📝 Your long weekend to-do list

Happy Friday, Boston.

😅 Another February day, another record-breaking temperature. Boston hit 62 degrees before noon on Thursday, breaking the previous daily record of 60 degrees, set in 1882 and 1910. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Affordable housing boost

• Pride parade returns

• Boston bach parties

Up first…

THINGS TO DO

Presidents’ Day plans

Happy Presidents’ Day weekend! A.k.a. the long weekend you always forget about but are pleasantly surprised by. Here are a few ways to spend it: 

💖 Celebrating a belated V-Day? Check out the Love’s a Joke comedy show at Laugh Boston in Southie. It’s basically an hour-and-a-half of the country’s best comedy couples dishing their thoughts on marriage, sex, and who (or what) they fantasize about when their partner isn’t looking. Tickets are $33. 

🎭 Mardi Gras > Presidents’ Day. Dorchester Brewing Company is back with the Mass. Ave. Mardi Gras party this Saturday. There will be live jazz music from Boston-based Colescott Rubin & His Red Hots, an all-day masquerade contest, food and drink specials, and yes, a King Cake Baby Jesus contest. Plus, there’s no cover!

🍸 DIY your own cocktail crawl. Boston Chefs put together a great list of cozy cocktails to try in the Boston area, and it’s full of inventive spiked hot chocolates and hot toddies. And while we’re on the theme of fun drinks, just a quick PSA that McDonald’s Shamrock Shake is back on Monday. 

📼 Bop around Retromania. That’s the Brighton Bazaar’s weekend-long expo of retrospective goods (think anything vintage or vinyl). If it’s an item that’s 20 years or older, they probably have it. It’s also considered a “sip and shop” event, so you can grab a drink while you browse. Tickets are $10 online and $15 at the door. 

🍪 Become a Girl Scout cookie connoisseur. Bone Up Brewing Company in Everett is hosting a Girl Scout cookie and beer pairing event this weekend. Some of the pairings include Thin Mints with an amber ale and Peanut Butter Patties with an IPA. And yes, a local troop will be there selling cookies.

P.S. It’s the last Monday holiday until Patriots Day, so soak it up!

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🏠 Affordable housing gets a boost. Mayor Wu ticked another item off her agenda this week after rolling out an ambitious $67 million plan to increase Boston’s affordable housing supply. The plan will create and preserve over 800 income-restricted units across the city. And these units will be available for rent and purchase across Allston, Chinatown, Dorchester, JP, Mattapan, Mission Hill, Roxbury, and South Boston, with 160 of them income-restricted for seniors. 

💸 Will Mass. raise the minimum wage? Gov. Healey will get back to you on that one. She was noncommittal when asked during an interview on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” this week. Mass.’ $15 minimum wage went into effect at the beginning of this year. And while it’s one of the highest in the nation, it’s still not enough for a living wage. Healey hinted at focusing on other affordability issues like housing and child care and added that her tax proposal (which should roll out in March) will also encompass affordability. 

🏳️‍🌈 Boston’s Pride parade is back. For the first time since 2019, the parade and festival will return to Boston Common and City Hall on June 10. The events will be organized by Boston Pride For The People this year instead of Boston Pride, as they dissolved in 2021 after volunteers resigned amid criticism of the group’s lack of racial and transgender inclusion. Folks interested in volunteering for the event can sign up here. 

🍻 Boston Common is getting a beer garden. The corner of the Common that’s known for the faint sound of the Boylston wheel squeal will soon be home to a partnership between Emerson College and Trillium Brewing. The city awarded them the rights to open for a 420-seat beer garden with a stage for live performances that will feature local artists and Emerson students. It’s expected to open May 1 and operate through Nov. 1.

ONE LAST THING

Boston bach parties

If you’ve written Boston off as a city to host your bachelorette party, think again.

Boston came in at No. 22 on a list of 2023’s Best Bachelorette Party Destinations. The Globe reported on this survey, commissioned by a *checks notes* lawn care company for their segment “Survey Says,” featuring random and absurd surveys in the world of travel. 

Miami topped the list, but if you're looking for another Mass. city to hold a bachelorette in, Worcester is listed as No. 86, and Springfield was ranked 106.

🎉 Thanks for reading! A bachelorette party in Worcester actually sounds kind of lit.

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

Note: We’re taking off for the long weekend, so we’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday.