Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend

Including Lilac Sunday at the Harvard Arboretum, the Sound of Music at the Wang Theatre, and more.


Lilac Sunday

Photo by Greta Jochem

WALK
Lilac Sunday

While there are a variety of pleasant walks you can escort your mother around this weekend (or have your kids escort you around), Mother’s Day is also a great time to visit the Arnold Aboretum for its annual Lilac Sunday festival. This opportunity to appreciate the colorful flowers has been occurring for over a century, with the first one happening in 1908. And if you time your visit right, you can hear a string quartet from the Boston Symphony Orchestra performing at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. near the Centre Street Gate. Tours are also available between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Free, Sunday, May 13, open from dawn to dusk, Arnold Arboretum, arboretum.harvard.edu.

Photo by Olga Khvan

COSTUME PARTY
Duckling Day Parade

Undoubtedly one of Boston’s cutest traditions, the Duckling Day Parade offers copious opportunities to say “awwww” in the highest register you can make your voice reach. The event is held in honor of Make Way for Ducklings, and features tons of little kids dressed up as ducklings, all led by the Harvard Marching Band. It begins by the Parkman Bandstand and ends, of course, at the city’s iconic ducklings statue. Show up early for face painting, a magician, and more.

Free, 10 a.m. registration and playtime, parade at noon, Sunday, May 13, friendsofthepublicgarden.org.

wye oak

Photo by Shervin Lainez

CONCERT
Wye Oak

This indie band is touring behind its latest album, The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs, which was released last month, and which Pitchfork called the band’s “brightest, most straightforward effort,” praising it for fusing “the dream pop of the band’s middle period to galvanic backbeats.” They’ll be joined by art rockers Palm.

$20, 8 p.m., Sunday, May 13, 52 Church St., Cambridge, sinclaircambridge.com.

lauren kidwell singing climb ev'ry mountain in the sound of music

Photo by Matthew Murphy / Photo by Matthew Murphy

THEATER
Sound of Music

It’s the closing weekend for this beloved musical. Go for the tear-jerking reminders of your childhood, stay for the performance from Boston Conservatory of Music grad Lauren Kidwell as the Mother Superior. Spoiler: That condescending guy Liesl likes does not get any more appealing over the course of the show.

$35+, through May 13, Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St., Boston, bochcenter.org.

COMEDY
Lil Rel Howery

Even if you weren’t aware of his work on the acclaimed and canceled-too-soon Carmichael Show, you probably recognize Howery from his scene-stealing turn in Get Out as heroic TSA employee Rod. But when he’s not supplying comic relief in horror movies, he also performs standup, which you can see this weekend. Just don’t start asking questions about whether or not he’ll be in Jordan Peele’s recently announced Get Out followup—he probably can’t say anything yet. Unless he can! Come on, just a hint?

$32, Saturday, May 12, the Wilbur, 246 Tremont St., Boston, thewilbur.com.