NIGHTLIFE
Playboy Clubs 50th Anniversary Party
Friday, 8 p.m.
Ocean Club at Marina Bay
333 Victory Rd., Quincy
$20, 617-689-0600
Cambridge-born Traci Bingham, a former Playmate and “Baywatch” star, will be the guest of honor at this 50th anniversary celebration of the Playboy Club. The Ocean Club, which attempts to bring some Miami heat to Quincy just opened on Memorial Day. It is massive, with a 1,600 person capacity and four (count ‘em!) bars.
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MUSIC
Jethro Tull
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Bank of American Pavilion
290 Northern Ave., Boston
$35-$65, 800-431-3462
Were Tull every really a prog band? Sure, Ian Anderson’s epic lyrics and interminable songs about God and society fit the bill, but the music itself kept earthy roots in European and American folk and blues, roots that made them feel heavier than their contemporaries and which befit touring in one’s senior years rather nicely.
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FAMILY
One Africa, Many Countries
Saturday and Sunday
Children’s Museum
308 Congress St., Boston
MBTA: Red Line to South Station
$12, 617-426-6500
Make sure your kids know that Africa is not a single nation! To celebrate the World Cup, the Children’s Museum is hosting this celebration of all things African. Yes, this includes a homemade soccer ball.
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TOURS
Lighthouse Cruise
Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Boston Harbor Cruises
Long Wharf, Boston
MBTA: Blue Line to Aquarium
$69, 781-740-4290
This ocean-bound tour, put on by the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands, takes you up and down the North Shore to check out the historic lighthouses that dot the coast and learn about their history and lore. It goes as far out as Thatcher Island. See what inspired Edward Hopper to spend his summers here.
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TALKS
2010 H+ Summit
Saturday and Sunday
Harvard Science Center
1 Oxford St., Cambridge
$300-$350, 310-916-9676
Transhumanism, the belief that humanity can evolve itself through technology, will be the theme of this convention, but whatever you believe about the inherent dangers of such a notion, the subjects to be discussed, such as artificial intelligence, the elimina-tion of disease, aging, and mental problems, and even relocation from the planet Earth, are still fascinating.
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THEATRE
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Through June 19
BCA Plaza Theatre
539 Tremont St., Boston
MBTA: Orange Line to Back Bay
$28, 617-933-8600
This production by the Contemporary Theatre of Boston isn’t your standard frolic-through-the-woods “Midsummer.” It seeks to explore the dark, psycho-sexual currents running beneath Shakespeare’s frothy love and magic story, and includes scenes of nudity and grotesquerie! It’s recommended for adults only. Sounds badass.
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FESTIVALS
Lowell Riverfest
Saturday, 12 p.m.
Concord River Greenway
Near 30 East Merrimack St., Lowell
Free, 978-446-7200
This green-conscious festival, sort of a mini version of the one Mix 104.1 put on a couple weeks ago, features acoustically-inclined local acts (including Leo Blais, who was recently featuring in a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial), exhibitions of art and clothing made using found objects, kids’ events and more.
Dragon Boat Festival
Sunday, all day
Weeks Footbridge
Near Memorial Drive at Dewolfe Street, Cambridge
MBTA: Red Line to Harvard
Free, 617-635-3911
Taiko drumming, Bejing Opera, and Chinese lion dances. Need we say more?
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