Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend
Photo by Olga Khvan
IMAGINE DRAGONS
Boston Dragon Boat Festival
For a multicultural artistic and athletic experience, look no further than the Boston Dragon Boat Festival. The largest Asian-American cultural event in New England, this festival attracts more than 20,000 participants and spectators annually. People come from all over to watch the dragon boat races, but they stay for the plethora of activities the festival has to offer—from Asian folk music to traditional Chinese dance, martial arts, Japanese Taiko drumming, Asian cuisine, and more. To scope the full schedule, visit the Boston Dragon Boat Festival website.
Free, Sunday, June 12, 12-5 p.m., Charles River along Memorial Drive near Weeks Bridge, Cambridge, bostondragonboat.org.
Photo via Bunker Hill Day Parade Facebook
PATRIOTISM
Bunker Hill Day Parade
Don’t be alarmed Sunday if you hear the booms and bangs of muskets being fired. One of the oldest traditions in Boston, the Bunker Hill Day Parade has been commemorating the Battle of Bunker Hill since 1786—we’ll do the math for you, that’s 230 years. Members of the Charlestown militia will storm the hill as free Americans, celebrating patriotism by donning colonial costumes and playing traditional instruments.
Free, Sunday, June 12, 12:30 p.m., Bunkerhill St., Charlestown, facebook.com.
Photo via topsfieldhistory.org
STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER
Topsfield Strawberry Festival
No dessert screams summer like fresh strawberries and sugar. Get your shortcake fix this weekend while eating up small-town charm at the 48th annual Topsfield Strawberry Festival, presented by the Topsfield Historical Society. Activities include an antique car exhibit, games organized by the Masconomet boys soccer team, a juried craft show, and more. The general chair of the festival, Barbara Pratt, says that due to weather conditions, this year’s strawberries are from California. Volunteers will hull the strawberries, soak them in sugar, and hand-whip the cream from Richardson’s dairy farm in Middleton to create the sweet treats that are served to upward of 2,500. “It’s always fresh and it’s always yummy,” Pratt says. “There’s about 80 people that volunteer for this festival. It’s a big part of our town.”
Free, June 11, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Topsfield Town Common, topsfieldhistory.org.
CeeLo Green at the Sziget Festival, August 15, 2014. / CeeLo Green Photo by Diederik Craps on Flickr/Creative Commons
SING IT
CeeLo Green at the Paradise Rock Club
Let’s be honest, CeeLo Green’s F**ck You has been everyone’s anthem at one point or another. Shout it at the top of your lungs as you sing along with the Atlanta-born artist Friday night at the Paradise Rock Club. Bonus points if you bump into the object of your animosity. Jim Ryan of Chicago Now covered CeeLo’s performance at a Lollapalooza Kickoff Party in 2012, writing, “CeeLo sang and rapped over samples being created by a DJ behind him but no live band was present Thursday night. At one point, CeeLo sang as the DJ made a transition from the Rolling Stones’ Emotional Rescue to Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.”
$23-89, Friday, June 10, 7 p.m., Paradise Rock Club, 967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, 617-562-8801, paradiserock.club.
Photo via Boston Wiffle Ball Challenge Facebook
YOU’RE KILLING ME SMALLS
Boston Wiffle Ball Challenge
Journey back to your childhood summers and rally your squad to crush the competition in a Wiffle ball tourney. Starting in 2011, the annual event has grown to attract about 24 teams. The proceeds will benefit the Travis Roy Foundation, which aims to fund research for and improve the lives of individuals with spinal cord injuries, and Franciscan Children’s, which provides care to children with physical, medical, and behavioral challenges. To date, the family event has raised more than $400,000.
Free, Saturday, June 11, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., New Balance Field, Boston University, corner of Babcock St. and Ashford St., Allston, 781-421-3025 ext. 208, bostonwiffleballchallenge.org.
