Mass Beer Week + Amherst Lit Fest And 20 MA Events This Weekend

MASSACHUSETTS — It isn't so much a question of what there is to do in the Boston area and beyond, but rather, what should locals do?

Welcome to Patch's latest weekly roundup of highlight-worthy events across the city and surrounding areas. We've compiled them into one, easy-to-follow list, for your weekend planning.

This weekend, Amherst College will host its now decade-long annual Lit Fest, with the headliner set for Friday.

A special film screening of "American Fiction" is slated for 3 p.m. with a panel including writer and director Cord Jefferson, lead actor Jeffrey Wright and Percival Everett, author of Erasure, the novel upon which the film is based, to take place after.

The festival continues through Sunday at the college with a lineup of speakers that include Anthony Fauci and Pulitzer Prize winner Brandon Som.

This weekend also marks the return of Mass Beer Week, the annual celebration of the local brewing industry.

Mass Beer Week runs from March 1-8, bringing together breweries, bars, restaurants and retailers across the state to celebrate Massachusetts-made craft beer. The weeklong event features exclusive beer releases, tastings, live entertainment, brewery tours and special events designed for craft beer enthusiasts and casual drinkers alike.

• Read more: What To Know As Mass Beer Week Returns For 2025: MA Cheap Eats

Here's what else to know this weekend:

Friday

• Amherst College 10th Annual Lit Fest(through Sunday) — Amherst
• Celebrity Series of Boston presents Lang Lang, piano at Symphony Hall — Boston
• Maro + Nasaya at Brighton Music Hall — Boston
• Parmalee at House of Blues — Boston
• Taylor Tomlinson at The Wang Theatre (through Sunday) — Boston
• Bevis Frond at Crystal Ballroom — Somerville
• Zachariah Porter at Chevalier Theatre — Medford
• Conference of the Birds at Arrow Street Arts — Cambridge

Saturday

• Columbus Crew at New England Revolution — Foxboro
• David Shaw at Brighton Music Hall — Boston
• DJ Pauly D at Big Night Live — Boston
• Thievery Corporation at House of Blues — Boston
• Small Mart at Crystal Ballroom — Somerville
• All Shall Perish at Palladium — Worcester
• Matt Nathanson at Chevalier Theatre — Medford
• Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve at The Cabot — Beverly
• VARVARA at The Dance Complex (Saturday and Sunday) — Cambridge
• New Philharmonia Orchestra at Grace Church — Newton

Sunday

• Shilpi Suneja: House of Caravans at Newtonville Books — Newton
• Dwllrs at The Sinclair — Cambridge

If you would like to submit an event for consideration, email montana.samuels@patch.com.