5 things to do this weekend, including 'South Pacific' and Mission Hill Arts Festival

It finally feels like summer. A heat wave has hit, the humidity is completely drenching my forehead and ruining my bangs, and days are getting longer. In fact, the longest day of the year is this Thursday, June 20, reminding us that the seemingly endless dreary, dark, sunless winter afternoons were all leading to this glorious moment. Boston is kicking into celebratory gear with solstice celebrations and Pride events. Remember queer community and allies: Pride lasts all year round, but take some extra time to enjoy your month. Here are some events to engage in art and community building this weekend.

Soak in some rays on the longest day of the year at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture’s free solstice event. Guests can wander through new exhibitions at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments and the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East before heading outside for further multicultural events. With musical and circus performances, flower crown making and mini golf, the whole family is sure to be entertained. The best part: it’s all free! Food and beverages will also be available on-site at food trucks for purchase. Anyone shuttling their family to the event can park for free at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

Calling all LQBTQIA+ members and allies: Pride month isn’t over yet and neither are the celebrations. Recognizing the importance of music in the queer community, Club Passim and the Folk Collective are presenting a night of performances in the round by queer and trans musicians Anju, Roman Barten-Sherman, Jarsch, Sweet Petunia, Naomi Westwater and Lee Zangari (WBUR’s 2022 local Tiny Desk favorite). Club Passim’s Admin and Community Events Coordinator Maddy Simpson will host the event as well as perform. She will play in Boston-based folk duo Sweet Petunia. (She is also a singer in indie rock band Winkle.) The collaborative event will be held at Club Passim, and tickets are $20 each.

Mission Hill Arts Festival developed after the pandemic to bring performers and audience members together again safely. Their mission emphasizes the importance of community building and openness, bringing together artists and patrons from Boston and beyond. This year’s festival theme is “Elements,” calling on the personality of Earth and our relationship with our planet. Presented in collaboration with the Celebrity Series, Boston-based singer and actress Zakiyyah will perform on June 22 at The Yard at the Tobin Community Center. She blends opera and hip-hop (“hip-hopera”), jazz, R&B and gospel. With her production company Black and Bold Productions, she delves into themes surrounding marginalized communities through music and visual media. Tickets to her performance range from free for those 12 years of age and younger to $40 for front row seating. This event is the first in the festival series with performances continuing on July 20, Aug. 10 and 24 and Sept. 7. Pianist and composer Camila Cortina Bello will present “Tales of a Traveler” — a selection of original music reflecting on womanhood and ancestry — next month.

You may have heard the catchy lyrics of "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," but do you know the full story of “South Pacific”? Discover or re-immerse yourself in the 1949 Broadway musical at Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston. “In an island paradise during the Second World War, two Americans — a wide-eyed nurse and a promising young lieutenant — discover love and what it means to confront their own prejudices,” the theater writes on the musical’s page. If you love a good love story, make sure to check out the musical before it closes on Sunday. Tickets range from $25-69.

If you are interested in plays written by emerging playwrights, head to Moonbox Productions’ third annual Boston New Works Festival at the Calderwood Pavilion and the BCA Plaza Theatres at Boston Center for the Arts. Over the four days, the festival will put on eight new shows across six stages as full productions and staged readings. I am most intrigued by Atlanta-based playwright Kira Rockwell’s “Holy Chicken Sandwich.” The play description reads, “During a grand opening campout in the parking lot of a beloved yet politically controversial chicken empire, the newly appointed, quietly queer, store manager, must find the source of anarchy before the flock devolves into utter chaos, revealing deeper themes of identity, consumerism, and division.” If for no other reason than to discover how a chicken sandwich can divide a community and raise psychological queries, check out this festival. Tickets are $25 for each play.