Boston Harbor is about to host one of the more unexpected concert pairings of the summer. đź‘€
Tucked inside the New England Aquarium, the newly renovated Simons Theatre spends most of its days projecting 3D ocean documentaries onto a screen taller than a six-story building.
This Saturday, August 8, it’s trading whales for the King of Pop.
9 October 2026 19:00 + more dates
Candlelight: Tribute to Michael Jackson takes over the Simons Theatre for a 60-minute, multi-sensory performance of Jackson’s biggest hits, reimagined entirely on strings and lit by nothing but candlelight.
It’s the kind of setting swap that makes you look twice, and exactly the reason this show is worth grabbing tickets for before it sells out.
Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s anticipated performance!
A six-story screen meets candlelit strings
The Simons Theatre just underwent a serious glow-up.
A 2023 renovation gave the space an advanced laser cinema projector, a giant 80-foot-wide, 43-foot-high screen, and plush new high-backed seating across 378 seats.
On a normal day, that screen is used to make you feel like you’re swimming with sharks.
This weekend though, the massive space gets a total mood shift.
Instead of a documentary narrator, the Rasa String Quartet takes the 1,600-square-foot stage, and instead of theater lighting, the room glows entirely under candlelight.
It’s part of the global Candlelight concert series, which has made a name for itself by taking classical arrangements of iconic music and staging them inside strikingly unusual venues, cathedrals, botanical gardens, and now, an aquarium’s IMAX theater.
What you’ll actually hear
The Rasa String Quartet isn’t just playing background music, they’re reworking Jackson’s catalog into full string arrangements that span his entire career.
Expect a setlist that hits the essentials:
- Billie Jean
- Thriller
- Smooth Criminal
- Man in the Mirror
- Human Nature
- Black or White
- Earth Song
- We Are the World
The tentative program runs 15 songs deep, covering everything from his Jackson 5 era to his final studio albums, all reimagined without a single drum machine in sight.
All of the details
- Venue: Simons Theatre, 1 Central Wharf, Boston
- Date: Saturday, August 8, 2026, with additional dates running through the fall
- Duration: 60 minutes (doors open 45 minutes before showtime, no late entry)
- Age requirement: 8 and up, anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult
- Tickets: Starting around $37, grab tickets for Candlelight: Tribute to Michael Jackson here
