Nov 22-30, 2010: Balloon Parade, LEGO Fest, Sing-a-long Mary Poppins, Roleplaying Weekend, and tons of Xmas Parades, Fireworks, & Tree Lightings, & Free Theatre Tix

Welcome to Boston Events Insider! Don’t be fooled — a lot of holiday “events” are really merchant shopping malls. I try very hard to put the best stuff up top, but there’s so much more: don’t forget to check the MAIN WEBSITE! This week’s top items are below, or see the complete Boston Events Insider.

Fri 11/26 – Fri 12/31Boston MetroFree theatre tix: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and movies too
Boston's Events Insider, by Johnny Monsarrat
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a touching holiday play about what happens when the rowdiest kids in town take over the Xmas play. I’ve got two pairs of tickets to your choice of show Fri 11/26 at 7pm, Sat 11/27 at 4pm or 7pm, or Sun 11/28 at 2pm. Email me at johnny@eventsinsider.com. Also, so far this week I have movie preview tickets for “Faster”, that action flick with The Rock, Monday Nov 22 in Boston. For more free stuff as it comes out in-between weekly postings, join the Events Insisder Facebook group: just click “subscribe” in the top menu.
395 Main St, Stoneham, MA.

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Fri 11/26Western MassSpringfield’s Parade of the Big Balloons
Boston's Events Insider, by Johnny Monsarrat
I would so love to see this! Probably the best event after Thanksgiving is the parade in Springfield. The non-metro towns that try the hardest to lure in tourists are Springfield, Quincy, Salem, and Lowell. You can bet whenever an event happens in any of these places, it’ll be good. 11am.
Main Street, Springfield, MA.413-733-3800.

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Fri 11/26 – Tue 12/28South ShoreQuincy Christmas Lights Festival & Parade
Boston's Events Insider, by Johnny Monsarrat
And right on cue, another town that tries hard, Quincy, has a Christmas festival. Unfortunately rather than have a one day blast, they are spacing theirs out, with a kids festival and lighting ceremony Friday Nov 26 at 6:30pm with 10,000 lights, Santa arriving by parachute Saturday Nov 27 at 12:30pm at Pageant Field, and a parade they call “the largest on the East Coast”, Sunday Nov 28 at 12:30pm, from School St & Elm St up Hancock St to North Quincy. It’s more of a draw if you put all this stuff together into one day, in my opinion.
Quincy, MA.617-376-1990 Chris Walker.

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Sat 11/27Northern MassLowell City of Lights Parade & Holiday Art Stroll
Boston's Events Insider, by Johnny Monsarrat
Salem slips behind this week, with just a tree lighting, but Lowell has a parade too! Various merchants and museums will be open — these events are typically driven by the chamber of commerce — and you’ll find trolley rides, a parade, Santa Claus, a scavenger hunt, a hot chocolate competition, street performers, theatre, and more. What, no website photo? 11am-8pm.
Merrimack & Central Streets, Lowell, MA.978-674-1481, 978.446.7162.

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Sat 11/27Metro WestSanta Parade and Fireworks over Choate
Boston's Events Insider, by Johnny Monsarrat
Right after you think, “Where the hell is Medway”, you think, “Fireworks!!” Parade at 5:30pm Holliston St to Choate Park, with fireworks afterwards over Choate Pond.
Choate Park, Medway, MA.

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Sat 11/27Boston MetroTubaChristmas Concert at Fanueil Hall
Boston's Events Insider, by Johnny Monsarrat
There are a lot of Boston tree lighting that I list below, but here’s my favorite: a concert with over 200 tubas! There are other TubaChristmas shows listed in the next month on their website, in Ayer, New Bedford, Shelburne Falls, and Worcester.
Boston, MA.617-523-1300 x7021.

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Fri 11/26Metro WestLEGO Extravaganza at Acton
Boston's Events Insider, by Johnny Monsarrat
Can we back up just a second? It’s not ALL about Christmas and as a favor to non-believers, I will separate out the Xmas and non-Xmas events all month. For example, there’s a festival of building giant sculptures in Acton, with LEGOs. Make sure to bring hand sanitizer! They say it’s for all ages even though it’s at a children’s museum. I want to go!!
177 Main St, Acton, MA.978-264-4200.

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Fri 11/26Boston MetroFriday After Thanksgiving Chain Reaction
Boston's Events Insider, by Johnny Monsarrat
But what I have my heart set on is this contest to build elaborately complicated machines called Rube Goldberg devices. That’s when the candle heats the air going into the balloon, which bursts, surprising the bird who tips over a bucket, sending water onto a cat, who yowls and pulls a string, releasing a bowling ball to roll… you get the idea. Register to join in, or just show up to watch. 1-4pm.
MIT Campus, Rockwell Gymnasium, 120 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA.

see details on the complete Events Insider

And a lot more this week at Boston Events Insider, the most popular events blog in New England, including:

Annual Cold Turkey Plunge, Sing-a-Long Mary Poppins, Ye Olde Game Weekend, Murder Mysteries at the Newport Art Museum, Thanksgiving Contra Dance, The Great Turkey Swingout, Boston’s Holiday Trellis Lighting, Macy’s Boston Tree Lighting, Charles Hotel Tree Lighting, Dorchester Trolley Tour, Roslindale Tree Lighting, Anderson Tree Lighting in Logan Square, Winthrop Holiday Lighting Festival, Copley Square Tree Lighting, Mass Horticultural’s Festival of Trees, Gloucester’s Santa Parade & Tree Lighting, Newburyport Santa Parade & Tree Lighting, Tree Lighting Festival at Smolak Farms, Holiday Tree Lighting, Family Breakfast with Santa!, Brockton Holiday Parade, Nantucket Tree Lighting & Community Caroling, Westfield Dickens Days, Holiday Parade of Lights in Berlin NH, Santa Arrives by Dogteam at Waterville Valley, Christmas in Wolfeboro Parade, Santa’s Arrival at Roger Williams Park Zoo, Santa Arrives in Westerly, Winter Carnival at the St. Ann Arts & Cultural Center, Manchester Tree Lighting, MFA Community Day (November), Half-Price Day at Franklin Park Zoo & Stone Zoo, Gobble Gobble Gobble Road Race, Evening Tour at Gore Place, Annual Owl Prowl at Bartholomew’s Cobble, Ice Skating Statewide, Shaker Supper at Hancock Shaker Village, Star Trek: A Vision of the Future, Miss Massachusetts USA & Teen USA Pageants, The Capitol Steps, Vengeance is the Lord’s, and our review, Newport Nutcracker at Rosecliff, and more than 25 ongoing holiday attractions in New England!

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