Cambridge | Somerville Independent

An American in Paris
2026-05-23 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | The Brattle, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA, 02138
Winner of six Oscars, including Best Picture, this iconic musical stars Gene Kelly as a struggling artist caught in a love triangle between an affluent American woman and a French dancer.

campfire. festival
2026-05-22 18:00 - 2026-05-25 23:30 | Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Cambridge, MA, 02138
Imagine getting to see dozens of your favorite acts all in one weekend. Not in a festival field hundreds of yards away, but in an intimate, seated space. Catch a glimpse of what it is like backstage at a big festival – artists hanging out and trading songs – on stage one minute and hanging out in the audience watching the next set right after. This is the scene at the Campfire Festival at Club Passim.

Gallery Talk: German Expressionism and The Blue Rider
2026-05-22 13:00 - 14:00 | Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138
Since the early 1930s, the Busch-Reisinger Museum has played an important role in introducing North American audiences to German expressionism. In 1955, the Busch-Reisinger Museum was the first museum in the United States to hold an exhibition dedicated to the Munich-based expressionist group The Blue Rider (1911–14).Recently, the Busch-Reisinger Museum received a monumental gift of artworks by Albert Bloch, the only American artist to exhibit with The Blue Rider. Learn about this influential group of modern artists on a walkthrough of the galleries with former curatorial fellow Peter Murphy, who will discuss works by Franz Marc, Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter, Alexei von Jawlensky, and more. Led by: Peter Murphy, former Stefan Engelhorn Curatorial Fellow in the Busch-Reisinger Museum (2022–26), Division of Modern and Contemporary Art

Indiefest: a CSI Launch Party & Fundraiser
2026-05-21 18:00 - 21:00 | Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Somerville, MA, 02143
Save the date: Indiefest (May 21 at Bow Market)
Join us in Upstairs at Bow at Bow Market for a night of live entertainment in support of the Cambridge Somerville Independent, a new people-powered newsroom, dedicated to keeping our community informed, connected and engaged.

The Independent is built on the belief that “we’re all in this together.” Strong local media is a critical component of strong communities, but we can’t do it alone. We need your help to support journalism that amplifies our neighbor’s voices, highlights our dynamic arts scene, and fosters the thoughtful civil discourse that keeps our democracy alive.
A slate of live entertainment, including musicians, comedians and more, keep the ”fun” in “fundraising.” All proceeds go to supporting the vital work at the Independent. Buy a ticket, donate, spread the word.
LINEUP
Music by Battlemode / Lavagxrl
Comedy by Dan Boulger / Gabi Hajos
Community tabling by Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism / Rebecca Kopycinski / EveryDejaVu Records / CSI / More TBA

Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out
2026-05-19 20:00 - 23:30 | The Burren, 247 Elm St., Somerville, MA, 02144
Which Side?: A Protest Music Teach-Out returns with another night of music, storytelling, and solidarity on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at The Burren Backroom in Somerville. Launched last July as an experiment in pairing protest songs with conversation, the series has grown into a vital monthly forum where artists and audiences come together to listen, reflect, and organize through music.
The May gathering will feature a fresh lineup of performers, including Joan Anderman, The Bags, Mark Erelli, Najee Janey, Brendan Murphy (Autumn Hollow), and Safiya, each backed by the house band, The Paid Protesters who will be led by Magen Tracy (keys), along with Paul Buckley (drums), Michelle Paulhus (bass), Mike Oram (guitar), Anthony Kaczynski (guitar) and Eric Salt (guitar/percussion).

Admission: Advance reservations are pay-what-you-can. All proceeds are used to pay performers and event staff. The shows are generally fully subscribed in advance, but a limited number of tickets may be available at the door on the night of the show.
Seating Policy: Reservations strongly suggested; tickets will be released at 7:30 p.m. if not claimed. All ages welcome. Lineup subject to change without notice.

