October 08, 2025
Massachusetts is home to several Indigenous tribes upholding vibrant cultures and active, engaged communities, and historically, Indigenous people lived in the state for thousands of years before European settlement. On Monday, we honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a celebration of their legacies, traditions, and heritage. Institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Institute of Contemporary Arts/Boston and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will offer free admission. We’ve rounded up a few more events held in recognition of the holiday, and more, below.
‘An Indigenous Present‘
Opening Thursday, Oct. 9
Organized by artist Jeffrey Gibson and independent curator Jenelle Porter, “An Indigenous Present” displays 100 years of contemporary Indigenous art that “represent personal and collective narratives, describe specific and imagined places, and build upon cultural and aesthetic traditions,” according to the ICA website. It features the works of 15 artists, including Diné composer and musician Raven Chacon, and Caroline Monnet, an Anishinaabe French and Canadian contemporary artist and filmmaker. [Want more visual arts exhibit recommendations? Check out our fall guide.]
HONK! Festival
Thursday, Oct. 9-Sunday, Oct. 12
The 20th annual HONK! Festival comes to Somerville for the weekend, bringing brass bands from around the world to the city’s streets. The event spotlights activist music groups participating in social engagement or political protest. On Thursday, Tufts University will co-host the conference HONK! U, offering panels, workshops and presentations about the history of street music activism. Concerts will be held in Union Square and Davis Square on Friday and Saturday, while the “Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes, and Feet” Parade will traverse the roads leading to Harvard Square on Sunday, joining the Harvard Square Oktoberfest (come for beer gardens, craft and vintage markets, and more).
Day of the Dead Workshop: Making a nicho
Saturday, Oct. 11
A nicho is a small, embellished shadow box where mementos of deceased loved ones can be kept. At Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, multidisciplinary artist Brioch Ochoa will lead a two-hour workshop where participants will create these artifacts in honor of Mexico’s Day of the Dead. Ribbons, patterned papers and acrylic paints will be used to fabricate the nichos, and imagination is encouraged. To register, members pay $30, while nonmembers pay $35. The fees include museum admission, and guests are welcome to stay before and after to explore the exhibits.
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