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In these, the waning days of summer, consider it your civic duty to get out and socialize the crap out this city. From beer fests to country boat tours, outdoor movie screenings and a giant North End eating extravaganza, there's a little something for everyone this week in Boston.
Thursday
Pamper Your Pooch – 6 to 8 p.m. – ZINC Apartments, Cambridge – In honor of National Dog Day, Friday, ZINC is serving up free grooming appointments for the lovable pup in your life. Humans can enjoy beverages and hors d’oeuvres while they wait; dogs get doggie sundaes from J.P. Lick’s when they're done. RSVP required.
Friday
Free Fun Fridays – All day – Various locations – It's the last Free Fun Friday of the year, people. What does that mean? Well, you can go to all these places for free: Franklin Park Zoo, Old Sturbridge Village, Freedom Trail Foundation, Museum of African American History, Norman Rockwell Museum, Berkshire Museum, Venfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.
Mass Brewers Fest – 6 to 9:30 p.m. – World Trade Center – This popular beer festival is back for its seventh iteration, bringing dozens of the best breweries in the region – including many local heavy-hitters – together for a night of libations. Price: $40, includes unlimited 2-oz. samples.
Faneuil Hall Marketplace's 40th Anniversary Weekend – "The disco ball will be spinning during the weekend of August 26-28 when Faneuil Hall Marketplace throws it back to 1976 when the Marketplace reopened after extensive renovations." A 70s dance party, car show, Red Sox Showcase and more are all on the agenda. Free.
Catch a Movie Outside – Sunset – Hatch Shell – What better way to kick off your weekend than watching Paul Rudd as Ant-Man in an outdoor amphitheater on the Charles River? Free.
Saint Anthony's Feast – Friday to Monday – North End – "Begun in 1919 by Italian immigrants from the small town of Montefalcione in Avellino, Saint Anthony’s Feast has become the largest Italian Religious Festival in New England." Street food on street food on street food.
Saturday
Red Bull High Stakes – 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Riverside Boat Club – Teams of 15 will race 1x, 2x, 4x and 8+ boats head to head on a 500-meter long course on the Charles River. The real fun comes at the turn, though, when boats going full speed are forced to jam on the breaks and pull a U-ey around a buoy. It's an unconventional move in races like this – and a lot harder than it sounds. Free.
Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally – 9:45 p.m. – The Wilbur – Catch the funniest couple in Hollywood as they stage their Summer of 69: No Apostrophe tour. And yes, that's definitely a sex joke. Tix start at $50.
Sunday
Country Boat Cruise – 2 to 5 p.m. – Provincetown II, 200 Seaport Boulevard – Dalton & The Sheriffs perform, on a boat! With lots of plaid and cowboy hats and boots with tassels on them. Also, I'm told, there's a $500-prize bikini contest? I didn't know bikini contests were still a thing. Tix: $15.
Monday
Sail a Tall Ship – 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. – 67 Long Wharf – Don't just ooh and ahh at Boston's Tall Ships from afar – get your hands dirty and help sail one of the darn things. The Liberty Fleet of Tall Ships offers a bunch of different cruises, like day and sunset cruises, a Sunday brunch cruise and something called Rum & Revelry. Sign us up for that.
Tuesday
Paws+Pints – 6 to 10 p.m. – Night Shift Brewing – Bring your furry friends and enjoy some of the best beer in Massachusetts for a good cause – supporting the Ellen M. Gifford Shelter, the first cageless, no-kill shelter in the United States. Who knows? Maybe you'll leave with a new friend for Fido. Free.
Wednesday
Rockin' by the River – 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Canal Park, CambridgeSide – Slide on down to the river front for a free, live show courtesy of The Silks and McCoy Brothers. Special features include a World of Beer “Beer Garden” and lawn games.
Thursday
Take a Boozy Tour of Boston– 2 p.m. – Boston Common – "We stop at three taverns and see ten historic sites on the Freedom Trail. You'll see all of the essential historic places in Boston." All while sampling a variety of craft beers and being schooled by expert, PhD-level historians. Tix: $52.