The 2009 Santa Speedo Run in Boston (the 10th annual) happened today at 1pm despite freezing temps in Boston. The wind chill made the air feel as cold as 20 degrees and the steady breeze left me chilled to the bone. However, the 500 crazy men and women clad in red speedos were all in good spirits (and humor).
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Don’t forget, this year’s Santa Speedo Run will start from Lir on Boylston Street at 1:00 pm this Saturday. 
The Boston Book Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Boston Public Library, Old South Church, Trinity Church, and outdoors in Copley Square. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public. You can find out more by visiting the festival’s website, http://www.bostonbookfest.org/.
The 30th Annual Oktoberfest festival is tomorrow (10/11) in Harvard Square. This year’s festivities will include six stages of live entertainment, 50+ food vendors, and 200+ vendors at the outdoor market. Be sure not to miss the annual ceremonial keg tapping & toast at Grendel’s Den. For more information about the one-day festival which shuts down nearly all the streets in and around Harvard Square link here.For Harvard Square enthusiasts, I also found this online calendar, which lists all the official activities and events that will happen in the square. If you will be around next weekend (10/17-18) keep in mind the world’s largest regatta – The Head of the Charles – will occur. This year, more than 7,500 athletes and 300,000 spectators are expected to crowd the river banks and Harvard Square. For more information about The Regatta, link here.
Today is the final day of the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival, which culminates in a day of free performances outside in the South End. The outdoor stages have been set up along Columbus Avenue in the South End between Burke Street and Mass. Ave. and since the weather today is spectacular, I hope you’ll swing by not only to support the local arts scene, but to enjoy some great music. Today’s free outdoor festival starts at 12:00pm.
This weekend was Open Studios. This event happens twice a year (once in May and September) and draws more than 250 local artists (many of whom live here in the South End). Thanks in part to the gorgeous weather, it appears as if the artists may have profited handsomely. The streets in the South End and specifically SoWa had heavy foot traffic all day long on Saturday and Sunday, and I saw many people carring objects d’art with them as they were leaving the neighborhood.Many of the artists who show during the Open Studios live in the South End and welcome you into their studios (which sometimes double as their homes). While I have a few personal favorites, I’m always impressed by the number of participating artists who make their living from their craft and the variety of mediums artists use to express their creativity.
If you did not get a chance to come into town to walk the streets, talk to the artists and enjoy the beautiful weather, I’m sorry for you because it really was a wonderful way to spend time. I wish I’d thought to write about this event earlier in the week and had the forethought to bring my camera when I walked around the neighborhood earlier today.
This was the opening weekend for Shakespeare on the Commons, an annual tradition put on by The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. This year’s play is The Comedy of Errors, a tale of mistaken identity among two sets of twins.
Each year these free performances introduce a new generation to a classic play from William Shakespeare and offer families and friends a fun and affordable evening out in the city. I wish the weather in New England offered more opportunities like this.
Show your support for Boston’s local theater scene and bring a friend or two with you to enjoy this performance. The Commonwealth Shakespeare Co. deserves their accolades, but it is the crowds that come each year, which makes all their toil worthwhile. Performances run through August 16th; Tuesday thru Saturday at 8pm and Sunday’s at 7pm.
BosGuy 