Enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays!

Elizabeth Morse Read

Holiday Fun for Everyone!

Learn about our holiday traditions and history at the Plimoth-Pawtuxet Museums in Plymouth! Take a virtual field trip about “The Wampanoag: People of the Dawn” on November 3, or “Fact and Fiction About the First Thanksgiving” on November 13 (plimoth.org).

Take the family on a guided Seal Watch Boat Ride from December through April with Save the Bay, leaving from Bowen’s Ferry Wharf in Newport (savebay.org/ seals)!

Enjoy free family fun and entertainment on AHA! Nights in New Bedford! The November 9 theme is “Made in New Bedford.” The December 14 theme is “Starry Night”. (ahanewbedford.org).

Line up on South Main Street in Fall River on December 2 for the 39th Annual Children’s Holiday Parade (vivafallriver.com)!

It’s time to sharpen the ice skates (or rent them) for indoor skating at Fall River’s Driscoll Arena (508-679-3274), New Bedford’s Hetland Arena (508-9999051), Taunton’s Aleixo Arena (508-8244987) or Plymouth’s Armstrong Arena (508-746-8825) (fmcicesports.com)! Learn about early American holiday traditions by taking an hour-long lantern-led walking tour of Newport (newporthistorytours.org)!

Mark your calendars for the weeks-long annual Bristol Christmas Festival, with the Grand Illumination on December 2 (christmasbristolri.com)!

Welcome the New Year on December 31 in New Bedford with “City Celebrates New Year’s Eve” – fireworks, ice sculptures, live music, street performers, dancing (ahanewbedford.org)!

Take the kids to the Providence Performing Arts Center to see “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” November 28-December 3 (ppacri.org)!

Mark your calendar for the annual “Old Time Holiday Fair” on December 9 in Fairhaven – food, Town Hall shops, singalong (fairhaventours.com)

Celebrate “Christmas in the Village” on December 9 in Onset (onsetbay.org) or watch the Christmas Parade through downtown Wareham on December 3 (warehamvillage.org)!

Take the kids to “Disney on Ice” December 27-31 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence (formerly the Dunkin Donuts Center) (amicamutualpavilion.com)!

Bring the family to the wreath-making workshops at Soule Homestead in Middleboro on December 2 (soulehomestead.org)!

Celebrate Thanksgiving in Plymouth , America’s Hometown, with festivities, parade, concert, beer garden, exhibits, harvest market and more November 17-19 (usathanksgiving.com)!

Get ready for a fun-filled day ice-skating or riding ice bumper cars at The Providence Rink in downtown Providence (theprovidencerink.com)!

Food, Drink and Shopping

Plan ahead to immerse yourself in 17th-century crafts and artwork at the Plimoth-Pawtuxet Winter Fine Arts and Crafts Fair December 2-3 in Plymouth (plimoth.org).

Head for downtown New Bedford for the Co-Pop Small Business Saturday November 25 at the Co-Creative Center – shop small, local, and handmade (cocreativenb.org)!

Don’t miss the European-style Christmas Market at the Christmas Wonderland and Festival of Lights at Edaville Railroad in Carver from November 10 through January 1 (edaville.com)!

Learn about Portuguese cuisine and culture by attending the free lecture at New Bedford’s Whaling Museum on November 2 with Maria Lawton, the “Azorean Green Bean” (whalingmuseum.org)!

Check out the many restaurants in greater Newport during Newport Restaurant Week November 3-12 (discovernewport.org/newportrestaurant-week)!

Taste your way through the historic district with New Bedford Food Tours on a 3-hour guided walking tour to sample local foods at five signature restaurants, a 2-hour “Art and Brunch” tour of the city, or a 3-hour “A Taste of Portugal” tour in Fall River (nbfoodtours.com)!

Head for Memorial Hall in Plymouth on December 2-3 for the annual Plymouth Holiday Market (memorialhall. com).

Mark your calendar for the EuropeanStyle Christmas Market at the Burnside Building December 9-10 during the Bristol Christmas Festival (christmasbristolri.com)!

Don’t miss the free Holiday Sip & Stroll shopping event on the Middleboro Town Hall Lawn on November 18 (burtwoodschool.com)!

Shop online for that special gift at “Artists for the Bay” November 15-December 31 (savebay.org/art)!

Go on a Vineyard Voyage with the Providence Riverboat Company (providenceriverboat.com)

Keep checking for the date of the annual “All That Glitters” holiday fair where you can buy beautiful handcrafted gifts at Loon Lake Lodge in Lakeville – great shopping, cash bar, live music (lakevilleartscouncilma.org).

Eat Fresh, Eat Local! Fill your baskets with local produce, pies and jams, dairy products and holiday decorations! To find a farm, vineyard or indoor farmers market near you, visit semaponline.org, farmfreshri.org, or coastalfoodshed. org. To find food and wine events, go to farmcoast.com, coastalwinetrail.com, or ediblesouthshore.com.

All the World’s a Stage

Head for New Bedford’s Whaling Museum on November 18 for the Culture*Park Short Plays Marathon –day-long readings of new original works (whalingmuseum.org).

