Out and About

Weekend best bets: Holiday events, Crude Bitters anniversary

We found several tree lightings and holiday markets this weekend as well as theater performances, live music and foodie events.

Posted Updated

RALEIGH, N.C. — We found several tree lightings and holiday markets this weekend as well as theater performances, live music and foodie events.

Holiday fun

ATC Tower Lighting - American Tobacco Campus in Durham celebrates its tower lighting on Friday night with live music, special guests and Santa.
Winterfest Celebration - Raleigh's holiday celebration spreads its cheer Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. on Fayetteville Street. The family-friendly event features rides (Ferris wheel, carousel, super slide), Santa's Village, a Gingerbread House Competition, the Ice Raleigh Skating Rink, beer, several food trucks and live music.
Wake Forest Tree Lighting - Wake Forest will light its 30-foot tall tree in downtown on Friday night. There will be hot cocoa, children's crafts and a visit from Santa.
Cary Tree Lighting - Head to downtown Cary on Saturday for the tree lighting, a gingerbread house competition, an art exhibit and more.
Knightdale Tree Lighting & Parade - Head to Knightdale Station Park on Friday night for the annual tree lighting, activities, food trucks, music and a visit from Santa. On Saturday, the town will hold its annual Christmas Parade.
Light Up Main - This annual downtown Garner Christmas tree lighting is Friday night. There will be great food, crafts and entertainment from residents and businesses. On Saturday, Garner hosts its Christmas Parade starting at 2 p.m. in downtown.
Jingle Bell Run - This holiday-themed 5K race also helps raise money to fight arthritis. The race starts Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at Saint Mary's School on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh.

Holiday shopping

Scandinavian Christmas Fair - This annual celebration focuses on the rich traditions of the Nordic countries with homemade Scandinavian food, live music, Nordic folk dancing, children's activities and more. The fun happens on Saturday at the Holshouser Building.
North Hills' beloved annual Christmas Tree Lighting excited crowds of all ages at the large shopping center Saturday evening. Photo By: Beth Jewell/WRAL Contributor
Quail Corners Holiday Market - This fun and festival holiday market will include Santa, holiday music, shopping and more on Saturday.
Christmas Holiday Shoppe Craft Show - St. Thomas More Catholic School presents its 13th annual Christmas Holiday Shoppe craft show in the Friends and Family Hall of St. Thomas More Catholic Church featuring 65 talented artisans and crafters from throughout North Carolina. Check it out on Saturday.
St. Nicholas European Christmas Market - Food, gifts and decorative items in the European Christmas Market tradition will be available on Friday and Saturday at this 9th annual event at Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Church in Cary. In addition to great gifts, enjoy a variety of food and beer. Admission is free.
The Mayton Inn Holiday Shopping Event - On Sunday, this Cary inn will hold its locally made market featuring talented local artisans, giveaways and door prizes.
Photo from Facebook
Person Street Shop Hop - Organized by a handful of businesses in the North Person and Franklin Street area of Raleigh, this event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Participating shops have special activities and deals.
Boylan Heights Artwalk - Stroll through historic Boylan Heights and shop for holiday gifts on Sunday. More than 100 artists will be showing and selling their work on porches and lawns and in artists' studios. There were be range of artwork from new and established artists, including pottery, jewelry, prints, oils, watercolors, photograph, home accessories and more.

Holiday performances

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical - Based on one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, this is a musical spectacular for the whole family. See it through Sunday at DPAC.
Brooke Lynn Boyd and Stefan Karl in "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical."

Photo by: PAPARAZZIBYAPPOINTMENT.COM
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical - The beloved TV classic gets the musical treatment this holiday season. See it through Christmas Eve at Fletcher Opera Theater.
Carolina Ballet's The Nutcracker - Carolina Ballet performs Tchaikovsky's holiday classic, The Nutcracker, for the 15th year. Shows are at UNC's Memorial Hall this weekend.
Choreographed by Robert Weiss, this year marks the sixth annual production of the Carolina Ballet's Nutcracker.
Durham Symphony's Annual Holiday Pops - Saturday night's concert also features a silent auction and fundraiser.

On stage

Cinderella - This musical comedy at Raleigh Little Theatre is a holiday sugarplum for the whole family. The show opens on Friday and runs through Dec. 18. Note: Friday is Coats for the Children night, meaning $10 from every ticket goes to provide warm, winter clothing for Salvation Army families in need.
Patton Oswalt - The comedian, actor and writer will play Raleigh Memorial Saturday night.
Patton Oswalt performs in the comedy tent during Fun Fun Fun Fest on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)
Hot Sardines - The Hot Sardines effortlessly channel New York speakeasies, Parisian cabarets and New Orleans jazz halls. See the band's Holiday Stomp performance at N.C. State's Stewart Theatre on Saturday night.
Steve Rannazzisi - One of the stars of FXX's "The League" and a former Buffalo Wild Wings spokesperson, Rannazzisi will play Goodnights Comedy Club in Raleigh Thursday through Saturday.
The Molly Ringwalds - Celebrate the 1980s by seeing this tribute band Friday at The Ritz.
The Molly Ringwalds
Louie Anderson - Pure Flix Entertainment, a family friendly video streaming source, is traveling to Clayton to produce a 12 episode clean comedy series at The Clayton Center this weekend. The shows, taped before a live audience, will feature clean stand up comedy. Saturday night's show will feature Louie Anderson.
Bluegrass Fundraiser - The Gravy Boys and The Outliers will play a special show on Friday night at Tir na Nog. The show will serve as a fundraiser for bluegrass musician and Irish step dancer, Hiro Arakawa, who was in a tragic car accident on Thanksgiving night. Hiro's girlfriend died in the accident and he remains in a medically induced coma at WakeMed Hospital.

Food and yoga

Rudolph Holiday Food Truck Rodeo - This second annual event will feature local food trucks at Knightdale Station Park on Sunday. This food truck festival helps promote and support Meals on Wheels of Wake County.
Photo from Facebook
Crude Tippleversary Party - Crude Bitters celebrates its 4th anniversary with a party on Saturday. There will be spirit tastings, cocktail samples, raffles, snacks and a food truck. Proceeds will benefit the Polka Dot Mama Foundation.
Stretch And Sip - Head to Clouds Brewing on Saturday morning for a Toys For Tots Edition of Stretch And Sip. This toy drive yoga class will help collect toys for the Triangle chapter of Toys for Tots. Bring in an unwrapped toy and get into a free class.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.