Summer is coming to a close. We hope you had a fun summer and enjoyed the best of Newton’s indoor and outdoor activities. But Labor Day doesn’t mean the end of exciting arts and culture events in Newton.
We’ve rounded up a huge list of great events happening in Newton from September to mid-November.
There’s sure to be something to suit every taste. Learn how to needle felt, arrange flowers or churn butter. Watch Kung Fu Panda 4, Challengers, or a biopic of artist Edvard Munch. Listen to jazz, folk, or classical music. Hear authors discuss books about the Torah, addiction, and baked goods. Enjoy fall family fun at different festivals and so much more.
September
Friday, Sept. 6: The soul band Boston Rock and Soul Revue will be playing at the Hyde
Community Center at 6 pm, followed by a showing of the film Kung Fu Panda 4 at 8:30 pm.
This is a free event.
Sunday, Sept. 8: The Scandinavian Cultural Center at 206 Waltham St. will be hosting
a screening of a Pete Seeger and Joan Baez concert that was filmed in a Newton home in 1965.
This is at 2 p.m. and is a free event.
Sunday, Sept, 8: Triology, a band that mixes jazz and Latin styles of music, will be
playing from 5 to 6 pm at Trio Courtyard at 845 Washington Street. This is a free event, and
registration is requested but not required.
Sunday, Sept. 8: Brown University junior Lucas Sha will be playing music by Frédéric Chopin at Boston College’s Gasson Hall at 7 p.m. He is preparing for the 2025 Chopin National Competition and has played at numerous venues. This is a free event.
Monday, Sept. 9: Norumbega Harmony will be hosting Shape-Note Singing at Church of the Redeemer at 379 Hammond Street at 7:30. This is an early American four-part harmony style of singing. This is free and all are welcome, no experience necessary.
Tuesday, Sept. 10: The Newton Free Library at 330 Homer St. will be hosting a screening of the movie “Challengers.” It goes from 3 to 5:30 p.m. This film came out in April 2024, and is a love triangle film about three tennis players. It is rated R. This is a free event.
Tuesday, Sept. 10: The Newton Jazz Jam will be happening at the Moldova Restaurant at 344 Watertown Street at 7 p.m. This is a jazz improvisation session, and new musicians are welcome. There is a $10 cover charge.
Wednesday, Sept. 11: Rabbi Adina Allen will be discussing her book The Place of All Possibility with Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfield at Hummingbird Books at 55 Boylston St. Suite #5510, at 7 p.m. The book reframes the Torah as a contemporary guidebook for creativity. Tickets are $11 for admission and $22 for admission and a copy of the book.
Thursday, September 12: The Scandinavian Cultural Living Center at 206 Waltham St. will be hosting a reception for the opening of Scott Rohnstrom’s jewelry show at 6 pm. The art will be on display through October. This is a free event but registration is required.
Friday, September 13 – Saturday September 21: Newton Theatre Company will be performing The Guys, a play about eulogizing firefighters who died in 9/11. This is at St. John’s Episcopal Church at 96 Otis Street. General admission is $25 and $20 for teachers and first responders. Specific dates and times can be found on their website.
Saturday, September 14: The Fourth Annual Newton Monarch Festival will be celebrating the monarch butterfly at Wellington Park at 9:30 am. There will be a variety of children’s activities as well as butterfly experts teaching about monarch butterflies. Milkweed plants will be given away. This is a free event.
Saturday, Sept. 14: The First Unitarian Universalist Society is hosting a Gospel music workshop at 1326 Washington St. from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Pianist and composer Geoff Hicks will be teaching how to sing different pieces from the Gospel repertoire. There is a $10 registration fee for members and a $15 fee for non-members; this includes lunch.
Saturday, Sept. 14: The Scandinavian Cultural Center is having a yarn art event for kids to create a project based off of Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream, from 10 am to noon at 206 Waltham St. Free for members and $15 for non-members; recommended for children ages 8 and up (younger children may need parental assistance).
Saturday, Sept. 14: The Scandinavian Cultural Center, 206 Waltham St., is hosting a screening of the film Munch, a 2023 biopic about the artist’s life, including his attempts to save his work from the Nazis. The film starts at 1 pm and goes to 2:30 pm. It is in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and German, and it will be subtitled in English. Tickets are $5 for members and $10 for non- members.
Sunday, Sept. 15: Newton Upper Falls will be hosting its annual Village Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1225 Chestnut St. There will be live music, face painting, art, and food trucks.
Sunday, Sept. 15: The Newton Community Pollinator Project is hosting a garden tour of pollinator gardens in Newton from 1 to 4 p.m. A map will be given upon registration; this is a self-guided tour but the gardeners will likely be around to answer questions. This is a free event.
