So the kids are home, or you’re off from work (lucky you), or you just can’t stop holiday-ing and can’t wait till The Big Night Of Forced Hilarity (aka New Year’s Eve) to get your fun on. Come this weekend, we’ll fill you in on some of the more interesting NYE celebrations on tap, but until then here’s a full complement of festivities continuing through the next five days (and beyond).
CITY DOINGS
Ice Skating in St. Pete. Real ice (not “Glice”) is the attraction at a new skating rink in Albert Whitted Park (by the airport) through Jan. 7. Sessions are $10 for an hour and include ice skates. Bring your own socks, or you can purchase socks at the rink for $2 per pair at the park. 480 Bayshore Dr. SE, Dec 26-30, 1-9:30 p.m.; Dec 31, 1-7 p.m.; and Jan 1-7, 1-9:30 p.m.
Largo’s Holiday Lights in the Garden. Over 1 million LED lights shine throughout the Florida Botanical Gardens in nature- or holiday-themed light displays. $4 suggested donation., through 12/30,5:30-9:30 p.m.
Tampa’s Winter Village. Tampa’s beautiful riverfront Curtis Hixon Park is transformed with an outdoor ice rink, waterfront cafe, and more. Through 1/5.
SHOWS & SPECTACLES
Cirque Dreams Holidaze. Created by Cirque Dreams founder and Broadway director Neil Goldberg, Cirque Dreams Holidaze is a new cirque adventure, Broadway musical and family holiday spectacular blessed with “talent by the sleigh-load,” said the NY Daily News. Expect astonishing acrobatics, gravity-defying feats and theatrical production numbers with a Las Vegas sheen, all in celebration of the holiday season. 12/29, 8 p.m., and 12/30, 2 p.m., Duke Energy Center for the Arts/Mahaffey Theater. Sneak preview at The Mall at Sundial, 12/29, 2:30 p.m. TheMahaffey.com.
Deck the Halls at Ca’ d’Zan. All decked out for the holidays, Ca’ d’Zan (aka the Ringling mansion) will be open during special extended hours for a self-guided walk-through of the first floor. 12/27 & 1/ 3, 5-8 p.m. Ca’ d’Zan, Ringling Museum, ringling.org.
A Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour. Contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Raceperform live on stage and rock the catwalk. It’s an evening of holiday songs and outstanding drag performances with your favorite queens. 12/28, Straz Center, Tampa, strazcenter.org.
Every Christmas Story Ever Told. When an actor cringes at the thought of doing yet another production of A Christmas Carol, he pairs up with two pals to create a mishmash of every Christmas story ever told, tapping into holiday traditions, seasonal icons, pop culture and every carol ever sung. Through 12/30, freeFall Theatre Company, St. Petersburg, freefalltheatre.com
Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley.So what happened after Elizabeth Bennet married Mr. Darcy? What about her “bookish” sister Mary? And how do they celebrate Christmas at splendiferous country estates in 1815 England? This comic “sequel” to Pride and Prejudiceposes answers to these questions and more, bringing a contemporary comic twist to Jane Austen’s beloved novel. Through 12/30, American Stage, St. Petersburg, americanstage.com
Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker.Trust the Russians to do right by Tchaikovsky in a performance of The Nutcracker by the Moscow Ballet complete with world-class dancers, hand-painted sets and even some Russian nesting dolls. 12/26-27, The Mahaffey, themahaffey.com
FAMILY & RECREATION
Christmas in the Wild. ZooTampa comes alive with holiday lights, seasonal treats, enchanting entertainment and a 50-foot animated Christmas tree. Visit Santa in his Tree Top Lodge and marvel at the magic of wildlife at night. ZooTampa at Lowry Park, Tampa, Select nights Through 12/30, zootampa.org.
Christmas Town at Busch Gardens.The theme park is transformed into a holiday wonderland with more than a million twinkling lights! Santa will be available to take photos and the park will be open until 10 p.m. Through 12/31, Busch Gardens, buschgardens.com.
River of Lights.Cruise through downtown Tampa aboard the Pirate Water Taxi for a unique view of the beautiful sights of the holiday season, passing beneath the lighted bridges over Hillsborough River. Entertaining narration and Christmas carolers, plus hot chocolate and a holiday cookie. Weekends, Through-12/30.
M– USEUMS/GALLERIES
Florida Holocaust Museum. Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution: A critically acclaimed exhibition about the legendary rock impresario and humanitarian, who was brought to the United States as an 11-year-old Jewish refugee fleeing the Nazis. Through 2/10/19, 55 5th St. St., Petersburg, flholocaustmuseum.org
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. North and South: Berenice Abbott’s U.S. Route 1: A visual record of everyday life along the historic East Coast in the summer of 1954 in photos by the great American photographer Berenice Abbott. Through 1/11, 400 N. Ashley Drive, Cube 200, Tampa, fmopa.org
Galleria Misto @ The Mahaffey. Inception of Creation: A showing at the Mahaffey of a selection of artworks from Galleria Misto Fine Art Gallery of Belleair Bluffs. 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg, galleriamisto.com
Imagine Museum. Paul Stankard: Unseen Worlds:A mind-blowing exhibition of paperweights by Paul Stankard, each one a tiny “unseen world” containing extraordinarily realistic flora and fauna made of glass. Through 1/13, 1901 Central Ave. St. Petersburg, imaginemuseum.com
James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art. James Michaels: An American Pop Life: A special exhibition devoted to the vibrant pop expressionism and painterly realism of the unique Palm Harbor-based artist. Through 3/3, 150 Central Ave. St. Petersburg, thejamesmuseum.org
Morean Arts Center. Justin Wagher: Where I Come From: Photo-inspired paintings by a St. Pete native exploring the connection between home and place. Through 12/28, 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, mpreanartscenter.org
Museum of Fine Arts. Jewels of the Imagination: Radiant Masterworks by Jean Schlumberger from the Mellon Collection: Extraordinary works by the master mid-century Tiffany & Co. jeweler whose innovative designs graced the likes of Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn (through 3/31). Drawn to Beauty: The Art and Atelier of Jean Schlumberger: A complementary exhibit tracing the evolution of the Schlumberger style through jewelry and objets d’art as well as personal items, photographs, and ephemera (through 3/10). Recent Acquisitions:Pablo Picasso, Martin Puryear and Reginald Burton Barber are among the artists showcased in this exhibition of artworks recently donated to the museum’s collections (through 12/30). 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, mfastpete.org
Tampa Museum of Art. Patricia Cronin Responds to Classical Antiquity: Conversations with the Collection: A profoundly beautiful meditation on classical imagery as viewed through a 21st-century sensibility via sculpture, photography and layered, evocative paintings (through 1/6). Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING: You’ll only have a few moments inside Kusama’s mind-blowing Infinity Mirror Room installation, but you likely won’t forget it (through 2/14). Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective:He’s most famous, of course, for his bold, graphic LOVE sculptures, but this retrospective reveals much more about this seminal artist’s wide-ranging oeuvre over his five-decade career (through 3/17). 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, tampamuseum.org
