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The holidays are right around the corner, so it's no surprise this week's BostInno Approved brings you pop-up shops galore. If shopping local isn't your thing, two local craft breweries are dropping brand new beers this week.
Thursday
Eat Local, Shop Local: A Startup Stir Holiday Popup – 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Cambridge – A handful of local brands are setting up shop at Workbar Cambridge, where this boozy holiday popup market that features "a selection of the best locally made and sold goods from the Greater Boston area."
Thurs. Night Cocktail Time @ GrandTen Distilling – 7 to 8:30 p.m. – South Boston – Want to know why that cocktail might seem to "sing" while this cocktail falls flat? GrandTen Distilling seems to have the answer. Learn about the delicate art of mixing cocktails from the distillery's bar manager Thursday.
Friday
Yankee Swap 2016 Release Party – 6 p.m. to midnight – Somerville – Slumbrew is dropping a new beer: 2016 Yankee Swap. Pick up a few 4-packs of the beer, a "strong ale has quietly snoozed in Turkey Shore Distilleries Tavern Rum barrels all fall." Ugly sweaters are encouraged. Attendance is free.
Bennington Can & Draft Release – 5 to 11 p.m. – Everett – Another beer release this week comes from Night Shift Brewing. The Everett brewery is launching Bennington, an oatmeal stout aged with maple syrup. Blues band The Ways and Means Committee will bring the music, and The Chubby Chickpea Truck will be there selling middle eastern fare.
Your Terrible Holiday @ Riot Theater – 10 to 11:30 p.m. – Jamaica Plain – This recurring improv comedy show will run every Friday at the Riot Theater. Dreading going home for the holidays? Join some likeminded laughers here before you have to bite the bullet and hop that Amtrak home.
Saturday
ICA 10-Year Anniversary – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Fort Point – It's been 10 years since the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (ICA) set up shop on the Boston waterfront. The modern art museum is celebrating Saturday with performances, art-making, talks, activities, and giveaways. Admission is free.
Make Your Own Glass Holiday Ornament – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Mission Hill – Learn how to make a stained glass holiday ornament from the experts at Diablo Glass School. During this half-day class, glass-blowers-in-training will learn the basics of making a stained glass project. The class costs $150.
Baconfest with Munch and The Bacon Truck – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Everett – And here you thought the bacon fad was dead? Night Shift Brewing is playing host for Munch Mobile Kitchen and The Bacon Truck, which will be dishing up enough smokey bacon foodstuffs to fill that aching void in your plaque-clogged heart.
Holiday Market at Brooklyn Boulders – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Somerville – 'Tis the season for holiday-themed pop-up markets. This one, hosted by Brooklyn Boulders, features products made from some of Somerville's best artists, craftsmen, and makers. Admission is free.
Sunday
Liquid Courage Comedy Club – 9 p.m. – Somerville – Slumbrew puts on a Liquid Courage Comedy Show every Sunday, but we thought you could use an extra laugh or two this weekend. CJ Brown will host the show, which is free to attend if you get there before 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $5 after 8:30 p.m. Attendeees can order food and drinks throughout the evening.
Somerville Local First Holiday Marketplace – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Somerville – At Somerville Local First's second Holiday Marketplace, #ShiftYourShopping and pick up some holiday gifts from 40 local vendors, who will sell a variety of handcrafted goods, accessories, confections, textiles, art, apparel and more.
Hanukkah Fantastica: Standup Comedy – 9 to 10 p.m. – Cambridge – Organizers say this show is Boston's only Hanukkah-themed stand-up comedy event. Adam Abelson will play host for the evening, and headliners include Dan Crohn, Gloria Rose, and Tooky Kavanagh. Admission is $10.
Monday
Mehran Khaghani, Kenny DeForest & Ryan Donahue at The Rockwell – 8 p.m. – Somerville – Comedians Khaghani, of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, DeForest, a NYC-based comedian named a 2015 Comedy Central Comedian to Watch, and Donahue, another NYC comedian who's appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, are each performing a 30-minute set that will be taped and submitted for consideration to Comedy Central’s “The Half Hour.” Admission is $7 in advance or $10 at the door.
Thirsty Dog Mondays – 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. – Somerville – At Thristy Dog Mondays, Slumbrew turns dog-friendly. You and your pooch can head to the beergarden, enjoy a few brews, and a copius helping of canine companionship. Various pet supply and and rescue organizations are tabling the events, which are free to attend.
Shopify Merchants "Buy Local" Holiday Bazaar – 6 to 9 p.m. – Seaport – More than a dozen locally owned and operated e-commerce vendors are coming out from behind the 'digital wall' to sell their stuff IRL. A sampling of sellers includes Pavlok, the wearable device that lets users self-administer an electrical shock to curb bad habits, and Kodomo, a kids clothing store for impossibly avant-garde tikes.
Tuesday
Art & Noise Holiday Splash – 8 to 11 p.m. – Leather District – Art & Noise, an exhibition space that's open on the second Tuesday of every month inside Savvor Restaurant and Lounge, is hosting a holiday-themed night of spoken word, poetry, live music, art, and food.
Thievery Corporation at House of Blues – 8 to 11 p.m. – Fenway – Pioneering electronic fusion band Thievery Corporation is playing at the House of Blues for the group's 20th anniversary tour. Tickets start at $39.50.
Wednesday
Gingerbread Houses For Grown-Ups – 7 to 10 p.m. – Fairmount Copley Plaza – When's the last time you made a ginger bread house? Ten years ago? 15 years ago? Never? For $75, get a pre-assembled gingerbread house, candy decorations, assistance from a trained culinary team, as well as wine, beer, and cocktails.
Drinking and Drawing with Karen Jerzyk – 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Allston – Zone 3, the "Harvard-sparked" programming space home to the PRX Podcast Garage, is hosting a "casual art making event" led by photographer Karen Jerzyk. Admission is free, and art supplies are provided.
Thursday
Winter Revelry – 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Allston – The Innovation and Design Center Building is hosting a holiday pop-up market of its own, this one featuring "top products for design savvy gift givers, who pride themselves on supporting adventurous, high-end, small batch-crazed professionals." Admission is free.
Image provided.