Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend


Check out Josiah McElheny’s glass sculptures at the ICA’s First Fridays series. (Photo courtesy of the ICA)

Art
First Fridays at the ICA
Join other art-gawkers at the ICA for the launch of First Fridays, a summer series of evening events. This weekend’s program takes you to the heavens, highlighting Josiah McElheny’s glass sculptures of starbursts and galaxies. Sip themed cocktails from the ICA’s waterfront Starlight Lounge (okay, the downstairs café) then snuggle up on the grandstands and compare McElheny’s work to his real-life muse.
$15 (general)/Free (members), includes gallery admission and bevvie, 21+, Friday, 5 p.m.–10 p.m., 100 Northern Ave., Boston, 617-478-3100, icaboston.org.

Film
Casablanca
Treat your honey (or yourself) to an evening of ooey-gooey, black-and-white romance with a screening of Casablanca at the Brattle Theatre. Though this year marks the film’s 70th anniversary, this romantic classic never gets old. So grab a local brew from concessions, take your seat as the lights dim, and get your Bogart/Bergman on.
$7.75–$9.75, multiple showings Wednesday–Sunday, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617 876-6837, brattlefilm.org.

Dance Party
’90s Night
Remember when you had braces and bad skin, wore scrunchies, and wrote notes to your BFF instead of texting? I know that wasn’t just me. Celebrate the ’90s at the Common Ground in Allston with others who haven’t banished the decade from memory. DJ Phatmike is master of the serenade with everything from No Doubt to the Spice Girls and Ice Cube. So saddle up your side pony and brush off your grungiest jeans (JNCO, anyone?), because there’s at least one middle-school dream you’ve yet to live out.
$5, 21+, Fridays, 10 p.m.–2 a.m., 85 Harvard Ave., Allston, 617-783-2071, commongroundallston.com.

Shop
SoWa Vintage and Open Markets
Gather up your reusable sacks, rent a Hubway bike, and cruise on over to SoWa for some grade-A junkin’. Whether you’re looking for fresh produce or herbs, local art, or some vintage garb, SoWa’s got you covered with a vendor to fulfill your every quirk. And go hungry — the city’s finest food trucks are there to fill your belly with gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, cold Asian noodle bowls, and Italian ice cones. Oh, and don’t forget to slather on the sunscreen before heading out to this mostly open-air craft/farmer’s/vintage market.
Free ($5 parking), Sundays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., 460 Harrison Ave., Boston, 800-403-8305, sowavintagemarket.com.

Music
Greater New Bedford Summerfest
Nothing says summer like a music festival. Bring the kids along for this three-day international arts and music fest. Seventy folk performers continuously croon throughout the day and into the night on seven stages in the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. Be sure to catch Seth Glier, a 22-year-old singer, pianst, and guitarist who dropped out of Berklee College of Music after one year to pursue his career.
$15–$30 (children free on Saturday and Sunday), Friday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m., 128 Union St., New Bedford, 508-642-2103, newbedfordsummerfest.com.