Catch a production of “Miracle on South Division Street” at the Marion Art Center Theatre on December 1-3, 8-9, 15-16 (marionartcenter.org).

Enjoy a performance of “Murder on the Orient Express” at Your Theatre in New Bedford on November 10-12, 17-19 (yourtheatre.org).

Start your holiday season with a performance of “A Christmas Carol” at Trinity Rep in Providence November 9-December 31 (trinityrep.com).

Mark your calendars for the special events and entertainment at the Providence Performing Arts Center and The VETS! There’s The Book of Mormon November 1-5, Eddie B’s Teachers Only Comedy November 4, Steve Martin & Martin Short November 11, Rock Orchestra November 16, Chris DiStefano November 17, Chelsea Handler November 19, Joe Bonamassa November 22, Murray & Peter Drag Queen Christmas November 22, How the Grinch Stole Christmas November 28-December 3, Lindsay Stirling December 14, BalletRI’s The Nutcracker December 15-17, 20-24, Moulin Rouge! The Musical December 19-23, 26-31, Joe Gatto December 29 (ppacri.org)!

Mark your calendars to catch a performance of Scrooge: The Musical December 7-17 at The Little Theatre in Fall River (littletheatre.net).

Head for The Alley Theatre in Middleboro for Drag in a Bag November 11, Strictly Sinatra December 2, Christmas Cabaret Drag Show December 9, The Highland Divas December 14, Blue Christmas December 16 (burtwoodschool.com).

Enjoy dinner and a performance of Live Comedy with Dawn Tyler & Friends November 10 and Miracle on South Division Street November 8 through December 31 at the Newport Playhouse (newportplayhouse.com).

Don’t miss the New Bedford Festival Theatre’s fundraiser, “Oh What A Night: The NBFT Ceolbrates Contemporary Broadway” on November 11 at White’s of Westport, along with cocktail hour, dinner buffet and silent auction (nbfestivaltheatre.com)!

South Coast Sounds

Follow The Z On the Road! Don’t miss the Dave Alves Band on November 30 or Amilton Tavares on December 14 at the Kilburn Mill Event Center in New Bedford or Paula Poundstone on December 2 at UMass/Dartmouth (zeiterion.org)!

Treat yourself to tribute performances of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash on November 4 at White’s of Westport (southcoastcomedy.com)!

Head for Pilgrim Memorial Hall in Plymouth to hear We Are Messengers November 4, Air Supply November 9, America’s Hometown: Baroque and Beyond with The Plymouth Philharmonic November 17, Senior Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps November 18, Vienna Choir Boys December 1, the Plymouth Holiday Market December 2-3, The Plymouth Phil’s Hometown Holiday December 9-10, The Irish Tenors December 15 (memorialhall.com).

Find out who’s on stage at the District Center for the Arts in Taunton! Don’t miss Trinity November 3, Living On A Bad Name November 4, Johnny Folsom 4 November 10, Strange Magic November 11, The Four November 17, Completely Unchained November 18, Redeye Thanksgiving Eve Party November 22, Blushing Brides November 24, Disco Dream November 25, Chicago

Total Access December 2, Ultimate Christmas Variety Show December 10 (thedistrictcenterforarts.com)!

Check out who’s on stage at the Spire Center for the Performing Arts of Greater Plymouth! Don’t miss Dana Fuchs November 3, Magical Mystery

Doors November 4, House of Hamill November 9, Anthony Geraci November 10, Gabe Stillman November 11, Chelsea Berry November 16, Matt Scofield November 18, Michael Sweet Band November 24, James Montgomery November 25, Harvest & Rust December 2, Divas with a Twist December 8, Morgan James December 9, Say Darling December 14, A Celtic Christmas December 15, Lunasa with Dave Curless December 16, Enter the Haggis December 29, Another Tequila Sunrise December 30 (spirecenter.org).

Head for The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River for great music!

November 3, Duke Robillard November 4, Manel The Island Man November 10, Fantastic Cat November 18, Michael Troy Concert November 19, Roomful of Blues November 24, Neil McCarthy

November 25, Gary Hoey November 30, Rodney Crowell (rescheduled) December 1, Pokey LaFarge December 8, Quinn Sullivan December 30 (narrowscenter. com)!

Classical Acts

Buy your tickets now for BalletRI’s (formerly Festival Ballet Providence) performance of The Nutcracker at The VETS in Providence December 15-24 (balletri.org)!

Keep checking for the date of the Holiday Pops Concert performed by the Fall River Symphony Orchestra featuring the South Coast Community Chorale at BCC’s Jackson Theatre (fallriversymphonyorchestra.org)!

Buy your tickets early to see The Newport Nutcracker at Rosecliff on November 22 through December 1 performed by the Newport Contemporary Ballet (formerly The Island Moving Company) (newportcontemporaryballet. org)!

Mark your calendar for the New Bedford Ballet’s Performance of A New England Nutcracker December 9 at the Keith Jr. High School Auditorium (newbedfordballet.org).

