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Thursday, Aug. 13
7:30 p.m.
Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square.
Starf*ckers
$27 to $59. Watch as John Kuntz claws his way to fame in his one-man spectacle, a play about celebrity, parasocial relationships, obsession, snacks, feuds, farm animals and movie stars.
8 to 10:30 p.m.
The Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Ave., in the Baldwin neighborhood between Harvard and Porter squares.
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band and Mariposa Galacticas perform
$15. Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band combines Balkan, Klezmer and funk, as well as metal to its sound. Mariposa Galacticas blends band members’ South American and Jewish ancestries to create a unique diasporic sound.
Friday, Aug. 14
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square.
Museum Exhibit: Crochet Coral Reef
$10 to $20. Centered on the work of Margaret and Christine Wertheim and the Institute For Figuring, the Crochet Coral Reef exhibition presents hand-crocheted explorations of the complex geometries hidden within nature’s most delicate sea creatures. Exhibit runs through Feb. 14, 2027.
8 p.m.
Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St.
WordSong Forum XVI “Full Fathom Five”
Free, but RSVP. WordSong’s Forum XVI features three new musical settings of William Shakespeare’s “Full fathom five thy father lies” (from The Tempest) by Boston composers Howard Frazin and Tom Schnauber along with Miami composer Lansing McLoskey. Combining words and music, a poem is read and listeners give their reactions. Then performers play the composers’ settings of the poem; and then listeners, composers and performers have an open conversation.
Saturday, Aug. 15
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square.
10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Lovestruck Books + Cafe, 44 Brattle St., Harvard Square.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave.
Bookstore Romance Day
Free entry but RSVP. At Porter Square Books, if you purchase any romance novel (adult or young adult), you may enter a raffle to win a romance-themed prize bundle; and you can make romance-themed trading cards and origami hearts.
Lovestruck Books has an all-day bash, including curated goodie bags (with purchase of $50 or more), a timeline of romance novel history, tastings on the patio, tarot readings, a romance photo booth, the Love Letter Wall, and go on a blind date with a book.
At the Harvard Book Store, friends, couples and partners are invited to stop in, browse the shelves and purchase a book or books for each other in secret. Then, reunite and reveal each other’s book picks and share why you chose that book for them.
3:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square.
Celebrating Alfred Hitchcock’s Birthday Weekend: “Family Plot”
$13 to $18. In the 1976 film, “Family Plot,” George Lumley (played by Bruce Dern) is an amateur detective working with his girlfriend, the phony psychic Blanche Tyler (Barbara Harris), to track down the long-lost nephew of a wealthy woman. Part of a two-day set of double features honoring the masterful director.
Sunday, Aug. 16
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill.
Somerville Fermentation Festival 2026
Free to $35. The festival celebrates the world of fermented foods and the people and microbes who make them. Over 20 local fermenters and growers offer samples and sales of locally-made fermented foods from across New England, including chocolate, fresh bread, kombucha, pickles, miso and soy sauce. Also, guest lecturers, sharing tables and book swaps and ready-to-eat food.
7 p.m.
Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square.
The ReMemberers present “The Firebird”
$35. The ReMemberers are a multidisciplinary trio weaving ritual storytelling and global song into an experience that feels part theater, part concert, part ceremony. In the Russian folktale “The Firebird” a poor huntsman is crushed between survival and conscience inside a totalitarian kingdom ruled by a maniacal king, the former finding himself as an unlikely hero.
Monday, Aug. 17
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Lovestruck Books + Cafe, 44 Brattle St., Harvard Square.
Brittanée Nicole signs “Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore”
Free, or $21.99 with book. The bookstore hosts a signing line for the New England-based bestselling romance novelist and her first edition trade paperback book “Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore.”
8 p.m.
Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square.
Thunder and Rain perform
$30. Thunder and Rain is a Nashville-based newgrass band weaving together bluegrass instrumentation with songwriting inspired by pop, country, classic rock and old-time. They released their fourth album, “Storybook Sessions,” in October 2024.
8 p.m.
The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square.
American Aquarium performs
$20. Rock and roll band American Aquarium have been performing for 20 years. Their most recent album, “The Fear of Standing Still,” was released in 2024.
Tuesday, Aug. 18
5 to 7 p.m.
Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square.
Berklee Summer in the City: Tommy Wu and Friends
Free. Tommy Wu, a Chinese Australian drummer and composer, leads the ensemble Tommy Wu and Friends, a project founded in 2022 to explore original compositions while honoring the jazz tradition.
8 p.m.
The Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square.
Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out
Donation. Using James Sullivan’s book, “Which Side Are You On?: 20th Century American History in 100 Protest Songs” and featuring Croaks, Damon & Naomi, Dom the Composer, Hazel Project, Eric Martin and Emily Marvosh, the audience will consider how music gives voice to resistance, advocacy and change.
Wednesday, Aug. 19
Noon
Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square.
Lunchtime Concert: Mozz
Free. Mozz is the solo recording project of fortuna 500 frontman Cole Triedman, who plays folk and indie rock music.
7:30 p.m.
The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square.
I Hate What You Love: A Music Video Comedy Show
$19 and 18-plus. Hosted by Ryan Shea, after each comic’s performance, they will sit and watch a music video from their childhood and be judged by the audience and host, too.
