Given the variety of options available at Boskone, we wanted to share a few of the evening highlights to help you plan your nighttime entertainment.

FRIDAY, February 17th

On Friday at 8:00 pm, we invite you to join us for Boskone’s Opening Ceremony and meet this year’s guests in the Galleria. Immediately following the Opening Ceremony is the Boskone Reception and the kickoff for the Art Show, which brings together a spectacular array of art and artists.

Friday evening also includes our very special Featured Filkers Concert, an event in which pretty much anything can happen! …and probably will.

SATURDAY, February 18th

Saturday night includes our annual Boskone Book Party, which takes place in the Galleria and features a dozen authors and publishers. There will be books. There will be swag. There will even be come very cool posters for kids from Dreamworks such as the new Troll Hunters movie and the Voltron series on Netflix.

Immediately following the Book Party is a new event at Boskone (7:30 pm), The Memorial Toast, which gives us a special opportunity to come together as a community to remember our friends who have passed since last year. At 8:00 pm, you can join the Open Mic: Villains! or just sit back and enjoy poems, stories, and music about this year’s theme, which is villains.

Or, at 8:00 pm, you can come up to Harbor II&III and enjoy a short concert by our Featured Filkers followed by the Boskone Awards Ceremony in which we announce the winners of the short story contest, the Gaughan Award, and the Skylark Award. Then we have an extra special surprise in store for you. The Play’s the Thing! Join some of our funniest program participants for a special Shakespearean reading of a play that takes place in a galaxy that is far, far away!

Friday Schedule of Evening Events at Boskone

Friday 8:00 PM
Opening Ceremony: Meet the Guests
Erin Underwood (M), Brandon Sanderson, Dave Seeley, Maryelizabeth Yturralde, Lorraine Garland, Lojo Russo, Milton Davis, Ken MacLeod
Galleria – Stage · 15 min · Event
Welcome to Boskone, New England’s longest-running convention for science fiction, fantasy, and horror! Whether you are attending for the first time or the fifty-fourth, we invite you to join us in the Galleria to meet this year’s guests.

Friday 8:15 PM
Boskone 54 Reception
Erin Underwood (M), Gay Ellen Dennett (M), Milton Davis, Lorraine Garland, Lojo Russo, Ken MacLeod, Brandon Sanderson, Dave Seeley, Maryelizabeth Yturralde, David G. Grubbs (M)
Galleria – Art Show · 105 min · Event
Connoisseurs and philistines alike: welcome to the Boskone Art Show! Join us in the Galleria for an upscale social mixer. Meet our program participants while enjoying refreshments, stimulating conversation, and exceptional art that’s a feast for the eyes. Experience the music and the festivities as Boskone celebrates another year of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in Boston.

Friday 9:00 PM
Featured Filkers Concert: The Fabulous Lorraine & Lojo Russo
Lorraine Garland, Lojo Russo
Marina 1 · 60 min · Event
The Fabulous Lorraine (aka Quiche Me Deadly) and Lojo Russo, longtime friends and coconspirators, have come to Boskone to entertain us with their fanciful and farcical music — which has yet to disappoint anyone, including themselves.

Saturday Schedule of Evening Events at Boskone

Saturday 6:30 PM
Boskone Book Party
Galleria – Stage · 60 min · Event
Join us for Boskone’s Book Party! See what’s just out from authors you love, and discover new favorites. The book party will include E. C. Ambrose ( Elaine Isaak ), Neil Clarke, LJ Cohen, Milton Davis, Grady Hendrix, Carlos Hernandez, Jeremy Flagg, Hillary Monahan, Cerece Rennie Murphy, Ian Randal Strock, Christine Taylor-Butler, and more!

Saturday 7:30 PM
Boskone Memorial Toast
David G. Grubbs
Galleria – Stage · 15 min · Event
Join Toastmaster David G. Grubbs in the Galleria, immediately following the Boskone Book Party, for the Boskone Memorial Toast at 7:30 pm sharp as we raise a glass in memory of Boskone’s and Boston fandom’s recently departed friends. The Boskone 54 Souvenir Book’s “In Memoriam” section includes a partial list. (Non-alcoholic drinks are available in the Con Suite and alcoholic drinks will be available at the cash bar in the Galleria.)

Saturday 8:00 PM
Open Mic: Villains!
Kenneth Schneyer (M), Linda Addison (M), C. S. E. Cooney, Kate Baker, Milton Davis, Ada Palmer, Vincent O’Neil, Don Pizarro, Tom Kidd, Julie C. Day, Emma Caywood
Galleria · 90 min · Event
Live from Boskone … enjoy the unsavory stylings of our program participants and audience members. They share their open mic skills in the second annual Boskone Open Mic, which this year features our favorite fictitious villains! Each person gives his/her best 5-minute villainous performance — story, poem, song, skit, interpretive dance, or whatever!

OPTIONAL: For extra-appalling appeal, feel free to come dressed as your favorite fictitious villain!

The Rules: Boskone members are invited to join our participants in the open mic by signing up for one of the six open slots at the door to the event, which opens for sign-ups at 7:30 p.m. Each performer is given a firm 5-minute time limit (max), including setup time. So a quick transition between acts is key.

Saturday 8:00 PM
Lojo & Lorraine: Making Music
Lojo Russo, Lorraine Garland
Harbor II+III · 30 min · Event
Join Boskone’s Featured Filkers Lorraine Garland and Lojo Russo for a short concert that kicks off our Saturday night programming with a bang!

Saturday 8:30 PM
Boskone 54 Awards Ceremony
David G. Grubbs, Gay Ellen Dennett, Michael Sharrow, Jane Yolen, Bruce Coville, Greg Manchess
Harbor II+III · 20 min · Event
Saturday night’s theatrical extravaganza continues with the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) event in which we present our annual Skylark and Gaughan awards. The Skylark Award honors the work and personal qualities of an exceptional contributor to science fiction. The Gaughan Award is presented to a talented emerging artist. Tonight, we will also be announcing the winner of the annual NESFA Short Story Contest.

Saturday 9:00 PM
The Play’s The Thing!
Laurie Mann (M), Lojo Russo, Lorraine Garland, David G. Grubbs, Erin Underwood (M), Jane Yolen, Bruce Coville, David Anthony Durham, Darlene Marshall, John Chu, Kate Baker, Sage Durham
Harbor II+III · 90 min · Event
Boskone’s theatrical extravaganza features a live reading of an abridged adaptation of a faux-Shakespearean play that is based upon an Empire far, far away that has striketh back against an intrepid group of friends who are “forced” to confront the dark side. There will be capes and a lighted saber (or two) and shenanigans to entertain audiences of all ages!

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And don’t forget to check the Pocket Program to see what other evening panels and discussions are happening. You can win chocolate, play games, talk about the Hugos, etc! Plus, be sure to check out the party board, which is located just outside of the Galleria at the bottom of the escalators. This is where you’ll also find the fan tables where you can learn about other conventions as well as other local groups!

Boskone is all about building community and making friends. We hope you enjoy your daytime fun as well as all of the activities that we have in store for the evening as well. We look forward to seeing you there!