😋🏳️‍🌈 This food festival is gonna EAT

It’s Monday, Boston.

⚾ The energy we’re channeling for this week: Red Sox player Jarren Duran successfully stealing home plate — one of the hardest moves in baseball — against the Guardians on Saturday. Watch this clip (with volume) to hype yourself up before work.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• The MBTA is watching you

• Drake Maye’s new bestie

• Crocheting with Crochet

Up first…

FOOD & DRINK

How to taste the rainbow

If you’re going to a food festival, you’re gonna eat. But if you’re going to Big Queer Food Festival, you’re gonna EAT.

The first multi-day food fest centered around the LGBTQ+ community is coming to Boston from April 28 to May 4. Here’s what to know:

🏳️‍🌈 The vision: Celebrate queer folks in the culinary industry. BQFF was born out of a realization that there was “a space missing, and … a lot of stories untold” by queer folks in the food and drink industry, said co-founder Chad Hahne. The goal is to chip away at that gap by providing “a space where people in the hospitality and culinary community [can] be unapologetically queer,” that also doubles as a platform to share their work with a wide audience. 

😋 The vibe: A choose-your-own-adventure of foodie events across Boston. Think: A weekend kickoff party at Dani’s Queer Bar, a “Serving the Look” food photography panel, a cocktail competition at Shore Leave, a tea party at the Boston Tea Party museum, happy hour-style meetups, and a two-day swanky grand tasting. Bonus: They’ll be hosted by your faves from Bon Appétit’s YouTube glory days (R.I.P.), the Food Network, RuPaul’s Drag Race (hi, Jujubee!), and the local food scene. Here’s the full schedule.

💸 There are options for every price point. If you love a freebie, try one of the meetups, the kickoff party, a panel, or the cocktail contest (though RSVPs are appreciated). Feeling a splurge? The opening night sizzle is $50, the tea party will run you $75, the Grand Tasting is around $95, and a bougie celeb chef dinner starts at $250.

⭐ Hahne’s rec? The Grand Tasting, ofc. Yes, $95 is a lil’ spendy. But according to Hahne, between the performers, music, and unlimited bites and sips from the best chefs in the country, it’s the week’s best bang for your buck.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Not queer? There’s plenty of room at the table. Though the goal of BQFF is to center the LGBTQ+ community, Hahne said the festival is open to all. “Food brings everyone together at the table at the end of the day anyways … it's really about finding community and connection and inspiration.”

🎟️ Want a taste? You can find more info and tickets to all the events here. Pro tip: Use code BQFF15OFF for 15% off your tickets!

TOGETHER WITH MEET BOSTON

Chronically online and professionally unemployed?

💼 This is your sign to re-enter the job market (and no, opening LinkedIn doesn’t count). The Meet Boston Regional Career Fair is happening April 29 at the Hyatt Regency Downtown, and it’s stacked with employers from hospitality, tourism, sports, and more. Show up, chat face-to-face, and maybe even walk away with a new boss (or, at the very least, a business card). Free headshots with pro hair and makeup are included — so you can look the part while you land the role. Register now and give your résumé the redemption arc it deserves.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🏈 Drake Maye just got a new bestie. The NFL draft has come and gone, and the Pats did … pretty good! The biggest get was No. 4 pick Will Campbell, a short-armed but talented offensive tackle from LSU, who secured his spot by beating up coach Mike Vrabel. This hopefully means our superstar-in-the-making QB Drake Maye will take a few (dozen) less sackings. Besides Campbell, the Pats nabbed Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson, Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams, and even this year’s “Mr. Irrelevant” (the 257th and final pick), Memphis’ Kobee Minor.

👀 Parking in a bus lane? The MBTA is watching. The agency is developing a new way to catch (and ticket) cars blocking bus lanes: Mounted cameras on MBTA buses and poles. If you’re caught doing the deed, the new system will capture it, ship the footage to a human for review, and send a ticket right to your mailbox. By year’s end, rule breakers can expect fines ranging from $25 to $125, depending on the offense, though we can expect some kind of first-strike policy to educate offenders before the fines roll in.

