Music:
Straight No Chaser returns to Mohegan Sun Arena Friday at 7:30pm. Tickets $30. On Sunday, it’s the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at 3pm and 8pm. Tickets $50 - $89. www.mohegansun.com
Theater:
Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford is proud to present “It’s A Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play” now through December 28. Enjoy this imaginative spin on a Holiday classic as the show is performed in the fashion of a 1940’s radio show on stage. Tickets $30-$100. www.hartfordastage.org or 860-527-5151
The beloved Children’s Holiday special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer comes to life on stage at the Bushnell in Hartford with two Sunday performances; a sensory friendly at 1pm followed by the traditional stage version at 5pm. Tickets $35-$82. www.bushnell.org or 86-987-5900.
The Elf on the Shelf Christmas Musical visits the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford Saturday at 3pm. Tickets are $20 - $59. www.oakdale.com
A Grand Night For Singing celebrates over 30 hit songs from all your musical treasures like Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, Carousel, The King and I, Cinderella and more. It's the perfect welcome home to Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam and runs now through Sunday. Call the Box Office for Tickets 860-873-8668. www.goodspeed.org
Events:
Back for it’s 11th Year, Holiday Light Fantasia, Connecticut’s must-see family light show, returns beginning Thanksgiving night and ending January 2, 2022 5-10pm Thursday through Sunday. This beautiful collection of over one million lights is situated along a nearly two-mile drive through Goodwin Park at 1130 Maple Avenue on the Hartford/Wethersfield, Connecticut line (conveniently off I-91). Whimsical holiday sights, familiar characters, and local tributes shine bright in over 200 individual displays. The lighted animations celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah, New Year’s, and Three Kings Day. The event is a benefit for the Channel 3 Kids Camp.
At just $16 per car when purchased online ($20 at the gate) this holiday tradition is affordable family fun! New for 2021, we are reintroducing the “Find Flurry the Dog” contest, sponsored by Guida’s Dairy! Guests are encouraged to help us find our mischievous friend among the lighted displays for a chance to win a week of camp for a child! To find out more and to purchase tickets, please visit www.holidaylightfantasia.org
Break out the hot chocolate: the holiday season has officially returned to Lake Compounce! The park is gearing up for its largest Holiday Lights celebration to date in honor of its 175th birthday. Lake Compounce’s Holiday Lights launches on Friday, at 5:00 p.m. when Connecticut’s Tallest Christmas Tree is relit for the first time since 2019. Lake Compounce guests can get cozy under more than 300,000 spectacular lights, transporting visitors to a glimmering holiday wonderland. Park goers will find a unique holiday menu featuring warm drinks and comfort foods, plus more activities than ever before, including Elf Boot Camp, Letters to Santa, Cookie Decorating and a variety of rides and attractions. Family favorite rides make a return this winter, with attractions including Drop Zone, Drum Circus, the North Pole Railway and American Flyers open throughout the season. For the first time ever, the park will open Booficer’s Haunted Holiday, a new spin on the park’s fan-favorite Ghost Hunt ride. Guests will also have the chance to meet the big man in red himself! Santa will be at the park nightly from November 26 – December 19, posing for photos and checking his list (twice!). In honor of opening night, Lake Compounce will host the World’s Largest Ugly Holiday Sweater Party! Guests are invited to wear their ugliest holiday sweater to the park in hopes of breaking the single-location sweater record of 3,473. Lake Compounce will also join its sister parks, Kennywood, Dutch Wonderland and Castle Park to create a cross-country celebration and add a multi-location record for ugly sweater celebrations. Guests must gather at the exit to Crocodile Cove Water Park at 7:00 p.m. to officially be part of the fun and, hopefully, record-setting holiday sweater party. Holiday Lights at Lake Compounce will run Fridays from 5 – 9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 4 – 9 p.m. through January 1, except Christmas Day. Single-day tickets will be available online soon, with prices starting at $19.99 for adults and $17.99 for kids. www.lakecompounce.com
Winterfest in Bushnell Park opens Friday with free ice skating, free rentals & free learn-to-skate programs daily from 11am to 8pm through January 9, 2022. To learn about other Winterfest activities, www.winterfesthartford.com
The Magic of Lights family-friendly drive-through brings holiday joy to all ages runs now through January 2nd at Pratt & Whitney Stadium, 615 Silver Lane, East Hartford. Ticket prices vary from online discounted at $30 up to $70 depending on vehicle and day visited. Enjoy a drive through experience with over one million twinkling lights and festive scenes to celebrate the Season including Candyland, Toyland, Sports Row, 12 Days of Christmas and the notorious Enchanting Tunnel of Lights. Some scenes are as high as 32-feet tall and as long as several hundred feet. For more information, visit www.magicoflights.com/easthartford
The 2021 Basketball Tip Off is Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena! See teams including Villanova vs Tennessee at 1pm and Perdue vs North Carolina at 3:30pm.
Tickets $20-$150. The tournament continues on Sunday at 1pm. www.mohegansun.com
The Witch's Dungeon Classic Movie Museum opens their 2nd annual "MONSTERS HOLIDAY" beginning Friday and running through Jan. 9th - every weekend, Fri. thru Sun. - 6pm to 9pm. (closed on Christmas Dec. 25th) - located at 103 East Main Street in Plainville. CT. - by appointment - call or leave a message - 860-583-8306 two days in advance - Besides our displays of original movie makeup & props, all our sets & figures will be decked out for the season, plus vintage toys from the 50's, 60's & 70's - Take a photo for a unique Christmas Card. This is our 55th consecutive season for the museum in CT. www.preservehollywood.org
The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks hosts the Flights of Fun Family Programs offering social distanced activities for families on Saturdays and Sundays 10am to 4pm including Flight Science Demonstrations, the Investigation Station, and take-home versions of our popular Build and Fly Challenges. Additional activities include QR Code Tours, Scavenger Hunts, and opportunities for visitors to peek inside select aircraft cockpits. All programs are included with general admission. Limited Capacity and Covid-19 safety measures are in place. Please visit www.NEAM.org before you go!
The New England Carousel Museum and Museum of Fire History, 95 Riverside Avenue, Bristol are open to the public and offer free FREE general admission to visitors that live in the cities of Bristol and Burlington through December 31, 2021. General admission includes guided tours at noon and 2:00 PM during public hours and one carousel ride per person. Additional carousel rides are $1 each or $3 for an unlimited ride bracelet. Presently masks are required for all visitors over the age of 2. Other towns may make a reservation online or visit the Museum for ticket prices and special events. www.thecarouselmuseum.org