Sunday, Sept. 15: Historic Newton is hosting a walking tour of the East Parish Burying
Ground at 2 pm, as well as talking about the history of Native American and Black Newtonites who were not buried there but were members of the Newton community in that period. The tour is $10 for members and $15 for non-members, and most of the tour will be on uneven, unpaved terrain.
Sunday, Sept. 15: Blue Heron Songbook, a group that performs early and contemporary music, will be performing at 3 pm at the Allen Center, 35 Webster St. There will be a reception. Tickets are $100.
Sunday, Sept. 15: Crowes Pasture, a folk duo mixing banjo and guitar music, will be playing at Suzuki School of Music at 1615 Beacon St. from 3 to 4 p.m. This is a free event, and registration is requested but not required.
Tuesday, Sept. 17: Lou Jones will talk about his current exhibit at The Allen Center, “The panAFRICAproject”, and his recent trip to Africa, at the Allen Center at 35 Webster St. at 7 p.m. This is a free event, but donations are requested if possible, and registration is required.
Wednesday, Sept. 18: The Boston College Irish Studies department is showing Joe Comerford’s film Reefer and the Model about an ex-IRA man who picks up a pregnant hitchhiker, at 7 pm at the Burns Library. There will also be a talk at 4:30 about Comerford’s Irish revolutionary aunt Máire Comerford and a reception at 6 p.m. This is a free event, but RSVPs are requested.
Wednesday, Sept. 18: Sam Farmer will be discussing his book A Long Walk Down a Winding Road – Small Steps, Challenges, & Triumphs Through an Autistic Lens about being diagnosed with autism as an adult, at the Newton Free Library. This is at 7 pm at 330 Homer Street. This is a free event.
Thursday, Sept. 19: The Boston College Irish Studies Department is hosting a performance by Éilís Kennedy, who plays traditional Irish music. This starts at 4:30 in the Andover Room of the Connolly House at 300 Hammond Street. This is a free event.
Thursday, Sept. 19: Learn how to create floral designs with local florist Susan Margolin at 6 p.m. at the Office of Cultural Development at 1294 Centre St.(building to the left of Learning Express.) Newton artist Cindy Sachs will also be discussing her approach to art. There is an $85 registration fee, and you need to bring your own vase.
Thursday, Sept. 19: The Newton Free Library at 330 Homer Street is hosting a screening of the film The Boys in the Boat, which is about the 1936 US Olympics rowing team. This 2023 film is PG-13. It will run from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Thursday, Sept. 19: Historic Newton will be hosting a book club meeting to discuss G- Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century at 7:30 pm on Zoom. Email education@historicnewton.org for a link.
Saturday, Sept. 21: The Newton Free Library is hosting a screening of the film The Iron Giant, which is about a giant who falls to Earth in 1958 and slowly befriends a person. This is a PG movie. Children under 8 must be supervised by an adult. This will run from 2 to 4:30 p.m. This is a free event.
Sunday, Sept. 22: Alexander Xhoja, a Newton South grad and Berklee College of Music student, will be playing in a jazz trio with bassist Lucy Southan and drummer Harshit Upadhyaya. This is at the Allen Center at 35 Webster St. from 3 to 4 p.m. This is a free event, and registration is requested but not required.
Tuesday, Sept. 24: The Newton Jazz Jam will be happening at the Moldova Restaurant at 344 Watertown Street at 7 pm. This is a jazz improvisation session and new musicians are welcome. There is a $10 cover charge.
Wednesday, Sept. 25: Joel Mackall, a Roxbury historian, will be giving a talk on black Boston history at the Newton Free Library from 7 to 8:30 p.m. This is at 330 Homer St. This is a free event.
Wednesday, Sept. 25: The Boston Jewish Film Club will be discussing the film Crown Heights at 11 a.m. at the JCC Greater Boston, located in the Wexler Lounge at 333 Nahanton St. This is a film about a Hasidic Jewish teen and an African-American teen forming a hip hop group. There is a $3 registration fee, and this event includes light refreshments. (Note: this is a film discussion, not a film screening; participants should watch the film beforehand).
Friday, Sept. 27: Ian Maksin will be playing cello and singing in 37 languages at War Memorial Auditorium at Newton City Hall at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $35, $30 for three or more, $45 for the front row, and $20 for students with ID. Portions of the proceeds will be given to a charitable organization helping Ukrainian refugees.
Saturday, Sept. 28: The Scandinavian Cultural Center at 206 Waltham St is hosting an
Icelandic faerie walk, with Icelandic arts and crafts activities, from 11 am to 2 pm. This is a free
event.
Sunday, Sept. 29: Newtonville is hosting its annual Village Day from noon to 4 p.m. There will be live music, games, crafts, and food. This is a free event.
Sunday, Sept. 29: Folk musician Naomi Westwater will be playing at the Newton Free Library at 330 Homer St. from 2 to 3 p.m. This is a free event.
