So much to see & savor THIS WEEKEND!
The heat wave’s over — finally. Time for some outdoor fun that won’t make you melt. We’ve found some great fresh-air events, an art exhibit worth the indoor detour and the perfect weekend TV viewing, all for a Great Day Out/Great Night In:
BATTER UP: Who said you need a ticket to get the Fenway experience? The Red Sox Showcase, a transportable Fenway Park, rolls its magic into Faneuil Hall today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fans can test their baseball skills at the batting cage, a virtual reality experience, pitching accuracy stations, a Steal 2nd Base challenge and more, all under the backdrop of a replica Green Monster scoreboard, The Red Sox Showcase, powered by T-Mobile, is part of the Red Sox Calling All Kids initiative. redsox.com/ showcase.
PIE-EYED: The aromas around City Hall Plaza are going to be heavenly as the Boston Pizza Festival returns this weekend.
For the second year, 30 in-dough-mitable vendors from Greater Boston and beyond will be tossing and saucing and more, with proceeds going to the Action for Boston Community Development, a nonprofit human services organization that helps economically disadvantaged residents in Greater Boston transition from poverty to stability and success. Whether you like Neapolitan, Sicilian or New York style, they’ve got you covered — even glutenfree and vegan. Performances on the main stage include pizza acrobatics, cooking demos and special guest appearances. And did we mention unlimited pizza sampling? Tickets for each day (today and tomorrow noon to 8 p.m.) are $35 in advance or $45 the day of; children 10 years old or younger, $20; children 3 years old and younger, free. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to bostonpizzafestival.com.
LIVING LARGE: When it came to opulence, Europe’s elite in the 1700s were no slouches. The Museum of Fine Arts’ new exhibit, “Casanova’s Europe: Art, Pleasure and Power in the 18th Century,” examines the grandeur through more than 250 paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, textiles, works on paper and musical instruments. A trio of tableaux, featuring mannequins dressed in elaborate costumes of the period amid the furniture and decorative arts of the time, illustrate a visiting parlor in Venice, a lady’s boudoir in Paris and a card party in London. And where does Casanova come in? The exhibition is informed by the life of Giacomo Casanova (1725–1798), whose 12-volume autobiography, “The Story of My Life,” is considered an exemplary chronicle of 18th century European society. The exhibit opens tomorrow. Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave.; mfa.org.
GREEN GABLES, PART 2: Anne Shirley is growing up — and going in some bold directions beyond the novels.
“Anne with an E” (new season now streaming on Netflix) finds everyone’s favorite redhead now 14 and discovering some people can be prejudiced against others. But they are no match for Anne’s optimism and good faith.
JUMP TO IT: Daredevil Travis Pastrana attempts three of Evel Knievel’s most dangerous stunts on “Evel Live” (tomorrow at 8 p.m. on History). In Las Vegas, the X Games champion will try to leap the length of 52 crushed cars, then 16 Greyhound buses and finally the Caesars Palace fountain. Evel almost died doing that stunt. You can watch it all live. And yes, medical teams will be standing by.