Edmonton Christmas shows to get you in the holiday spirit

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With less than a month before Christmas, it’s now socially acceptable to enjoy holiday music and the festivities and merriment that accompany this time of year.

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There’s a huge selection of events to attend over the next month to get you into the spirit, with something for literally everyone. Looking for some traditional classical music? Check. Laugh until you cry? Got that as well.

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This is by no means an exhaustive list; consider it more of a starter pack of holiday-related entertainment in the capital city for the month leading up to Christmas.

ESO meets the Nutcracker

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra kicks off the holiday season with a ballet-themed program. More accurately, some ballet music that has become synonymous with the holidays.

While there’s no dancing at this ESO performance and the mouse king is unlikely to make an appearance, it’s still an amazing opportunity to take in Tchaikovsky’s memorable music from The Nutcracker performed by the incredible musicians from the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

When: Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Francis Winspear Centre for Music, 99 Street and 102 Ave NW

Tickets: Starting at $56.50 at winspearcentre.com.

Ho-ho-hilarity at Rapid Fire

Sometimes you need to improvise with your festive schedule. The Blank Who Stole Christmas is the holiday offering from Rapid Fire Theatre. A dedicated cast has their show down pat, but the chaos will get turned to 11 as they are joined by a guest improviser each night.

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The guest will take on a mystery character of their choice; past years have included The Grinch, Darth Vader, Batman and Wario. Shenanigans are guaranteed to ensue.

Three versions of the show (nice, naughty and nasty) mean there’s something for everyone, from a family-friendly outing you could take granny along for, to date night with the missus and maybe learn a new cuss word or three.

When: Nov. 28 to Dec 22

Where: Rapid Fire Exchange, 10437 83 Ave.

Tickets: $30 for adults, $15 for students and seniors, $10 for kids

Music at the Christmas Market

Dan Magnan is the headliner at this year’s Christmas Market at Fort Edmonton Park, but he won’t be the only performer at the historic park this holiday season.

The Vancouver crooner will share the Capital Theatre stage with luminaries such as Martin Kerr, the Obsessions Octet and Ukrainian dance group Volya. There’s also a whole series of kid’s shows, burlesque, drag shows and storytelling going on at the Capital.

All tickets also get you into the market, with more than 120 local vendors cramming into this year’s marketplace, so you can buy some gifts and catch a show. Or you could just load up on things for yourself.

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When: Nov. 28 to Dec. 15

Where: Fort Edmonton Park, 7000 143 St NW

Tickets: See yegxmasmarket.com for performance schedule and prices, tickets include general admission

Big band Christmas

Glenn Miller continues to exert his influence on music almost a century after his disappearance, and the orchestra that still bears his name will swing through town for a holiday big band experience.

Seasonal classics like Home for the Holidays, White Christmas and Jingle Bells will share the program with Chattanooga-Choo Choo and Moonlight Serenade.

Fun fact: Miller disappeared just before Christmas 1944 when his plane went missing over the English Channel. Ok, not fun, but still an interesting fact.

When: Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.

Where: The Francis Winspear Centre for Music, 99 Street and 102 Ave NW

Tickets: Starting at $79.70 at winspearcentre.com.

Return of the Singing Christmas Tree

Christmas is trees. Christmas is music. Why not combine both?

Prepare to be dazzled and amazed with the Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree, with 150 choir members wrapped around a giant, 35-foot LED tree. That’s an average of four singers per foot … or maybe it doesn’t work like that?

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Moving Edmonton Expo Centre means an even bigger show, even more lights and even more surprises. Somewhere north of 300 local performers will dazzle in front of a 160-foot long wall of lights, in a performance looking

When: Dec. 12 to 15, 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. Dec. 14 and 15

Where: Edmonton Expo Centre, 7515 118 Ave.

Tickets: Starting at $39.50 at edmontonsingingchristmastree.com

The best Christmas movie… on stage!

Is it really Christmas if Hans Gruber doesn’t fall screaming down the Nakatomi Tower, shoved to his death by a nosy, out-of-town cop?

Edmonton’s Grindstone Theatre puts its spin on the classic story of international terrorism and corporate theft with Die Harsh: A Christmas Musical.

Watch John McClane dance his way through the upper floors of a Los Angeles skyscraper while taking on European thugs, all while he bleeds on the expensive upholstery and causes untold property damage in a bid to save his estranged wife.

When: Dec. 13 to 29,

Where: The Orange Hub, 10045 156 St.

Tickets: Starting at $43.22 at grindstonetheatre.ca.

Christmas is a drag

It’s a holiday drag extravaganza at the Northern Jubilee Auditorium as A Drag Queen Christmas stops in Edmonton.

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Some of the best performers from RuPaul’s Drag Race are making their way across Canada for the first time, bringing Christmas cheer with performers such as Plasma, Trinity The Tuck and Manila Luzon putting on an incredible show in the week ahead of the big day.

When: Dec. 17 at 8 p.m.

Where: Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 11455 87 Ave

Tickets: Starting at $65.10

Pops goes the symphony

The Edmonton Symphony blows off the roof with their A Very Merry Pops: Celebrating Family Traditions concert. It’s a four-day, five-show extravaganza, pulling out all the stops to celebrate the holiday season.

The program is geared toward general audiences, with classics such as Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Carol of the Bells and Silent Night. Amateur vocalists will get to belt out their favourite tunes with some of the best musicians in the city during the requisite sing-along.

Fan-favourite conductor Robert Bernhardt leads the ESO in one of Winspear’s must-see performances of the holiday season.

When: Dec. 20 to 23, 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Dec. 21

Where: The Francis Winspear Centre for Music, 99 Street and 102 Ave NW

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Tickets: Starting at $36.50 at winspearcentre.com.

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