Today
Kevin Oneil and the Circus of the Damned Open Showcase from 1 to 3 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square. Free. A musical open-mic with 11 local performers. Information is here.
Yagmur Soydemir performs at a free show Sunday. (Photo: Fikret Ozkaplan)
Yagmur Soydemir and friends perform from 3 to 4 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free. Soydemir (flute), Sueda Catakoglu (piano) and Upasak Mukherjee (percussion) play Turkish, Indian, pop, jazz and Latin music in a series cosponsored by Friends of Longfellow House, the New England Poetry Club and Berklee College of Music. Information is here.
Monday
Pop-up Science from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Central Square Farmers Market at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square. Free. The MIT Museum takes science to the streets in the form of hands-on activities that offer discoveries about life and nature, light and engineering. Information is here.
A Jasper Muse image being used to publicize his “Saturated/Desiccated” show.
“Saturated/Desiccated” art exhibit from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., in the Winter Hill neighborhood. Free. Jasper Muse’s work is imagined as retrieved from forgotten archives in a shuttered bureaucracy from the near past, hastily and carelessly tossed into a back room in the face of new austerities to become exposed to the elements and mutate into new things. Information is here.
Anthony Marra reads from “Mercury Pictures Presents” at 7:30 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square. Admission is $5, which can be put toward purchase of the book. Marra’s latest takes place in Hollywood on the eve of World War II, as a movie studio becomes a nexus of European émigrés: modernist poets trying their luck as B-movie screenwriters, once-celebrated architects becoming scale-model miniaturists and refugee actors finding work playing the villains they fled. He will be in conversation with Christopher Castellani, author and artistic director of the GrubStreet writers’ organization. Information is here.
Tuesday
Meet a mini (horse) from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Cambridge library’s O’Connell Branch, 48 6th St., East Cambridge; and 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Cambridge library’s Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9. Free. Lifting Spirits Miniature Therapy Horses staff explains what therapy horses do, tells a story and lets attendees do what they came for: interact with a mini-horse. Closed-toed shoes are recommended. Registration is required for the 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. events.
Cook it Up with chef Joe Gatto from 6 to 7 p.m. in the kitchen space of the Urban Park Roof Garden atop the Kendall Center Green Garage at 90 Broadway, Kendall Square. Free, but registration is suggested because there’s limited space. Cooking demonstrations from Gatto, who’s host of “Joe Gatto’s From Scratch” on Pluto TV and Roku and private chef to clients that include Celtic and Red Sox players. Information is here.
Grace Givertz. (Photo: Imani Givertz)
Danehy Park Concert Series from 6 to 8 p.m. at Danehy Park, 99 Sherman St., in Neighborhood 9 just east of Fresh Pond. Free. The performer is Grace Givertz, a singer-songwriter who performs using guitar, banjo, mandolin and harmonica. Information is here.
First and Last Word Poetry from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Tickets are $4. This series founded in 2010 happens the third Tuesday of every month with hosts Harris Gardner and Gloria Mindock. Readers have yet to be announced; there’s always an open mic at the end. Information is here.
Wednesday
Nikos Chatzitsakos performs from 6 to 8 p.m. in The Charles Hotel courtyard, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square. Free. Greek bassist, arranger and composer Chatzitsakos – a Berklee College of Music grad – plays as part of the Regattabar and Henrietta’s Table Courtyard Concert Series. Information is here.
Songwriters in the Round from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Admission is $10. Inspired by the “guitar pulls” of the Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee, these regular events (every first and third Wednesday) have host David Thorne Scott and musician friends seated in a semi-circle and taking turns playing songs, occasionally joining in with each other and chatting as if in their own living rooms. This time it’s Thea Hopkins, who weaves traditional and contemporary Indigenous music into “red roots Americana”; and Paul Hansen, whose thoughtful, clever rock songs power the bands Honest Mechanik and Grownup Noise. Information is here.
Youth Underground end-of-summer performance from 7 to 9 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square. Free. The youth ensemble at Central Square Theater performs an original production investigating social issues relevant to young people and our world. Information is here.
Family Movie Night on the Lawn plays Pixar’s “Soul” from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., in the Winter Hill neighborhood. Free. Pixar’s charming 2020 animated redemption story about an underachieving jazz pianist (Jamie Foxx) who dies but gets a chance to provide a spark to a living “soul” – but also wants back for one final chance to make his life worth something more. Reviewer Tom Meek called it “smart and emotionally deep.” Information is here.
“Come to Pass” theater performance from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through Sunday). General admission is $30. A hip-hop musical looking at how the country’s founders failed women of color – and continue to – starring Brandie Blaze and Tashawn Taylor with appearances from Dutch ReBelle, Amanda Shea, Moe Pope, Axestrumentals, Trap Beat Tranny and B Dolan. A half-hour Q&A with the cast and crew is offered after the show to explain its creation and where it’s going next. Masks are required. Information is here.
Davis Square Dance Bomb from 8:30 to 10 p.m. in Davis Square, Somerville. Free. Fusion dance group Balter Dance performs first, then leads dancing in the streets. Information is here.
Thursday
Workshop on creating augmented reality greeting cards from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. Adult and teen participants will learn how to create augmented reality content using Hoverlay technology, then add a short video or image to a two-dimensional greeting card. (Traditional card-making materials and Steam kits will be available for children who may accompany an adult.) Information is here.
Kamishibai storytelling with Yumi Izuyama from 11 a.m. to noon at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., in the Winter Hill neighborhood. Free. Stories are told with illustrations in a technique most popular during the 1930s and the postwar period in Japan. Information is here.
