The first weekend of November is here, hooray! Don’t you just love when the weekend rolls around again? The next two days are a blank slate for you to spend them how you please. Unless you work in the restaurant industry, in which case, I’m sorry.

This weekend, there’s everything from Boston’s premiere cocktail festival to a slew of First Friday parties around town. Intrigued? Same. Let’s read on.

Friday

ICA First Fridays: Hooked and  Twisted – 5 to 10 p.m. – ICA – Celebrate the opening of the ICA’s major fall exhibit, “Fiber: Sculpture 1960-present” with the First Fridays party. There will be a yarn bombing scavenger hunt, a tasting and book signing with Island Creek Oysters Chef Jeremy Sewall, music and more. Tickets are $15, or free for ICA members.

General Assembly’s First Friday Happy Hour – 5 to 6:30 p.m.- GA Boston – Join General Assembly and the team from Allclasses for an after work Happy Hour. There will be free beer and wine, as well as industry folk from Boston’s tech and startup scenes. RSVP to attend.

SoWa First Fridays – 5 to 9 p.m. – SoWa Boston – As SoWa Sundays are over for the season, head to Harrison Ave for First Fridays, which opens up the local galleries, shops and restaurants of SoWa, as well as brings together the 65+ local artists to display their work.

MFA First Fridays – 6 to 9:30 p.m. – MFA – Head to the MFA for seasonal cocktails, music, tapas and mixing in honor of the first Friday of the month. Tickets are $25, or free for MFA members.

NAMA’s Rock the Boat – 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. – Arts at the Armory Somerville – Join the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance for a benefit celebrating the organization’s work to make the fishing industries better. There will be art, education, entertainment, an auction and food and drink at the event.

ABCD’s Annual Gala – 7 to 11 p.m. – Boston Marriott Copley Place – Action for Boston Community Development is hosting its annual gala and benefit party featuring actor and humanitarian Danny Glover and a live set by The Roots. Ticket sales go toward ABCD’s mission of helping those in poverty.

Rare Beer Night – 7 to 10 p.m. – Patron’s Mexican Kitchen – Join Pintley and Jack’s Abbey for a Friday night beer tasting of their rarest brews, including a dark sour, szechuan peppers and black lager. Free to attend.

Boston Comedy Festival – November 7-15 – Various locations – Join in the fun of Boston’s Comedy Festival, which kicks off on its weeklong spree this Friday. There will be a stand up competition, performances, special shows and more.

Thirst Boston – November 7-10 – Various locations – Love cocktails? Then you’ll need to get it on Boston’s premiere cocktail event series, Thirst Boston, which begins this Friday with its kickoff party, The Thing. Over the weekend, there will be parties, discussions, lessons and more, all revolving around liquors, spirits and mixology.

Boston International Kids Film Festival – November 7-9 – Somerville Theater – Celebrate young imagination and creativity at the 2nd Annual Boston International Kids Film Festival, with the Somerville Theater and Tufts University, featuring movies by kids, about kids and for kids. There will also be workshops to engage young learners.

Saturday

5th Igniting Innovation Summit – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Northwest Labs at Harvard – Igniting Innovation is the largest undergraduate-run conference on social innovation, gathering together students, entrepreneurs, educators and industry leaders into one place to discuss the future of innovation.

Wicked Wine Fest – 12 to 10 p.m. – Cyclorama – Presented by Boston Event Guide, this afternoon wine festival brings together hundreds of different types of wine for sampling of reds, whites, and bubblies. All guests will be entered to win items valued at over $1,000 as well.

Flavors of New England – 7 p.m. – Seaport Hotel – Hosted by New England Patriot Hall of Fame Legend Andre Tippett and PPF and NMSS Ambassador Tyler Campbell, this dining event serves as a fundraiser for the National MS Society, and features flavors from Boston’s best chefs, entertainment, and a live auction.

National Shot Day – 9 p.m. – Paddy O’s, Hennessy’s, The Point – Celebrate National Shot Day at one of these downtown Boston bars, where they’ll have LIQS cocktail shots on hand as well as plenty of swag.

Allston Arts Open Studio – November 8 & 9 – Allston Arts District – The 28th annual Allston Arts Open Studio gives guests the chance to interact with the neighborhood’s artists, browse their work and learn more about the artistic history of Allston.

Sunday

It’s Britney … Brunch – 11 am. to 3 p.m. – Back Bay Harry’s – Britney Spears is taking over the brunch hour at Back Bay Harry’s this Sunday, with items on the menu like Britney Jean’s Fresh Made Doughnuts, K-Fed Fried Chicken and Waffles and a Britney’s Back!!! Bloody, made with Cheetos.

Fall Beer Fest – 12 to 10 p.m. – Cyclorama – Don’t like wine? Join Boston Event Guide for the Fall Beer Fest, a gathering of young professionals to sample brews from different vendors.

Oysterfest – 12 to 4 p.m. – Lansdowne Pub – Head to Lansdowne for their annual Oysterfest, which boasts $1 oysters, oyster shooters, pairings of oyster and whisky with Bowmore Single Malt Whisky, and live music.

New England Craft Showcase – 1 to 4 p.m. – Fairmont Copley Plaza – As part of Thirst Boston, craft distillers and brewers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont will get to show off their beers, wines, ciders and spirits during one showcase event. Tickets are free with any purchase of a Thirst Boston event ticket, or $20 at the door. Light bites are included.

Lovin’ Spoonfuls Ultimate Tailgate Party 2014 – 6 to 10 p.m. – The Lawn at Sam’s – Lovin’ Spoonfuls will host their fourth annual ultimate tailgate, as they prepare to celebrate their fifth anniversary in Boston. Sixteen of Boston’s best chefs will be cooking up high end versions of tailgating fare, beer, wine and cocktails will be on hand, and TJ Connelly will be DJing. The proceeds of this event will benefit Lovin’ Spoonfuls, an organization that donates food that would otherwise be thrown away to the hungry.

“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” Screening & Q&A – 7 to 10 p.m. – Brattle Theater – Casey Affleck will be on site for a Q&A about the movie, before a screening at the Brattle Theater of the film starring Affleck and Brad Pitt.