5 things to do this weekend, including a spice festival and Fort Point Open Studios

We’re getting deep into the heart of autumn, and this weekend, there are plenty of events that will stir up an appreciation for the season. We encourage you to go on a frightful and historic tour offered by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, or celebrate spicy flavors at a festival held at City Hall Plaza. See our roundup below for fun and enriching ways to spend some time.

There’s no better place to be during the Halloween season than Salem. Journey to the Peabody Essex Museum to participate in a mystery, where you’ll begin your adventure in a courtyard, guided through a performance experience revolving around a murderer and “the most dastardly of crimes.” During this show, you’ll visit a number of historic locations within the museum’s property: the Gardner-Pingree House, John Ward House, Quaker Meeting House and Derby–Beebe Summer House. The program, which was written and directed by Arielle Kaplan and features Cari Keebaugh as the showrunner and a character called The Warden, unfolds scenes of “fear, suspicion, and justice in 17th-century Salem” with dramatic representations of violence and tension, according to a PEM representative. Tickets are $49 for museum members and Salem residents and $59 for nonmembers.

The 17th annual Boston Asian American Film Festival begins this week, aiming to empower Asian Americans through film. Screening at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, this year’s opening night title is “Forge,” the tale of two siblings involved in a Miami art forgery ring. The centerpiece film, “Love, Chinatown,” a documentary about the culture and past of Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, will show on Friday at the Emerson Paramount Center. You also won’t want to miss another centerpiece film, “Rosemead,” a narrative about a woman’s battle to protect her teenage son after she discovers his violent impulses, being shown at the Emerson Paramount Center on Saturday. An all-access festival pass costs $150. [Check out our fall art guide for more film festival recommendations.]

Fort Point Arts Community opens its doors for its 45th annual open studios. Over 110 local and visiting artists and performers will share their work, and visitors are welcome to step into historic warehouse buildings where ceramicists, painters, sculptors and other masters will guide them through their spaces. Travel to Midway Artist Studios to see 2025 WBUR Maker Lani Asunción, who will share insights on their public art, video, photography and more, or head to 259 A Street to explore abstract paintings with Steven Muller. Activities and workshops will be offered, from a Porter Square Books book swap to a sketching class and music performances, including one from Boston Lyric Opera.

Gather at Boston City Hall Plaza to activate your senses. At SpicetoberFest, a free harvest festival, meet spicy food vendors, hot sauce makers and more while you watch chef demonstrations and purchase sweet and savory foods. On site, Pan Thai will sell spicy fish cakes, while Worcester Filipino Cuisine offers lumpia, chicken inasal, and lechon, and if you’re looking for something to polish off your meal, grab a cupcake from Melt in Your Mouth. Tempo International Steel Orchestra, Marcus Santos and Grooversity and Samba Lolo African Dance and Drumming will offer live music throughout the event.

Lyric Stage Boston presents Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, directed by Courtney O’Connor. In “Our Town,” the life of a simple New Hampshire village inhabited by two families, the Gibbs and the Webbs, takes central focus. The story follows the paths of the young George Gibbs and Emily Webb as they fall in love and navigate marriage and death. Starring Dan Garcia and Josephine Moshiri Elwood, this poignant and evocative production is full of wonder and urges us to appreciate the “seemingly ordinary moments.” Tickets start at $25.