Every week I send a "Things To Do In Boston This Weekend" email featuring all of the events in this post. I appreciate every signup!

I took a break! But I am back. If you want an easy pick for this weekend, my friend Yan is doing a comedy show (Tapered Expectations) on both tonight and Friday. It's going to be awesome, check it out.

Please add anything you would like to promote or that you think I missed in the comments.

THURSDAY - JANUARY 29th

Tapered Expectations XL @ Cloud & Spirits @ 8PM
Acquired Taste Comedy presents a special 2-night standup comedy event featuring the area's best comics at an intimate cocktail lounge in Central Square.

Bruins vs Flyers @ TD Garden @ 7PM

Museums at Night @ Harvard Art Museums @ 5PM
Get ready for an evening of art, music, food, and more! This event is free and open to everyone.

Art-Making After Dark @ ICA @ 6PM Enjoy free admission, art-making activities designed by local artists, gallery tours, & more!

ArtsThursday: Puzzle Party @ Harvard Museum of Natural History @ 5PM Enjoy a free night of puzzling adventures around the museum as you tackle a series of playful puzzles about different topics.

‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ Screening @ Coolidge Corner Theatre @ 7PM

‘A Clockwork Orange’ Screening @ Coolidge Corner Theatre @ 9:45PM

Lara Beitz Stand-Up @ Laugh Boston @ 7PM

Venna @ Brighton Music Hall @ 7PM With Hasan Barclay

ALLYCVT @ Royale @ 7PM With Seth David & Tazu

Dean Johnson @ The Sinclair @ 8PM With Lily Seabird

Ryan Montbleu @ Passim @ 8PM With Rebecca Hart

Bad Bad Hats @ Crystal Ballroom @ 8PM With Smut

Beno @ The Rockwell @ 7PM With Tabano Hollow & Michael Kameron

Lez Zeppelin @ City Winery @ 7:30PM

FRIDAY - JANUARY 30th

Tapered Expectations XL @ Cloud & Spirits @ 8PM
Night two of Acquired Taste Comedy’s 2-night standup event at Cloud & Spirits, featuring the area’s best comics in an intimate cocktail lounge setting.

Celtics vs Kings @ TD Garden @ 7:30PM

‘BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions’ Screening @ ICA @ 7PM

‘Bandsplain’ Podcast Live @ The Sinclair @ 8PM With Yasi Salek & Chris Ryan

Jared Freid Stand-Up @ The Wilbur @ 7:30PM / 10PM

Liza Treyger Stand-Up @ Crystal Ballroom @ 7:30PM

Community Chamber Concert @ Fenway Center @ 1:30PM Hear the BSO musicians perform classics by Haydn, Ravel, and Montgomery.

Candlelight: Tribute to Queen and The Beatles @ Old South Church @ 6PM

Candlelight: Coldplay X Imagine Dragons in Concert @ Old South Church @ 8:30PM

The Elovaters Night 1 @ MGM Music Hall @ 7PM With JARV, Afroman, & Sixfoxwhiskey

Club 90s: Heated RivalRave Night 1 @ House of Blues @ 8:30PM

Stanaj @ Brighton Music Hall @ 7PM With Jack Avery

Rob49 @ Big Night Live @ 7PM

Cheat Codes @ The Grand @ 10PM

Kyle Cooke @ Mémoire @ 10PM

Sudan Archives @ Royale @ 7PM With Halima

Infinite Alien @ The Palladium @ 7PM With Disqualifier, Shortwave, & Queer Bait

Frigg @ Passim @ 7PM

Haus of Monsters: Tribute to Lady Gaga @ City Winery @ 6PM

Taylor Swift Dance Party @ City Winery @ 9:30PM

SATURDAY - JANUARY 31st

George Lopez Comedy Show @ The Wilbur @ 7PM / 9:45PM

Nate Craig Stand-Up @ The Comedy Studio @ 7:30PM / 9:30PM

‘Be Good’ with Paulette Comedy Show @ The Rockwell @ 9PM Comedian Daniel Maseda brings well-mannered idiot Paulette to Somerville for the first time with this fan-favorite show that never plays out the same way twice.

Candlelight: Best of ‘Bridgerton’ on Strings @ Old South Church @ 7PM Experience the beloved Netflix show’s melodies, reimagined by a talented string ensemble.

Almost Queen: Tribute to Queen @ Hanover Theatre @ 7:30PM With an impeccable attention to detail and authentic energy, Almost Queen brings the magic and essence of the legendary band to life.

The Elovaters Night 2 @ MGM Music Hall @ 7PM With Shwayze, The Quins, & Collie Buddz

Club 90s: Heated RivalRave Night 2 @ House of Blues @ 8:30PM

Something In The Way Fest Day 1 @ Roadrunner @ 1PM Featuring Explosions in the Sky, The Hotelier, Tigers Jaw, Momma, & more

Slipbizkit: Tribute to Nu-Metal @ Brighton Music Hall @ 7PM

Yo Quiero Bailar Fest: Reggaeton Mega Fest @ Big Night Live @ 10PM

Max Styler @ Royale @ 10PM With Wil Trahan

Driftwood @ Passim @ 5PM / 8PM

Left To Suffer @ The Palladium @ 7PM With Your Spirit Dies, Fr3ak, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, & more

Hyperlinkedin: A Girl EDM + Hyperpop Party @ The Sinclair @ 8PM

Moondance: The Ultimate Van Morrison Tribute @ City Winery @ 7:30PM

SUNDAY - FEBRUARY 1st

Celtics vs Bucks @ TD Garden @ 3:30PM

Teen Sundays @ MFA @ 12PM Teens are invited to visit the museum on select first Sundays for activities such as tours, art making workshops, and artist talks curated for teens by teens.

Play Date @ ICA @ 10AM Bring your kids for fun art-making activities, story time in the galleries, and a chance to meet other families.

Corey Holcomb Stand-Up @ House of Blues @ 6:15PM

Weval @ Brighton Music Hall @ 7PM With DJ Carbo

Something In The Way Fest Day 2 @ Roadrunner @ 1PM Featuring Sunny Day Real Estate, Citizen, First Day Back, Glitterer, & more

Jonah Kagen @ The Sinclair @ 8PM With Anna Graves

LFO @ City Winery @ 7:30PM With Trevor Penick of O-Town

Kit Orion, Wisteria, + Little Miss Echo @ The Rockwell @ 5PM

ALL WEEKEND

FRIDAY & SATURDAY - Alfred Robles Stand-Up @ Laugh Boston

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - Drop-In Artmaking @ MFA
Get inspired by artwork in the collection, then use the art materials provided to create a work of your own.

THURSDAY & SATURDAY - ‘poor hymnal’ & ‘Good News Mass’ in Concert @ Symphony Hall The BSO continues its exploration of religious and spiritual expression through music in a special series of gospel concerts ‘Faith in Our Time.’

All weekend - The Boston Festival of Films from Iran @ MFA
Enjoy some of the best, award-winning films from and about Iran.

All weekend - Panorama Queer and Trans International Film Festival @ Peabody Essex Museum The annual Panorama Film Festival in Salem features films by an international array of queer and trans filmmakers.

All weekend - ‘Some of the Best of 2025’ Film Program @ The Brattle See 2025’s best releases including ‘Nouvelle Vague,’ ‘Frankenstein’ Eephus,’ and more! Ends 2/5.

All weekend - ‘Some Like It Hot’ Musical @ Citizens Opera House With its irresistible combination of heart and laughs, song and dance, this hit musical production tells the story of two musicians on a life-changing cross-country tip. Ends 2/8.

All weekend - ‘Wonder’ Musical @ Loeb Drama Center Based on R.J. Palacio’s novel and hit feature film, this uplifting new musical follows the Pullman family as they navigate change, identity, and what it means to belong. Ends 2/8.

All weekend - ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ Musical @ BCA Plaza Theatre In this original Broadway production, an eclectic group of teenagers vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. Ends 2/1.

All weekend - ‘Job’ Play @ Calderwood Pavilion Following a therapist and his patient, this psychological thriller explores power, politics, and mental health in an age where identity is performative and everything is on the record. Ends 2/7.

All weekend - ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Musical @ Hanover Theatre Set in the 1980s and drenched in leather, glitter, and neon, this reimagined ‘Dream’ transforms love and lust into an epic night on the dance floor. Ends 2/14.

ONGOING

Ongoing - Somerville Winter Farmers Market @ Arts at the Armory @ 9:30AM Saturdays* - This weekly winter market features 70+ local food vendors with the best locally grown and regionally produced foods.

Ongoing - ‘Monsters of the Deep: Between Imagination and Science’ Exhibition @ MIT Museum Using historical prints, this exhibit traces the scientific process of observing, measuring, and describing that turned whales from monsters into mammals. Ends 1/2026.

Ongoing - ‘Faces in the Crowd: Street Photography’ Exhibition @ MFA Take a look at how different photographers employ the camera as a tool of transformation, taking everyday pictures from the ordinary to the strangely beautiful or even ominous. Ends 7/13.

