Events this week in Cambridge and Somerville: Youth circus, porchfest, live reading
For a searchable calendar of events with your choice of list or map view, or to submit an event of your own, go to the main calendar.
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Thursday, July 9
2 to 6 p.m.
Cambridge Crossing/Lechmere Square in East Cambridge.
Soccer Watch Party: Quarterfinals France vs. Morocco
Free. Enjoy free food, face painting, soccer activities and live entertainment. This event is part of “Cambridge United: Where the World Comes Together,” a citywide series of free, outdoor soccer screenings and community celebrations throughout summer 2026. Game starts at 4.
7 p.m.
The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge.
Alphabet: Youth Contemporary Circus Show
$17 to $28. Through the foundational disciplines of acrobatics, juggling, aerial, balancing and clowning, Alphabet is a youth circus show for all ages.
Friday, July 10
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square.
Collecting Wonders: Tomorrow’s Discoveries
$15 to $20. A collaboration between the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture and the university’s three natural history research museums (the Museum of Comparative Zoology, the Harvard University Herbaria and the Mineralogical and Geological Museum), this new exhibition showcases rare objects from the collection vaults that people continue to study to uncover new knowledge. Open 7 days a week through April 2027.
Saturday, July 11 and Sunday July 12,
Noon to 6 p.m.
Cambridgeport, Port and Riverside neighborhoods.
Cambridge Porchfest
Free. Neighbors host musicians in this walkable, community musical event held in yards, driveways or on front porches, with the idea that anyone can come by and check them out.
Saturday, July 11
6 to 10 p.m.
The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square.
2026 Somerville International Film Festival
Free. This festival brings diverse international films to showcase the best regional and international filmmakers. This year: “Blood & Guts” (United States) by Carlye Rubin and Katie Green. There is also a short film showcase featuring seven such works. Continues on July 12.
Sunday, July 12
10 a.m. to noon
Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge.
Madge Evers demonstrates “Printing With the Sun: Capturing the Beauty of Nature With Cyanotypes”
$15. Cyanotypes are one of the oldest photographic printing processes in the history of photography. Evers talks about her book, shares her own history with the cyanotype process and introduces its 19th-century origins. She will then conduct a live demonstration of how the process works.
Monday, July 13
7 p.m.
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square.
Chloe Chapin takes stock of menswear in “Suitable: The Sartorial Revolution and the Fashioning of Modern Men”
Free. The American historian, costume designer and fashion scholar examines why American men’s fashion was standardized from the time of the nation’s founding and how it became a form of social and political power. Fashion and design curator Michelle Finamore joins.
Tuesday, July 14
7:30 p.m.
Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square.
Songwriter Showcase Series
Free. This showcase connects singer-songwriters in the Boston area, giving them the space to perform their own music and support each other. This event includes an hourlong open mic slot during which any musician can show up and perform a couple of songs.
Wednesday, July 15
Noon
Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square.
Lunchtime concert: a day without love
Free. A day without love is the moniker of Brian Walker, who has toured across all 50 states, Canada, England and the European Union performing his multi-genre project.
Thursday, July 16
7:30 p.m.
The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square.
The Comedy Studio presents: The Roast of Mark Zuckerberg
$14. This comedy show features a cast of characters, local Cambridge comedians and special guests taking shots roasting the CEO of Facebook, Instagram, META and Threads Mark Zuckerberg.
Friday, July 17
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square.
Outdoor Movie: “The Muppet Movie”
Free, but seating is first come, first served. Part of the series “Movies on the Road” by the Brattle, this 1979 musical comedy film tells the story of how the Muppet characters met and features the song, “The Rainbow Connection.”
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Saturday, July 18
Noon to 9 p.m.
1 Davis Square.
ArtBeat 2026: REVolution
Free. Artists and performers showcase work based on this year’s theme: in honor of the American Revolution’s 250th anniversary, REVolution. This annual multicultural arts festival features a mix of music, dance, theater, food, performance and interactive activities.
3 to 5 p.m.
The Rooted Café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill.
Exhibit Opening Reception: Samuel D. Bondi and Holly Sverdrup Hoyer
Free. Multimedia artist Samuel D. Bondi and watercolor artist Holly Megan Sverdrup Hoyer present their art collaboration, inspired by found objects, the textures of mixed media and reclaiming what otherwise might have been discarded. The exhibit is on display through Aug. 10.
Sunday, July 19
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St.
Headquarters of a Revolution: Washington’s Arrival in Cambridge
Free. This special event includes historian talks, family activities, living historians portraying George Washington (John Koopman), Martha Washington (Sandy Spector) and story walks.
2 to 7 p.m.
Union Square Plaza.
World Cup viewing party
Free. Presented by Somerville Chamber of Commerce, this is a family-friendly community event with English and Spanish broadcasts of the World Cup.
Monday, July 20
7 p.m.
The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square.
Comedy Benefit for Dave MacDonough
$34. Comedians Matt Kona, Andrea Henry, Dan Boulger, Mike O’Brien, Sean Rosa, Dana Cairns, Josh Day, Ted Pettingell, John Tyler, Shea Spillane, Kailtlin Buckley and Carolina Soto perform at this cancer benefit for fellow comedian Dave MacDonough.
Tuesday, July 21
6 p.m.
Danehy Park, 99 Sherman St., in Neighborhood 9 just east of Fresh Pond.
Summer Concert Series: Nora Meier
Free. Nora Meier’s debut album, “Outfield” was released in October 2024. Spectrum Culture called the album “a gently percolating but still laid-back brand of folk-pop,”
Wednesday, July 22
Noon
Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square.
Lunchtime concert: Seth Hanson
Free. Seth Hanson performs traditional and original folk music. His newest album, “in the in-between run to the river and beg to be clean” was released this month.
6 p.m.
Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge.
Ben Wikler and Danielle Allen discuss “This Is The Plan: How to End America’s Meltdown and Save Democracy”
Free. Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library present Wikler, political organizer and strategist who served as the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from July 2019 to July 2025. His new book provides lessons from his time at Wisconsin’s Democratic party to map out a plan to dictator-proof American government. Harvard University’s Allen joins.
Thursday, July 23
7 p.m.
Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square.
Elizabeth Preston and Perrin Roosevelt Ireland read from their debut books
Free but RSVP. Science journalist Elizabeth Preston’s book, “The Creatures’ Guide to Caring” is a journey through the evolution of caretaking on Earth, from animal parents to modern-day humans while environmentalist Perrin Roosevelt Ireland details the sex roles and relationships of animals in “Poking the Squid.”
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