😉💜 This weekend is giving ... BDE

💏 Single and ready to mingle? Local content creators Narcolepsy Betsy and Matty Rossi are teaming up to host the Banners Bachelor, a dating event on Aug. 13 with ~curated~ matchmaking, drinks, and activations. Interested? It’s application-only, so submit one here!

🥳 And happy (early) birthday to Finn Towle! Speaking of lOoOoOve, he’s Gia’s boyfriend, and is very graciously sharing his special day with our Best Day Ever. We hope you have the best day … ever. <3

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

If you’ve been paying attention, you already know it’s a BIG weekend for us. Soooo, we’re kicking this summer Friday off with one *very* special thing to do:

🥳💜 Have the BEST DAY EVER!!! If you haven’t heard of our food, music, and shopping extravaganza on Aug. 2 at Artists for Humanity … are you even reading B-Side? JK. But seriously, a ticket gets you tons of FREE food, a bona fide local music festival, access to a whole vintage market, and SO much more. And if you see Gia or Emily there, PLEASE come say hi! Grab tickets here.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled summer Friday:

🕺 Boogie at Cisco’s disco. Now that’s fun to say. Grab your bucket hats and chokers because tonight, the Seaport beer garden is hosting a ’90s themed silent disco dance party.

💃 Eat and dance the salsa. Because Harvard Square Business Association’s salsa squared event tonight will have both! Take free salsa and bachata lessons while Latin DJs spin, and then refuel with free samples of chips and salsa.

💡 Get lit at the zoo. Sort of. From now through Nov. 2, the Franklin Park Zoo is going to be lit up by a stunning, animal and nature themed lantern show. Grab tickets here.

🎥 Rock out at school … or in the swamp. Because on Aug. 2, you can pick between Aeronaut’s free screening of “Shrek” and the Pru’s free screening of “School of Rock.” 

📚 Refresh your summer TBR pile. Citywide Friends of the BPL is hosting a huge summer library book sale at the Central branch on Aug. 2. You can shop thousands of books for $2 or less. Bonus: The proceeds will fund library programming.

🎭 Catch some free performance art. Somer Fest will have it in spades at their free Aug. 2 concert at Seven Hills Park. The lineup includes hip-hop, DJ sets, soul, and singer-songwriter vibes.

🍹 Set your sprit(s) free. Wanna know how to make a killer mocktail? The folks from Lymelyfe will teach you at the BPL’s Mattapan branch Aug. 2. All ingredients are provided, just register, show up and sip. 

🛍️ Thrift shop till you drop. You can take your pick from the Fenway Flea vintage market at Time Out Aug. 2 and 3, or the Somerville Flea, which is opening for the season Aug. 3. Either way, expect tons of vintage clothing, art, jewelry, and more!

😋 Fill up your belly. At the Big Belly Food Fest, ofc! A $30 ticket gets you five tokens to help eat your way through some of Boston’s most underrated cuisines on Aug. 3. Think: Egg tarts, watermelon matcha, and more.

⛳ Putt your little heart out. Mini golf lovers, this one’s for you: Puttshack is offering an all-you-can-putt day on Aug. 3 for just $30 (usually, it’s $18 per game!). That’s unlimited games all day long. Grab tickets here.

Mass 5050:1, themed “Rage Against the Regime,” is a free, one-day festival happening Saturday, Aug. 2 at Cambridge Common. The event brings together artists, organizers, and community members for live music, food, art, and storytelling focused on the future of Massachusetts. Alongside performances, attendees can engage with discussions about community, policy, and social issues. Whether you’re interested in the music or the movement, all are welcome. Register here!

😋 It’s time to dine out, Boston! From Aug. 3 to 16, Dine Out Boston is back with another round of prix fixe lunch and dinner menus at over 175 restaurants around the city. Per usual, menus will fall into one of several price tiers: Lunch will run you $27, $32, or $36, and dinner deals clock in at $41, $46, or $55 (note: the former cheapest tier, $22 lunch and $36 dinner, got the axe). Not sure where to start? You can peruse Boston.com’s picks. We’ll share our favorite deals in tomorrow’s newsletter. <3

💸 Got student loans? You’ll wanna read this. Thanks to President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” starting TODAY, student loan borrowers using the SAVE plan will start accruing interest again. Translation: Although monthly payments aren’t required (yet), your balance will start to grow, and considering the plan is on the way out anyway, many folks are jumping ship now. The only problem? Trump’s new replacement plans won’t be ready until next year, leaving tons of borrowers in limbo, unable to find a payment plan. If that’s you, here are some tips.

📲 Your TikTok FYP could soon look a little … different. Introducing: Footnotes. Just like X, Facebook, and Instagram before it, TikTok will start rolling out a community fact-checking program in the coming weeks. Long story short, qualified contributors can leave notes on videos adding context, flagging misinformation or AI, or anything else they want. Then, if other contributors rate it as helpful, it’ll be published to everyone. Apparently, the more notes written, the more efficient the tool will get.

As local news aficionados, it takes a LOT to surprise us. But let’s just say this TikTok of State Sen. Lydia Edwards doing the Nicki Minaj challenge made us audibly scream on the Orange Line.

ICYMI: The challenge entails perching yourself on top of random objects in massive heels with your legs crossed like Nicki did in her “So High School” music video — not a skill you necessarily expect your state senator to have. In Sen. Edwards’ version, she’s perched atop a table in the State House holding a giant gavel, flashing the camera a wink like a major diva. 

Her caption: “BRB, charing a Judiciary Hearing — first woman of color to do it at the MA state house, by the way.” 

Let’s just say, if the goal was to slay the house down, she succeeded. One comment said: “Mind you this is my first impression of my Senator … where do I vote for more of thissssss?”

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

👠 Thanks for reading! OK, which Mass. politician is next? Ron Mariano? Ed Markey?

🏘️ The results are in: 74% of readers say they’d rather have rent control than a fare-free MBTA. One reader said: “Really, I'm pulling for happy hours & bottomless brunch.... but rent would save the most $$ LOL.” Beacon Hill, take note!

🥳💜 OK, one last plug: Grab your tickets to Best Day Ever, our Aug. 2 food, music, and shopping extravaganza at Artists for Humanity!

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