Wellesley is fortunate to have a lively arts scene, with various opportunities to engage with or make art at any given time. Check out a concert, theater performance, or art reception this month. Here are just a few events happening soon, here and beyond Wellesley.
Don’t see your free or low-cost arts event listed? Email us at theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
Art Wellesley, 3rd annual Small Art, Big Party
The Small Art, Big Party event is a fundraiser for Art Wellesley that is free for participating artists, with all art sale proceeds supporting Art Wellesley programming. The party happens October 2, 2026, 6pm-8pm, at the Lulu Wang Center at Wellesley College. In 2025 the group welcomed over 300 attendees and hung over 150 works of art.
Davis Museum Opening Celebration
DATE: Thursday, Sept. 24
TIME: 5pm-8pm, Opening Reception—Davis Lobby and Galleries; 5:30pm, Welcome Remarks—Davis Lobby
LOCATION: Davis Museum, Wellesley College, 106 Central St., Wellesley
COST: Free and open to the public
PARKING: Parking is free and available in the Visitor Parking facility located directly off of the Route 135/Central Street entrance to the College.
DESCRIPTION: Join Dina Deitsch, the new Ruth Gordon Shapiro ’37 Director of the Davis Museum, to celebrate the opening of the 2026-2027 academic year exhibitions. Excavating Antioch: The Archaeology of an Ancient City and Shi: Stories in Stone both present major new scholarship on artworks stewarded by Wellesley College. Come contemplate history and toast the Davis’s future! Light refreshments will be served.
Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, season opener, “Musical Tales”
DATE/TIME: Sunday, Sept. 27, 2pm
LOCATION: MassBay Community College Auditorium, 50 Oakland St, Wellesley, MA
TICKET INFO here
DESCRIPTION: The concert begins with Elisabetta Brusa’s symphonic poem, Merlin, for orchestra, Op.20. Written in 2004, this describes one of history’s best loved legendary figures. Giovanni Bottesini’s Gran Duo Concertante, is dedicated to long-time WSO cellist and WSO board vice president Jan Schwaner, who passed away on July 22. Jan joined the WSO in 1994, and joined our board in 2006. A joyful presence in the orchestra, Jan was an important part of our outreach program as part of the WSO String quartet. You’ll find more about Jan here.
Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, Goethe String Quartet
EVENT: Saturdays at 4 Series
DATE/TIME: October 3, 4pm-5:30pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, 207 Washington St.
DESCRIPTION: The Goethe Quartet, one of Europe’s most exciting young chamber groups, returns to the Hills Church to perform world premieres by Michael Gilbertson, James Ra and Will Cooper, alongside standard repertoire.
Tickets here
Saturdays at 4 Series: Children’s Concert: Peter & the Wolf!
DATE/TIME: October 10, 4pm-5:30pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, 207 Washington St.
DESCRIPTION: Join us for this free Children’s Concert featuring Prokofiev’s beloved Peter & the Wolf! With the professional Puppeteering Group, “Really Inventive Stuff” and Woodwind Quintet, this promises to be fun for the whole family.
REGISTRATION here
Wellesley Society of Artists presents “Eyes Open to Color”
EVENT: Artist talk
DATE/TIME:
Natick Open Studios
DATES/TIME: Saturday, Oct. 17 & Sunday, Oct. 18, 11am-5pm
LOCATION: All Around Natick—participants and locations coming soon here.
DESCRIPTION: Meet and visit in informal settings with over 100 artists living or working in Natick to learn about their art and to purchase unique creations. Painters, printmakers, sculptors, potters, mosaic artists, jewelers, fiber artists, photographers, and mixed media artists. Some artists will offer live demonstrations during the open studio weekend which also include refreshments and live bands.
Wellesley High School Choral Department concert, “Acatober”
DATES/TIME: Friday, Oct. 23 & Saturday, 24
TIME: TBA
LOCATION: Wellesley High School, 50 Rice St., Katherine L. Babson Jr., Auditorium
TICKETS: Available soon
DESCRIPTION: Acatober will feature the WHS Keynote Singers, Concert Choir, and the Rice Street Singers, directed by WHS Director of Choral Programs, Dr. Kevin McDonald, as well as special guest groups. This annual concert is always a must-attend event.
The Wellesley Society of Artists presents “The Breaking Sea”
EVENT: Painting demonstration
DATE/TIME: Sunday, Nov. 8, 1:30pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.
DESCRIPTION: The demonstration by artist Don Demers will include the presentation of a small sketch from which he will work into a 16”x 24” oil painting. The scene will portray waves breaking on a shoreline. Don will narrate throughout and explain that he typically does not work from photographs, but from sketches and studies he does on location. This is a unique opportunity to see Don Demers at work. He is a master at painting the elusive nature of the ocean. Presented in partnership with the Wellesley Free Library.
Beyond Wellesley
Boston Lyric Opera, outdoors
EVENT: Street Stage at Titus Sparrow Park
DATE/TIME: Saturday, October 3, 4pm-5pm
LOCATION: Titus Sparrow Park, 75 West Rutland Square Boston, MA 02118
COST: Free
DESCRIPTION: BLO’s Street Stage rolls into Boston’s South End. This delightful concert program showcases everything from opera classics to musical theatre, all performed by extraordinary professional musicians. Enjoy gorgeous views of Boston from the scenic amphitheater lawn, explore the newly renovated playgrounds and basketball courts, and admire the historic architecture and gardens surrounding this treasured urban green space. In partnership with The Friends of Titus Sparrow Park and The Southwest Corridor Park Conservancy
Danforth Art Museum and School at Framingham State University
EVENT: Drop Into Art
DATE/TIME: Sunday, Oct. 11, 1pm-4pm
LOCATION: 14 Vernon Place on the Framingham Town Common
COST: Free
DESCRIPTION: This popular, ongoing event encourages creativity for adults and kids alike. A variety of materials are provided. It’s free and no pre-registration is required. Just drop in!
Boston Book Festival
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Oct. 17, 10am-5pm
LOCATION: Copley Square, Boylston St. @ Dartmouth St. in Boston’s Back Bay
COST: Free
New England’s largest literary event brings 25,000 people from across the region to Copley Square for an outdoor marketplace of ideas, great stories, author visits and much more. This annual event culminates a year-round celebration of writers and the written word.
Not that we’re being dramatic, but we simply cannot survive without your help.
- Sign up for our free weekday email newsletter
- Send us story tips, photos, ideas: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
- Support our work via a tax-deductible donation
Leave a Reply