😎🍦 PSA: Free ice cream!!!

It’s Wednesday, Boston.

🚨 New month = new deals for B-Side Members. April’s batch includes: 10% off at Bardo’s Bar Pizza, $8 off Boston Single Mingle tickets, a whopping 50% off tickets to see comedian Joe Wong at The Wilbur, and MORE. Sign up here to take advantage!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Boston’s mayoral ballot shapes up

• Greenway food trucks return

• April Fools’!!!

Up first…

APRIL FREEBIES

Sailing and ice cream and beer … oh my!

Lock in, B-Siders. Your April freebies just dropped, and boy, is this month STACKED.

Here’s what’s going down:

🍦 Starting off strong: FREE ICE CREAM. April 8 marks Ben and Jerry’s annual Free Cone Day, and you bet your B-Side dollar we’ll be lining up to get ours. You can get a free scoop of whatever your heart desires from noon to 8 p.m. at participating shops, so double check your closest B&J’s here. 

🎟️ Sing for your … Boston Calling tickets? Calling all Kelly Clarkson and Sanjaya wannabes: Fenway’s Got Talent returns to Time Out Market starting April 10, where aspiring singers compete for the ultimate grand prize: two weekend passes to Boston Calling! Not performing? No problem! The event is still free to all!

🖼️ Put your student ID to WORK. That, plus a can-do attitude is all you need to get into the MFA’s College Night on April 10. And you won’t just find art inside. Think: Tons of free swag, a photo booth, friendship bracelet-making, musical performances, AND dessert. Remember: Tickets are available in person on a first-come, first-served basis.

📀 Celebrate National Record Store Day. Yes, we know that’s a CD emoji, but don’t let that stop you from showing your favorite vinyl-slinging shops some love on April 12. Bow Market’s Vinyl Index is throwing down with hundreds of Record Store Day 2025 titles available for the first time, while GOOD TASTE Records will be jamming to exclusive releases and live DJ sets.

🚲 Get your bike in gear. Literally! Head to Kendall/MIT’s Open Space on April 16 for free bike tune ups and safety checks from a Casa Bikes technician. But they’re not just stopping there. Expect a live hip-hop and R&B band, food trucks, and more — just because!

🧘 Chill tf out in the Boston Public Garden. That might sound like an oxymoron given the buskers and tourists, but it's definitely possible after you try this free outdoor guided meditation in the garden on April 18. Don’t forget to bring your own blanket!

🍺 Give Saturday brunch a boozy ending. We never met a free beer we didn’t like, and lucky for us, tons will be at Time Out Market’s Beer Fest Party on April 19. You can spend the afternoon sipping on craft beer from breweries around New England, snapping pics in the photobooth, and vibing out to the live DJ. Give us a 70-degree day and we could die happy. 

⛵ Set sail on the harbor. Didn’t know sailing was a sport because you went to public school? Curious about giving it a whirl? Courageous Sailing in Charlestown is offering free 20-minute sails on the harbor during its open house events on April 26 and 27. Even if you never sail again, the vibes alone seem worth it.

👀 Bonus: Don’t forget to read today’s One Last Thing section for an extra freebie. And no, it’s not an April Fools’ prank.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🗳️ Boston’s mayoral ballot is shaping up. After weeks of speculation, real estate developer Thomas O’Brien announced he’s NOT joining Boston’s mayoral race, meaning philanthropist-slash-billionaire’s son Josh Kraft remains Mayor Michelle Wu’s only major challenger. And it’s actually good news for Kraft, since he and O’Brien were likely after similar voting blocs. As for Wu, she’s set to launch her official reelection campaign this weekend; and between her endorsements and favorable polling, she has good reason to feel positive … for now, anyway. 

🚴 Want some free money for an e-bike? Great! Applications for e-bike vouchers from the city are now open. Yup, as long as you’re over 18, a resident of Boston, and are either over 60, have a disability, or are an income-eligible adult (check if you qualify here), you can apply for vouchers between $950 and $2,550 in value to put toward an e-bike and bicycle safety equipment. 1,000 vouchers will be given out via a random lottery, so you might as well throw your hat in the ring. 

😋 Your lunch break’s getting an upgrade. The Greenway’s food truck season is officially underway. For now, you can find them in Dewey Square and Rowes Wharf Plaza, but more locations will drop May 1. This year’s newbies include: Latin-soul-fusion spot Butter "UR" Biscuit, gastro-style Hungry Nomads, Mexican at Mi Corazón Taqueria, and West African eatery Suya Joint. Thankfully, some OGs (and B-Side faves) like Paisani and The Chicken & Rice Guys will be back for another round, too. You can check out the full rotation here.

🏳️‍🌈 This spring food fest is here and QUEER. It’s literally called the “Big Queer Food Fest,” after all. BQFF is making its debut as a full-scale food festival from April 28 to May 4, with the goal of bringing chefs, bartenders, and restaurateurs from across the country to Boston for a week of meetups, dinner (and tea) parties, discussions, and lots of yummy food and drink. Right now, tickets are only available for a select few events, including the finale, the Grand Tasting, but you can peep the full list of activations here.

POP QUIZ!

🤑 In the 2025-26 school year, how much will it cost per year to attend Wellesley College?

ONE LAST THING

April Fools’!!!

April Fools’ Day has come and gone, and, like clockwork, local officials and brands decided to get in on the pranking action. 

Cantabrigians will be happy to know that last year’s “MegaCambridge” bit is not over — in fact, the opposite. Cambridge City Councilor Burhan Azeem actually filed a resolution for Cambridge to annex Boston, and made some signage. It’s all likely a move to bolster his not-so-silly ambitions of improving coordination between local cities.

Meanwhile, Market Basket promoted a fake dance party night on IG (though, as commenters noted, it’s actually a fantastic idea), and Dunkin’ did a sort of anti-April Fools’ campaign, opting to give out a million(!) free coffees instead.

Speaking of, pro tip: If you used the code April 1 and never grabbed a coffee, you can redeem it until April 8.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

☕ Thanks for reading! Although, based on the language in Dunkin’s press release, we have reason to believe the other shoe’s gonna drop.

🎤 The results are in: 47% of readers said they’d pay up to $250 to see their fave in concert, and 13% would pay over $500! One reader said: “We don't talk about how much I spent on the Eras Tour.” 

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