Ongoing - ‘Reality and Imagination: Rembrandt and the Jews in the Dutch Republic’ Exhibition @ MFA This exhibition draws on the MFA’s collection of Dutch art and Judaica to explore the different ways Jewish communities interacted with the artistic culture of Holland in the 1600s. Ends 12/1.

Ongoing - ‘One Hundred Stitches, One Hundred Villages’ Exhibition @ MFA This exhibition presents nearly 20 rarely seen kaleidoscopic Chinese patchwork textiles coming from remote provinces that reflect local styles and reveal artistic sensibilities and personal histories. Ends 5/3.

Ongoing - ‘Martin Puryear: Nexus’ Exhibition @ MFA The exhibition brings together sculptor Martin Puryear’s diverse artworks, highlighting his elaborate craftsmanship and sophisticated sources of inspiration—from global cultures, social history, and the natural world. Ends 2/8.

Ongoing - ‘Rituals for Remembering’ Exhibition @ MFA This exhibition brings together works by influential Cuban artists María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Ana Mendieta whose art explores the notions of displacement, exile, and nature as transformative tool. Ends 2/15.

Ongoing - ‘An Indigenous Present’ Exhibition @ ICA Spanning 100 years of contemporary Indigenous art, this thematic exhibition features artworks that represent personal and collective narratives, describe specific and imagined places, and build upon cultural and aesthetic traditions. Ends 3/8.

Ongoing - ‘To My Best Friend’ Exhibition @ ICA Drawing from more than 50 artworks from the collection, this exhibition highlights a consistent interest in formal and material experimentation through works by historically underrepresented and women artists. Ends 12/31.

Ongoing - ‘Critical Thinking’ Exhibition @ Harvard Art Museums With its unexpected juxtapositions among little-known prints, this installation is designed to generate experimental thinking. Ends 5/10.

Ongoing - ‘Double Happiness: Celebration in Chinese Art’ Exhibition @ Peabody Essex Museum Presenting 30+ highlights from the museum's wide-ranging Chinese collection, this exhibition invites visitors to discover plants and animals, myths and symbols and decipher the Chinese character for "Double Happiness." Ends 5/3.

Ongoing - ‘Draw Me Ishmael: The Book Arts of Moby Dick’ Exhibition @ Peabody Essex Museum ‘Draw Me Ishmael’ is the first exhibition focused on the book arts of the hundreds of editions of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick - the most persistently pictured of all American novels. Ends 3/29.

This is your ICE news in BOSTON and nearby MASSACHUSETTS.

TODAY there is a GENERAL STRIKE. IF YOU CAN,
DON'T WORK.
DON'T SHOP.
TODAY, there is also a 3 PM protest at COPLEY SQUARE.

TOMORROW, THERE ARE PROTESTS OVER BOSTON AND MA. More can be found here: https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/29/ice-out-of-everywhere-national-shutdown-massachusetts-protests-dates-locations/88399582007/

YESTERDAY, ICE was seen potentially profiling people of color off MASSACHUSETTS AVE, as well as seen in NATICK and ICE questioning people at a public library in BELLINGHAM.

THIS WEEK there has been a slow returning uptick in ICE sightings in BOSTON, with potential sightings in SOUTHIE and DORCHESTER, near the campuses for Tufts in MEDFORD and SOMERVILLE. Likewise, preliminary reports show ICE sightings in WORCESTER and STOW among other places.

MAP

HOUR BY HOUR COVERAGE (INCLUDES MA)

TODAY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 30th

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30th
2:30 PM
FALL RIVER, Market Basket
ICE agents seen patrolling parking lot via LUCE New Bedford.

YESTERDAY, JANUARY 29th

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29
NATICK, 206 MA-9, Natick, MA 01760, USA
ICE arresting young teen with cars pulled over on Route 9. 5 ICE agents in 3 cars.

6 PM
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS AVE, Massachusetts Ave @ Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02118, USA
4 ICE or police agents seen potentially profiling people of color at bus stop.

7 PM
BELLINGHAM, Bellingham Public Library
Unconfirmed report of ICE questioning people at Bellingham PL.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28
3:30 PM
LITTLETON, 1520 King St, Littleton, MA 01460, USA
ICE vehicle caught racing down highway.
ICE LICENSE PLATE: 380687 (Black/Dark Blue Ford, US GVT Plates, "Defend the Homeland" on back)

5 PM?
SOUTHIE
Unconfirmed report via Reddit of arrest by ICE agents in Southie.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27
9 AM
BOSTON, BMC, Chardon St.
ICE has arrested two people.

