Holiday Events and Programs 2020

December 3, 2020

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Events, Front Page

Whether you’re staying inside and enjoying virtual events by the fire, or looking for in-person, socially distanced events, there are so many ways to feel the holiday cheer this season. The Office of Arts and Culture offers a list of holiday events all over Dallas, from our partners and our cultural centers!

Zoo Lights: A Drive-Thru Experience
- Dallas Zoo
- Friday, November 20 – Sunday, January 3 (36 select nights) | 6 PM
- Cruise through a newly constructed pathway – and through familiar parts of the Dallas Zoo – while marveling at more than one million lights in elaborate displays, silk-covered animal lanterns depicting all your Zoo favorites, an ice palace fit for a trio of penguins, and so much more along the way!
Dallas Heritage Village
- Holiday Hours
  - December 3 – 19 | 6 PM (Thursdays & Saturdays ONLY)
  - Dallas Heritage Village is offering extended Holiday Hours on Thursday and Saturday nights during the first three weeks of December to experience the holiday traditions that you know and love at Dallas Heritage Village
- Cocktails by Candlelight
  - Friday, December 11 | 6 PM (21+ ONLY)
  - Join us for an evening of socially distanced music and beverages! Our generous sponsor, Pegasus City Brewery will be on site serving up a selection of their craft beers, our historic buildings will be lit with candles, and the Singapore Slingers will be playing a selection of holiday tunes.
Tree Lighting Celebrations
- Klyde Warren Park
- December 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 | 6 PM
- Klyde Warren Park’s annual Tree Lighting Celebration presented by the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District has been reimagined for guests to enjoy this annual holiday tradition in a safe and socially distanced way. On seven separate nights, Santa Claus will light the tree while carolers from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts entertain your family.
Holiday Art Kit Distribution
- Latino Cultural Center (Lotería Kit)
  - Saturday, December 19 | 12 NOON
  - Drive by the LCC parking lot to receive a FREE ornament kit from 12-2pm. The ornament kit will be Lotería themed with an instructional video by local artist, Iris Candelaria of Candelaria & Co. Art Studio. LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE
Annual Messiah Sing-Along
- Dallas Bach Society
- Saturday, December 19 | 5:30 PM
- The Annual Messiah Sing-Along is back! Gather together, socially distanced, outdoors, for our annual Messiah Sing-Along! We will be showing selections from the recorded Dallas Bach Society’s 2019 performance of Handel’s Messiah at the Meyerson.
Elf: Movies in the Park
- Klyde Warren Park
- Saturday, December 19 | 5:30 PM
- Grab a space on the lawn, enjoy a Relish or food truck picnic and let the cinematic fun begin. All movie screens provided by Ultimate Outdoor Entertainment.
Holidays around the World: A Drive-Thru Celebration
- Oak Cliff Cultural Center
- Tuesday, December 22 | 2 PM
- Enjoy live performances from Alegre Ballet Folklorico and Jazz Becuzz from your car! While in line, get a “Holiday around the World” kit. Kits will include a zine, 2 Holiday art kits, vouchers for holiday food and recipes so you can learn to make some Holiday favorites from Germany, Morocco and more! Cars should line-up to enter the parking lot behind the Oak Cliff Cultural Center from the direction of South Madison Ave. No walk-ups.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- The Concert Truck (Pop-Up Concerts)
  - Friday, December 4– Friday, December 18 | Various times
  - DSO and The Concert Truck are presenting collaborative community concerts across the city, featuring musicians of the DSO and other arts organizations. The Pop-Up concerts are held outdoors where audiences and performers are able to maintain a safe distance while enjoying live performances. Performances are free and last 45 to 60 minutes.
- A Jazzy Christmas
  - Tuesday, December 22 | 7:30 PM
  - In the Christmas spirit, three of Dallas’ finest jazz singers perform original, popular and memorable jazz tunes. Featuring Garry Williams, Andre Wallace and Martha Burks.
- Cyrus Chestnut Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas
  - Wednesday, December 23 | 7:30 PM
  - Vince Guaraldi’s classic score from A Charlie Brown Christmas. Virtuosic and playful, pianist Cyrus Chestnut infuses these classic charts with his soulful sound.
Holiday at the Arboretum
- Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
- Friday, November 27– Thursday, December 31 | Various times
- Holiday at the Arboretum features the 12 Days of Christmas and The Christmas Village. Stroll the garden to see the 25-foot-tall elaborately decorated Victorian-style gazebos that represent each of The 12 Days of Christmas, presented by Reliant. In the evenings, the garden is open late for a special lighted nighttime experience with over a million lights. Visit with Santa Claus every night.