The Airwaves Belonged to the People: WBCN and The American Revolution
2026-05-10 18:00 - 21:00 | Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA, 02144
The Airwaves Belonged to the People: WBCN and The American Revolution is an award-winning documentary about how a Boston rock radio station became both a participant in and a platform for the anti-war movement, civil rights, LGBTQ and women’s rights, and the explosion of countercultural media in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Now re-released under its expanded title, the film draws on more than 100,000 archival audio and visual items — much of it donated by the WBCN community — weaving firsthand accounts from station staff with rare material featuring Jane Fonda, Abbie Hoffman, Lou Reed, Jerry Garcia, and Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith in their first live radio broadcasts.
The film aired nationally on PBS and received coverage from major publications including the Boston Globe, which called it a film audiences “watch with awe.”
Directed by Peabody Award–winner Bill Lichtenstein, who began working at WBCN at age 14 in 1970.
Following the screening, the director will be joined by former WBCN on-air staff for a live Q&A.

Somerville Porchfest
2026-05-09 11:00 - 18:00
The one, the only: Somerville Porchfest. Arguably, one of the top torchbearers of the Porchfest phenomenon nationally. Without a doubt, the leading light of the local Porchfest scene. The Somerville version divides the city into three zones, West, Central and East, and a rolling tide of music breaks across the city in that order from late morning until dinnertime. There is perennial chatter between the Yimby and Nimby crowds about how to “fix” Porchfest. Who says it’s broken? After the Guster Affair in 2024, some streets were designated as “no shows allowed” and other streets “no cars allowed” (which local drivers dutifully ignored) in 2025. With a shakeup in leadership at the top of the Somerville Arts Council, could further changes be in store? So far all that’s been announced is more portable toilets.

Tunes on the Charles
2026-04-30 12:00 - 2026-05-03 23:00
There’s a new Irish festival in town: Tunes on the Charles. Information is still trickling in. The Instagram account has only eight posts. Media inquiries have so far gone unanswered. But you know the drill. This is a traditional Irish music festival in a metro area that loves its Irish heritage. Concerts, classes and good old-fashioned craic is on the menu at “on the nose” locations such as The Druid, The Burren, McCarthy’s, An Sibin and wild card Lilypad. The new festival doesn’t have the decadeslong roots of local traditions such as the annual Boston Celtic Music Festival. But with solid institutional support from Irish cultural organizations on both sides of the Atlantic, this newcomer should be ready to hit the ground running.

The Town and the City Festival
2026-04-30 12:00 - 2026-05-02 22:00
Lowell keeps popping up in the headlines of clickbait articles about “top places to live.” The Town and the City Festival (named after Jack Kerouac’s semiautobiographical novel about his childhood in Lowell) is on the long list of reasons why. The multiday music festival returns every year to the stages, cafes and galleries of “Mill City,” platforming a mix of established artists and a slew of underground acts. This year John Doe (of X) and David Lowery (of Cracker) get top billing, teaming up for a night of ”intimate” and “story-rich” music.

Harvard's Arts Fest 2026
2026-04-30 08:00 - 2026-05-03 17:00 | Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
From April 30 to May 3, Harvard’s campus transforms into a four-day celebration of the arts, bursting with creativity from Harvard students, staff, alums and faculty.

Spaceballs (1987)
2026-04-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline, MA, 02446
The farce is with you in this uproarious salute to science fiction that teams comedy legend Mel Brooks with an all-star cast of cutups including John Candy, Rick Moranis, and Bill Pullman!

WU LYF / Lauren Adder
2026-04-28 19:00 - 23:00 | The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Cambridge, MA, 02138
WHERE ONCE WU LYF EMBODIED THE RESTLESS ENERGY OF YOUTHFUL DEFIANCE, THEY NOW CHANNEL SOMETHING MORE REFINED— AN ENDURING FLAME TEMPERED BY THE HUMBLING OF TIME.
Got that?

