Our music critics have already chosen the 41 best music shows this week, but now it's our arts critics' turn to recommend the best events in their areas of expertise. Here are their picks in every genre—from George Balanchine's The Nutcracker to a pop-up with Portland milkshake purveyors Late Shake, and from the last week of Enchant Christmas to Wonderland New Year's Eve. See them all below, and find even more events on our complete Things To Do calendar.

DECEMBER 24

FOOD & DRINK

Miracle on 2nd
In 2014, Greg Boehm of New York bar Boilermaker temporarily transformed the space for his bar Mace into a kitschy Christmas wonderland replete with gewgaws and tchotchkes galore. Now the pop-up has expanded to bars in 50 cities worldwide and will be taking up residence in Belltown’s Rob Roy. The specialty cocktails are no ordinary cups of cheer: Beverages are housed in tacky-tastic vessels (a drinking mug resembling Santa’s mug, for example), bedecked with fanciful garnishes like peppers and dried pineapple, and christened with irreverent, pop-culture-referencing names like the “Bad Santa,” the “Yippie Ki Yay Mother F****r,” and the “You’ll Shoot Your Rye Out.” JULIANNE BELL

PERFORMANCE

BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon: To Jesus, Thanks for Everything! Jinkx and DeLa
BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon are like peanut butter and jelly: two great tastes that taste great together. They were on back-to-back seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race, they are both stunning drag queens from Seattle, they are both fiery political commentators, and they’ve never had a proper theatrical production for just the two of them. This one is clearly a riff on the 1995 film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, with a little baby Jesus thrown in. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

Dina Martina Christmas Show
If you think you know what drag is, if you think you know what humor is, if you think you know how the English language works, I heartily encourage you to throw your “knowledge” out the window and go see the Dina Martina Christmas Show. There is no one like Dina Martina. And there is no one like her die-hard, inside-joke-obsessed, constantly laughing crowds. Her dedicated fans include Whoopi Goldberg, John Waters, and Kevin Costner. I’m not kidding. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

Sugar Plum Gary
A misanthropic disposition combined with a strong satanist worldview distinguishes Sugar Plum Gary from other yuletide figures. Every year around this time, "somewhat beloved storyteller and comedian Emmett Montgomery" slips into a red onesie and takes the stage to give audience members completely unsolicited advice on how to best navigate the season, and it's often pretty funny if you're into dark, absurd humor. What's his favorite holiday decorating tip? In an interview with City Arts' Brett Hamil, Sugar Plum Gary gives his answer: I like to "find a dark place and put myself in a corner and wait," he says, with a creepy uncle grin. Merry Christmas. RICH SMITH

DECEMBER 24-25

FOOD & DRINK

Sun Liquor Eggnog Extravaganza
Sip a glass of Sun Liquor's cult-favorite Fancy Aged Eggnog while supplies last.

DECEMBER 24-28

PERFORMANCE

A Christmas Carol
ACT Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol is a dependable, simple pleasure, with just enough variation to warrant returning year after year. For the 43rd (!) edition, Kurt Beattie will direct and Ian Bell and David Pichette will alternate as Scrooge.
No performance on Dec 25

PERFORMANCE

George Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker'
If you haven't seen this Christmas classic since you were a kid, give it a go this year. In 2014, Pacific Northwest Ballet replaced its beloved Maurice Sendak set with one by Ian Falconer, who did the Olivia the Pig books, and I'm glad that they did. The new set is gorgeous in a Wes Anderson-like way, and it reflects the genuine weirdness and beauty in the story. I mean, the last 45 minutes of this thing is a Katy Perry video starring dancing desserts and a glittery peacock that moves like a sexy broken river. Bring a pot lozenge. RICH SMITH
No performance on Dec 25

DECEMBER 24-30

FOOD & DRINK

Holiday Tea at Hotel Sorrento
Instead of gazing at a virtual Yule log video, take your tea beside an actual roaring, crackling hearth at Hotel Sorrento’s Fireside Room, a Mad Men–worthy old-school vision in opulent ochre mahogany paneling. You can nosh on posh teatime fare—like freshly baked chocolate-filled croissants with butter and jam, cucumber and cream cheese finger sandwiches, and chocolate espresso pots de creme with strawberries—as you sink into a squishy high-backed leather chair and enjoy sounds played on a baby grand piano. If you’re lucky, you might even spy the ghost of Alice B. Toklas, who is said to roam the halls of the hotel. JULIANNE BELL
Closed on Dec 25

PERFORMANCE

Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker
The 13th annual Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker is a lascivious holiday show experience with sugar plum fairies, exciting clothes-dropping times, and who knows, maybe some "woody" jokes.
No performance on Dec 25

WINTER HOLIDAYS

Enchant Christmas
Not to knock quaint community Christmas tree displays, but this inaugural event at the Mariners' home base looks like it's going to raise the standards for holiday light spectacles by a lot. Safeco Field will be transformed into a magnificent winter wonderland complete with the "world's largest Christmas light maze" (which you can explore via an ice skating trail), seasonal concessions, live entertainment, and an artisan Christmas market. 