Helen Holy’s Holiday Streaming Spectacular
- Uptown Players
- Friday, December 4- Sunday, December 20 | Various times
- A mix of holiday music, news, scripture interpretation, and special guest performances and interviews, this special holiday quarantine cabaret edition can be viewed at home and is sure to brighten this holiday season!
Art Mart 2020
- Bath House Cultural Center
- Saturday, December 5 – December 23 | 24/7
- The BHCC is featuring your favorite artisans’ work in virtual, online galleries. And the good news is that rather than the event occurring on a single weekend, our Virtual Art Mart will be open 24/7 from December 5 through December 23! Scroll through virtual artists’ booths to jumpstart your holiday shopping!
In the Bleak Midwinter: A Christmas Carol for Our Time
- Dallas Theater Center
- Monday, December 7 – Saturday, January 2 | Various times
- Created specifically to be filmed under the unique circumstances of the pandemic (which restricts the size of the cast and eschews large scale musical numbers) this movie updates Charles Dickens’ story to our contemporary world, deepens our understanding of the beloved characters with compassion, humor and grace, and provides a holiday event to enjoy within the comfort of your own home.
A Christmas Caroling Encore
- WRR 101.1
- Monday, December 7 – Friday, December 11 | 12 NOON
- Classical 101.1 WRR is delighted to bring you caroling encores from some of DFW’s best-loved choral groups. Tune in on 101.1!
La Virgencita: Virtual Painting Workshop
- Oak Cliff Cultural Center
- Saturday, December 12 | 10 AM
- Join OC3 for a FREE virtual painting workshop with artist Eva Azul and make your very own Virgencita! No previous painting experience necessary.This 1.5 hour workshop will take place over Zoom on December 12th.
A Hanukkah Celebration
- WRR 101.1
- Saturday December 12 | 7 PM
- Join violinist, Itzhak Perlman, and artistic director of Chicago a cappella, Jonathan Miller, for inspiring compositions and shows featuring the story of the Jewish festival of lights, choral music set to Chanukah texts, evocative songs in Yiddish and Ladino, and more!
Espresso Nutcracker
- Dallas Black Dance Theatre
- Saturday, December 12 | 7 PM
- If you believe in the magic of Christmas, experience Espresso Nutcracker, an enchanting performance for all generations. From Duke Ellington’s jazz-influenced music, to talented Dallas Black Dance Academy Pre-Pro students performing ballet across the Land of Snow and Sweets, to the timeless, magical Christmas Eve theme, it’s a holiday tradition the entire family can enjoy virtually.
Black Christmas Cinematic Conversations
- Video Association of Dallas
- Wednesday, December 16 | 7:30 PM
- Originally titled Silent Night, Evil Night in the United States, Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian slasher film produced and directed by Bob Clark, and written by A. Roy Moore. Join R. Colin Tait in this cinematic conversation as he breaks down classic films and filmmaking techniques of the era.
Music Lounge: Holiday Edition
- South Dallas Cultural Center
- Friday, December 18 | 12 NOON
- The SDCC Music Lounge features local Dallas artists performing music from the African Diasporian culture. This concert series offers musical styles ranging from hip hop to gospel to zydeco. Each event is a small and intimate music session for the Dallas community and is designed to highlight the wide soundscape of black culture.
Holiday Spoken Word Round Table
- Community Arts Pop-Up Cultural Center
- Friday, December 18 | 6 PM
- Join Dallas area poets and spoken word artists as they create works – live – based on their personal holiday experiences. This round table conversation will shed light on how various cultures celebrate the holidays.
Love & Joy! A Holiday Concert
- Women’s Chorus of Dallas
- Saturday, December 19 | 7:30 PM
- The Women’s Chorus of Dallas is going virtual this holiday season! Join viewers all over the globe for 45 minutes of Love & Joy through virtual choir recordings and unique visuals.
Handel’s Messiah
- Dallas Bach Society
- Tuesday, December 22 | 7 PM
- Under the current circumstances Dallas Bach Society will perform an elite, smaller version of this annual show, featuring twelve singers with a small orchestra, observing safe spacing at Zion Lutheran Church in Dallas. These guys can Handel it! As seating will be very limited, they will also live-stream it so that all may partake in this great Dallas tradition.