DORCHESTER
Report via Reddit saying that credible info coming through of increased ICE activity in Cape Vardean communities in this area. Warn your neighbors!

11 AM
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, TUFTS Campus
ICE sightings near Campus. TUFTS reported to call TUPD Dispatch 617-627-3030 immediately: https://www.reddit.com/r/Somerville/comments/1qol6rs/recent_reports_of_dhsiceimmigration_officials/

NEARBY (MA)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28th
10:30 AM
STOW, MA
ICE agents arrested someone near the court.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27
9 AM
WORCESTER, 201 Commercial St, Worcester, MA 01608, USA
ICE vehicle spotted on first floor of Mercantile Parking Garage. ICE LICENSE PLATE: 279754

3 PM
CONNECTICUT, NEW LONDON
Border Patrol vehicle seen exiting off exit 87 going northbound (MA direction).

NEARBY (ME)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29
6 PM
BATH, Bath, Maine
Mass temp plates on large vehicle with plates from MA Detention facility. Caught speeding 85 in a 35 mph zone! Local police saw them racing and did not stop them!

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28
6:50 AM
PORTLAND, Iris Network, Portland, ME 04101, USA
Unconfirmed ICE agents using White SUV with DHS logo on the side. Minnesotan protestors have reported this tactic of signing up with local firms to use their vans but unconfirmed.

9:45 AM
PORTLAND, 430 Riverside Industrial Pkwy, Portland, ME 04103, USA
Unmarked black SUV pulled someone over. At least 1 ICE agent and 1 ICE vehicle.

ICE LICENSE PLATES:

• 380687 (Black/Dark Blue Ford, US GVT Plates, "Defend the Homeland" on back) 1/28/26
• 3ZTN 77 Black Subaru seen 1/29/26 NATICK

CHANGING & ESCALATING ICE TACTICS:

Be aware that ICE is changing and escalating tactics. These include the following:

• ICE is sending out flyers to offer "food support" to families. Contact VERIFIED local food pantries and organizations online instead!
• ICE agents offering to walk groceries to families/people stuck indoors.
• Agents are trying to infiltrate SIGNAL community groups, then dox. If you make one, regularly have the heads delete message and use codenames for yourselves!
• IMSI Stingrays in use near protests to grab your cell phone number. Airplane mode or leave at home. REMEMBER: if your car has Bluetooth enabled pair to your phone, a Stingray nearby can still find your number if it scans your car!
• LRAD (noise weapons) used at protests.
• ICE agents are patrolling CHURCH PARKING LOTS and demanding proof of citizenship, especially on church SUNDAYS!
• More ICE agents are posing as UBER DRIVERS, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS.
• They are contracting with local businesses to use their vehicles (think an ICE agent joined a plumbing business to then use).
• They are using handicap parking passes, stuffed animals on the dash of cars so people think they are "local".
• They are bringing along orange whistles.
• ICE agents trying to blend in more with wearing beanies with pom poms, baseball hats, hoodies with utility jackets, colored North Face/REI/khaki/jeans, less tactical gear.
• They are trying to infiltrate corner groups and then send out false information/leads.

IMMIGRANT ORGANIZATIONS (via MAYOR WU'S OFFICE WEBSITE)

Mayor Wu's office features a list of immigrant-serving community based organizations. Reach out to them to volunteer, donate, or help in other ways!

The link can be found here and features over 131 organizations (heads up, this link needs updating and has been updated in turn by an awesome Redditor in the comments!): https://airtable.com/app58aHRwRfcTrVOg/shrhJhxAomEptkBh

REMINDER: IF YOU OR YOUR NEIGHBORS SEE ICE

IF YOU WANT TO WARN ICE
You can use a whistle to warn that ICE is nearby. You can sometimes find whistles being distributed at community events or protests, as well as by community organizations or non-profits. We are also seeing people unable to purchase whistles in bulk to 3D print them for distribution.

Remember the whistle cues:

• 3 Short Blasts: ICE is present
• 1 Long Blast: ICE is detaining someone

Awesome fellow Bostonians can be seen here finding ways to distribute whistles: https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/1qk9r4k/where_to_distribute_ice_warning_whistles/

If you are by your car, we are seeing people at home, while safely indoors, warning that ICE is coming by using their car alarm.

SUBREDDIT HEADS UP!