Laneylebo and Abby Davis perform from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Palmer and Brattle streets, Harvard Square. Free. Berklee’s weekly Summer in the City concert series presents Chicago songwriter Laney Lebovitz and friend and fellow artist Abby Davis. Information is here.
The Q-Tip Bandits are set to perform Thursday in North Point. (Photo: The Q-Tip Bandits via Facebook)
The Q-Tip Bandits and Oompa play from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on The Common at CX, 320 Morgan Ave., North Point. Free. The CX Summer Nights series brings nationally acclaimed Boston rapper and poet Oompa and the Q-Tip Bandits, a Boston five-piece band performing indie-pop that “is fresh, effervescent and [has] the ability to get people dancing out of their shoes,” according to MusicBoxPete. There will also be local brews, food trucks, lawn games and opportunities to support the nonprofit community at this monthly family and pet-friendly series. Information is here.
CCTV Summer Media Institute: End Of Summer Film Screening from 7 to 9 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square. Free. Young filmmakers spent the summer learning how to make video – and this is their final showcase for the community. Information is here.
“Come to Pass” theater performance (continued) from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through Sunday). General admission is $30. Masks are required. Information is here.
SomerMovieFest presents “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at 8 p.m. at Seven Hills Park, Davis Square, Somerville. Free. A screening of the 2015 movie that “atones for the missteps creator George Lucas made with his prequel trilogy,” reviewer Tom Meek wrote. “Gone are the mass millions of digitized droid warriors and CGI-rendered spectacles such as Jar Jar Binks … the old-school magic and wonderment is back.” Information is here.
Friday
Sol Y Canto is set to perform Friday at Starlight Square. (Photo: Sol Y Canto)
Sol Y Canto performs from 7 to 9 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square. Free. The renowned folk band plays as a quartet for the first time since before the pandemic, joined by musical partners Keala Kaumeheiwa on upright bass and Paul Lieberman on sax, flute and percussion. (This is the band that birthed Cambridge singer-songwriter Alisa Amador, winner of the year’s NPR Tiny Desk Contest.) Information is here.
“Come to Pass” theater performance (continued) from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through Sunday). General admission is $30. Masks are required. Information is here.
“Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl from 8 to 10 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through Sunday before resuming Aug. 25-27). General admission is $20. The classic Greek myth, directed by Margaret French, about Eurydice’s decision to return to life with her new husband, Orpheus, or stay in the underworld with the father she has missed for so long. Information is here.
SubDrift Boston August Open Mic featuring poet Topaz Winters from 8 to 11 p.m. at The Democracy Center, 45 Mount Auburn St., Harvard Square. A $5 to $10 sliding-scale donation is requested. Singaporean-American Winter’s, founder and editor-in-chief of the independent publishing house and literary journal Half Mystic, is featured within an open-mic night by Subcontinental Drift Boston, a group that builds creative community among South Asians. Information is here.
Saturday
Outdoor fun with bubbles from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Cambridge library’s O’Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Free. Blow bubbles of all sizes, make your own bubble wands and play bubble games. Information is here.
Evolution of Hip-Hop Festival, at 4:30 p.m. Free. Union Square Plaza, 90 Union Square, Somerville. Rappers, singers, spoken-word poets, dancers and visual artists from Somerville and beyond showcase hip-hop music, dance and culture, with live art, interactive activities, craft vendors and local community groups on hand. Information is here.
Comedy Night by Kush Groove and “Old Dirty Boston” from 7 to 9 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square. Free. Comedians including Big D, Jason Cordova and Chef Phil perform in a lineup put together by the Cambridge cannabis line and the “Old Dirty Boston” podcast, which remembers the streets, scenes and stories of Old Boston. Information is here.
Tashawn Taylor is one of the stars of “Come to Pass.” (Photo: Come to Pass)
“Come to Pass” theater performance (continued) from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through Sunday). General admission is $30. Masks are required. Information is here.
“Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl (continued) from 8 to 10 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through Sunday before resuming Aug. 25-27). General admission is $20. Information is here.
Sunday
Airplane instruments for sale at a MIT Swapfest in 2007. (Photo: Andy Ihnatko via Flickr)
The MIT Swapfest returns from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Albany Street Garage, Albany Street between Massachusetts Avenue and Main Street, near Central Square. Admission is $6. The legendary monthly high-tech, computer, electronics and ham radio flea market where you can “buy, sell or swap all things nerdly” is back “from the before times.” These take place on the third Sunday of each month. Information is here.
Poetry reading from 3 to 4 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free. Open-air performances at a historic location from poets Chen Chen, whose “Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency” is due next month, and Natalie Shapero, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books and The Paris Review. Information is here.
Floor Lords Breakdancing Anniversary Show from 3 to 9 p.m. at The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Tickets are $20. There’s a $3,000 cash prize for the best performers in this 41st year of three-vs.-three competition of groups from near and far. Information is here.
“Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl (continued) from 4 to 6 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through Sunday before resuming Aug. 25-27). General admission is $20. Information is here.
Clem Snide performs at 7 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square. Tickets are $20. Eef Barzelay’s alt-country band, a three-piece founded in Boston though now based in Nashville, Tennessee, is back for redemption with songs from the album “Forever Just Beyond.” Barzelay said the 10 years leading to it have been rough: “The band bottomed out, I lost my house and I had to declare bankruptcy. The only way to survive was to try to transcend myself, to find some kind of deeper, spiritual relationship with life. Once I committed to that, all these little miracles started happening.” Proof of vaccination is required. Information is here.
“Come to Pass” theater performance (continued) from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. General admission is $30. Masks are required. Information is here.
