Whew! This week seems quiet after the fun and busy-ness of hosting my family for Thanksgiving. But now it feels like the holidays have really kicked off, and one glance at the calendars on ColumbusMakesArt.com tells me this season will be a busy one in the Columbus arts!
- Tonight – Wednesday, Nov. 29 – the Jazz Arts Group kicks off performances of its annual Home for the Holidays show. This year they’re featuring vocalist Mamie Parris.
- We’re continuing another family holiday tradition by seeing the Columbus Symphony’s Holiday Pops this weekend. It runs Dec. 1-3 at the Ohio Theatre.
- On Friday, Dec. 1, 934 Gallery opens its December exhibition In Transition: Untethered from Heidi Clifford (aka Primary Child).
- This Saturday, Dec. 2, Columbus Dance Theatre offers two performances of its holiday ballet Wonderment at the Davidson Theatre.
This weekend I’m seeing a few different outdoor community events that kick off the holidays with shopping, live music, galleries and more fun.
- This Saturday is Holiday Hop. For the first time ever, they’re closing down High Street for the arts hop, so it’ll be very pedestrian friendly. We’re excited to stroll the district, enjoy street performances, hit up galleries like Studios on High or Sharon Weiss Gallery.
- Earlier in the day Saturday we may stop by Dorrian Green for WinterFest Columbus. It features craft beer and cocktails, food trucks and live music including RJD2. We could time that with a ride on the Downtown Holiday Trolley Hop, which visits light shows, small businesses, parks and museums downtown.
- This Saturday is also the CCAD Art Fair & Marketplace, and the start of Dickens of a Christmas at Ohio Village.
- Sunday, Dec. 3 brings the annual Village Lights to German Village. The neighborhood is lit up with luminaries. If you visit, stop by St. Mary Catholic Church to hear choral music.
December is a busy month for theater productions; there are a few opening this week:
- Aethereal Jest Arts Council opens Little Women of Orchard House on Friday, Dec. 1. It’s a look at Louisa May Alcott and her writing of Little Women.
- That same night Columbus Children’s Theatre offers a family-friendly, hour-long adaptation of A Christmas Carol, titled Mr. Scrooge. Curtain Players also opens a production of Men on Boats and Eclipse Theatre performs William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (Abridged).
- On Saturday, Gallery Players kicks off its production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Jewish Community Center. (You can read more about their Tevye, Benny Zelkowicz.)
Columbus Children’s Theatre, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Arts Group and Ohio History Connection receive Operating Support grants from GCAC, while 934 Gallery, Columbus Dance Theatre receive General Support. Aethereal Jest Arts Council, Columbus Jewish Community Center, Music at St. Mary, Short North Alliance are Project Support recipients.
(Image credit: Columbus Symphony’s Holiday Pops)
Nick is marketing, communications, & events administrator for GCAC. He’s also a food/travel writer penning works for Columbus Monthly, Ohio Magazine and his own site BreakfastWithNick.com. He’s enjoying his Thanksgiving leftovers.