I hadn’t been in a minute, but I forgot how good Assembly Row is at turning “I’m just gonna look” into an afternoon of bar hopping and bringing home something made by a local artist. Boston Women’s Market is popping up there Thursday-Sunday through October and I’d definitely recommend dropping by.

Now put your wallet away and open wide. Boston Pizza Festival returns for two days of cheese pulls, crust debates and very serious slices. Win your way in!

JUST ANNOUNCED

• Ready to fall in love with live music? Some of Boston’s best music venues are squashing ticket prices, with shows starting at just $22.*

• Get pickled in Fenway this week. Eastern Standard’s Pickle Week is back with cocktail classes, briny bites and a pickle run patio party. What exactly does that entail? We’re not sure but we intend to find out.

• The country’s oldest continuously operating community theater is taking on a Tony and Pulitzer Prize-nominated play. The Footlight Club’s run of The Minutes continues this weekend at historic Eliot Hall.

• Alt-pop songstress Isabel LaRosa is unveiling her most ambitious live show yet, with a stop in Cambridge on October 29th.

• Find even more just-announced Boston shows to add to your calendar!

HOW TO DO OKTOBERFEST IN BOSTON

Don’t get it twisted; the calendar just turned to September, but Oktoberfest season is underway. That’s how it works. Boston’s beer tents are calling, so dust off your lederhosen and grab a stein. Munich is a long flight, anyway.

THIS MONTH

LOCALS ONLY

• Did the T just get cheaper for you? New pilot programs mean unlimited transfers within two hours and no more express bus fares, while residents 75+ without a driver’s license are eligible for free travel.

• Wada Hoppah’s silent, all-electric ferry just made history with the first full trip down the Charles, bringing it one step closer to shuttling passengers.

• Dolly Parton spent decades singing about the workday grind. Now Massachusetts lawmakers are trying to have September 25th declared “9 to 5 Day” in honor of the Queen of Country.

WIN STUFF

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