5 things to do this weekend, including MLK Day celebrations and a Celtic music festival

This weekend is a profoundly important time of reflection, leading up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. To me, this is a moment for us to meditate on what equality, respect and nonviolence mean, while commemorating the civil rights leader’s commitment to and desire for a world governed by peace. I invite readers to honor his legacy by participating in one of Boston’s observances, whether that may be the MFA’s day of programs or a performance from Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. Also opening this Friday is playwright Najee Brown’s “Stokely and Martin,” an original work that imagines a conversation between Martin Luther King Jr. and fellow civil rights icon Stokely Carmichael. These and more, below.

Organized by Club Passim, the Boston Celtic Music Festival will take over a number of Somerville and Cambridge venues this weekend. Visit Club Passim, Somerville Theatre, the Crystal Ballroom, Arts at the Armory, The Burren and The Rockwell to catch song and dance from Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, Québécois and other Celtic cultures. Headliners are Altan, an Irish folk band formed in 1987 in Northern Ireland’s County Donegal, and Old Blind Dogs, a Scottish musical ensemble that performs traditional Scottish folk music and Celtic music, interwoven with jazz, blues, Middle Eastern music and other influences. Tickets for nonmembers to events that are not currently sold out — including individual concerts and a Dayfest — range from $30 to $47.15 (including fees). While festival passes are sold out, livestreams are available to some performances online.

The Multicultural Arts Center’s very own artistic director, Najee Brown, presents his work, “Stokely and Martin,” a play that imagines a fictional conversation between Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael, a leader in the United States’ Civil Rights Movement and the global pan-African movement. The show is set during a pivotal moment in American history, during the late 1960s, and the two legendary figures find themselves unpacking their ideological differences: King’s peacekeeping belief in nonviolence and Carmichael’s passionate call for Black Power. Watch the exchange unfold through both dialogue and music. Tickets cost $30.

This international film festival brings family-friendly flicks to the screen, meant to enchant and encourage children to make a difference in the world. Each day features a variety of programming, from shorts to features. A few highlights include “Billy the Cowboy Hamster,” which follows a group of animal friends on their adventures through the Wild West, screening Saturday at West Newton Cinema. On Sunday, view “A Girl Named Willow,” a tale about an 11-year-old with magical powers who inherits a forest, also at West Newton Cinema. Come Monday, other movies, such as “Greetings From Mars” and “The Songbirds’ Secret,” will show at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, and the following weekend, there will be workshops like a “Minion” drawing lesson and a storyboarding class. A films-only pass costs $40.

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There are so many ways of celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but an annual favorite is the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras’ concert, produced in partnership with The Museum of African American History and the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture. Young musicians will perform spirituals, freedom songs and classical melodies at Faneuil Hall at 1 p.m. The event’s keynote speaker is Boston Poet Laureate Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah, a Ghanaian American writer, educator and librarian. The concert is free, but audience members are invited to arrive 30 minutes early.

Every year, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is filled with activity on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Programming includes a “Songwriting and Social Justice” workshop led by Carlos Herrand Pou, a faculty member at Community Music Center of Boston, who will guide participants through exercises and discussions. Visual artist Mark Thomas Gibson will hold a talk on his “Banner Project,” the latest piece in his “Town Crier” series, a work that examines American history and politics. Visitors will also have a chance to hear a youth-driven performance from ZUMIX, inspired by the theme “Embrace and Evolve.” Massachusetts residents can get into the MFA for free on this holiday, but come prepared to wait in line — the celebration is incredibly popular.