It’s the first Friday of 2022 so that means you’ll find us at SoWa’s First Friday festivities.

SoWa First Friday is a celebration of local artists and studios in Boston’s art and design district that happens on the first Friday of every month. There are 20+ galleries inside a two block radius, meaning there is something for everyone.

Tonight from 5-9 p.m., plan to visit and explore the open galleries and studios for free. There is parking available, or you can take public transportation to the Broadway, Tufts, and Back Bay MBTA stations, in addition to the Silver Line.

When you get there (530 Harrison Ave.), expect to be greeted by the artists and explore these receptions:

SoWa Artist Guild — Various artists from 5-9 p.m.
Fountain Street Gallery — The Space for Maybe, Core member exhibition from 5-8 p.m.
Boston Sculptors Gallery — Nancy Selvage: Solstice and Kenson Truong: Bespoke from 5-8:30 p.m.
Bromfield Gallery — Virginia Mahoney: Shielded State and Anne Birutė Harris: PEAK from 6-8 p.m.
Gallery Kayafas — Refuge + events in a field from 5:30-8 p.m.
Howard Yezerski Gallery — Sally B. Moore selected works from 5-8 p.m.
Kingston Gallery — Jennifer Moses: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Antoinette M. Winters: Once upon a time…, and Chantal Zakari: The Bookshop is open from 5-8 p.m.

Organizers will be enforcing social distancing rules and have limited capacity in each space. Be sure to check in with your favorite shops and galleries to double check their hours and what guidelines they’ll be enforcing.

If you want to Gogh on more artsy adventures, stop by the Immersve Van Gogh exhibit at the SoWa Power Station. Tickets are still available early in the day and start at $39.

Hungry to explore more of the area? Support local restaurants within walking distance of the action. Here is a running list of all the award winning restaurants + cafes in the area.

EVENTS

Today

Boston Symphony Orchestra | Thurs., Jan. 6-Sat., Jan. 8 | Times vary | Boston Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave. | $51+ | Conductor Andris Nelsons leads the Boston Symphony through a performance that includes HK Gruber, Mozart, and Prokofiev. 🎻

Saturday

Naughty Doctors Comedy Showcase | Sat., Jan. 8 | 10 p.m. | Sixth Gear — Cask & Kitchen, 81 L St. | $10 | Take a night to laugh with hosts Dan Reardon + Dave Caggiano.
Kick It! | Wed., Jan. 8 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. | Night Shift Brewing, Everett | $20+ | Tickets for the award-winning fitness class include one beer or non-alcoholic drink.

Sunday

WWE Supershow | Sun., Jan. 9 | 5 p.m. | TD Garden | $26.50+ | Kicking off the new year with six WWE championship matches live in Boston.
Paint N' Pour | Sun., Jan. 9 | 4-6 p.m. | The Aeronaut Cannery, 199 Ashland St., Everett | $40 | Tickets include the canvas, gloves, paint, and special attention from the artist Rahim.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

MORE WEEKEND EVENTS HERE

NEWS NOTES

Weather

32º | Snow | 100% chance of precipitation ❄️

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 7:13 a.m.
Set: 4:27 p.m.

Development

The newly established Jack Kerouac Foundation announced plans this week to create the Jack Kerouac Museum and Performance Center. The foundation hopes to transform the St. Jean Baptiste Church in his hometown of Lowell, which could cost up to $15 million. (Boston Globe)

Edu

Students + parents — prepare for the first snow day of 2022. Boston Public Schools will be closed today ahead of the winter storm that is expected to deliver eight inches of snow to the area. (Boston Globe)

Health

Fenway Park has reopened as a walk-in mass vaccine site for those 5 and older. It’s one of the largest vaccine clinics in the state with the ability to distribute 1,300 vaccines a day. Appointments can be made here. (NBC 10)

Eat

Good news for plant-based eaters. Thrillist shared a list of 19 plant-based options to try in the Greater Boston area. The round up features everything from finer dining choices to an Asian selection and even a taco shop. 🥬

Read

If you are looking to shuck things up in the kitchen — try a new recipe from The Row 34 Cookbook: Stories and Recipes from a Neighborhood Oyster Bar by Chef Jeremy Sewall. This is the chef’s third book and includes instructions on everything from how to navigate a fish market to tutorials on smoking fish. 📚 (WCVB 5)

Number

3,400. That’s the number of meals the Community Servings kitchen serves up daily. The Jamaica Plain-based nonprofit is in need of up to 70 volunteers for their kitchen to prepare the meals for people living with chronic and critical illness. Volunteers must be at least 13 years old and complete an orientation session. Sign up online. 🍽️

Job

We're hiring a Sales Executive to lead our advertising relationships in Boston. This executive would oversee the entire Boston territory, pitching the most relevant + modern media offering in town while earning $100k+ with unlimited PTO. If you’d like to be considered or know someone we should, learn more + apply here.

*This paid content, brought to you by our advertising partners, helps make this newsletter free.

📸 @theMBTA

Did you know this MBTA trivia? The colors were selected for the Blue, Green, Red, and Orange line for these reasons:

Blue: Routes along the coast and under the Boston Harbor.

Green: Take riders along the Emerald Necklace.

Red: Ends up at Harvard, where the university’s color happens to be crimson.

Orange: Rumored to have been named after its original route, which was along Orange Street.

View all the MBTA routes here.

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THE WRAP

Editor's Pick: I don’t know about you all but I love biscuits, even more so when they are free. Pro tip: if you decide to lace up your skates and take a spin on the ice at The Rink at 401 Park, you can trade in your skating pass for a free buttermilk biscuit from Sweet Cheeks BBQ (with the purchase of a tray, sandwich or main course). Be sure to keep your skating pass handy and don’t miss the honey butter.

Missed yesterday's newsletter? Stay up to date on these upcoming developments.