Thursday, Aug. 20
6 to 9 p.m.
Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill.
Somerville Bike Kitchen 11th Anniversary Celebration
$10. The Somerville Bike Kitchen is a volunteer-run bicycle repair cooperative that provides tools, knowledge and a workspace for community members to repair their own bicycles. Come enjoy an evening of food, music and community to celebrate 11 years of promoting cycling as a safe, green and economical means of transportation.
7 p.m.
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave.
Joshua Jelly-Schapiro reads from “Daylight Come: Harry Belafonte and the World He Made”
Free. New York University professor of journalism Joshua Jelly-Schapiro discusses his biography of Harry Belafonte, whose performing career and activism helped remake America through the civil rights era and beyond. Editor-at-large for Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas Garnette Cadogan joins.
Friday, Aug. 21
1 p.m.
Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square.
Lightning Gallery Talks: Teen Eyes on the Collections
Free. This session is led by this summer’s cohort of Hao Family High School interns. Each intern focuses on a single object in the collections that they’ve selected and researched. A brief question and answer period follows each talk.
5 to 9:30 p.m.
Warrior Ice Arena, 90 Guest St., Boston.
Hockey Romance Night
$60. Lovestruck Books & Café is co-sponsoring a night of panels including Sarina Bowen (moderator) and authors Julia Connors, Kate Cochrane and Jenny Linsky. Skating is also included in your general admission price.
Saturday, Aug. 22
Noon to 4 p.m.
Lamplighter CX beer garden, 110 N. First St., North Point.
National Dog Day Yappy Hour
Free, but RSVP. In addition to treats for your furry friends, there are plenty of human treats plus a raffle for Lamplighter dog toys or accessories. The proceeds will be donated to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
7 to 9:30 p.m.
Portico Brewing, 101 South St., Boynton Yards, Ward 2.
Wicked Queer! Stand-Up Comedy
$15. Headlined by Lee Robinson. Wicked Queer Stand-up Comedy combines local comedians, food and craft beer.
Sunday, Aug. 23
3 p.m.
Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St.,
Longfellow Summer Arts Festival: Owen Mar
Free. Owen Mar studies tap dance at Berklee College of Music. He plays jazz and Latin jazz, both originals and standards, typically with bass, guitar and piano accompaniment. This concert is presented in partnership with the Berklee Summer in the City concert series.
7 and 9 p.m.
The Mad Monkfish, 524 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square.
Jazz and World Music Legend Jamey Haddad
$25 plus dinner. Paul Simon percussionist Jamey Haddad brings his acclaimed jazz quartet, consisting of Leo Blanco on piano and Ian Ashby on acoustic bass, to perform. Haddad performed with Paul Simon as his percussionist from 1998 till 2026 and appears on more than 225 audio recordings and movie soundtracks. He studied at the Berklee College of Music and was a full-time professor there from 1992 to 2010.
Monday, Aug. 24
4 and 6:30 p.m.
Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square.
“Late Fame” screening
$13 to $16. In this 2026 film, Willem Dafoe plays forgotten New York poet Ed Saxberger, who has long since retired in favor of a stable job at the post office. He finds himself rediscovered by a small circle of young artists steeped in nostalgia for a time they never knew.
8 p.m.
Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square.
Bloodroots, Mel Starr performing
$27. Bloodroots is a folk and Americana trio including Marin Danz, Rianna Straka and Eva Paddock. Mel Starr is a self-taught singer/songwriter inspired by the folk tradition and the fingerpicking style.
Tuesday, Aug. 25
5 to 7 p.m.
Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square.
CAS performs
Free. CAS blends Brazilian music and R&B with syncopated rhythms and acoustic guitars. They will be performing as part of Berklee’s Summer in the City 2026 concert series.
6 p.m.
Danehy Park, 99 Sherman St., in Neighborhood 9 just east of Fresh Pond.
Summer Concert: Nora Meier
Free. Nora Meier’s debut album, “Outfield” was released in October 2024. Spectrum Culture called the album “a gently percolating but still laid-back brand of folk-pop.”
Wednesday, Aug. 26
Noon
Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square.
Mairead Guy
Free. Mairead Guy is a Boston vocalist, banjoist, guitarist and songwriter. In 2017, they moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music and formed the alt-folk duo Sweet Petunia with fellow Berklee alumna Maddy Simpson.
7:30 p.m.
The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square.
Rising Stars Showcase
$24. Catch a lineup of Boston’s rising stars: future headliners delivering a night of laughs.
Thursday, Aug. 27
7 p.m.
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave.
Ali Barthwell reads from “Reality TV for Snobs: Everything You Need to Know About the Shows You’re Too Intellectual to Watch”
Free. Ali Barthwell, an Emmy-winning writer for “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” breaks down 20 groundbreaking shows from the past 25 years, and in the process reveals why they matter. Author of “Good Grief” E.B. Bartels joins.
8 p.m.
The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square.
Mary Malu in “Kiss, Mary, Kill” featuring a screening of “Black Swan”
$15 to $20. The evening begins with a live set from Mary Malu, a dark pop artist, producer and guitarist blending cinematic storytelling with raw songwriting, and her all-female band. After the performance, stay for a full screening of “Black Swan.” Dress code encouraged: ballet core, feathers, lace, sequins, all black- dress like a swan.
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