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Houston Holiday Events
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| The Ice at Discovery Green park in downtown Houston will be in operation until Jan. 19. (photo by Patric Schneider) |
The Downtown Houston Holiday Experience will bring life to the streets of downtown with two new holiday components located at main street square, downtown’s new retail core featuring Macy’s, The Shops at Houston Center and the new Houston Pavilions; and the new urban park, Discovery Green.
Colorful candy canes, snowflakes and festive trees with jeweled red, green and white lights will illuminate Main Street Square, as the area bustles with holiday shopping activity while Discovery Green will be transformed into a winter wonderland, featuring a 7,200-sq. ft. outdoor ice skating rink on a portion of Kinder Lake with a variety of family-friendly programming.
The following is a list of Houston-area activities to help make your holiday season merry and bright:
A Christmas Carol–A Ghost Story of Christmas – Through Dec. 28
The Alley Theatre’s amusing and musical rendition of A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas is performed Nov. 21-Dec. 28. This adaptation revisits the meaning of Christmas with Ebenezer Scrooge and classic characters like Tiny Tim as Scrooge embarks on a wild nighttime journey through re-imagined scenic designs, spectacular costumes and original music. www.alleytheatre.org
The Twelve Ways of Christmas – Through Dec. 28
With an eclectic blend of colorful Jazz, R&B and Gospel, The Ensemble Theatre’s The Twelve Ways of Christmas guides us to the heart of our most memorable holiday experiences. Love prevails throughout this fusion of fun, joy, loneliness, jealousy and grief with twelve “ways”; including Romantic Christmas, Military Christmas, Family Christmas and True Christmas. www.ensemblehouston.com
The Ice at Discovery Green – Through Jan. 19
Ice skating makes a welcome return to downtown Houston this holiday season with the opening of Discovery Green’s skating rink at Kinder Lake. Following the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, patrons will be able to line up for a turn on the ice, old-fashioned style. www.discoverygreen.com
The Nutcracker – Through Dec. 28
Houston Ballet’s timeless and dreamy production of the classic holiday tale The Nutcracker runs Nov. 28-Dec. 28 at the Wortham Theater. Families can join Clara as she marvels at the Christmas tree, flying cooks, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince dancing, and her unforgettable journey in the Kingdom of Sweets — a place children will dream about for years to come. www.houstonballet.org
Downtown Holiday Walk & Rail Tour –Dec. 19-24, 26-28
Celebrate the season on a Downtown Holiday Walk & Rail Tour, a two-hour stroll and METRORail ride on Main Street featuring downtown decorations and the fountains at Main Street Square. www.discoverhoustontours.com
Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Dec. 28
Toyota Center welcomes the Trans-Siberian Orchestra back to Houston on Dec. 28 for two shows. This amazing musical group has sold more than five million albums and performed before more than two million fans in sold-out venues across the country. The Orchestra includes an orchestral string section, a full rock band, multiple vocalists, a narrator, extensive pyrotechnics, a stunning laser and light show and even a snowfall. www.toyotacentertix.com
Radio City Christmas Spectacular Featuring The Rockettes – Jan. 2-4
For three days only the world’s biggest and most spectacular Christmas show will be appearing at Toyota Center! Don’t miss the world famous Radio City Rockettes’ signature EYE-HIGH KICKS and precision choreography featured in multiple show-stopping numbers including the legendary Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and New York at Christmas, a dynamic holiday celebration. Families will be delighted and touched as Santa flies high above the crowd, snow falls inside and the true meaning of Christmas comes to life in the awe-inspiring “Living Nativity.” The Radio City Christmas Spectacular has DAZZLED and inspired more than 65 million people for over 75 years and continues to create memories that will last a lifetime. www.toyotacentertix.com
GALLERIA/ UPTOWN
Polar Ice Galleria
Even if you are not an Olympic skater, a trip to the Polar Ice Galleria is in order. A spin around the rink under a giant Christmas tree does wonders for holiday spirit.
