The Weekender: September 29 to October 2

Sample vegetarian specialties at this weekend’s 27th annual Boston Veg Food Fest. Photo by iStock/Dumitru Ochievschi

Eat, shop, go

October arrives Saturday, so it’s a great time to get outside. Enjoy New England’s fall weather at a dance performance on the Charles River or stroll to the North End to check out a cool gift shop. Prefer to stay inside? Head to Agganis Arena to catch the BU men’s hockey team’s season opener against Bentley or order an authentic Sichuan spicy hot pot from the recently opened spot across the street from Questrom. 

Shu DaXia Hot Pot

In case you were preoccupied, Shu DaXia Hot Pot opened across the street from Questrom during the height of last year’s finals. Originally set to open in 2019, COVID-19 construction delays postponed the opening. Thankfully, the spot is now up and running. 

Shu DaXia Hot Pot has a variety of Chinese soups with different levels of spiciness. The menu also has an extensive selection of meats (pork ribs, tripe, and shaved beef) and sauces. And keep an eye out for manager and BU alum Ivory Guan (COM’15).

Shu DaXia Hot Pot, 580 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, is open daily from 4 to 10 pm. Follow them on Instagram here.

Shake the Tree

This small, female-owned gift shop in the North End sells jewelry, clothing, stationery, candles, and more. Get in the fall spirit with a box of spiced pumpkin tea from Big Heart Teas, cleanse negative thoughts in your dorm room with an energy-clearing kit, or buy a new cookbook for your next dorm room dinner party.

Shake the Tree, 67 Salem St., Boston, is open Monday to Friday, 11 am to 7 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm; and Sunday, noon to 5 pm. 

27th Annual Boston Veg Food Fest

Hungry this weekend? Head over to the 27th annual Boston Veg Food Fest at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center for some delicious plant-based food. On Saturday, the festival will feature several speakers, including BU alum Nirva Kapasi Patel (ENG’00), whose 2 pm talk is titled Interrelated Injustices Rooted in Animal Agriculture​. Patel is currently a global policy fellow at Harvard Law School’s Animal Law & Policy Clinic and was recently successful with a citizen’s petition to ban the sale of fur in Weston, Mass. View the entire speaker schedule for the festival here.

The Boston Veg Food Fest is Saturday, October 1, from 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday, October 2, from 10 am to 4 pm, at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont St., Boston. Admission is free.

“Emotive Land” Free Live Performance

On Saturday, the newly formed arts collective The Click will perform an augmented reality contemporary dance performance called “Emotive Land” in Kendall Square, Cambridge. Spectators can view the performance live or through a free smartphone app. Once viewers open the app, they will encounter visual prompts that lead them to spots along the Charles River where virtual dancers appear on their screens, seeming to interact with actual locations. The event organizers hope this will lead to more overlap between augmented reality and the arts. 

The app will be accessible from The Click website and Apple App Store, Google Play, and other app locations on October 1.

The live performance of “Emotive Land” is Saturday, October 1, at 1 pm, at 15 Broad Canal Way in Cambridge. The performance can also be viewed on the Emotive Land app anytime between October 1 and November 30.

Terrier Men’s Hockey

The BU men’s hockey team opens the season against Bentley on Saturday night at Agganis Arena. There are high expectations this season for the Terriers, who welcome back 10 seniors to this year’s roster. BU also has a new bench boss: former Terrier Jay Pandolfo (CAS’96) takes the reins as head coach this season. The Terriers are ranked 14th in the nation in USA Hockey’s preseason poll.

The BU men’s hockey team will take on Bentley on Saturday, October 1, at 7 pm, at Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Ave. Purchase tickets via student Sports Pass, at Agganis Arena or Ticketmaster.