From left: Patty Griffin is at the House of Blues (Joe Giblin, AP); The Star Trek Convention is in Boston; Barbara Poole's red shawl is at the Coolidge Corner Arts Festival (Greg Brown)
Making plans? Short on ideas? No worries. See Milva DiDomizio and June Wulff's picks for the top things to do around the Hub this weekend.
FRIDAY
FROM ONE ALBUM TO ANOTHER "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" had a profound effect on Patty Griffin. The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter received the album as a birthday gift from her father, the inspiration for Griffin's new album, "American Kid." Tracks include "Go Wherever You Want To Go" and "Gonna Miss You When You're Gone." June 7, 8 p.m. $30-$45. House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston. 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com
HOT CRUISE Take a trip around the harbor while party-hopping on three decks at the Rock the Boat Summer Kickoff Cruise. Party band Bearfight is on deck one. Deck two houses DJ Knife and a dance contest. On deck three, there?ll be an old-fashioned cornhole tourney. June 7, 7 p.m. boarding, cruise 8-11 p.m. 21+. $25. Provincetown II departs from Commonwealth Pier at the World Trade Center, Boston. 617-789-4070, www.bssc.com
SATURDAY
PRIDE TOWN Saturday's Boston Pride Parade route ends where the Boston Pride Festival begins with six hours of entertainment, the Family Zone, Artisan Avenue, and more headlined by Boston-based pop duo, Karmin. And when that's over there are block parties and more to fill your weekend. June 8-9 at noon. Free ($10 donation for June 9 block parties). City Hall Plaza, 1 City Hall Sq., Boston (check website for additional events and locations). 617-262-9405, www.bostonpride.org
SHORTS NOTICE Great readers and great writers make Selected Shorts a great radio show. Huntington Theatre Company, Jonathan Reinis Productions, and WGBH present "Selected Shorts on Tour: Tales of Springtime, Sex & Baseball." It features Emmy winner Kate Burton, Tony winner Denis O'Hare, and Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan in Dorothy Parker's "Here We Are," W.P. Kinsella's "The Thrill of Grass," N.M. Kelly's "Jubilation, Florida," and Aimee Bender's "The Meeting." June 8, 4 and 8 p.m. $45. Boston University Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org/selectedshorts
GOTTA DANCE Dance your way to a better world at Dance for World Community Festival Weekend. It doesn't matter if you have two left feet, or two right, because it's all about celebrating dance in all styles from ballet to hip hop. Saturday's Festival on the Common has four stages of performances by more than 75 local dance troupes. Sunday's Dance Discovery offers dance classes for all ages. June 8 (11 a.m.-7 p.m.) on the Cambridge Common; June 9 (2-7 p.m) at José Mateo Ballet Theatre, 400 Harvard St., Harvard Square. Free. Harvard Square, Cambridge. 617-354-7467, www.ballettheatre.org
TREKKIE HEAVEN "Star Trek Into Darkness" boasts special effects and new young actors in classic roles. If you pine for the original Kirk (William Shatner), Sulu (George Takei), and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), head to the Star Trek Convention to see them. Actors from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" will appear in a reunion performance. June 8-9. $25-$85. Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston St., Boston. www.creationent.com
ARTS AND EATS Two of our favorite things are featured in coinciding festivals in Brookline. The 35th annual Coolidge Corner Arts Festival presents emerging and established artists working in jewelry, fiber, glass, ceramics, photography, watercolor, and other media. The Brookline Food Festival offers eats from local restaurants. June 8, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free admission, tasting tickets for food fest $2 each. Arts fest at Devotion School, 345 Harvard St., Brookline. www.coolidgecornerartsfestival.com
DRAGONS ON THE WATER A little bit of Asia comes to the Charles at the Dragon Boat Festival. The 34th annual event features Chinese drumming, classical Indian dance, martial arts demonstrations, traditional Korean dance, Japanese taiko drumming, and the traditional eye-dotting ceremony at noon on Sunday. June 8, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., races only, MIT Pierce Boathouse, Cambridge. June 9, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., races and cultural festival, along the Charles River near Weeks Footbridge outside Harvard Square, Cambridge. www.bostondragonboat.org
SUNDAY
A STONER Are you a Lucy Stoner? The Massachusetts woman was the first from our state to earn a college degree and the first recorded American woman to keep her last name when she got married. Social Historian, Dee Morris, is your guide at "Unconventional Women," a walking tour of Forest Hills Cemetery where you'll also learn about sculptor Amelia Peabody who funded a clinic for veterinary medicine. June 9, 2 p.m., weather permitting. $10. Forest Hills Cemetery, 95 Forest Hills Ave., Jamaica Plain. 617-524-3150, www.foresthillstrust.org
WATER WORLD World Oceans Day is Saturday, but the New England Aquarium commemorates the occasion Sunday with Celebrating World Oceans Day activities including free Boston Duck Tour rides (check www.facebook.com/NewEnglandAquarium), Boston Harbor Cruises to Deer Island, sustainable seafood cooking demonstrations, and more. June 9 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. New England Aquarium, Central Wharf Plaza and Harbor Terrace Tent, Boston. 617-973-5200, www.neaq.org