Don’t miss the award-winning Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra’s performance of Handel’s Messiah Open Sing on December 3 at the Church of St. Sebastian in Providence, as well as Mendelssohn: Prelude to Greatness November 18 at St. Sebastian’s and on November 19 at St. James’ Church in Manville (ricco.org).

Enjoy hearing violinist William Hagen playing Dvorak and Brahms on November 3 at the Newport Classical Recital Hall (newportclassical.org).

Save the date to hear the New Bedford Symphony’s Chamber Music performance of Top Brass , at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion on December 2 and at St. Peter’s Church in South Dartmouth on December 3 (nbsymphony.org/ chamber-series).

Follow The Z On the Road! Don’t miss the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s Beautiful Moments on November 18 or Holiday Pops on December 10 at New Bedford High School’s Bronspiegel Auditorium (zeiterion.org)!

Listen to the Borromeo Quartet on November 5 and the Parker Quartet on December 10 at Westport’s Concerts at the Point (concertsatthepoint.org)!

Head for Pilgrim Memorial Hall in Plymouth to hear America’s Hometown: Baroque and Beyond with The Plymouth Philharmonic November 17, and The Plymouth Phil’s Hometown Holiday December 9-10 (memorialhall.com).

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Debussy’s La Mer on November 10-11 and Handel’s Messiah with The Providence Singers on December 10, both at The VETS (riphil.org).

Let There Be Lights!

Don’t miss the traditional Lights On Festival in Taunton – the Lighting of the Green on December 2 (facebook.com/ lightingofthegreen)!

The Annual Festival of Lights at LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro begins November 23 through January 1 – more than 300,000 lights illuminating ten acres (lasaletteattleboroshrine.org)!

Bundle up and watch Waterfire in Providence on November 4 (waterfire.org)!

Buy your tickets early for the Christmas Wonderland and Festival of Lights at Edaville Railroad in Carver from November 9 through December 31!

Heated train rides illuminated by 17 million lights throughout the park (edaville.com)!

Bring the whole family to the 59th Annual Tree Lighting at Bowen’s Wharf in Newport on December 2 (bowenswharf.com)!

Buy your tickets online to stroll through the brilliantly illuminated Roger Williams Park Zoo for the Holiday Lights Spectacular November 24 through December 31 (rwpzoo.org)!

Heavenly Voices

Listen to Christmas Joy sung by the Pilgrim Festival Chorus December 1-3 at St. Bonaventure Parish in Plymouth (pilgrimfestivalchorus.org)!

Don’t miss the Newport Navy Choristers’ Christmas Concerts on December 3 at the First Baptist Church in Fall River and on December 8 at St. Barnabas Church in Portsmouth (newportnavychoristers.org).

Mark your calendar for the Tri-County Symphonic Band’s Children’s Christmas Concert at Tabor Academy in Marion on December 10 (tricountysymphonicband.org)!

Head for Pilgrim Memorial Hall in Plymouth to hear the Vienna Boys Choir December 2 (memorialhall.com)!

Keep checking for the date of the spectacular Christmas Concert with the Spirit of St. Anthony Choir at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Bedford (musicatsaintanthonys.org)!

Experience the 112th Annual Medieval Christmas Festival at St. George’s School in Middletown on December 12 (stgeorges.edu/christmas).

Keep checking for the date of this year’s Classical Christmas Concert at Newport’s Emmanuel Church in Newport (emmanuelnewport.org)!

Don’t miss the ever-popular Sippican Choral Society’s Christmas Concert on December 9 at Tabor Academy in Marion (sippicanchoralsociety.org).

Deck The Halls

Visit the beautifully decorated whalingera and Victorian homes in New Bedford on the annual Historic Holiday Tours

December 9-10, led by the New Bedford Preservation Society (nbpreservationsociety.org)!

Be dazzled by the over-the-top splendor of the Gilded Age during “Holidays at the Newport Mansions” November 18 to January 1 (newportmansions.org)!

Begin your Sippican Womans Club Holiday Stroll on December 9 at Handy’s Tavern in Marion (sippicanwomansclub.org)!

Bundle up and enjoy the lights and Christmas decorations indoors and out at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol (blithewold.org).

Visit the Victorian-era decorated halls of the Fall River Historical Museum (lizzieborden.org).

Take a free tour on December 14 through the holiday-themed decorations of the whaling-era Rotch-Jones-Duff Museum in New Bedford (rjdmuseum.org).

Enjoy a Little Bit of the Irish

Head for the Spire Center for the Performing Arts of Greater Plymouth for A Celtic Christmas December 15 and Lunasa with Dave Curless December 16 (spirecenter.org).

Keep checking the website for the date of the Annual Christmas Open House at the Museum of Newport Irish History – enjoy eggnog and Celtic caroling while strolling through the exhibits and gift shop (newportirishhistory.org)!

Head for The Alley Theatre in Middleboro to hear The Highland Divas December 14 (burtwoodschool.com).

Listen to The Irish Tenors December 15 at Memorial Hall in Plymout h (memorialhall.com)!