5 Things To Do This Weekend, From Free Museums To A Celtic Music Fest

The first long weekend of the year approaches, and there’s plenty to do besides hope for (or dread) the first snow. Here’s what’s on tap for Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend:

Free Art on MLK Day | Monday, Jan. 21 | MFA, Gardner, ICA, Boston University

Monday is Martin Luther King Day, and three of Boston’s major museums are free! The Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Institute of Contemporary Art offer special programming in honor of the holiday: the Gardner’s Day of Service pairs social justice initiatives with art, the MFA boasts a full day of concerts and art-making activities and the ICA invites you to make identity collages inspired by its new Nina Chanel Abney installation. On top of that, the city of Boston will host the free Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and Tribute Concert, featuring the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and a keynote from Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.

'The Wolves' | Through Feb. 3 | Lyric Stage Company, Boston

Sarah DeLappe’s 2016 play “The Wolves” centers around a high school girls’ soccer team as they gossip, joke and argue during pre-game warmups. “What’s most striking about ‘The Wolves’ is that it takes its strong, budding personalities seriously even as it lays out the near-comical cacophony in their heads,” writes ARTery critic Carolyn Clay. That’s no small feat.

Oshogatsu! Japanese New Year Celebration | Sunday, Jan. 20 | Boston Children's Museum

Get a dose of the Japanese New Year at the Boston Children’s Museum with Taiko drumming performances, giant origami-making and more. The event kicks off a year-long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Kyoto and Boston.

'Harry Dodge: Works of Love' | Through April 14 | Tufts' Aidekam Arts Center

The LA-based sculptor and filmmaker Harry Dodge explores the increasingly blurry division between humans and machines in his playful exhibition “Harry Dodge: Works of Love.” (Read Pamela Reynolds’ feature.)

Boston Celtic Music Fest | Through Sunday, Jan. 20 | Harvard Square, Cambridge

Now in its 16th year, the Boston Celtic Music Festival puts a spotlight on the city’s robust Celtic music scene with concerts, jam sessions and collaborations featuring mostly local musicians. This year the fest also boasts performances and a workshop with the legendary Chicago Irish fiddler Liz Carroll.