🌬️ Boston just got its air quality report card … and let's just say, it's not exactly fridge-worthy. The American Lung Association just dropped its 2025 “state of the air” report, and Suffolk County nabbed a “B” in particle pollution and a “C” in ozone. While not quite honor-roll-level work, it’s on par with the rest of the state — no county in Mass. earned an “A” in either category. That said, our grades are down compared to the last few years, in line with a country-wide trend that’s likely thanks to upticks in extreme heat, drought, and wildfires. 

😋 Hot new pizza? Check. Hot new tacos: Coming soon. A new slice has arrived in the South End courtesy of Gary’s Pizza. The newly opened pizzeria is from the same folks behind swanky spots like Mistral, specializing in Roman-style pies (think: light and crispy Sicilian squares). The goal: Simple, super-high quality pizza with rotating seasonal flavors to keep things interesting. And Mr Tamole isn’t far behind. It’ll be soft-opening April 29 at the Boston Public Market, bringing its authentic tacos, tamales, tortas, and mole Downtown.

QUICK QUESTION!

🏈 Which of Boston’s big four men’s sports teams are you most likely to watch/follow?

THINGS TO DO

Weekday checklist

🌷 Pretend you’re in Amsterdam for the day. Tulip Mania is officially underway at the Garden at Elm Bank in Wellesley, where you can find 75,000 tulips, pick-your-own stems, and fire IG opportunities like this.

🏒 Cheer on your fav Boston hockey team. And we’re NOT talking about the Bruins. Drawdown Brewing is hosting a watch party for tonight’s Fleet game against Montreal. Go Fleet!

🍜 Chow down on Boston’s best Asian food. Boston’s Asian Restaurant Week kicks off Friday, but you can start the party early at this kick off event on April 29 to try some of the hottest Asian restaurants in town. 

👯 Make some new Boston besties. Are you in your 20s? Looking for new pals? Skip the Small Talk is back at Trident on April 29 where you can have deep, late-night-style convos with soon-to-be buds.

🔥 Get down on the dance floor to sultry beats. Expect high femme energy and euphoric beats at Bratcity: Pillowtalk on May 1 at The Middlesex. Expect sets by Samarra Rodriguez, Bratattack, and more. Plus: B-Side members get 15% off! 

🪄 Discover the next Houdini. The Magic Lab hosts open mic magic shows where local magicians test out their latest tricks. It’s all going down May 1 at The Rozzie Square Theater.

☀️ How to enjoy this week’s gorgeous weather: BEACH VOLLEYBALL. Volo at Assembly Row is hosting a spring kick-off party on May 2 where you can play pickleball, volleyball, and more, while sipping free recovery drinks. 

😉 Schedule in some sexy time. And by sexy time, we mean this sensual bachata workshop followed by a social dance on May 2. Note: Wear your best glow-in-the-dark fit!

ONE LAST THING

Crocheting with Crochet

If you’re wondering why NESN had a crochet cam on Thursday’s Red Sox broadcast … That was Red Sox fan Anna Gailbreath. She’s committed to crocheting a sweater by playoff season, with a twist: She’s only working on it when pitcher Garrett Crochet is on the mound. 

The project has been hashtagged #crochetingwithcrochet, which she updates with her progress after every start. So far, it’s mostly gone down at home, but on Saturday, she brought the project to Fenway for the second time, landing an adorable feature on NESN.

If you want to keep up with Anna’s progress, you can follow her here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🧶 Thanks for reading! That’s one way to keep Gia invested in baseball.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Meet Boston, for supporting local journalism and helping local employers and job seekers connect in a more authentic way. 

📚 The results are in: 83% of B-Siders say they’d rather read the book than watch the movie. One reader said: “absolutely no hint of bias polling a group of girlies who start their day by reading a newsletter.” Whoooops!

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