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5 Things To Do This Weekend, From Donna Summer Roller Disco To First-Ever BAMS Fest
Summer is shining and there's all sorts of festivals to prove it. I stick out the long Boston winters for weekends like these that show off Boston's best side.
BAMS Fest | Saturday, June 23 | Playstead Field at Franklin Park, Boston
This is the first ever Boston Art & Music Soul Festival — and it's probably worth going to just to say you were there when it started. The festival aims to celebrate Afro-centric culture and contributions to America while promoting "equal access to the arts within Greater Boston." And it's free. There's an impressive lineup, from DJ Bobby Bangers to the neo-soul stylings of Tamara Goldinella to Boston hip-hop artists like Oompa and STL GLD. (Read more about the festival here.)
Donna Summer Roller Disco Party | Friday, June 22 | City Hall Plaza, Boston
The disco queen and five-time Grammy winner was born right here in Boston. For the fifth year in a row, the city is hosting a roller disco celebration in her honor, with DJ Joey Carvello overseeing. Donna Summer's nephew O'Mega Red will be performing. No skates? Don't worry, free rentals will be provided. So get on your neon spandex and head to City Hall.
Roxbury International Film Festival | Through June 30 | Venues around Boston
Now in its 20th year, the Roxbury International Film Fest is spread across a few different venues like the Museum of Fine Arts, Hibernian Hall and Haley House. Chico Colvard's "Black Memorabilia" is screening this Saturday at the MFA. The MassArt professor explores how the creation, sale and re-interpretation of racist objects and images — like the mammy image on syrup -- are part of our country's current reckoning.
Here's a trailer for "Black Memorabilia":
Park Fest at the deCordova | Saturday, June 23 | Lincoln
The deCordova Sculpture Park is always a good spot for a summer Saturday, but this weekend it's a little more fun. Bring your kids for art-making adventures and live music. They even promise some mini-golf and a "discover quest," which I can only hope is an art scavenger hunt.
'This Is Our Youth' Or 'The Weir' | Through June 22 And July 7, Respectively | Wellfleet
Kenneth Lonergan's "This Is Our Youth" pauses between youth and adulthood during the Reagan administration. Conor McPherson’s "The Weir" spends a night in a classic Irish pub, listening to the metaphysical stories of a community. The quite different plays come from the mid-'90s and were major stepping stones for the playwrights. I haven't seen them myself, but our critic-at-large Ed Siegel says the two plays are "of every moment" and are produced with "stunning craftsmanship." (Read his reviews here.)