The holidays are in full spin, including the opening of a major new arts center in St. Pete, live music at Ruth Eckerd and lots more.
The Factory First Look & #Floridarama Pop-up. A 6.5-acre swath of South St. Pete is the site of The Factory, a new center for local arts and literary exploration, and on Saturday we get our first chance to see what everyone’s been buzzing about. During The Factory First Look, a day-long community event, there’ll be an outdoor holiday makers’ market presented by Keep St. Pete Local, a ribbon-cutting for Keep St. Pete Lit’s children’s reading garden, a pop-up art show, outdoor performances, and most intriguing of all, a sneak peek at Floridarama, the choose-your-own-adventure experience that will open in 2021 alongside The Factory — including artist-created dioramas depicting tiny worlds with a universe of possibilities. Sat., Dec. 12, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., The Factory St. Pete, 2622 Fairfield Ave. S., St. Petersburg.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party. The contemporary swing revival band invites you to Ruth Eckerd for what sounds like a helluva holiday bash. Sun. Dec. 13, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall. Seating at 50% capacity and tickets only available in pairs. rutheckerdhall.com.
A Christmas Carol: In Concert at freeFall. This musical version of the Dickens classic returns for a limited engagement as part of freeFall’s outdoor drive-in concert series. Featuring songs from the production, performed by a cast of live performers along with multimedia and narration from the original novella, it’s a recipe for safe family fun. (The company’s drive-in adaptation of War of the Worlds was a blast!) Dec. 11-24, freefalltheatre.com.
The Florida Orchestra: “Holiday Pops.” Holiday favorites TFO-style at the Mahaffey — Sleigh Ride, Toyland, O Holy Night and much more. Catch one of five performances, with two matinees, all live with new safety measures. Conducted by Enrico Lopez-Yañez, featuring vocalist Siri Howard. Concerts are about one hour, with no intermission. Dec. 11, 8 p.m., Dec. 12, 2 & 8 p.m.; Dec. 13, 2 & 7:30 p.m. the.floridaorchestra.org.
Travis Tritt. The Grammy- and CMA-winning country artist returns to Ruth Eckerd for a rare solo acoustic show. Sat. Dec. 12, 8 p.m. Seating at 50% capacity and tickets only available in pairs. rutheckerdhall.com.
St. Pete Opera’s Mobile POPera: “Holiday Sparkle.” The company’s longtime seasonal favorite returns in outdoor pop-up format, with performances by Paula Broadwater, Chris Romeo and more. Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. (pay what you can) on the lawn outside the Museum of Fine Arts; Dec. 18 and 20 at 4 p.m. (advance sale tickets) at Cage Brewing. stpeteopera.org.
The MFA Store 40% Off Clearance Sale & 50% Off Pop-Up Book Sale. The Museum of Fine Arts’ gift shop has always been a prime destination for beautiful, thoughtfully curated gifts, and although the shop was closed during the recent renovations at the museum, it’s open this month with 40% discounts at both the physical and online store. Then, on Saturday, December 12 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., head to the front steps of the museum for a pop-up book sale and 50% off hundreds of books about art, fashion, food, and history as well as children’s books for all ages. Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg.
parkCINEMA: It’s A Wonderful Life in Curtis Hixon Park. You’re gonna wind up watching it anyway, so why not watch it outside in Tampa Theatre’s free, socially distanced screening in Curtis Hixon’s Winter Village, where you can also shop, nosh and maybe do a little ice skating! And while you’re in the Tampa Riverwalk vicinity, consider going on a Holiday Scavenger Hunt. Screening Sat. Dec. 12, 7 p.m., Curtis Hixon Park, Tampa.
Nutcracker Outdoor Wonderland at the Straz. We can’t have a holiday season without a Nutcracker, can we? The Next Generation Ballet is going al fresco with this immersive performance that will lead audience members through the Straz Center campus and conclude inside a tent on the Riverwalk. At press time the entire run was sold out. Dec. 11-23, strazcenter.org.
Happy Hanukkah! Enjoy the dreidels, latkes, gelt and eight nights of light, whether you’re lighting your candles at home with family or connecting via Zoom (Zoomakkah?). Dec. 10-18.
