Concord, MA

“The Friend” film at The Umbrella
2025-10-14 19:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Umbrella Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
A dramedy about the unexpectedness of grief and pet ownership, based on the 2018 novel, starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray. Optional add-on dinner from Saltbox Kitchen.

Co-Crafting Morning
2025-10-16 10:00 - 12:00 | Art for All
Co- Crafting
Thursday Mornings – October 2,9,16,23
10am-12pm
Art for All – 152 Commonwealth Ave, Studio 16, Concord MA 01742
Join other creatives using our studio. Work on your own project or co-craft. Materials cost for some activities.

Art with a Purpose
2025-10-16 15:00 - 17:00 | Art for All
Art with a Purpose
Thursday Afternoons- October 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23th and 30th.
3pm-5pm
Art for All – 152 Commonwealth Ave, Studio 16, Concord MA 01742

Art for All’s handmade greeting cards are sold by local businesses through our Greetings for All program. Participation in other public art projects will be available on an as needed basis during these Thursday afternoon sessions. FREE, but please register to help with planning. Familiarity with arts and crafts materials is needed. CCHS and AB students can earn community service hours!

Please register at Eventbrite.

CCHS Boys Varsity Soccer Game
2025-10-16 16:00 - 18:00 | CCHS
vs. Westford Academy

Third Thursday in Concord Center
2025-10-16 17:00 - 20:00 | Concord Center, Walden Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Third Thursdays is a new monthly event series in Concord Center, running from June through December, with businesses staying open from 5 to 8 p.m. each third Thursday of the month. This initiative aims to boost foot traffic, support local businesses, and showcase Concord’s vibrant arts and cultural scene. Family-friendly activities will be scattered through the neighborhood, providing fun break outside between stops in the neighborhood.

October 16

November 20

December 18

Umbrella Arts: "Tick Tick...Boom!" Dinner before Show
2025-10-16 18:00 - 19:30 | The Umbrella Arts Center, 40 Stow St., Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Tick, Tick…Boom!

Playing: Fri, October 10 – Sun, November 23, 2025
Previews: Fri, October 10 & Sat, October 11 | Press opening: Sun, October 12
Main Stage Theater 144
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
David Auburn, Script Consultant
Vocal Arrangements and Orchestrations by Stephen Oremus
Directed by Ilyse Robbins*
Before Rent, there was Tick, Tick… Boom!. This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, is the story of a composer and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in theater. Tick, Tick… Boom! takes you on the playwright/composer’s journey through his quarter-life crisis that led to a Broadway blockbuster.
His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of the city, his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue, and yet Jon is still waiting on tables and trying to write the great American musical. Set in 1990, this compelling story of personal discovery is presented as a rock musical filled with instantly appealing melodies and a unique blend of musical theater styles.

Umbrella Arts: "Tick Tick...Boom!"
2025-10-16 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-10-18 20:00 - 22:00 | The Umbrella Arts Center, 40 Stow St., Concord, MA, 01742, United States

CCHS Girls Varsity Field Hockey Game
2025-10-17 16:30 - 18:30 | CCHS
vs. Wayland High School

CCHS Boys Varsity Football Game
2025-10-17 19:00 - 21:00 | CCHS
vs. Lincoln Sudbury High School

CYT: "Alice by heart"
2025-10-17 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-10-18 16:00 - 18:00, 2025-10-19 14:00 - 16:00 | Concord Youth Theatre, 53 Church St., Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Concord Youth Theatre presents “Alice by heart” October 17, 18 & 19!

The Umbrella Arts: "The Counter"
2025-10-17 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-10-19 15:00 - 17:00 | Umbrella Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Black Box Theater
Playing: Fri, September 26 – November 9, 2025
Previews: Fri, September 26 & Sat, September 27, 2025 | Press opening: Sun, September 28
Sundays at 3:00 PM, Thursday – Friday at 7:30 PM, Saturday at 8:00 PM (with exceptions for two-performance days on October 12 & 26)
VIEW PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
By Meghan Kennedy
Directed by Alex Lonati
This heartwarming play follows the unlikely connection between Paul, a retired firefighter who goes every morning to the same small town diner, and Katie, who’s always there to pour the coffee. After many months of small talk across the counter, the sharing of one secret grows into a deeply meaningful, life-affirming friendship—shocking both Paul and Katie into embracing the hopes and joys born of basic human connection. This award-winning play is a surprising and moving meditation on the everyday connections that can change our lives.
“The subtle beauty of The Counter lies in watching these two burrowing creatures develop the kind of bond that means they’re pulling each other back up towards the light.” — New York Magazine
“Kennedy deals in secrets and grief and escape, in running away and starting again, and most crucially in standing in front of a suddenly opened door: You either stay inside, crushed by your habitual fear and unhappiness, or bravely walk through.” — New York Stage Review