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
2026-04-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge, MA, 02138
In the 1970s, Kubrick purchased the rights to Brian Aldiss’ short story “Supertoys Last All Summer Long,” a Pinocchio-like tale about an android boy in an overpopulated future. After three decades failing to realize the project, Kubrick oﬀered it to Steven Spielberg, who jumped at the opportunity and produced one of his most ambitious, emotionally complex science-fiction films. Kubrick’s biggest obstacle was creating a convincing android boy through available special eﬀects technology, a problem Spielberg solved by casting Haley Joel Osment as the robot and directing him into a state of placid wonder that lands just to the side of uncanny. Working with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski to cast the film in a fairy tale glow, Spielberg creates a future society teetering between devastating loneliness and dog-eat-dog lunacy, where the bittersweet path in the middle is made possible only by a complicated manipulation of audience sympathies between man and machine.

The Latin Playlist
2026-04-26 19:00 - 22:00 | The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Somerville, 02144, United States
The Latin Playlist offers a live experience hosted by the Latin Management Club at Berklee. Featuring five different Latin artists, this show provides an immersive experience that invites listeners to feel part of a heartwarming community. Spanning genres such as bossa nova, reggaeton, Latin pop, ballads, and rock, each of these talented musicians fosters a unique sound connecting to their roots.

Independent Bookstore Day
2026-04-25
Celebrate your local independent bookstore!

Rebecca Mahoney, author of 'Thrall'
2026-04-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Porter Square Books (Cambridge), 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA, 02140
In Thrall, a young woman looking for a transformative college experience is bitten by a vampire and must team up with his other living victims to hunt him down.

Waterworks 2026
2026-04-24 12:00 - 2026-04-25 21:00 | Metropolitan Waterworks Museum, 2450 Beacon St., Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467
A curious event at a curious location that’s worth a trip. Waterworks is a “Festival of Experimental Sound” held inside the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum on the banks of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. A big, airy, stone structure. One of those high-minded public works built at the turn of the 20th century during Boston’s so-called “Golden Age.” The acoustics of the building are an equal partner in the experience of bleeding-edge experimental works at the far outskirts of the jazz, electronic, noise, improv and aleatoric music scene. Part of the Non-Event Concert series.

In Conversation: Stuart Semple on Culture, Color, and Conflict
2026-04-23 18:00 - 19:30 | Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138
British artist and color developer Stuart Semple creates paints and pigments by integrating cutting-edge science with craft and creative practice, through collaboration with specialist laboratories and hands-on experimentation. His pigments and paints are now part of the Straus Center’s Forbes Pigment Collection. In his talk, Semple will consider how the traditional role of the colorman has shifted in the 21st century from small workshop trade to global industry. Semple will show how color can reflect power, control, and resistance and what it means to reclaim it. In an age of mass production and digital connectivity—when the internet functions as a new Silk Road for materials and ideas—Semple will explore why direct relationships between artists, makers, and materials still matter and how reimagining those connections can shape the future of color.

The 23rd Independent Film Festival Boston
2026-04-22 12:00 - 2026-04-29 23:00
Film festival with screenings at The Brattle, Somerville Theatre, and Coolidge Corner Theatre.

Isabel Neal, author of 'Thrown Voice'
2026-04-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Porter Square Books (Cambridge), 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA, 02140
The 120th winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets prize celebrates the voice felt twice—once in the body, once in the world.

The Fringe
2026-04-20 22:00 - 23:59 | The Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA, 02139
Music starts at 10:30PM every Monday. The Fringe originally formed back in 1971 by tenor-saxophonist George Garzone, bassist Richard Appleman, and drummer Bob Gullotti as an outlet for their free jazz improvisations, The Fringe have entertained and enlightened Boston area jazz audiences for over 50 years. Bassist Appleman left the band in 1985 to become Chairman of the Bass Department at Berklee College and was replaced by veteran bassist John Lockwood.