Monday, Sept. 30: Oded Tzúr, an accomplished saxophonist, will be playing at the Allen
Center at 35 Webster St. at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25.
October
Thursday, Oct. 3: The Scandinavian Cultural Center will be hosting a cookbook club meeting at 7 p.m. Participants should choose a recipe from Norwegian Baking Through The Seasons to bring to share and discuss. Registration is requested. This is at 206 Waltham St.
Saturday, Oct. 5: The Scandinavian Cultural Center is hosting a book talk by Sally Franssen about her new book, Big in Sweden, a coming of age novel. This is at 1 pm at 206 Waltham St. This is a free event but registration is requested.
Sunday, Oct. 6: The Newton Community Farm at 303 Nahanton St. is hosting a Fall Family Party from 9:30 am to noon. Registration details not yet available.
Sunday, Oct. 6: Historic Newton is hosting Newton Hayfest, where all ages can learn to churn butter, dip candles, press apples, and other 19th century activities. This is at the Jackson Homestead at 527 Washington St. from noon to 4 pm, and you can drop in at any time.
Tuesday, Oct. 8: The Newton Jazz Jam will be happening at the Moldova Restaurant at 344
Watertown St. at 7 p.m. This is a jazz improvisation session and new musicians are welcome. There is a $10 cover charge.
Wednesday, Oct. 9: The Boston College Irish Studies Department is hosting a screening of
Stolen, a film about women whose babies were taken away in Ireland. This starts at 4:30 pm at
110 Devlin Hall. There will be a Q & A with scholars after. This is a free event.
Saturday, Oct. 12: The Newton Free Library is hosting a screening of the film Hocus Pocus, the classic Halloween film about three witches in Salem come to life in the present. This is a PG movie. Children under 8 must be supervised at all times. This will run from 2 to 4 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 14: The 4th Annual Indigenous Peoples Day Newton Ceremonial Celebration will be held at Albemarle Field from 11 am to 5 pm. There will be dancing, food, art, live music, and kids activities. All are welcome, and there will be ASL interpretation. This is a free event.
Saturday, Oct. 12: The Scandinavian Cultural Center will be showing the film Solitude, about an Icelandic farmer forced to sell his farm and move to the city, from 1 to 2:30 pm. Tickets are $5 for members and $10 for non-members. The film is in Icelandic with English subtitles.
Saturday, Oct. 19: Alyssa Rodriguez will be playing the nyckelharpa, a traditional Swedish instrument, at the Scandinavian Cultural Center at 1 pm. Tickets are $10 for members and $20 for non-members. This is at 206 Waltham St.
Saturday, Oct. 19 – Sunday Oct. 20: The 2024 Newton Harvest Fair will be happening at Newton Centre Green. There will be carnival rides for kids, games and food from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On October 20 there will also be art vendors, live music and free pumpkin decorating.
Tuesday, Oct. 22: The Newton Jazz Jam will be happening at the Moldova Restaurant at 344 Watertown St. at 7 p.m. This is a jazz improvisation session and new musicians are welcome. There is a $10 cover charge.
Saturday, Oct. 26: The Scandinavian Cultural Center will be hosting a screening of the film Breaking Social, a documentary about kleptocracy, from 1 to 2 pm. This film is in English. Tickets are $5 for members and $10 for non-members. This is at 206 Waltham St.
November
Saturday, Nov. 2: Merry Beninato will be teaching a learn-to-needle-felt event at the
Scandinavian Cultural Center. Participants will learn how to make a Viking needle felted hot
pad. Tickets are $60 for members and $75 for non-members. This goes from 10 a.m. to noon and
is at 206 Waltham St.
Thursday, Nov. 7: Pianist Bob Winter and vocalist Elaine Woo will be performing at the
Newton Free Library at 330 Homer Street from 1 to 2 pm. This is a free event, but registration is
required.
Thursday, Nov. 7: The Scandinavian Cultural Center will be hosting a cookbook club
meeting at 7 pm. Participants should choose a recipe from The Scandinavian Cookbook to bring
to share and discuss. Registration is requested. This is at 206 Waltham Street.
Tuesday, Nov. 12: The Newton Jazz Jam will be happening at the Moldova Restaurant at 344 Watertown St. at 7 pm. This is a jazz improvisation session and new musicians are welcome. There is a $10 cover charge.
Thursday, Nov. 14: Sally Snowman, the last ever lighthouse keeper in the United States,
will be giving a talk about her experiences at Boston Light from 2003 to 2023 at the Newton
Free Library. This event goes from 2 to 3 pm. This is a free event.
Saturday, Nov. 16: Dr. William Short will be giving a lecture on Viking longhouses at the Scandinavian Cultural Center at 1 pm, talking about his experimental archaeological project where he built and burned down longhouses. This is a free event at 206 Waltham St. Registration is requested.
