Fine arts, performing arts and seasonal arts span tchotchkes, Tchaikovsky and chainsaws.
Monday, December 6
The Fantasy of Lights drive-through display at Lighthouse Point Park (2 Lighthouse Rd, New Haven), open from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday with an extra hour on Fridays and Saturdays, is back for another holiday season. Admission is charged by the vehicle: $10 for a car or family van, $25 for a minibus and $50 for a full-sized bus.
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Tuesday, December 7
A 5 p.m. Winter Gardening & Houseplant Workshop at Wilson Library (303 Washington Ave, New Haven; 203-946-2228) aims to teach you how to grow and maintain healthy indoor plants during the darkest and coldest of seasons. “Baby houseplants are available on a first come/first serve basis.”
Presented by the Hamden Art League, Silverbells: A Holiday Art Exhibition and Sale gets an opening reception from 7 to 9 at the Hamden Senior Center (2901 Dixwell Ave, Hamden).
Wednesday, December 8
East Rock Brewing Company (285 Nicoll St, New Haven; 475-234-6176) hosts an ’80s-themed trivia night, with the competition starting at 6:30 p.m. “sharp.”
Thursday, December 9
“To Buy or Not to Buy Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)”? I wouldn’t, but maybe Yuri Cataldo—a “tech strategist,” cryptocurrency writer and “leading expert in blockchain”—has a different answer in this 8 p.m. talk sponsored by the Yale International Alliance.
Friday, December 10
The second of four performances of undergrad Mikaela Boone’s senior project in directing unfolds at 8 p.m. in a black box theater (53 Wall St, New Haven) of Yale’s Theater and Performance Studies department. The play she’s directing is Julia Jarcho’s OBIE Award-winning Grimly Handsome, a “horror triptych explor[ing] themes of transformation, perception, belonging, and identity.”
Also at 8 p.m., in something near the opposite of a black box theater—the plush, regal Shubert (247 College St, New Haven; 203-562-5666)—comedian Paula Poundstone starts delivering a set of “her smart, observational humor and spontaneous wit that has become the stuff of legend.” $29-64, including fees.
Saturday, December 11
Westville invites us to Deck the Walls at Kehler Liddell Gallery (873 Whalley Ave, New Haven), where an opening reception for the gallery’s annual group show of “specially priced items for the holidays” lasts from noon to 7; to “Shop Small” at Lotta Studio (903 Whalley Ave, New Haven), where “our favorite CT vendors and their locally made gifts and art” will convene from noon to 6; to “surround yourself with art” at West River Arts (909 Whalley Ave, New Haven), where artists will open their studios from noon to 5; and to enjoy a neighborhood tree lighting “down the street” at 6 p.m., presumably in the Blake Street Parking Lot.
At 2:30 p.m. in SCSU’s Lyman Center for the Performing Arts (501 Crescent St, New Haven), the New Haven Symphony Orchestra presents a Holiday Extravaganza program of “timeless classics and new favorites” led by Principal Pops Conductor Chelsea Tipton. The classics include “Sleigh Ride” and The Nutcracker’s “Waltz of the Flowers,” while newer songs include “A Christmas Overture.” $35-49, or $10 for college students and free for youth under 18 with an adult ticket.
Puerto Ricans United throws a Parranda Navideña—a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas party promising food, coquito and live music—at Bregamos Community Theater (491 Blatchley Ave, New Haven) from 7 to 11. Tickets cost $30 apiece or $50 for two.
Sunday, December 12
From noon to 4 on Broadway Island (56 Broadway, New Haven), The Shops at Yale host six professional ice carvers “from all over New England,” each tasked with turning a 900-pound block of ice into a “spectacular sculpture.” “Vote on your favorite and automatically be entered to win one of five $50 gift cards!” Plus listen to performances by six Yale a cappella troupes.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Image features the opening portal of the 2014 Fantasy of Lights display. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
