Your Boston Weekend, April 23 — 25

With so much going on in Boston every weekend, how does the culture lover choose, or even find, the best of what Beantown has to offer? Let wbur.org do some of the sleuthing for you.

As the season heats up, so do the events around town. There are plenty of reasons to get out around Boston the weekend of April 23 to 25.

Festivals

Slow Fest

Boston's first session beer festival, paired with locally produced slow food.

Boston Bacon And Beer Festival

Sponsored by @EatBoston and SoWa Sundays, featuring bacon-themed dishes and New England-brewed beer.

Cambridge Science Festival

Presented by the MIT Museum, the Cambridge Science Festival aims to make science accessible, fun, and interactive. Offering a wide range of activities, the festival is the first of its kind in the United States.

Berklee Spring Fest 2010

Featuring some of Berklee's best musicians. Rain or shine, there will also be a community bazaar with community vendors.

Walk, Run or Row

Dash for a Difference

Do-gooders can team up for a race around Boston to benefit Boston Cares. Teams will visit eight to 10 different locations and complete a mixture of mini-volunteer projects, Boston trivia challenges and more.

Walk to Defeat ALS

The second annual Walk to Defeat ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) is sponsored by the ALS Association of Massachusetts to raise funds for research to fight ALS and support local patient care and family service programs.

28th Run of the Charles

New England's largest canoe and kayak race, ranging from six miles to 26 along the Charles River, for small canoes, outriggers and relay teams; benefits the Charles River Watershed Association.

Music

Jazz: Made in Boston, Played in Boston

Two-hundred and thirty events at 80 venues over 10 days make up Jazz Boston's celebration of the truly American musical form and the contribution Boston's musicians make to the genre.

Opera: "Idomeneo, re di Creta"

Mozart's opera of gods and kings, love and fate, performed by the Boston Lyric Opera.

Orchestra: Strauss and Mozart

The Boston Symphony Orchestra performs a program of Strauss and Mozart. On Friday, the performance will be followed by a Post-Concert Season End Reception.

New England Urban Music Awards

An evening honoring hip-hop, R&B, soul and dance artists from around New England.

Theater

Opening: "Into the Woods"

Steven Sondheim's twisted fairy tale musical that explores the truth of "happily ever after" performed by members of the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club.

Ground Floor Reading Series

The initial staged readings of new plays by New England playwrights and Boston Playwrights alumni. Attendance is free but registration is required.

"tickle Tickle TICKLE!"

A collection of short plays that deal with the comedies of relationships, performed by the Actors Refuge Repertory Theatre.

Benefits

3rd Annual Boston Shoe Ball

This "black tie optional, fabulous shoes essential" event benefits the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis is sponsored by the Hello Stiletto Shoe Club.

An Evening With Your Favorite Authors

Seven acclaimed authors will join host Alice Hoffman in an evening of cocktails, music and readings by the authors, to benefit the Mount Auburn Hospital Hoffman Breast Center.

Food

A Taste of BUA

The annual event supporting the Boston University Academy will feature food from Boston-area restaurants and live and silent auctions. Hosted by local radio personality Billy Costa.

Hamster Ball Derby

Hamsters everywhere are gearing up to roll down the track in this weekend's most exiting race. Bring your hamster (or rat, or gerbil) and its own ball to compete for prizes.

Flickin' Chicken

The game Flickin' Chicken is so popular that the Haywire Group has decided to try to set the Guinness World Record for the "largest rubber chicken toss," taking place at the finish line of the Run of the Charles.

Did you attend one of our recommended events last week? Have a suggestion for next week’s calendar? Leave us a comment or send your suggestion to glevy@wbur.org.