Additional Programming:
KidCare Performance: Sunday, October 5 at 3:00 PM
The Umbrella is pleased to offer our Kid-Care Show Program, giving parents and caregivers an opportunity to attend select performances while their child(ren) engage in art activities inspired by the production. This program aims to provide better access to arts and culture events and create a shared experience opportunity for families.
Post-show Talkback: Sunday, October 19
Dinner And A Show Thursday Night Out Packages: October 2, October 9, October 23, October 30
Thursdays in Concord are now a fun and easy entertainment Date Night thanks to optional pre-show dinners here at The Umbrella! Coming straight from work? Park free at The Umbrella, then take a load off and enjoy a delicious catered dinner, pick up beverage at concessions, and explore our free art galleries at your ease until it’s time for curtain!
Dinner boxes prepared by Nosh and Concord Market. All boxes come with a sandwich or bowl, Deep River chips, fruit, and a small sweet from Concord Market ($25).
Bowl 1
Cobb Salad: Spring Mix, Avocado, Bacon, Bleu Cheese, Hard-Boiled Eggs, Haricots Verts, Tomato, and Red Onion (GF)
Bowl 2
Mediterranean: Mixed Greens, Feta, Olives, Cucumber, Green Peppers, Oregano, and Pita Crisps (Vegetarian)
Sandwich 1
Roast Beef, Provolone, Caramelized Onions, Tomato, and Horseradish Aioli
Sandwich 2
Caprese Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil, and Balsamic Glaze (Vegetarian)

Discover West Concord Day 2025
2025-10-18 | West Concord
Don’t miss this annual family-friendly, fun-filled, foodie extravaganza! The cornerstone event is Debra’s Natural Gourmet’s 36th birthday bash, and the whole neighborhood joins in the fun. Enjoy live music, decorate your own pumpkin, join in art projects for the whole family, and lots of fantastic food samples and great retail specials await.

Concord Festival of Authors
2025-10-18 - 2025-11-01 | Concord Free Public Library, 129 Main Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Concord Festival of Authors Showcases Outstanding Line-up of Books, Speakers and Stories for All in October 2025
The annual Concord Festival of Authors (CFA), managed by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library, celebrates the written and spoken word this fall with two weeks of literary events throughout town from October 18-November 1.
The 2025 CFA kicks off with a jam-packed day featuring the ever-popular Authors Breakfast moderated by Suzanne Koven at the Colonial Inn at 8:30 am on Saturday, October 18. Ticket information will be available on the CFA website by October 1. Following it, Barefoot Books opens its doors and shelves for families with story time and crafts; Barrow Bookstore hosts a live and online event examining the Concord Free Public Library’s Special Collections; and wrapping up that evening at 8 pm at Umbrella Arts Center with From Page to Stage, a special post-show conversation following Tick…Tick, Boom! exploring the unique art of writing for the theater.
The Concord Free Public Library hosts multiple events including a Poetry Panel, the Robbins House presenting Tara Roberts; the Debut Authors Panel; renowned middle-grade author Marcella Pixley; and Karen Kirsten, author of Irena’s Gift, in conversation with author Jennifer S. Brown.
Additional programs are offered by local organizations including the Concord Museum, the Thoreau Society, the Transcendental Council of First Parish, and Walden Woods Project.
This year’s capstone event on November 1 spotlights innovative thinker and international economic policy advisor, Cass Sunstein, drawing from the ideas in his forthcoming book On Liberalism: In Defense of Freedom.
Most events are free with registration, unless noted on the website. For more information on this year’s CFA, visit www.concordauthorsfestival.org

