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Out & About
CALENDAR / ON THE SCENE / DINE
EVENT
The Christmas Ballet at Smuin
LISTING ON PAGE 76
CHRIS HARDY
Dancer Tessa Lane
Calendar
THEATER / COMEDY / MUSIC / GALLERIES / MUSEUMS / EVENTS / FILM EDITED BY CHRISTINA MUELLER
Fairmont San Francisco Hotel Ritz Carlton Teddy Bear Tea
10 Things to do With Your Kids This Holiday Season in SF
Lifetime memories don’t have to cost a lot of money — check out these festive family outings.
1NOV 26-27, DEC 3-4, 10-11, 17-23 Teddy Bear Tea Known as the party where guests ages 2-11 leave with a teddy bear, elves, teddy bear treats and finger sandwiches, set in a room bedecked with an extreme sort of holiday finery. Also part of the fun is knowing that wrapped, new toys donated to the Ritz’s Toy Drive will be gifted to patients at UCSF Benioff hildren’s Hospitals. ritzcarlton.com 2 DEC 10, 11, 17, 18, AND 23 A Cathedral Christmas True traditionalists can hear music throughout December at historic Grace Cathedral atop Nob Hill, when the Choir of Men and Boys and others fill the Gothic space with favorite carols, sacred masterpieces and yuletide songs. Tickets $17-80; gracecathedral.org
3DEC 8-27 San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker A ticket to the Nutcracker production need not cost a bundle; pick seats a little farther from the
stage for as little as $20 to see the production the New York Times has deemed “striking, elegant and beautiful.” sfbllet.org/nutcracker
4THRU DEC 24 "A Christmas Carol" Introduce your child to the timeless tale of grumpy old Scrooge for as little as $15. American Conservatory Theater’s A Christmas Carol is a classic that resurrects true holiday spirit year after year. Tickets from $15; act-sf.org
5THRU DEC 18 Great Dickens Christmas Fair In its full return to the Cow Palace, a maze of Victorian streets is laden with shops bedecked in holiday finery and bursting with handmade treasures, plus music halls, dance parties, singalongs and era-specific what-not. dickensfair.com
6THROUGH JAN 8 HapPier Holidays Celebration Enjoy the holidays and get into the spirit of the season with your family at Pier 39. This year’s live tree is a 60 foot tall white fir that will transform into a kaleidoscope of swirling colors, adorned with thousands of specialty lights and ornaments. pier39.com
7THRU JAN 1 Life-Sized Gingerbread House And if your holiday tastes skew a little sweeter, the Fairmont San Francisco hotel has resumed the tradition of building a two-story, life-size gingerbread house that is 22 feet high, 23 feet wide and full of thousands of bricks, a ton of royal icing and candy décor. fairmont.com/san-francisco
8THRU JAN 2 Westin Sugar Castle Created by executive pastry chef Jean-Francois Houdré, the massive rotating display is considered one of the country’s largest sugar castles. At 12 feet tall, the castle weighs more than 1,200 pounds and features more than 20 circular towers. marriott.com
9THRU DEC 24 Meet Santa Saint Nick has arrived at Stonestown Galleria. While you finish up your holiday shopping, don’t forget to stop by and capture a memorable holiday photo with Santa — it’s a magical sight for all the kids to see. Reservations are strongly encouraged. stonestowngalleria.com 10 Holiday ice skating is now happening in two city venues — including a first-time-ever rink in Union Square from November 2 to January 16. Yerba Buena’s year-round rink is open too — go early to avoid the big crowds. unionsquareicerink. com, skatebowl.com
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ARTS & LECTURES
THROUGH DEC 18
Gypsy Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, including for “Everything is Coming Up Roses” are just a part of the enduring appeal of a musical fable that follows the efforts of Rose — th ultimate show business mother — to raise her daughters to be performers. rossvalleyplayers.com
NOV 30–DEC 24 A
Christmas Carol Who says ghosts are only for fall? Charles Dickens’ classic tale of redemption is larded with specters of the otherworldly and nagging sort in an adaptation by Paul Walsh and Carey Perloff act-sf.org
DEC 1–4, 14–24 The
Christmas Ballet A signature mix of ballet, contemporary, character, Broadway jazz, and tap from Smuin keeps the energy flowing at shows in San Francisco and Mountain View. smuinballet.org
DEC 3–FEB 25, 2023 As Above So Below
Interdisciplinary artist Sherwin Rio’s site-specific works are visua metaphors addressing colonization, historical public amnesia, and intergenerational storytelling framed by the
Katie Korotzer, ICB
space’s architecture and Rio’s Filipinx-American lens. 500cappstreet.org
DEC 10–11 Nutcracker
Marin Ballet Lavish Victorian sets and costumes for 125 dancers are just part of a classic ballet production which promises to feature an airborne surprise at final curtain. Lie piano entertainment and a holiday boutique will enliven intermission. marinballet.org
DEC 17 Rachel Kushner &
Ottessa Moshfegh Two contemporary fictio heavyweights — a San Francisco “Sunset girl” who sets many of her books in the city (The Hard Crowd, The Mars Room) and the author of Lapvona and My Year of Rest and Relaxation — discuss contemporary fiction and what writin captures the spirit of our unique cultural moment. cityarts.net MUSIC
DEC 1 Andrea Bocelli The internationally renowned Italian tenor is slated to perform pieces from his 2020 album, “Believe,” a selection of famed arias and love songs and a few holiday season treats during a performance in San Francisco. chasecenter.com
DEC 2, 3, 11, 17, 24 Holiday Spectacular Of course there will
SFGMC Holiday Spectacular
be a holiday-themed Cher medley along with holiday favorites, including “Jingle Bells” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and classical choral works like “Sure on this Shining Night” as San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus updates its seasonal soirée with performances around the bay. sfgmc.org DEC 4 Musae A musical collective that takes its name from the original "ladies of song" sings in the choral tradition but is not bound by it, stretching the boundaries of traditional repertoire for women's voices. landmarkssociety.com
