Boston
A basement theater is somehow the perfect setting for the dark humor spewing from the mouths of this offbeat crew. No topic is too touchy, no politics too…
Must-see entertainment in Massachusetts
Kenmore Square & Fenway
Playing out of the delightful Symphony Hall, the Boston Pops arranges crowd-pleasers for the orchestra to tackle, including Christmas carols, movie scores…
Cambridge
George Longy was an oboist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra before he decided to found the Longy School of Music in 1915. Now more than a century old,…
South End & Chinatown
This beautiful beaux-arts-style opera house dates to 1903. A century after its construction, the theater was sumptuously renovated and reopened by Emerson…
Streetcar Suburbs
A great smaller venue, owned and operated by Crossroads (the force behind the Paradise Rock Club and House of Blues). Attracts good local bands, some cool…
Cambridge
The Brattle is a film lover’s cinema paradiso. Film noir, independent films and series that celebrate directors or periods are shown regularly in this…
Boston
The funny guys over at Improv Asylum decided that Boston needed a few more laughs, so they opened this premier, stand-up comedy club in the Westin Hotel…
Boston's Western Suburbs
The Lowell Spinners, a Class A organization, is a Red Sox feeder team. Locally, it plays at this park, which is north of the center on the Merrimack River…
Cambridge
This group has been making things up and making people laugh for more than a quarter of a century. Nowadays, the troupe's funny shows feature not just…
Pioneer Valley
Opened in 2018, the MGM casino complex features an outdoor plaza and events space centered on the refurbished state armory, a building dating from 1895…
Nantucket
This former fried-chicken shack has evolved into a roadhouse for live jazz and blues. Actually, depending on who's on the island, these days it can cover…
The Berkshires
This renowned company often updates the Bard's plays to a contemporary setting, which is a fun twist. The company stages plays in its three on-site…
Streetcar Suburbs
A music palace for rock and indie. Get up close and personal with the bands, hang out with them after sets and buy them some beers. The sound system is…
Cape Cod
Whether you're looking to take in a musical or learn the basics of landscape painting, the overflowing calendar of events at the Cotuit Center For the…
Boston
This art deco masterpiece, restored by Emerson College, reopened in 2010. Originally a 1700-seat, single-screen cinema, it was owned by Paramount Pictures…
Massachusetts
This club across from the train station is the best place on Cape Ann to hear live music, with performances six nights a week, plus a 'sea chantey' sing…
Springfield Symphony Orchestra
Pioneer Valley
This respected symphony orchestra – New England's largest outside of Boston – does monthly performances at Symphony Hall. The repertoire is diverse,…
South End & Chinatown
With 1600 seats, the Shubert is smaller and more intimate than some of the other Theater District venues, thus earning the moniker ‘Little Princess.' The…
South End & Chinatown
Head to this dive on a dark side street to experience the gay culture of the South End before gentrification took over. A shaded-lamp and pool-table kind…
Back Bay
The performance hall at this notable music college hosts a wide variety of performances, from high-energy jazz recitals and songs by smoky-throated…
Kenmore Square & Fenway
Founded in 1867, the NEC is the country’s oldest music school. The conservatory hosts professional and student chamber and orchestral concerts in the…
Pioneer Valley
This balconied theater is one of the oldest movie houses in the USA (1890), and one of the most beautiful. It shows first-run independent films, plus…
Boston
TD Garden is home to the NHL Boston Bruins, who play hockey here from September to June, and the NBA Boston Celtics, who play basketball from October to…
Pioneer Valley
The town's top venue for folk, rock and jazz with performers from Judy Collins to Dar Williams. Table seating means the atmosphere is pretty relaxed,…
Cambridge
First-rate small venue to hear live music. The acoustics are excellent and the mezzanine level allows you to escape the crowds on the floor. The club…
Pioneer Valley
This restored movie house hosts big-name performances with everything from hot rock and indie bands to comedy shows. The Gilded Era decor is pretty fancy,…
Boston
A white sail-like tent with sweeping harbor views, this is a great venue for summer concerts. It seats about 5000 people, so you can actually see the…
Pioneer Valley
This striking concert hall is the region's largest venue, located on the University of Massachusetts campus. It offers a full program of classical and…
Nantucket
Nantucket's 90-seat theater screens indie and other award-winning films. It's also a venue for live entertainment on summer weekends. It's attached to a…
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
The Berkshires
Culture vultures will find an eclectic menu of events at this classic theater, from jazz vocals to classic movies and modern dance.
Cambridge
The Middle East is as good as the bands it books, which means it varies wildly. This is the preferred venue for local garage bands (hit or miss, by…
Kenmore Square & Fenway
This legendary place was originally founded by Dan Aykroyd and Isaac Tigrett in a historic house in Harvard Square. Now the slick Fenway venue is bigger…
Cambridge
Why does Boston have such clean jazz clubs? Regattabar looks just like a conference room in a hotel – in this case the Charles Hotel. Despite the…
Cambridge
The Cantab is one of the neighborhood's divier dives (and that's saying something in Central Sq). But the eclectic music lineup attracts an awesome mixed…
Pioneer Valley
This bustling deli cafe typically has live music four times a week, though not necessarily at night. Knock back some coffee and a bagel with some Sunday…
Landmark Kendall Square Cinema
Cambridge
This cinema with steeply sloped seating screens popular foreign films and the usual collection of hits from the Sundance Festival. New releases sell out…
Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater
Cape Cod
WHAT's happening! The Cape's most celebrated theater always has something going on in its state-of-the-art Julie Harris Stage. The contemporary,…
Streetcar Suburbs
A mature music experience, this club books big names (David Sanborn, Dr John, Michael Franks) in a small room. That said, it lacks the grit you might…
Cape Cod
A well-regarded summer stage of college students from across the country who hope to make a career in musical theater. Expect Broadway and light-opera…
