How to spend long October weekend in Boston (and other upcoming fall arts events)

October’s long weekend in Boston offers many opportunities to reconnect with the arts.

I recommend catching the last weekend of the Hills Of California at Huntington Theater (through Sunday, October 12) written by Tony Award–winning playwright Jez Butterworth and directed by Huntington’s own Loretta Greco.  It is a bitter sweet musical family story (or a story about a musical family) told through the lens of different family members.  “Song is a place to be”, keeps saying the mother of the family as she pushes her girls to stardom Andrews sisters style.  Entire cast is amazing  but Allison Jean White who played both the ambitious mother Veronica and eldest daughter Joan blew us away.  We laughed (a lot), we cried (a little) and we left the theater a little bit kinder and (hopefully) more insightful.

Use use code TELLAFRIEND to save 25% off tickets; there are also several other discount codes, including pay what you wish and student discounts – to make a quality theater affordable for all.

Accessibility is also the theme of the Opening Our Doors Festival that is happening on Monday, October 13 on Huntington Avenue in Boston- a day of a free music, art, creativity, performances, and cultural experiences. Huntington Theater will participate by a special performance of Sardines at 2pm in the main building on 264 Huntington Avenue. “Sardines” according to its creator and performer Chris Grace, is a (solo show) about “family, loss, and finding your way to the present moment while accepting both the limitations and gifts of life”.

Nearby Boston Symphony is also partaking in the Opening Our Doors on October 13  with a two hour community event (starts at 11:30) where  music aficionados of all ages could try out instruments of the string, percussion, brass and woodwind families at an Instrument Playground, see the interior of Symphony Hall and hear the organ.

Also opening its doors for free (to Massachusetts residents) on October 13 is Museum of Fine Arts Boston with a full day of added special programming celebrating the indigenous peoples day.

Here are more ways to celebrate arts in Boston later this fall:

October is a busy month at Boston Symphony (See all upcoming fall programs here).  I am especially interested in Bernstein, Copland and Prokofiev with Yuja Wang (October 23-25) who we have seen performed at Tanglewood this past July.  Check this link for special (student) tickets opportunities at the BSO.  And when you are on their website, check out Boston Pops’ Halloween programming on October 30 and 31: Disney’s Hocus Pocus in Concert and Phantom of the Opera (the latter starts at 10:30 pm on October 31 at the Symphony Hall.  How spooky!).

Boston Ballet will start its season with George Balanchine’s  Jewels, featuring live music performed by the Boston Ballet Orchestra (November 6–16). It is a three distinctly styled neo-classical ballets each reflecting a chapter of Balanchine’s career.   Diamonds is a nod to his yearly years at Mariinsky Ballet in Russia – with its grand classical style and Tchaikovsky music, Emeralds honors his time with the Ballets Russes in France (think Romantic era ballets like La Sylphide, French “elegance and perfume”) and Rubies celebrates his American period with New York City Ballet styled to jazz and full of Broadway energy.

I encourage you to use my promo code VICTORIA45 for $45 tickets on selected Boston Ballet performances all season- or use this link.