Editor’s Note: Welcome to V3 Weekend, Vanyaland‘s guide to help you sort out your weekend entertainment with curated selections and recommendations across our three pillars of Music, Comedy, and Film/TV. It’s what you should know about, where you need to be, and where you’ll be going, with us riding shotgun along the way.
Music: Rat City Arts Festival at Charles River Speedway
Gentrification may extend its posh tentacles all through the enchanted land of Allston-Brighton, but the gritty neighborhood will always be a true creative hub for the city of Boston. This Saturday the sound emerges through Rat City Arts Festival, a free and all-day event at the Charles River Speedway featuring more than a dozen performances, including LAVAGXRL (pictured above), oldsoul, Nurse Joy, Beeef, Tiberius, Shallow Pools, Zion Rodman, Daphne Blue Underworld, Sam Mulligan, and others. It’s the fourth edition of the blossoming indie fest. “This year, we’ll continue to accomplish what we’ve done for the past three years — championing our local artist community,” says festival founder Ricky Meinke. “You will see more paid opportunities for our artists, more unique ways of highlighting our talented line-up, and additional efforts to address our pesky rat problem in Allston-Brighton through education and awareness.” Rat City forever.
RAT CITY ARTS FESTIVAL :: Saturday, August 16 at Charles River Speedway, 525 Western Ave. in Brighton, MA :: 3 to 10 p.m., all ages, free admission :: Event info
Comedy: Ashley Gavin at The Wilbur
Comedians roll into our city every damn night of the week, but whenever Ashley Gavin pulls up, we take notice. The New York City comedian, writer, and We’re Having Gay Sex podcast co-host is back on Tremont Street for a twirl at The Wilbur on Saturday, bringing her show Hype Man to an excited audience, and here’s what Jason Greenough wrote about her visit to the historic theatre last year, which provided an appropriate warning: “If you haven’t seen any videos of what happens when hecklers try to insert themselves into Ashley Gavin’s show, let us forewarn you before she hits the stage in Boston: Don’t do it. Not only will it save you humiliation at the hands of one of the best in the scene today to dish it out, but you’ll also be able to simply enjoy the plethora of comedic madness that flows through the mic at an untethered clip.” Check out her 2023 special Live In Chicago below for a proper primer.
ASHLEY GAVIN :: Saturday, August 16 at The Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St. in Boston, MA :: 6:30 p.m., $49.25 :: Event info
Film: ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’ at The Brattle
Hey fuck it, man, the news has been so shitty lately, we’re just gonna go post up at The Brattle this weekend and watch Pee-wee’s Big Adventure to escape the harsh realities of every second of every minute of every hour of every damn day. The iconic adventure comedy celebrates its 40th anniversary this summer, and there’s been a renewed focus on the life and struggles of Paul Reubens thanks to the HBO Max documentary Pee-wee as Himself, which Nick Johnston reviewed earlier this year at Sundance. But really, we just wanna laugh again like we did when we were kids. Not like we need it, but here is the word from the Cambridge cinema: “When Pee-wee Herman’s idyllic world is destroyed by the theft of his fire-engine red bicycle, the pre-pubescent adult sets out on a manic cross-country odyssey to recover his most valued possession. Director Tim Burton makes his feature-film debut with this comic masterpiece.”
‘PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE’ :: Saturday, August 16 and Sunday, August 17 at The Brattle, 40 Brattle St. in Cambridge, MA :: Noon and 2 p.m. each day, $13 :: Event info