🎡 Boston Calling dos and don’ts

Happy Friday, Boston!

🔥 Boston’s hottest club might be a new … grocery store? Based on this line of people waiting to get inside Thursday, you’d think it was The Grand. Odds are the grocery story probably has a better nightlife scene …

📝 Programming note: We’re off for Memorial Day, but we’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday. Enjoy the long weekend!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Harvard graduation protests

• Hurricane season forecast

• Adopt a designer dog

Up first…

ARTS & CULTURE

Your guide to Boston Calling

Boston’s ultimate concert weekend has arrived. Boston Calling, the three-day music festival at Harvard’s Athletic Complex, kicks off today with a B-Side Certified lineup and some pretty glorious weather on deck. 

Here’s what to know (even if you’re not going):

🎤 IMO, this year’s lineup is KILLER(s). From well-loved hitmakers like Ed Sheeran, The Killers, and Hozier, to Gen Z icons like Megan Thee Stallion, Renée Rapp, and Chappell Roan, there’s a little something for everyone. And don’t sleep on the festival’s lineup of local acts. We put together a vibe check for Divine Sweater, Billy Dean Thomas, and Paper Lady. See the full festival lineup and schedule here.

🍕 The food lineup will also be stacked. Most bites and sips will come from local businesses, including staples like Flour Bakery, Chicken & Rice Guys, and Dumpling Daughter, as well as newbies like Ricen, Shaking Crab, and The MacBar. If you don’t want to shell out, don’t miss the free Jersey Mike’s subs (as long as you download their app) and Dunkin’s House of Dunkin’ for free iced coffee, munchkins, and giveaways. Check out all the vendors here.

🎟️ Feeling a little FOMO? There are still GA tickets left for all three days, which start at $196 for one-day pass, or $392 for three days. And if you’re feeling fiscally irresponsible, there are still GA+, VIP, and platinum tickets available (the latter of which starts at $1,399 for one day). 

🎒 If you’re going, leave your backpacks and cars at home. The best way to get the latest is through the festival’s app. And for other nitty-gritty information like how to get there (take the Red Line to Harvard Square); which bags are allowed (backpacks are out; some water vests are in); and what items are allowed in the gates (yes to empty water bottles; no to frisbees); you can find it all on this FAQ page.

🚗 Even if you’re not going, you may still have to contend with traffic. TL;DR: If you can, don’t drive near Harvard. Starting at 9 p.m. on festival days, Allston’s North Harvard Street will be closed, and Cambridge Police are also planning a slew of other closures on Mass. Ave., JFK Street, Mount Auburn Street, Palmer Street, and more.  

🎶 If you still need some help getting hyped up … We made a B-Side Certified Boston Calling playlist with our team’s favorite songs and artists.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🎓 Hundreds of Harvard students walked out of graduation. Capping off a school year marked by intense campus unrest over the Israel-Hamas conflict, hundreds of graduating students and some faculty members walked out of the ceremony in protest on Thursday, wearing keffiyehs, waving Palestinian flags, and chanting. Commencement celebrations came just a day after the school’s governing board voted to prevent 13 students who participated in the three-week pro-Palestinian encampment in Harvard Yard from receiving their degrees. 

🚃 No Charlie Card? No problem. Riders will soon be able to tap their smartphones or credit cards to pay to ride the T. The rollout of the T’s new fare system has been years in the making. The tap-through option should be available this summer on subway fare gates, buses, and above-ground Green Line trolleys, followed by the roll out of new Charlie Cards in 2025, and tap-through payments on ferries and the commuter rail in 2026. And just like that, the MBTA finally joins the 21st century.

🌀 Look out for a busy hurricane season. Thanks to a brewing La Niña and record-high ocean temps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts Mass. and other coastal regions will see one of the most aggressive hurricane seasons on record. From June 1 through Nov. 30, NOAA expects 17 to 25 named tropical storms will form in the Atlantic Ocean, with eight to 13 of them strengthening to hurricanes. For context, the average number of named storms in a typical season is 14, with two usually making landfall.

 🛒 New Trader Joe’s check. The new TJ’s location in Back Bay is officially open for biz (see: this line of people mentioned above waiting to get in). This will be the store’s second location in the neighborhood, but considering that the first is the self-proclaimed smallest Trader Joe’s “in the known universe,” this larger locale might be a welcome addition. Plus, this is going to be the second Boston location to serve alcohol, and just the ninth in Mass. The new location can be found at 500 Boylston St.

QUICK QUESTION

🎓 Do you think Harvard students should have walked out of graduation?

THINGS TO DO

Long weekend plans

🖼️ Visit the MFA and ICA for free. Both museums are opening their doors to the public on Memorial Day, but remember: Free ICA tickets require advance registration and you must be a Mass. resident with a valid ID to get into the MFA. 

🇺🇸 Honor the fallen at Boston’s flag garden. The Common will be covered in a breathtaking tribute of over 37,000 American flags this weekend, representing the brave people who gave their lives defending our country. 

🥪 Snack on some of the best sammies around. The Drop Clock Club is hitting up Michael’s Deli in Brookline this Saturday for a local food crawl packed with dishes from knishes to sandwiches.

🍹 Start summer with a spritz. The outdoor patio game is strong at the Speedway this Saturday, featuring three patio spritz bars, a sangria spritz, live music, pizza, and a flower bar. And admission is FREE.

🏀 Watch the C’s in Game 3. The journey to the NBA Finals continues this week, and we’re watching it all go down on the waterfront at The Anchor’s Saturday night watch party.

🍻 Stretch out for a stout. $15 gets you a Sunday morning yoga class at Night Shift Brewing followed by a beer, non-alcoholic bev, or cold brew of your choice. 

💏 Mingle with other singles. This mixer-style event will ease the awkwardness of flirting with strangers with its signature jigsaw bingo activity, custom conversation cards, and cocktails. 

🎨 See Boston’s best art outside the museum. This Sunday afternoon walking tour with an expert guide will reveal some of the best street art and graffiti in the city.

ONE LAST THING

Save a designer dog

It’s not every day you find a doodle at an animal shelter. But today is not every day.

Mutts and other mixed breeds are normally the stars at local animal shelters, but after 22 designer dogs were rescued from overcrowded puppy mills this past weekend — including everything from Cocker Spaniels, to Papillons, to Havaneses, and by the looks of it, some doodle types — MSPCA-Angell announced that some of those pups are now available for adoption.

While these fur babies look as sweet as can be, Mike Keiley, vice president of the MSPCA’s Animal Protection Division, reminds us that “dogs in these situations often have specific behavior needs, so their future adopters may need to be very patient with them.” After all, they’re still adjusting after a tough start.

If any of these dogs speak to you, you can visit the Northeast Animal Shelter during open hours to adopt, and see all the available dogs up for adoption here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🐶 Thanks for reading! Violet, you’re coming home with me. 

🚗 The results are in: 33% of respondents from Thursday’s poll said they only use rideshare services once or twice a month. But one weekly rideshare user offered a great point: “Beats the costs of owning a car in Boston.”

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].