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Chocolate Crawls, Curated Markets, & Café Dates

Chocolate Crawls, Curated Markets, & Café Dates

Chocolate takes over Harvard Square this weekend as a one-hour tasting crawl leads cocoa lovers along Brattle Street in search of truffles, hot chocolate, gelato, and more. After the sugar rush, the weekend rolls on with Backgarden’s art night market, a vintage-heavy maker market at Warehouse XI, and cozy social hangs from café speed dating to dessert potlucks and board game cafés. Come stroll, browse, and start a conversation.

March 05, 2026

_{Cambridge Commons on February 17th}

WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT

WEEKEND SPOTLIGHTHarvard Square Chocolate Tasting @ Brattle Street, Cambridge — The wait is over! After two postponements, one of Harvard Square’s most beloved winter events returns with local businesses sharing samples of hot chocolate, gelato, truffles, and other cocoa creations while live Brazilian percussion fills the streets and hundreds of visitors make their way

Friday March 6th

Harvard Men’s Basketball vs. Columbia @ Lavietes Pavilion, Cambridge (ok technically in Allston but it’s on the border and close enough) — An Ivy League matchup with Harvard hosting Columbia as the two face off for the first time since the 2018-2019 season and gear up for a March Madness tourney bid | $30+ • 7-9PM

Community Dessert Potluck @ The Loov Studio, Cambridge — Yes & Everything hosts a free dessert potluck featuring tea, shared sweets, rotating table shuffles, and unfolding check-in questions designed to move conversations past small talk and connect the Y&E creative community | FREE • 8-10PM

The Birthday Party: March Edition @ Remnant Satellite, Cambridge— Have a birthday in March? RSVP and pull up to Remnant’s monthly birthday bash (March ddition) to celebrate with friends and other March babies + a free jello shot and cake on rotation to make it a true birthday celebration | FREE • 8:30-11:45PM

THE STOOP’S PICK

Backgarden Art Night Market @ First Street Market, Cambridge — First Street Market fills with work from a curated lineup of regional artists as Backgarden Art hosts its first in-person night market, turning the space into a lively showcase of paintings, ceramics, prints, and handmade goods with food and drinks flowing throughout the evening

Saturday March 7th

Winter Bike Ride @ Sennott Park, Cambridge — An easy-paced community bike ride across mostly flat city streets with a pre-ride meetup, quick bike checks from on-site mechanics, and a relaxed group rollout starting at Sennott Park | FREE • 9:30AM

27th Annual Maple Boil Down @ Somerville Community Growing Center, Somerville — Come watch sap collected from 7 tapped trees get boiled down on site into fresh hyper-local syrup, see the same kettles that turned 95+ gallons of sap into small-batch quarts last season, and learn how the whole process works in real time | FREE • 11AM • 2PM

Cabin Fever Maker & Vintage Market @ Warehouse XI, Somerville — Stop by this curated indie market bringing together New England makers, vintage dealers, and artists selling everything from handmade ceramics and art prints to retro clothing, upcycled goods, and one-of-a-kind vintage finds | $5 • 11AM • 4PM

Start of Mass Beer Week @ Remnant Brewing (Satellite), Somerville — Kick off a full week dedicated to Massachusetts beer with the Somerville Brewery Crawl: grab your passport, collect branded stamps across participating spots, and earn a limited collector glass, plus a lecture-style talk on beer halls, taverns and their role in history | FREE • 11:30AM-10PM

Harvard Square Chocolate Tasting @ Brattle Street, Cambridge — Join the hundreds that are expected to follow the scent of cocoa through Harvard Square as local shops hand out chocolatey samples, from hot cocoa and gelato to truffles and artisan sweets - turning Brattle Street into a one-hour tasting crawl for serious chocolate lovers | FREE • 1–2PM

Coffee Shop Speed Dating (Ages 25–40) @ Revival Cafe + Kitchen, Cambridge — Single in Cambeville? Love coffee? Check out a no pressure, cozy café speed dating event where local singles rotate through quick, low-pressure conversations over coffee in Revival’s relaxed neighborhood setting | $34 • 1–3PM

Backgarden Art Night Market @ First Street Market, Cambridge — Backgarden Art hosts its first-ever in-person night market featuring Massachusetts artists selling paintings, ceramics, prints, clothing, and jewelry alongside music, drinks, and bites at First Street Market | FREE • 5–10PM

Wii Sports League @ Lamplighter Brewing (CX), Cambridge — Are you a Wii pro? Good, because Lamplighter is hosting a weekly Wii Sports league inside their taproom with rotating games like bowling, first-come tournament play, and bragging rights for the East Cambridge champion; first come first serve | FREE • 2PM

Board Game Café (Adults) @ Somerville Public Library – Central Branch, Somerville — Adult board game meetup offering open play from the library’s tabletop collection, learn-a-new-game opportunities, and light refreshments while you mingle with other players | FREE • 2–4:30PM

Brewery Tour & Tasting @ Lamplighter Brewing, Cambridge — Behind-the-scenes brewery tour of Lamplighter’s production floor with a guided tasting, a 6oz welcome beer, three flight-sized samples, and a playful “Beer School” quiz before earning your Lamplighter diploma | $34 • 4PM

Sunday March 8th

Introduction to Figure Drawing @ Cambridge Foundry, Cambridge — Hands-on art workshop teaching the basics of figure drawing with charcoal, toned paper, and mixed media while working through quick gesture poses and longer studies with live models | $56 • 10AM–2PM

Flagons & Dragons D&D One-Shot @ Aeronaut Brewing Company, Somerville — A live D&D campaign session in Aeronaut’s brewery taproom where new AND experienced players team up for a guided one-shot quest filled with monsters, storytelling, and plenty of dice rolling | $55 • 1–5PM

Speed Dating (Ages 30–42) @ Theory Bar & Lounge, Cambridge — Skip the apps for a night of real conversations with up to 14 five-minute speed dates, a complimentary first drink at arrival, and match results emailed within 24 hours | $43 • 6–8PM

Livecode Boston Sunday Social @ Tilde, Cambridge — A casual wine bar hangout for the local live coding community where creatives explore making electronic music and visuals through code while connecting with fellow programmers and digital artists; vino pours on tap too| FREE • 6–8PM

NEXT WEEK’S WATCHLIST

Tavern Talk: Snowbound — The Blizzard of ’78 @ Aeronaut Brewing Company, Somerville — Go for the beer and stay for the history of the winter storm that buried Boston under record snowfall and shut down the region for nearly a week, as this history-on-tap talk revisits the legendary Blizzard of ’78

MIT Museum After Dark: Tick Tock @ MIT Museum, Cambridge — Dive into the mysteries of time during this after-hours museum night featuring a talk on the science of clocks, curator-led tours of the Split / Second exhibit, hands-on experiments, and late-night museum wandering

Art Battle Boston @ Lamplighter Brewing Co. CX, Cambridge — Watch painters race the clock as artists create original works live on stage in timed rounds, transforming blank canvases into finished pieces while the crowd circles the easels, votes for the winner, and bids on the freshly painted work during the closing auction