Muppet Madness
2026-04-20 12:00 - 2026-04-21 19:00 | The Brattle, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA, 02138
Muppet Madness returns on Marathon Monday 2026! Join us for a special Triple Feature of the original MUPPET MOVIE, THE DARK CRYSTAL, and LABYRINTH!

Tenille Ja'Nae: Live
2026-04-19 16:00 - 18:00 | Western Avenue Baptist Church, 299 Western Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139
Tenille Ja’Nae is an R&B/Pop/Soul artist whose music centers on emotion, culture, and storytelling. With a voice that moves effortlessly between vulnerability and strength, she brings authenticity and heart to every stage. Tenille Ja’Nae’s upcoming album is called I Like Girls & I Love Jesus.

Somerville Mushroom Fest
2026-04-19 14:00 - 17:00 | The Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA, 02143
On Sunday, 4/19 at 2pm, celebrate the 5th anniversary of mushrooms being decriminalized in Somerville with new friends, tasty snacks, grow kits, and nature education.
The event is at 191 Highland Street, Somerville, MA in Room B6. The building typically has ample parking in the back and the street (generally free on Sundays). When you arrive, please follow the signs. You will go downstairs, then down a long hallway, then turn right.

Down Home Up Here: bluegrass & old time festival
2026-04-18 16:00 - 2026-04-19 23:00 | Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Cambridge, MA, 02138
Down Home Up Here is an annual bluegrass & old time festival at Club Passim, featuring the most exciting bluegrass in the area, while not adhering to strictly traditional styles. You’ll hear traditional bluegrass, but also be prepared for old time and several adjacent styles to the genre. There will be plenty of sightings of fiddle, banjo, mando, and dobro.

Rufus Wainwright
2026-04-17 19:00 - 22:00 | The Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA, 02143
Praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation. Wainwright’s work spans 11 studio albums, landmark live recordings, collaborations across pop and classical worlds, and recent orchestral projects that confront our political and environmental moment. His songs, often exploring unrequited love and self-reflection, have made him one of the most distinctive voices of his generation.

Katie Yamasaki, author of Ripples
2026-04-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Porter Square Books (Cambridge), 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA, 02140
From beloved picture book creator Katie Yamasaki: an idyllic river trip and a celebration of connections—to family, community, and the natural world.

PIECES, vol. vii
2026-04-15 21:00 - 23:30 | Middle East (Zuzu), 474 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA, 02139
Label, blog, and tastemaker EveryDejaVu presents PIECES, vol. vii, the (you guessed it) seventh edition of its music showcase, featuring a mélange of new talent in RnB, hip hop, soul, and jazz. Wednesday’s lineup at Zuzu (Middle East) includes Chow, Rochelle Blue, Swooli, MonaVeli, and Lavagxrl pulling DJ duties.

Nancy Fraser: Against the Environmentalism of the Rich
2026-04-15 18:30 - 21:00 | Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Nancy Fraser is the Henry and Louise A. Loeb Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Politics at the New School for Social Research, and a member of the Editorial Committee of New Left Review. Trained as a philosopher, she specializes in critical social theory and political philosophy. She is the author of Cannibal Capitalism: How Our System Is Devouring Democracy, Care, and the Planet—and What We Can Do About It (Verso, 2022), Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto (Verso, 2019), The Old is Dying (Verso, 2019), and Capitalism: A Conversation in Critical Theory (Polity Press, 2018).

The Chameleons: Arctic Moon Tour
2026-04-14 19:00 - 23:00 | Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA, 02144
The legacy of The Chameleons dates all the way back to 1981, when the band was discovered by the legendary BBC Radio host John Peel. The Chameleons are considered to be one of the most influential guitar bands of the 80s and 90s, contributing substantially to the post-punk, shoegaze, and indie scenes, and are often regarded as one of the most underrated bands ever to emerge from the city of Manchester, England. With The Veldt and Lovina Falls.
