The holiday season will be in full swing starting this month with concerts, plays, opera, visits with Santa, illuminated landscapes and aerial theatrics under the big top.
Cirque du Soleil: Luzia
The big striped tent will return to Atlantic Station from Nov. 6 to Jan. 26 as Cirque du Soleil presents “Luzia.” This aerial acrobatic performance chronicles the encounters of a traveler who parachutes into a dreamlike version of Mexico and meets a mystifying menagerie of characters along the way. Get tickets at cirquedusoleil.com.
Garden Lights, Holiday Nights
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is hosting the 15th annual “Garden Lights, Holiday Nights” Nov. 15 to Jan. 11. The grounds will be illuminated with thousands of lights, while the tree sculptures from this summer’s “Enchanted Trees by Poetic Kinetics” will be incorporated into the show. Tickets usually sell out fast, so get yours at atlantabg.org.
Center for Puppetry Arts
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” soars back into the Midtown venue from Nov. 12 to Dec. 28 with a puppet version of the classic stop-motion animation TV special from 1964. Tickets, which also include a create-a-puppet workshop, can be purchased at puppet.org.
Atlanta Shakespeare Company
If you’ve been grooving to Taylor Swift’s hit single, “The Fate of Ophelia,” Atlanta Shakespeare Company is offering an opportunity to see where the literary reference originated – The Bard’s “Hamlet” – Nov. 8-30 at Shakespeare Tavern. Tickets available at shakespearetavern.com.
Fox Theatre
The Fox Theatre is hosting its second annual Foxgiving Feast on Nov. 20 – a chef-curated, Thanksgiving-inspired menu and complimentary wine and sherry tastings from Olé & Obrigado. And if “Luzia” isn’t enough Cirque du Soleil for you, the one-night-only “Magical Cirque Christmas” hits the Fox stage on Nov. 23. Tickets for both events are available at foxtheatre.org.
Atlanta Opera
The company is hosting a one-night screening of Jean Cocteau’s “La Belle et La Bete” with the soundtrack replaced by an opera score created by Philip Glass on Nov. 15 and will stage Verdi’s classic “La Traviata” Nov. 8-16 – both at the Cobb Energy Centre. Tickets at atlantaopera.org.
Santa at Rhodes Hall
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation will be hosting Santa at historic Rhodes Hall in Midtown from Nov. 22 to Dec. 14. Tickets are $60 and include a photo with Santa. Reservations are already filling up fast! Make yours at georgiatrust.org.
Atlantic Station
The Midtown live-work-play destination will host its annual “Light the Station” on Nov. 22 from 4 to 7:30 p.m., which culminates with the lighting of a giant Christmas tree, the arrival of Santa, a parade, and much more. The ice skating rink reopens Nov. 14. Get more details at this link.
“A Christmas Carol” at Alliance Theater
The classic stage production of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” runs Nov. 14 to Dec. 24 on the Coca-Cola Stage. Tickets start at $31 at alliancetheatre.org.
ILLUMINIGHTS at Zoo Atlanta
Hundreds of wildlife-inspired lanterns will decorate Zoo Atlanta for its annual holiday light display Nov. 21 to Jan. 16. Tickets do sell out, so reserve in advance at zooatlanta.org.
Fernbank Museum
WildWoods: AGLOW returns Nov. 14 to Feb. 28 with a nighttime, multi-sensory immersion in the forest around the museum with interactive tulip poplar pod, projections of nocturnal wildlife, glowing native plant species, larger-than-life incandescent mushrooms and more. Tickets available at fernbankmuseum.org.
Jessica Vosk
Broadway star Jessica Vosk performs her holiday-themed show “Sleigh” at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center on Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. Get tickets at sandyspringspac.com.
Atlanta Christkindl Market
Experience a hybrid modern-day Christmas celebration and German festivities as the annual market moves to the Lawrenceville Lawn from Nov. 28 to Dec. 24. There are handcrafted goods, entertainment, food and more. Admission is free, and more information can be found at christkindlmarket.org.
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center’s Winter House
From Nov. 29 to Dec. 14, Callanwolde will feature an artist market, live music, historic tours, photos with Santa, and more holiday activities. A dozen holiday art workshops will be offered, including ornament, and wreath making. Get more details at callanwolde.org/winterhouse.
Christmas with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The ASO is kicking off the holidays with a live stage version of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on Nov. 23 and singer Cody Fry gives a holiday concert on Nov. 25. Even more is planned in December with the “Deck the Halls” family concert (Dec. 7), Christmas with Trisha Yearwood (Dec. 10), and Christmas with the ASO (Dec. 11-14). Get tickets and information at aso.org.
Dave Koz & Friends
Koz and Co. are on their annual Christmas tour, which drops in at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on Friday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m. Get tickets at cobbenergycentre.com.