Concord Festival of Authors: Breakfast with the Authors at the Colonial Inn
2025-10-18 08:30 - 10:00 | Concord’s Colonial Inn, 48 Monument Square, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library present the 2025 Breakfast with the Authors panel, which will take place at Concord’s Colonial Inn, 48 Monument Square. The event will be moderated by local author and physician, Dr. Suzanne Koven.
CFA Breakfast tickets will be sold locally at the Barrow Bookstore as well as online on the CFA website starting in early October. This event includes a full buffet breakfast at Concord’s Colonial Inn.
Dr. Pria Anand is a neurologist and the author of The Mind Electric, named a Best Book of June and Best Science & Technology Book of 2025 by Barnes & Noble and a Best Book of the Summer by Publisher’s Weekly and The Globe and Mail. Her stories and essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Time Magazine, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Ploughshares, and elsewhere. She is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford Medical School, and she trained in neurology, neuro-infectious diseases, and neuroimmunology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital. She is now an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine, and she cares for patients at the Boston Medical Center. For more information, please visit https://www.priaanand.com/
Nicole Graev Lipson is the author of the memoir-in-essays Mothers and Other Fictional Characters, a USA Today national bestseller. Her writing has been awarded a Pushcart Prize, selected for The Best American Essays anthology, and shortlisted for a National Magazine Award. Her work has appeared in The Sun, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Gettysburg Review, River Teeth, Alaska Quarterly Review, LA Review of Books, The Millions, Nylon, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, among other publications. Nicole holds a BA from Cornell University and an MFA from Emerson College. Originally from New York City, she lives outside of Boston with her family. For more information, please visit https://nicolegraevlipson.com/
Megan Marshall is the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Margaret Fuller: A New American Life as well as Elizabeth Bishop: A Miracle for Breakfast and The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism, a Pulitzer Prize finalist. She is the Charles Wesley Emerson College Professor of Nonfiction Writing at Emerson College and a recipient of the BIO Award, the highest honor given by the Biographers International Organization. Megan Marshall teaches nonfiction writing and archival research in the MFA creative writing program at Emerson College where she was named the first Charles Wesley Emerson College Professor. She lives in Belmont, Massachusetts, midway between Boston and Concord, locations that figure prominently in her subjects’ lives. She is the proud grandmother of five young readers to whom she has dedicated her most recent book, After Lives: On Biography and the Mysteries of the Human Heart.
Suzanne Koven, longtime host of the CFA Breakfast with the Authors, received her B.A. in English literature from Yale and her M.D. from Johns Hopkins. She also holds an M.F.A. in nonfiction from the Bennington Writing Seminars. In 2019 she was named inaugural Writer in Residence at Mass General. Her essays, articles, blogs, and reviews have appeared in The Boston Globe, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The New Yorker.com, Psychology Today, The L.A. Review of Books, The Virginia Quarterly, STAT, and other publications. Her monthly column “In Practice” appeared in the Boston Globe and won the Will Solimene Award for Excellence in Medical Writing from the American Medical Writers Association in 2012. Her interview column, “The Big Idea,” appears at The Rumpus. Suzanne conducts workshops, moderates panel discussions, and speaks to a variety of audiences about literature and medicine, narrative and storytelling in medicine, women’s health, mental healthcare, and primary care and co-directs the Media and Medicine Certificate Program at Harvard Medical School. Suzanne’s essay collection, Letter to a Young Female Physician, was published by W.W. Norton & Co. in 2021. Koven was born and raised in New York City. After her residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital, she joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School and has practiced primary care internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for over 30 years.
The Concord Festival of Authors is sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.

10th Annual Native American Jewelry Show & Sale
2025-10-18 10:00 - 2025-10-19 17:00 | Artisans Way, 18 Walden St, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Artisans Way, located at 18 Walden Street in Concord Center, has been representing American Craft and Fine Art for 14 years. Native American jewelry as well as hand-carved spirit animal fetishes from the Southwest have always been included in their collection. This fall will mark the 10th anniversary of a specialized Native American Jewelry and Craft show over the weekend of October 18-19. Artisans Way sources their Native American-made Craft through Diane Whitman of Sandia East (who has worked in the Native American jewelry industry for over 35 years.) Whitman travels to New Mexico several times a year and hand-selects each piece of jewelry made by members of Native American tribes.
On Saturday, October 18 and Sunday, October 19, Artisans Way will be hosting Diane Whitman showcasing hundreds of pieces of Native American jewelry, and animal fetishes from New Mexico. Whitman will be displaying solid sterling silver jewelry pieces (bracelets, earrings, pendants, rings, etc.) made in the tradition of the Navajo Nation as well as beaded necklaces designed by the natives of the Santo Domingo Pueblo. In addition, there will be silver pieces incorporating set stones and inlays created by Zuni tribe members and a broad collection of their hand-carved animal fetishes (small stone figures, said to house a spirit which can give assistance to the owner that have been used by southwestern Native Americans since prehistoric times.) Examples of both traditional and contemporary styles are sure to appeal to all appreciators of Native American crafted jewelry.
Also, for the third time in the history of the show, there will be a range of traditional Native American pottery for sale. Individually selected pieces created by both Navajo and Acoma Pueblo tribe members employing techniques of etching and coloring on traditional “horsehair” and black-and-white ceramics will be available in addition to the jewelry items.
Artisans Way is both excited and honored to be representing and promoting the exceptional work of the Native American people. A collection this extensive, of unmatched quality and variety, is rarely found outside of Native American territory. The public is invited to this free event from 10am – 6pm on Saturday and 12pm – 5pm on Sunday. During the show, all Native American jewelry and ceramic purchases will be discounted 10%. For additional information or details, please call (978) 369-4400 or go to www.artisansway.net/events.