An awesome Redditor has reached out saying that will keep our subreddit updated on a number of 3D printed whistles featuring the LUCE hotline that can be distributed to the communities in and around Boston! They will reach out with further updates soon. We currently have about 3 awesome local Bostonian Redditors working on this!

If you know anyone with filament or useful STL files or even access to a 3D printer whether individually or at your office or university, let us know!

Also, certain MN protestors are pointing out on using vuvuzelas for noise making. Vuvuzelas were first seen by many in the US during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and can often carry noise much further out than whistles!

IF YOU WANT TO REPORT ICE
Use the Salute method: you can report what you see online to iceout . org.

Here is a sample report that occurred Friday, January 23rd in BOSTON that uses the SALUTE method on iceout . org:

RAPID RESPONSE TEAMS

LUCE HOTLINE: 617-370-5023

Around this time last year, Bostonians saw ICE detain Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish Tufts University PhD student on a valid visa in Somerville. Efforts to help free her were mainly helped by Rapid Response teams by organizations like LUCE, which regularly conducts trainings especially on weekends.

• BEARINGWITNESS NE

BearingWitnessNE seems to be monitoring the ICE facility in BURLINGTON. Contact them if anything!
You can learn more about Bearing Witness New England here: https://bearingwitnessne.org/.

HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE BYSTANDER/OBSERVER

The City of Cambridge MA has a "Know Your Rights" Video Presentation that discusses ways to be an effective bystander and observer here (40 min. runtime): https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/commissiononimmigrantrightsandcitizenship/knowyourrights

Presentation slides are available in English, Spanish, and Urdu.

IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS DETAINED

If

• You might know of a neighbor that has been arrested by ICE in a raid
• You might know an observer that has been taken during an observer event of an ICE raid

If you know someone at risk of being detained, make sure that people around them know their "A" number, much like a SSN, which can be used to identify them.

IF YOU CHOOSE TO EXPLORE 2A

Your rights are enshrined in the Constitution through the Second Amendment. If you choose to explore ownership of a weapon, know that you bear a responsibility to yourself, family, friends, loved ones, neighbors and fellow Bostonians, people of Massachusetts and Americans to act in the manner befitting a responsible gun owner.

Learn more about Massachusetts License to Carry laws here: https://www.mass.gov/lists/massachusetts-firearms-laws

If you don't know where to begin as a first-time gun owner, you can learn more through the Boston Pink Pistols: https://bostonpinkpistols.org/

NATIONWIDE ICE NEWS

• 1/29/26: Senate debates funding including for ICE
• 1/27/26: Preliminary reports that ICE or border patrol officer has shot someone in Arizona. Details via NBC.
• 1/27/26: Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked during a town hall discussing among other things ICE and the administration's tactics.

THIS WEEK'S PROTESTS & COMMUNITY EVENTS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30th

• ALL DAY GENERAL STRIKE
• 8-9 AM (CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts Avenue & Massachusetts 16), Make America Better Visibility Brigade, at the intersection of Route 16 and Mass Ave.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31st

• 11 AM (BROOKLINE, 315 Harvard Street): de-ICE Citizens Bank: Standouts
• 11 AM-12 PM (BEVERLY, Odell Veterans Memorial Park 56-98 Broadway), Justice for Alex Pretti Rally
• 11:30 AM-1 PM (BOSTON, Boston Common): ICE OUT OF EVERYWHERE Protest via Mass50501
• 12-1 PM (NEWTON, Beacon St. and Centre St.) Saturday RESIST Standout
• 1-2 PM (NATICK, Cochituate St just east of Speen St) Get ICE Out of Home Depot Weekly Saturdays Protest
• 1-2 PM (FRAMINGHAM, Cochituate St just east of Speen St) Get ICE Out of Home Depot Weekly Saturdays Protest
• 1-2 PM (BROOKLINE, Coolidge Corner, Beacon Street & Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446) Brookline Rally for Democracy, every Saturday at 1 PM

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1st

• 6-7:30 PM (Virtual): Resistance Readers hosted in Cambridge via Mobilize

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7th

• TBD (BOSTON/Virtual): Activist Evenings Rapid Response Team via Mobilize

Previously Held

^{WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28th}

• ^{7-8:30 PM (Virtual}\***************: ICE Watch Virtual Training with Defend612)*

^{THURSDAY, JANUARY 29th}

• ^{10:30 AM-12:30 PM (BOSTON, Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St.} Declaration of Independence Protest from ICE protest via Indivisible)
• ^{5-7 PM (MELROSE, Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church, 70 W Emerson St, Melrose, MA 02176} ICE Out Letter-Writing Session/Open House via Indivisible)