When done ice skating, you can begin your holiday shopping at more than 350 retail stores where a diverse blend of upscale boutiques and more affordable shopping alternatives are found. The Galleria, the fourth largest shopping center in the nation, is just one of many world-renowned shopping centers where you’ll find something for everyone in your family, from furniture to house wares and from sporting goods to jewelry. www.galleriahouston.com
MUSEUM DISTRICT/ RELIANT PARK
The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story – Dec. 12 — April 12, 2009
Through the display of ancient scrolls, objects and artifacts, The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story tells the fascinating story of two of the world’s most important religions at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. www.hmns.org
Bayou Bend Yuletide Exhibition – Through Jan. 4
View early American holiday traditions against the backdrop of 17th-19th century American furniture, paintings, ceramics and silver to celebrate the holidays at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Bayou Bend Yuletide Exhibition, Nov. 22- Jan. 4. This year’s theme is Celebrations! and will include festive lighting in the gardens, eight rooms of the mansion decorated with historic recreations of celebratory holiday moments and holiday entertainment and refreshments. A variety of Yuletide tour options are offered, including three Candlelight Open House tours on select Friday evenings – Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12 –where docents will discuss the holiday settings and the customs of the times amid singling carolers. www.mfah.org/bayoubend
THE WOODLANDS/ LAKE CONROE
The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center – Through Jan. 19
Take a lap around the largest outdoor ice rink in the southwest at The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center, opens Nov. 22. www.thewoodlandsicerink.com
Winter Wonderland – Through Jan. 5
Before or after ice skating, take a stroll through Donoho’s Jewellers Winter Wonderland and take a walk along the carpeted pathways as you delight in the fantasyland of magical, lighted toy soldiers, elves, doves, musical angels and snowmen. www.thewoodlandswinterwonderland.com
GALVESTON ISLAND
Festival of Lights – Through Jan. 3
Festive sights and sounds will fill Moody Gardens Nov. 15-Jan. 3 during Festival of Lights, one of the largest presentations of Christmas lights in southeast Texas. Guests will journey through Moody Gardens to Santa’s Workshop, a gingerbread house, an outdoor ice rink, a giant poinsettia tree and many more places reminiscent of the holiday season. www.moodygardens.com
The Gift of Christmas LIVE – Through Dec. 28
Join Moody Gardens for The Gift of Christmas LIVE, an exhilarating musical presentation blending traditional and original Christmas songs, December 18-28. The one-of-a-kind show features performances by the brightest artists in Texas coupled with sensational sound and lighting to create a dazzling experience. www.moodygardens.com
List courtesy the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Colorful candy canes, snowflakes and festive trees with jeweled red, green and white lights will illuminate Main Street Square, as the area bustles with holiday shopping activity while Discovery Green will be transformed into a winter wonderland, featuring a 7,200-sq. ft. outdoor ice skating rink on a portion of Kinder Lake with a variety of family-friendly programming.
The following is a list of Houston-area activities to help make your holiday season merry and bright:
A Christmas Carol–A Ghost Story of Christmas – Through Dec. 28
The Alley Theatre’s amusing and musical rendition of A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas is performed Nov. 21-Dec. 28. This adaptation revisits the meaning of Christmas with Ebenezer Scrooge and classic characters like Tiny Tim as Scrooge embarks on a wild nighttime journey through re-imagined scenic designs, spectacular costumes and original music. www.alleytheatre.org
The Twelve Ways of Christmas – Through Dec. 28
With an eclectic blend of colorful Jazz, R&B and Gospel, The Ensemble Theatre’s The Twelve Ways of Christmas guides us to the heart of our most memorable holiday experiences. Love prevails throughout this fusion of fun, joy, loneliness, jealousy and grief with twelve “ways”; including Romantic Christmas, Military Christmas, Family Christmas and True Christmas. www.ensemblehouston.com
The Ice at Discovery Green – Through Jan. 19
Ice skating makes a welcome return to downtown Houston this holiday season with the opening of Discovery Green’s skating rink at Kinder Lake. Following the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, patrons will be able to line up for a turn on the ice, old-fashioned style. www.discoverygreen.com
The Nutcracker – Through Dec. 28
Houston Ballet’s timeless and dreamy production of the classic holiday tale The Nutcracker runs Nov. 28-Dec. 28 at the Wortham Theater. Families can join Clara as she marvels at the Christmas tree, flying cooks, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince dancing, and her unforgettable journey in the Kingdom of Sweets — a place children will dream about for years to come. www.houstonballet.org
