A week of events in Cambridge and Somerville, from Longy’s ‘Begin Here’ to stories from Poe
By Marc Levy
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Sunday, Oct. 9
Honk! bands perform Sundays at Oktoberfest in Harvard Square. (Photo: Harvard Square Business Association)
Forty-third Annual Oktoberfest from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Harvard Square. Free. Food from all over the world, arts, crafts, vintage goods, free samples, sidewalk sales and one-of-a-kind gifts are packed in with beer gardens, the “Chalk on the Walk” art installation, music and dancing in the street. New this year is a wine garden hosted by the Commonwealth Wine School and complementary events: The Filipino American Festival and Grolier Poetry Book Shop’s 95th Anniversary Festival. The event has been known to draw as many as 200,000 people. Information is here.
Honk! Festival of Activist Street Bands parade from noon to 2 p.m. from Davis Square, Somerville, to Harvard Square. The Honk! bands march, followed by performances on the main stage and other venues at Oktoberfest until 6 p.m. Information is here.
Cambridge Science Festival Carnival from noon to 4 p.m. adds to the festival’s all-day events, free in the festival zone around 292 Main St. There are more than 75 individual activities with hundreds of presenting partners, shows and events at a family-friendly extravaganza celebrating curiosity, diversity, ingenuity and innovation. Events include robot demonstrations, liquid nitrogen ice cream freeze-off competition, science improv with Harvard’s Hasty Pudding troupe, physics-themed circus shows, slime-making, solar-powered vehicles, giveaways, book readings, food trucks and more. Carnival information is here; overall festival information is here.
Bridgeside Cypher from 3 to 6 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square. Free. Artists and musicians – rappers, singers and a band – perform in an often improvised format; expect an open mic part of this season finale too. Information is here.
“Borealis” installation (continued) from 8 to 11 p.m. by The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square. Free. Information is here.
The Runway Witch Fashion Show at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. Tickets are $40. A drag fashion show with looks made and designed by Binx, who will also offer 13 ways to camp up Halloween wardrobes, then offer tunes to dance the night away under the blood moon. Information is here.
Grolier 95th Anniversary Festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in front of Toscano, 52 Brattle St., Harvard Square. Free. Taking place as part of the square’s 43rd Annual Oktoberfest, this event features readings from Peter Balakian; Jennifer Barber; Stephanie Burt; Chen Chen; Martha Collins; Steven Cramer; Christina Davis; Richard Fein; Danielle Legros Georges; George Kalogeris; Joan Naviyuk Kane; Sandra Lim; Los Lorcas; Fred Marchant; Gail Mazur; Gloria Mindock; Porsha Olayiwola; Robert Pinsky; Anna Ross and Lloyd Schwartz. Information is here.
