5 things to do this weekend, including Somerville PorchFest and the Boston Women's Market

Mother’s Day is often associated with brunch, but it doesn’t have to be. There are other fun options for celebrating the holiday, including a comedy show and special tours at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Plus, Somerville’s PorchFest is returning, and there’s a market dedicated to women-owned businesses to look forward to this weekend.

Celebrate Mother’s Day early with some laughs at The Norwood Theatre. Mother-daughter duo Kathe and Jesse Farris will host the show, and Kelly MacFarland and Christine Hurley will also perform. MacFarland won Best of the Fest at the Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival, and she has appeared on “The Today Show” and “The View.” Hurley has performed in Denis Leary's "Comics Come Home" show and she was on “America’s Got Talent.” Tickets range from $30 to $43.

PorchFest returns to Somerville this Saturday. If you haven’t heard of it before, PorchFest is a day of free live music where the city shuts down full streets and local bands play sets on people’s front porches. There will be performances by bands across genres, from pop to metal. Some of the featured artists include indie trio Hush Club and rock-pop band Copilot. Check out the full lineup here — there are 489 scheduled performances! New this year, the fest will have some roads off limits to performances, a safety program run by volunteers, safety text alerts, the presence of city safety teams and more portable restrooms.

Support more than 30 local women-owned businesses by visiting the Boston Women’s Market this Saturday at Assembly Row in Somerville. Vendors will sell jewelry, homegoods, art and more. Some of the businesses include Juju Bee, a company that makes candles inspired by Asian scents, and CORE OF US, a Black-owned vintage and secondhand retailer. The Crafty Girls will also host a workshop for kids to decorate photo frames as gifts for Mother’s Day. The market is free to attend.

The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston is honoring mothers and mother figures through special events this weekend. Visitors can take a tour of “Portraits from the ICA Collection” at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The tours will explore the ways contemporary artists portray mother figures. At 11 a.m. on Sunday, there will be an art trek version of the tour with games and drawing. Visitors can also drop into an artmaking activity to create postcards to give to their mothers. These activities are included with general admission.

Curious how a play about squirrels tackles wealth inequality? Apollinaire Theatre Company’s “The Squirrels” by Robert Askins is running at Chelsea Theatre Works through May 18. Billed as a blend of “Romeo and Juliet,” “King Lear” and “Macbeth,” the show is “a tragi-comical epic of prejudice and greed among squirrels living in a very divided tree,” according to the production description. Askins is a Tony-nominated and Obie Award-winning playwright for “Hand to God.” Tickets for “The Squirrels” range from $15 to $65.