Concord-Carlisle Girl Scouts Centennial Celebration!
2025-10-18 13:00 - 15:00 | Concord Scout House, 74 Walden St., Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Concord-Carlisle Girl Scouts Centennial Celebration
100 Years of Building Girl Leaders of Courage, Confidence, and Character
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Concord-Carlisle Girl Scouts. On Saturday, October 18, from 1–3 p.m. at the historic Concord Scout House, past and present Girl Scouts will gather to celebrate a century of leadership, service, and tradition.
The celebration will feature Girl Scout songs, a historical slideshow, crafts, and the recognition of Girl Scout dignitaries. The Concord Scout House has long been home to generations of Girl Scouts and remains a cornerstone of community life.

Patriots of Color World Premiere
2025-10-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Umbrella Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
This film is the completion of the MA250 grant that was awarded to the Town of Concord and Concord250 to help tell these unique stories .

These stories challenge us to rethink the Revolution. Freedom wasn’t fought for—or won—by just one group of people. Patriots of Color risked their lives, and their descendants kept pushing for liberty long after the muskets fell silent.

Honoring them helps us understand that America’s story has always been richer, more complex, and more diverse than the textbooks often show.

EVENT info
TEASER trailer is link here

Pumpkins & Potions at Verrill Farm
2025-10-18 17:30 - 20:00 | Verrill Farm, 11 Wheeler Road, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Join us for our first ever 21+ Halloween Party!
A thrilling evening that will include live music, fun Halloween games, photo opportunities, craft tacos and Halloween desserts! Spooky beverages (alcoholic and non) will be available for purchase.
Get your tickets online now and secure your spot for a ghoulishly good time!

Facts n' Fixins Trivia Night
2025-10-18 18:30 - 21:30 | TriCon Church, 54 Walden Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Join us at Ubuntu Global Connections for a special community trivia night fundraiser to benefit Axium Education, a South African nonprofit dedicated to improving rural education. The evening promises a lively atmosphere with a spirited trivia game, friendly team rivalry, prizes and fun team costumes. The event will be hosted by Tom Rutledge of Trivia Night in Concord and will include an array of delicious chilis with all the fixins, drinks, and musical entertainment. Attendees will also learn about Axium Education’s vital work in the Zithulele community in the Eastern Cape, where their programs have dramatically improved student achievement and increased graduation rates fivefold.

The Concord Orchestra presents "Always in Motion"
2025-10-18 20:00 - 22:00 | 51 Walden
The orchestra performs music by Michael Torke, Samuel Barber, and Margaret Bonds. Michael Torke’s Javelin was commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for its 50th anniversary and performed at the opening ceremony of the Atlanta Summer Olympics in 1996. Samuel Barber’s lyrical Symphony No. 1 combines the four movements of a classical symphony into a single movement. Margaret Bond’s Montgomery Variations was composed in 1964 and dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. It portrays the early history of the Civil Rights Movement, in particular the Montgomery Bus Boycott and its aftermath.
A pre-concert talk is scheduled for 7:15 pm.
Tickets for adults and seniors are $25. Admission for youth under 18 is free.

Fall Fungal Foray 2025
2025-10-19 14:00 - 15:00 | Thoreau Farm, 341 Virginia Road, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Fall Fungal Foray with the Sauntering Society

FREE
Registration required. Limited to 16 participants.

Mycologist and author of Fascinating Fungi of New England, Fungipedia, Lawrence Millman, will be the foray leader on a mushroom identification walk in Hapgood-Wright Forest.

Author and Arctic explorer Lawrence Millman has written 18 books, including such titles as Our Like Will Not Be There Again, Last Places, Hiking to Siberia, At the End of the World, Fascinating Fungi of New England, Fungipedia, and Goodbye, Ice. He is also a contributor to Thoreau Farm’​s book: What Would Henry Do? Volume II. He has visited Henry’s grave more times than he’s visited either his mother’s or his father’s graves. He lives in Cambridge.

The Concord Orchestra presents "Always in Motion"
2025-10-19 14:30 - 16:00 | 51 Walden
The orchestra performs music by Michael Torke, Samuel Barber, and Margaret Bonds. Michael Torke’s Javelin was commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for its 50th anniversary and performed at the opening ceremony of the Atlanta Summer Olympics in 1996. Samuel Barber’s lyrical Symphony No. 1 combines the four movements of a classical symphony into a single movement. Margaret Bond’s Montgomery Variations was composed in 1964 and dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. It portrays the early history of the Civil Rights Movement, in particular the Montgomery Bus Boycott and its aftermath.
Tickets for adults and seniors are $25. Admission for youth under 18 is free.

