Weekend best bets: Parades, holiday markets and performances
Bundle up if you plan to enjoy these festive events this weekend!
Holiday fun
Durham Holiday Parade and Fun Fest (Main Street) - The parade starts at Main and Dillard Streets at 10 a.m. and ends near Duke University East Campus (Main Street and Buchanan Boulevard). The family-friendly fun fest, which will include sledding, Santa and vendors, is from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. at Blackwell Street between Morehead and West Lakewood avenues.
Wake Forest Christmas Parade (Downtown Wake Forest) - This annual holiday parade kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday in downtown Wake Forest. There will be more than 100 floats and entries.
Fayetteville Rotary Christmas Parade (Starts on Person Street) - This annual parade is happening Saturday starting at 11 a.m. It will start on Person Street and end at Railroad Station.
Chapel Hill- Carrboro Holiday Parade (East Franklin Street) - This annual parade starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at the old Post Office on East Franklin Street and ends at the Carrboro Town Hall on Main Street.
Christmas by Candlelight (Duke Homestead, 2828 Duke Homestead Rd., Durham) - Kick off your holiday season with this event featuring storytelling, cookies and cider, live music, singing, dancing, and history on a candlelit tour. The event is happening Friday night at Duke Homestead.
47th Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour (Historic Oakwood) - This tour takes you to Historic Oakwood residences on Saturday and Sunday. Homes featured in the tour date from late-1800s to mid-1900s and range in style from Queen Anne cottages to Neoclassical Revival and Italianate residences.
NC Chinese Lantern Festival (Booth Amphitheatre, 8003 Regency Parkway, Cary) - Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre has been transformed into a sea of lighted lantern sculptures. This annual festival kicks off Friday and runs through Jan. 13.
Stories: Home for the Holidays (Kings, 14 W Martin St., Raleigh) - Enjoy seven tales of festivity, failures and all the things that make the holidays terribly amusing on Saturday night at Kings.
Shopping
Locally Made Market (The Mayton Inn, 301 South Academy Street, Cary) - Cary's premier pop up market has all of your holiday shopping needs covered on Sunday. This will be their largest event yet with 50 talented local artisans at the Mayton Inn.
Holiday Hops and Shops Market (Big Boss Brewing, 1249 Wicker Dr, Raleigh) - Find something for everyone on your list at Big Boss Brewing Company on Saturday during this market from noon to 5 p.m.
Holiday Market (Artspace, 201 E. Davie St., Raleigh) - Head to Artspace on Saturday for this market featuring artists from our community.
Holiday Market at Namu Garden (5420 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham) - Namu is partnering with Art Market at Vega Metals to host a Holiday Market in its garden on Saturday.
11th Annual St. Nicholas European Christmas Market (N.C. State Fairgrounds Holshauser Building, 1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh) - Shop new and collectible gifts and decorative items from Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Czech/Slovakia and more at this market on Friday and Saturday at the fairgrounds.
Downtown Cary Food & Flea (Downtown Cary) - This monthly artisan and vintage market is Sunday. There will be live music, arts, shopping, food trucks and craft beer.
On stage
Cinderella (Raleigh Little Theatre, 301 Pogue St, Raleigh) - This musical comedy is for the whole family. See it through Dec. 16 at Raleigh Little Theatre.
Ira David Wood III's A Christmas Carol (Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, 2 E. South St., Raleigh) - A musical comedy adaptation of the Dickens classic. The show has been performed annually since 1974 and has been named one of the "Top 20 Events in the Southeast." See it this weekend at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium.
Elf: The Broadway Musical (DPAC, 123 Vivian St., Durham) - This hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. This modern day Christmas classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner elf. See it this weekend at DPAC.
Patton Oswalt (Meymandi Concert Hall, 2 E. South St., Raleigh) - See the comedian perform Saturday night in Raleigh.
Triangle Youth Ballet's The Nutcracker (Carolina Theatre of Durham, 309 W. Morgan St., Durham) - This is the 24th season of the Triangle Youth Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. The full length production has a cast of 100 dancers on stage and 36 professional musicians in the orchestra pit. See them perform at Carolina Theatre of Durham Saturday night.
