5 things to do this weekend, including HONK! Festival and a dance performance

It’s officially spooky season, and I could not be more excited! I used to have an odd relationship with scary movies — I thoroughly enjoyed “The Corpse Bride” and “Coraline,” but I had nightmares about “Monster House” for months and never finished it. The confusing contradiction probably had something to do with holding onto the love story in Tim Burton’s dark fantasy, not overthinking Coraline’s sadistic Other Mother and fearing young kids like me entering a living, monstrous house was a real possibility. Now, I love all of the seasonal movies, from the cheesy cult classic “Beetlejuice” to the slasher film “Scream.” Also, if you haven’t watched Netflix’s “Wednesday” series starring Jenna Ortega, I highly recommend it. Ortega masterfully captures the dark, monotone teen and breathes new life (or death?) into the original Addams Family member. If you don’t share my appreciation of spooky movies or Halloween, there’s a wide range of other events to attend in the city and beyond this weekend.

Choreographer Dalin Celamy is the inaugural artist in residence at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge. Born in Mattapan and raised in Hyde Park, the artist develops work exploring queer love. Celamy has training in jazz, tap, Haitian-folk dance, hip-hop, ballet and modern dance. His first residency project ruminates on romantic love and love within friendships, family relationships and love of self. He will perform a dance piece on Friday “navigating masculinity and expressions of love.” General admission tickets are $35 or pay what you wish.

In need of a sweet treat? The Japan Society of Boston is hosting master wagashi maker Shoji Yamaguchi in honor of the 65th anniversary of Boston’s sister city partnership with Kyoto, Japan. Wagashi is a Japanese confection crafted with mochi, anko and fruit that is often served with tea. Yamaguchi will demonstrate wagashi methods and discuss the seasonal influence over the process. Attendees will have the chance to try samples of his wagashi with tea during the hour-long event. Tickets are $35 for society members and $45 for non-members.

Stage Ensemble Theater Unit will put on a play reading of “Birth of the Boson,” the story of Indian scientist Satyen Bose who discovered the Boson subatomic particle, the precursor to the “God particle.” The play by Cornell professor Hasan Padamsee explores Bose’s life from Bengal to Berlin where he met and worked with Albert Einstein. There will also be an online discussion with the playwright and Bose’s grandson Falguni Sarkar. The play is part of SETU’s mission to bring together Indian and Western cultures through theater. Admission is free, but registration is required.

Join the “brassroots revolution” at the 19th annual HONK! Festival this weekend. Over 30 activist bands from across the U.S. and Brazil will play through the streets in Somerville’s Davis Square and Harvard Square in Cambridge. The event will begin with a lantern parade and band showcase on Friday, a music and dance party on Saturday and a parade with bands and activist groups on Sunday. HONK! strives to make change through music by engaging with the community. The festival is free and open to all.

Tim Burton and Cirque du Soleil come together in “The Vampire Circus,” a circus cabaret and theater show stopping by The Cabot in Beverly this weekend. Contortionists, jugglers, acrobats and clowns will tell the story of Count Dracula opening a traveling circus as a ploy for world domination. As the macabre clan traverses the globe, Dracula turns all mortals into an army of vampires. The show becomes an interactive experience with the audience, as some attendees are hypnotized or otherwise brought into the performance. Don’t worry, everyone will leave as a human at the end of the night. Tickets range from $47.50 to $79.50.