Small Business Saturday + Holiday Markets And 7 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.

Saturday is a crucial day for independently owned local businesses. It’s Small Business Saturday, the kickoff to “shop small” events that emphasize the power of dollars spent in local communities.

Founded by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday is sandwiched between the major Black Friday retail shopping holiday, which tends to favor national brands, and Cyber Monday, an online shopping event that this year takes place on Dec. 1.

Since it started in 2010, consumers have reported spending an estimated $210 billion at small businesses across all 15 Small Business Saturdays combined.

There are 756,096 small businesses in Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2025 state profiles.

That means 99.5 percent of all Massachusetts businesses are small businesses, and those places employ nearly 45 percent of the state's workforce, or 1.5 million people.

Patch editors across Massachusetts have written about local businesses participating. Check your local site for details.

Here's what else is on the calendar this weekend in Massachusetts:

Friday

• SoWa Winter Festival at SoWa Power Station — Boston
• Snowport — Boston
• Boston Ballet's "The Nutcracker" at Citizens Opera House — Boston
• Belly at Paradise Rock Club — Boston

Saturday

• Holiday Drone Show at Boston Common — Boston
• Vundabar at The Sinclair — Cambridge

Sunday

• Earl Sweatshirt at Big Night Live — Boston