Poetry at the Library with Jonathan Aaron and Linda Flaherty Haltmaier
2025-10-19 15:00 - 16:30 | Concord Free Public Library, 129 Main Street, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library Poetry Series presents Jonathan Aaron and Linda Flaherty Haltmaier, two outstanding poets at the height of their powers.
Jonathan Aaron reads from his fourth collection, Just About Anything: New and Selected Poems (Carnegie Mellon University Press 2025). A poem uses words to try to get at what can’t be put into words. The best poems remain just out of reach; something in or about them remains mysterious. A poem itself is an inquiry or a search, that is never finished, never fulfilled.”
Jonathan Aaron is the author of three previous books of poems, including Second Sight, Corridor, and Journey to the Lost City. His work has received many honors, including fellowships from Yaddo and MacDowell. His poems have appeared in the London Review of Books, The New Yorker, New York Review of Books, and Raritan, among others, and they have been included five times in Best American Poetry.
Jonathan was educated at the University of Chicago and Yale. He went on to teach English and Creative Writing at Williams College, at Yale, in Harvard’s Expository Writing Program, and finally in the Department of Writing and Literature at Emerson College, where he is now professor emeritus. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Linda Flaherty Haltmaier reads from her collection, Shadows Set to Burn, winner of the 2024 International Book Award for Narrative Poetry. She is the award-winning author of four poetry collections and the Poet Laureate Emeritus of Andover, MA. Named the winner of the Robert Frost Poetry Prize, she is known for her “sensational imagery, her deft ear for the music of language, and her emotional sonar for sounding the depths of love (and anger.)” Her latest offering, Shadows Set to Burn, is the winner of the 2024 International Book Award for Narrative Poetry.
Her debut collection, Rolling up the Sky, claimed the Homebound Publications Poetry Prize and her follow-up collection, To the Left of the Sun, won the American Book Fest Award for Poetry. Additional accolades include winning the JuxtaProse Poetry Prize and the Palm Beach Poetry Festival Competition, as well as Finalist honors for the Princemere Poetry Prize, the New Millenium Award for Poetry, the Joy Bale Boone Poetry Prize, the Rash Award for Poetry, and the Tucson Festival of the Book Literary Award, among others.
A four-time Pushcart Prize nominee, Linda has been featured widely in journals and anthologies including Switchgrass Review, WSQ, Ink & Letters, Wild Word, and more. Her debut chapbook, Catch and Release, was published by Finishing Line Press. A graduate of Harvard, Linda leads poetry workshops, gives readings, and promotes poetry on the North Shore of Boston where she lives with her husband and daughter.
For more information on the Concord Festival of Authors, please visit www.concordfestivalofauthors.org.

Kiss the Future - Feature Film Presentation
2025-10-19 18:30 - 20:30 | Harvey Wheeler Community Center, 1276 Main St, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
This powerful documentary is a remarkable and uplifting look at the Bosnian War, focusing on the resilience of the citizens of Sarajevo and the efforts of an aid worker—Bill Carter—who recruited the band U2 to shine a global spotlight on the conflict. Kiss the Future delivers themes highly relevant to our current moment. By reminding us of the human cost when populist narratives divide neighbors, the film underscores the critical need to protect shared values of freedom and democracy. It’s a stirring message of hope, demonstrating how music and art can fuel reconciliation. Bill Carter visits Concord and hosts a discussion following the film.
IMAGE: U2’s Edge, Bill Carter, and UW frontman Bono

Tactile Tuesday Playgroup at Nashoba Brooks School
2025-10-21 09:15 - 10:00 | Nashoba Brooks School, 200 Strawberry Hill Rd, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Join us for one date or all dates in the Fall Series of the Tactile Tuesday Playgroup at Nashoba Brooks School. Aimed at children ages 1+ and a caregiver, but all are welcome for engagement with peers and school-readiness sensory activities. The Tactile Tuesday Playgroup is FREE and open to all. Feel free to share the information with a friend or neighbor! Register by emailing admission@nashobabrooks.org for attendance in this joyful start to Tuesdays!

Designing With Texture
2025-10-21 18:00 - 19:30 | Copper Penny Flowers, 9 Independence Ct, Concord, MA, 01742, United States
Pumpkins and gourds and grasses, oh my! Embrace awesome Autumn with a design class featuring fall’s harvest and your own arrangement to take home and enjoy.
