor of Recovery Month, “Recovery City” tells the story of four Worcester women whose lives share a common thread: addiction.

7 p.m.
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave.

Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan on “Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People”
Free. Two law professors at Harvard Law School explore the Supreme Court and the power it holds to interpret the U.S. Constitution and to strike down any act of Congress that violates the justices’ dictates. The authors discuss whether this power was seized by the Court and if this power weakens democracy. Harvard Law School Professor of Constitutional Law Tomiko Brown-Nagin joins.

Tuesday, Sept. 15

5 to 7 p.m.
Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square.

Voterfest
Free but reserve. This celebration of democracy on National Voter Registration Day includes music, treats and family-friendly activities like face painting. Student volunteers will help you register to vote or update your voter registration.8 p.m.
Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square.

The Isabel Oliart Band
$25. The Isabel Oliart Band is Boston fiddler Isabel Oliart, fiddler Anne Hooper and cellist and pianist Sammy Wetstein. Isabel Oliart began her musical journey with classical music and then discovered Scottish and Celtic fiddling through Brian O’Donovan’s show, “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” where she was inspired by artists Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Hass.

6 to 8:30 p.m.
East Somerville
Check in at 81 Broadway or 165 Broadway, East Somerville

Foodie Crawl
$15-45. Enjoy tastings and live entertainment supporting East Somerville Main Streets. Food from Rinón Mexicano, Los Paisanos, Machete and more will be available. 

Wednesday, Sept. 16

7:30 p.m.
The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square.

The Comedy Studio and Cambridge Nites present: Black Girl Magic
Free. Tooky Kavanagh, Bethany Van Delft, Amma Marfo, Dorothy Whitfield, Pamala Zabala and DJ Rayvino headline this line-up of comedians. This celebration of Black comedians will feature food, drinks, and an after party with DJ Rayvino.

8 p.m.
Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square.

Ágora Cultural Architects present: Richard Peña Trío
$35. Guitarist, composer and educator Richard Peña blends Afro-Caribbean traditions with modern jazz innovation. Peña has performed internationally as a bandleader and alongside Grammy-winning artists such as Horacio “El Negro” Hernández, Dafnis Prieto, Henry Cole, Richie Flores, Charlie Sepúlveda, Carlos Vives and Victor Manuelle.

Thursday, Sept. 17

5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Somerville Public Library East Branch, 115 Broadway.

Until Help Arrives with Somerville Emergency Management
Free but register. September is National Preparedness Month. As part of Somerville’s Year of the Neighbor initiative, neighbors are invited to learn about responding to everyday emergencies with Somerville Emergency Management.

6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square.

Exhibition Opening Program for “On Location: Drawing the Outdoors”
Free but register. Celebrating the opening of “On Location: Drawing the Outdoors,” featuring drawings by J. M. W. Turner, John Constable, Gustave Courbet, Edouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, Paul Cézanne and Vincent van Gogh, exhibition curators will lead a talk about drawing outside the studio.

Thursday, Sept. 17

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Rd. in Spring Hill

Common Ground: Photography, Place and Community Opening Reception
Free but register. This exhibition brings together 15 photographers who call Somerville home, presenting work that ranges from documentary to conceptual and reflects on the city’s evolving identity.

8 p.m.
Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville

$25. The Somerville-based band Otis Shanty blends the experimental noise-folk tendencies of Yo La Tengo, the jangly pop hooks of Real Estate, and the lush atmospheric textures of Cocteau Twins. This show marks the release of their third album “Shadow Of Doubt.”

Friday, Sept. 18

6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Somerville Bouldering Project, 12A Tyler St., Ward Two

Boston Boulderfest
$85. This all-levels climbing competition offers a chance to test your bouldering skills for a cash prize and a chance to move onto final competition in Minnesota. You don’t have to climb to enjoy – there will be a live DJ, local vendors, and food available. 

6:30 p.m.
The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square.

Fall Into Dance
Free, but register. “Fall Into Dance” is a preview of Greater Boston’s upcoming dance season, in collaboration with Boston Dance Alliance and ArtsBoston.

7 p.m.
Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St., Harvard Square.

Passim presents An Evening with Bettye LaVette
$60. Bettye LaVette, an American soul singer, will perform songs and stories from her 64-year career. LaVette was nominated for a Grammy for her 2016 album, “Worthy” and won a Blues Music Award as the Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year the same year.Saturday, Sept. 19

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Danehy Park, 99 Sherman St., in Neighborhood 9 just east of Fresh Pond.

