Things to do this in Boston this week: Apr 28-May 4

The first of its kind, the Big Queer Food Fest is the largest celebration of the LGBTQIA+ culinary community in Boston. The week-long festival celebrates LGBTQIA+ chefs, winemakers, distillers, brewers, authors, and purveyors from Boston and beyond by featuring culinary and community happenings throughout the city. Events include chef dinners, queer parties, happy hours, and discussions with chefs and authors, such as the Queer Beer Meet up at Dorchester Brewing Co., "Girl peas! Why Queer Food Matters," the Big Queer Tea Party, and "Serving the Look: Queer Identity and Food Photography and Storytelling." The full week's schedule can be found here, kicking off with the Opening Night Sizzle at Sweet Cheeks Q on April 28 and culminating in a weekend of Grand Tasting days on May 3 and 4 from 1pm to 4pm at High Street Market (don't miss Sunday for a special drag queen edition).

Looking for the perfect volunteer opportunity? The 18th Annual Volunteer Expo seeks to assist local nonprofit organizations in their search for volunteers by allowing attendees to interact with representatives from nonprofit organizations looking for volunteers. Located in the Huntington Arcade of the Prudential Center on April 30 from 4:30-6:30pm, there will be organizations in Arts and Culture, Diversity and Inclusion, Education and Research, Environment and Animals, Human Services, Women’s Services, and Youth Services.

Karma Asian Fusion welcomes a rare evening of flavor and discovery in Winchester's Historic District on April 30  from 5:30-7pm. Internationally acclaimed Sake Sommelier Miho Komatsu is hosting a private Sake & Hatozaki Whiskey Masterclass. Traveling from Japan exclusively for this event, Komatsu will guide an intimate tasting of four premium sakes and four rare Japanese whiskeys, perfectly paired with curated small bites by Karma's culinary team. Armed with a Grand Diploma from Le Cordon Bleu, WSET certification, and a global reputation in Japanese spirits and fine dining, this master will involve you in a unique hands-on, immersive tasting.

With Derby Day race excitement galloping into the city, Trifecta at Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street hosts its Kentucky Derby Tea full of Southern charm, signature cocktails, and steaming cups of teas. The hotel's beloved Afternoon Tea goes Derby on May 3 with bourbon cocktails, race day attire (with prizes for best hat), live music, and more. Serving up classic J'enwey tea and pastries alongside cocktails from Michter's Whiskey including Thai Basil Julep and Pimm's Cup, Trifecta will offer three seatings (11am, 12:45pm and 2:30pm). In the evening, specialty cocktails will be available to enjoy alongside screening of the race. Reservations via OpenTable.

If they want to go to see one of today’s most influential motivational experts, a New York Times best-selling author, and a podcast host, then let them (and join them!). Following incredible fan demand for her first round of shows, Mel Robbins has extended her inaugural global tour  — Let Them The Tour – adding a second and third show in Boston. One of the most followed and sought after experts in mindset, behavior change, and life improvement, Robbin begins her tour with a three-night stint at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston from May 1-3. 

Don your finest fascinators and fedoras and head over the Revere Hotel for Derby Day on May 3. This exclusive party in the Lantern Lounge, a sleek and intimate space next to Rooftop@Revere, is from 4-8pm high high above the city on Boston’s largest rooftop. Your ticket includes two Woodford Reserve Mint Juleps (the hotel’s spirited nod to the famed Derby drink) and a curated selection of small bites from their all-new summer menu. There will be live coverage of the big race on the big screen, and a hat contest with a grand prize of an overnight stay at Revere Hotel for the most fabulous Derby Day look.  

Noted for her powerful bluesy contralto voice and her place at the frontwoman for synth pop new wave British band Yazoo, Alison Moyet hits the stage solo at Big Night Live for a show on May 3 at 6pm. While she'll hit a few of the famous hits from the band's two albums, Upstairs at Eric's and You and Me Both (yes, you'll more than likely hear "Only You", "Don't Go", "Situation" and "Nobody's Diary"), her distinctive, passionate voice will also wrap itself around her own music, including songs from Key, her 10th studio album - a collection of 16 reworked singles and deep cuts released to celebrate 40 years as a solo artist.

On Wednesday we wear pink. And April 29 to May 4, we visit the Emerson Colonial Theatre to see Mean Girls, a hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) and original director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Soon, this naïve newbie falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung. Performance times are April 29, 30, and May 1 at 7:30pm, May 2 at 8pm, May 3 at 1pm and 8pm, and May at 1pm and 6:30pm. 

For the past 40 years, this annual spring celebration has celebrated emerging artists from a wide variety of crowd-pleasing genres. This year, they take on the ‘70s with modern twists on classic rock, the timeless hits of Fleetwood Mac, and tunes highlighting the ever popular yacht rock. The legendary venue Passim will also showcase artists from the Folk Collective on the Rachael Solem Memorial Stage, and dance lovers are not to miss more than 30 troupes on the Deborah Mason Dance Stage. The 3rd Annual Asian Street Food and Music Festival will also share the neighborhood, with an Asian cultural fashion show, performers, live bands, and dancers.

Part telephone hotline, part vinyl record, and part live performance, Utopian Hotline uses real voicemails left on a public hotline to create a moment of community — inviting audience members to re-imagine our shared future. A cosmic conversation with Theater Mitu’s latest creation and inspired by the 1977 NASA Voyager mission (the launch of a vinyl-style recording of sounds found on Earth into space), as well as Covid-19 pandemic uncertainty and isolation, this experimental performance asks: what would our next message into the distant future be? This collaborative performance from May 1-18 is done in partnership with SETI Institute, Arizona State University’s Interplanetary Initiative, and Brooklyn Independent Middle School.