Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend

Gingerbread House 4 by Penn State on Flickr

Holidays
Boston Christmas Festival

With 350 exhibitors, this award-winning show is the largest crafts festival in New England. The 2013 Boston Christmas Festival will present you with great holiday gift options, including handmade goods, holiday decorations, jewelry, clothing, food items to buy (and sample), and much more—everything you need to get Christmas shopping done early. Top area chefs will create gingerbread houses to be judged by a celebrity panel. Don’t miss this popular event, which has kicked off Boston’s holiday season for the last 27 years.

$10, Friday, November 8, noon-7 p.m., Saturday, November 9, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday, November 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Seaport World Trade Center, bostonchristmasfestival.com.

Kids
Classical Cartoon Festival

Pairing cartoons with classical music is a fun and creative way of introducing new types of music and instrumentation to younger audiences. The WGBH Classical Cartoon Festival has become an annual New England tradition where kids of all ages can enjoy their favorite cartoons set to classical music on the big screen. Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, this cartoon fest features live musical performances from more than a dozen local orchestras and ensembles, plus visits from beloved PBS characters.

$10-$15, Saturday, November 9, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Symphony Hall, 888-266-1200, wgbh.org.

Art
Allston Open Studios

The 27th annual Allston Open Studios provides visitors with the exciting opportunity to interact directly with artists as they create their work. This year more than 60 artists will showcase their paintings, photography, jewelry, clothing, and more. Visitors will even be given the chance to be a little creative themselves at a public mural painting set up at 119 Braintree Street.

Free, Saturday, November 9, and Sunday, November 10, noon-6 p.m., various locations around Allston, allstonarts.org.

21+
Harvest Beer Summit

The Boston Beer Summit holds multiple themed beer events every year, but their Harvest Fest takes the cake. The event will have a craft beer tasting, with more than 60 brewers and 200-plus beers for guests to sample. Many of the best local, national, and international brewers will be represented. From beer to cider and even mead, brewers will bring their customer favorites and lesser known fall brews to the beer summit. Some of the breweries represented this year include the Brooklyn, Harpoon, Tuckerman, and Wychwood breweries.

$42.50, Friday, November 8, 5:30-9 p.m., and Saturday, November 9, 12:30-4 p.m. and 5:30-9 p.m., Park Plaza Castle, beersummit.com.

Food
Oyster Fest

Stop by Lansdowne Pub this weekend for their 2nd annual Oyster Fest. Enjoy Sunday Funday with $1 oysters and live music from the Irish band Twae Left Feet. You’ll also find specialty oyster shooters and a lesson on Guinness. The pros will teach you the proper way to pour your own pint of Guinness right from the tap. There’s no cover charge for this event and the Lansdowne’s regular brunch menu will be served.

Sunday, November 10, noon-4 p.m., Lansdowne Pub, 9 Lansdowne St., lansdownepubboston.com.