Danehy Park Family Day
Free. Enjoy a fun-filled day of children’s amusement rides, activities, arts and crafts, music and roving performers, plus food and giveaways plus aerialist and acrobatic performances, seven amusement rides, trackless train rides and music by DJ Special K.

Noon
Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2.
Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point.
Portico Brewing, 101 South St., Boynton Yards, Ward 2.

Oktoberfest
Free to $40, depending on venue. Don your lederhosen and celebrate the biggest beer holiday of the year with Aeronaut Brewing’s event, Lamplighter CX’s event or Portico Brewing’s event. 

Sunday, Sept. 20

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square.

Clown Workshop
$200 to $300 and 18-plus. This “Clown Intensive” with Gemma Soldati, a performing and teaching artist, will use everything from physical games and improvisation to explore imagination, pleasure, and audience engagement. All skill levels are welcome. 

8 p.m.
Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square.

Esther Rose
$33. Esther Rose is a Nashville-based singer songwriter who released her fifth album, “Want” in May 2025. Emily Hines and Noble Dust join her at the Crystal Ballroom.

Monday, Sept. 21

5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square

Until Help Arrives with Somerville Emergency Management
Free but register. September is National Preparedness Month. As part of Somerville’s Year of the Neighbor initiative, neighbors are invited to learn about responding to everyday emergencies with Somerville Emergency Management.

7 p.m.
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge.

JS Tan and Clarissa Redwine discuss “Against Tech Oligarchy: Worker Resistance in the World’s Most Powerful Industry”
Free but register. MIT academic and writer JS Tan and union organizer Clarissa Redwine discuss their new book focused on the tech worker’s movement against their bosses and the political right. Technologist and author Ben Tarnoff joins. 

Tuesday, Sept. 22

Noon to 1 p.m.
Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square.

Exhibition Tour: “The Way We Never Were: The American Professional Photographers Collection”
Free. The exhibition, “The Way We Never Were: The American Professional Photographers Collection” examines the idyllic image of American life post-World War.  II. The museum will lead a tour on Sept. 22 and the exhibition is on view through May 9, 2027. 

6 p.m.
Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square.

Alex Wagner reads from “The Steal: Four Right-Wing Hard-Liners, One Republican Presidency, and the Raid on America’s Courts”
$12 to $40. Alex Wagner, host of the podcast “Runaway Country” and senior political analyst at MS NOW, examines the origin story of the conservative takeover of the American judiciary beginning with the Reagan Revolution of 1980. Co-host of NPR and WBUR’s “Here & Now” Indira Lakshmanan joins. Presented by the Harvard Book Store.

Wednesday, Sept. 23

7 p.m.
Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge.

Create Habitat to Support Biodiversity Year-Round
Free. Learn how to garden to support pollinators, birds and other species so they can overwinter, reproduce and thrive year-round. This is a hybrid event that is on Zoom and in person, in the Learning Lab. 

7:30 p.m.
The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square.

Comedian Kellen Erskine
$29. Kellen Erskine has appeared on “Conan,” Comedy Central’s “Next Up,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” and NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” He has two comedy specials with DryBar Comedy, “Negative Comments” and “Composed,” and has garnered over 300 million views across social media.

7 p.m. 
Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mt Auburn St.

Cemetery Cinema: “The Straight Story” & “Wings of Desire”
$40. The Coolidge Corner hosts a graveside double feature of David Lynch’s “The Straight Story” and Wim Wenders’s “Wings of Desire.” Screenings of these films will begin at dusk. Parking will be available at the cemetery, and light concessions will be sold. Chairs, blankets, and snacks are encouraged, but no alcohol, please.

Thursday, Sept. 24

6 to 8 p.m.
Cambridge Main Library, Rossi Room, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge.

Overdose Prevention Kit Assembly event
Free. In honor of Save a Life Day and Recovery Month and part of the You Can Initiative, which addresses overdose deaths by increasing access to lifesaving skills and resources statewide, volunteers put together overdose prevention kits that they can then take home. Each kit contains naloxone (also known as Narcan), fentanyl test strips and other vital resources.

6:30 to 8 p.m.
Commonwealth Wine School, 35 Dunster St., Harvard Square

Australia Wine Travelogue
$90. Join wine educator Erika Frey and discover the diversity and character of Australian wines while learning about the people and places behind them.

A stronger

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