Downtown Holiday Walk & Rail Tour –Dec. 19-24, 26-28
Celebrate the season on a Downtown Holiday Walk & Rail Tour, a two-hour stroll and METRORail ride on Main Street featuring downtown decorations and the fountains at Main Street Square. www.discoverhoustontours.com
Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Dec. 28
Toyota Center welcomes the Trans-Siberian Orchestra back to Houston on Dec. 28 for two shows. This amazing musical group has sold more than five million albums and performed before more than two million fans in sold-out venues across the country. The Orchestra includes an orchestral string section, a full rock band, multiple vocalists, a narrator, extensive pyrotechnics, a stunning laser and light show and even a snowfall. www.toyotacentertix.com
Radio City Christmas Spectacular Featuring The Rockettes – Jan. 2-4
For three days only the world’s biggest and most spectacular Christmas show will be appearing at Toyota Center! Don’t miss the world famous Radio City Rockettes’ signature EYE-HIGH KICKS and precision choreography featured in multiple show-stopping numbers including the legendary Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and New York at Christmas, a dynamic holiday celebration. Families will be delighted and touched as Santa flies high above the crowd, snow falls inside and the true meaning of Christmas comes to life in the awe-inspiring “Living Nativity.” The Radio City Christmas Spectacular has DAZZLED and inspired more than 65 million people for over 75 years and continues to create memories that will last a lifetime. www.toyotacentertix.com
GALLERIA/ UPTOWN
Polar Ice Galleria
Even if you are not an Olympic skater, a trip to the Polar Ice Galleria is in order. A spin around the rink under a giant Christmas tree does wonders for holiday spirit.
When done ice skating, you can begin your holiday shopping at more than 350 retail stores where a diverse blend of upscale boutiques and more affordable shopping alternatives are found. The Galleria, the fourth largest shopping center in the nation, is just one of many world-renowned shopping centers where you’ll find something for everyone in your family, from furniture to house wares and from sporting goods to jewelry. www.galleriahouston.com
MUSEUM DISTRICT/ RELIANT PARK
The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story – Dec. 12 — April 12, 2009
Through the display of ancient scrolls, objects and artifacts, The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story tells the fascinating story of two of the world’s most important religions at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. www.hmns.org
Bayou Bend Yuletide Exhibition – Through Jan. 4
View early American holiday traditions against the backdrop of 17th-19th century American furniture, paintings, ceramics and silver to celebrate the holidays at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Bayou Bend Yuletide Exhibition, Nov. 22- Jan. 4. This year’s theme is Celebrations! and will include festive lighting in the gardens, eight rooms of the mansion decorated with historic recreations of celebratory holiday moments and holiday entertainment and refreshments. A variety of Yuletide tour options are offered, including three Candlelight Open House tours on select Friday evenings – Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12 –where docents will discuss the holiday settings and the customs of the times amid singling carolers. www.mfah.org/bayoubend
THE WOODLANDS/ LAKE CONROE
The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center – Through Jan. 19
Take a lap around the largest outdoor ice rink in the southwest at The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center, opens Nov. 22. www.thewoodlandsicerink.com
Winter Wonderland – Through Jan. 5
Before or after ice skating, take a stroll through Donoho’s Jewellers Winter Wonderland and take a walk along the carpeted pathways as you delight in the fantasyland of magical, lighted toy soldiers, elves, doves, musical angels and snowmen. www.thewoodlandswinterwonderland.com
GALVESTON ISLAND
Festival of Lights – Through Jan. 3
Festive sights and sounds will fill Moody Gardens Nov. 15-Jan. 3 during Festival of Lights, one of the largest presentations of Christmas lights in southeast Texas. Guests will journey through Moody Gardens to Santa’s Workshop, a gingerbread house, an outdoor ice rink, a giant poinsettia tree and many more places reminiscent of the holiday season. www.moodygardens.com
The Gift of Christmas LIVE – Through Dec. 28
Join Moody Gardens for The Gift of Christmas LIVE, an exhilarating musical presentation blending traditional and original Christmas songs, December 18-28. The one-of-a-kind show features performances by the brightest artists in Texas coupled with sensational sound and lighting to create a dazzling experience. www.moodygardens.com
List courtesy the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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