DEC 7 Three’s Company
Joined by two special guests, pianist Ian Scarfe performs classical chamber music to a live Zoom audience with Romantic works by Antonin Dvorak (including his “Dumky” Trio), and a cycle of Ukrainian musical elegies, followed by a Q&A with the artist. marinjcc.org
DEC 3, 9 Wintersongs
Women’s vocal ensemble, Kitka, kicks off performance series of seasonal music from Ukraine and a range of Eastern European ethnic and spiritual traditions with a virtual community sing on Dec 3 and an in-person performance in Belvedere on Dec 9. kitka.org
DEC 13 Holiday Pops
Concert The Marin Symphony Orchestra with Principal Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz celebrates the holidays with songs of the season at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium. marincounty.org DEC 14 Proteus Trio The Noon Concert Series at the Throckmorton Theatre showcases twotime Grammy winner and Mill Valley resident Evan Price on violin, Lewis Patzner on cello and Jonathan Alford on piano performing original classical compositions and their take on standards from Latin America and the jazz repertoire. throckmortontheatre.org
DEC 18 John Denver
Christmas Rick Schuler’s Rocky Mountain High Experience weaves together heartwarming inspirational carols and holiday classics like “Sunshine On My Shoulders,” “Take Me Home Country Roads,” as well as “Aspenglow,” and “Away In A Manger.” marincenter.org
DEC 29–JAN 1 Monsieur
Periné The singular name of the group (please Google it) is an internal joke but the jazz, pop and swing stylists, led by singer Catalina García who sings in Spanish and French, won the 2015 Latin Grammy for Best New Artist. sfjaz.org
COMEDY
DEC 9–10 Shawn Wayans
Brother of Marlon and Keenen Ivory is known for his work on the Emmy
Join us for a tour this fall! admissions@mpms.org
We inspire joyful learning, honor each child, and build connections to empower all students to make a difference.
Award winning comedy series, “In Living Color” and “The Wayans Bros.” sitcom but is perhaps less well-known for his standup. cobbscomedy.com
FILM
DEC 1–17 Another Hole
in the Head A film fe tival dedicated to the realms of science fiction fantasy, horror, and other genres showcases new independent film from around the world with dozens of feature films and hundreds o shorts shown at theaters around the bay and on Zoom. ahith.org
DEC 16–17 How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Ron Howard film from Y2K will b screened while conductor Joshua Gerson leads the symphony in live performance featuring music by James Horner. sfsymhony.org
MUSEUMS
THROUGH DEC 23 Follow the String
Developed in partnership with Cedars of Marin Textile Arts Collaborative (TAC) and NIAD Art Center, two Bay Area-based progressive studio programs for adults with developmental disabilities, an exhibition explores how fiber arts prvide agency for artists and community members of all backgrounds and abilities. marinmoca.org
THROUGH DEC 31
Pacific Rise The wonder of the marine world and our current age of destructive human impact on the planet along with ideas that can empower us as individuals to take responsibility for our daily choices are at the heart of an exhibition on Ocean Health. bolinasmuseum.org
NOV 17–MARCH 19, 2023 Spirit of the
Season The Walt Disney Family Museum’s crowd-sourced showcase celebrates nature and the importance of the natural world in each artist’s own holiday traditions. waltdisney.org
NOV 19–MARCH 12,
2023 Joan Brown A retrospective of the Bay Area artist’s paintings and sculptures considers her body of work that merges autobiography and fantasy with metaphysical and spiritual imagery and themes. sfmoma.org
DEC 17–APRIL 2, 2023 Bernd & Hilla Becher
The renowned German artists and couple photographed blast furnaces, winding towers, cooling towers, gas tanks and other industrial architecture that fueled the modern era, changing the course of late 20th-century photography with a rigorous practice of formal arrangements they called “typologies.” sfmoma.org
Lighted Boat Parade, Sausalito
EVENTS
THROUGH JAN 16, 2023 Union Square Ice Rink
The Safeway Holiday Ice Rink at San Francisco’s Union Square kicks of the season with an opening party, hosts weekend learn to skate sessions, “Let it Go” Wednesdays with Disney’s Frozen, and more events throughout the holiday season. unionsquareicerink.com
DEC 2–4 Holiday
Spectacular A cozy vibe with plenty of holiday cheer reminiscent of Judy Garland’s holiday special is the aim of a seasonal extravaganza from the Broadway performers at Transcendence Theatre. bestnightever.org
DEC 3–4 Muir Beach
Holiday Arts Fair Locally hand-made jewelry, fashion accessories, wreaths, and ornaments crafted of glass and wood are just a few of the options at a fair famous for stand appearances by the Muir Beach Quilters and the Muir Beach Volunteer Fire Department. muirbeachartsfair.com
DEC 3–4 Winter Open
Studios The ICB building in Sausalito hosts 100+ artists — sculptors, painters, photographers, fiber artits, jewelers, sound installation and more — who open their studios to share the booming creative energy with guests. icbartists.com
DEC 10 Lighted Boat
Parade Among a month of events in Sausalito, including a gingerbread house tour (Dec 1–31) and a Jingle Bell 5K and Brunch (Dec 11), brightly decorated boats cruise the Sausalito harbor, followed by a fireworks shw in keeping with the spirit of the season. destinationsausalito.com
DEC 17–18 Porcini & Chanterelle Camp
Join Sausalito’s Maria Finn on a wild food adventure in Jenner locating and identifying local mushrooms and then cooking and eating them over a live fire along the California coast. floaandfungi adventures.com