DECEMBER 25

FILM

Fiddler on the Roof Sing-Along
Join SIFF’s holiday tradition of belting along with Tevye and family in Norman Jewison’s 1971 adaptation of the beloved musical. It’s a bittersweet story of a poor shtetl milkman as his daughters come of age and fall in love—and anti-Semitic feeling rises. Your ticket will include Chinese takeout from Leah’s Gourmet Kosher Food and pre-film klezmer music by Orkestyr Farfeleh.

DECEMBER 26-30

PERFORMANCE

Annie
This fantastic production of the classic musical is directed by Billie Wildrick (who usually stars in 5th Avenue shows), and she’s joined by an all-female creative team. They really have Annie dialed in: It’s sensational. I laughed and I cried. Two 11-year-old actors switch off playing Annie. One of them is a girl of Tongan descent who happened to see 5th Avenue’s production of The Little Mermaid, in which Diana Huey played Ariel, and she turned to her mother and said, “Her skin is brown like me—that means I can do that, too.” Plus, Timothy McCuen Piggee is phenomenal as Daddy Warbucks. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

In the Heights
Every decade, a musical comes around that reminds the general public that musicals can be popular, cool, and mainstream. The ’80s had A Chorus Line, the ’90s had Rent, the early ’00s had Wicked, and the teens had Hamilton. But before Lin-Manuel Miranda became a household name for creating Hamilton, he was snatching up trophies and accolades for his other hugely popular musical, In the Heights. Broadway fans will go and fall in love again, and newbies will get a chance to see Miranda's earlier work for the first time. CHASE BURNS

My Ántonia
Look, Willa Cather is a literary lesbian prairie goddess and My Ántonia is one of her most famous masterpieces. Published in 1918, My Ántonia is a story of an orphaned boy from Virginia who befriends a bunch of bohemian immigrants in Nebraska. The play version of the novel is lyrical, pretty, and very American in a way that will make even a depressed, sapphire-blue liberal cry patriotic tears. Usually, American prairie shit gives me hives, but My Ántonia is good stuff. CHASE BURNS

DECEMBER 26-JANUARY 6

PERFORMANCE

Disney's The Lion King
Julie Taymor's jaw-dropping, puppet-filled production of The Lion King will visit Seattle in its Circle of Life. Elton John music, Tony-winning direction, treachery, youth, and revenge...the works.

WINTER HOLIDAYS

WildLights
The zoo will light up with more than 700,000 (energy-efficient) LED lights that recreate wild scenes and creatures at the annual WildLights display.

DECEMBER 26–JANUARY 13

PERFORMANCE

Wonderland
There are few cuter Seattle nights than those spent at the Can Can. Divided into three short acts that make up a brisk 90-minute show, each part of the Can Can’s wintertime cabaret Wonderland gets progressively naughtier, although the most scandalous thing you’ll see is a jock-strapped ass and bare tits covered by pasties. The show has danger, but it’s often found in the cancan lines that occur mere feet from audience members’ dinner salads. I once saw an athletic duet at Wonderland nearly knock over a birthday girl’s wine glass. But it didn’t. Everyone whooped. Pro tip: Get the beignets. CHASE BURNS
There will also be a special Wonderland New Year's Eve performance.

DECEMBER 26-APRIL 28

PERFORMANCE

Hollywood & Vine
Enjoy a vintage and magic-filled tribute to Tinseltown with the 20-year-old circus troupe Teatro ZinZanni.

DECEMBER 27

PERFORMANCE

TUSH!
Beacon Hill’s Clock-Out Lounge had a promising beginning. Co-owner Jodi Ecklund, former Chop Suey talent booker, launched the venue with a performance by Christeene, an Austin-based “drag terrorist” who ate ass out onstage—or had her ass eaten out? I forget? I was drunk? Ass was definitely eaten! People loved it and hoped it was a sign that more rowdy, uncategorizable drag nights would follow. TUSH!—a new drag monthly led by Betty Wetter, Miss Texas 1988, Angel Baby Kill Kill Kill, and Beau Degas—is that sort of night. It's another reminder that the best drag in town doesn't just happen on Capitol Hill anymore. CHASE BURNS

DECEMBER 27-28

COMEDY

Hari Kondabolu's New Material Nights
If you like your political/cultural humor astute, subtle, and punching from the left, Hari Kondabolu is your man. The former Seattle comic’s career has been ascending over the last five or so years, with writing gigs for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, appearances on late-night TV shows (John Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel, David Letterman, etc.), and acclaimed albums on stalwart indie-rock label Kill Rock Stars. From his Waiting for 2042 LP: “Saying I’m obsessed with racism in America is like saying I’m obsessed with swimming when I’m drowning.” These shows will be filmed for a comedy special release.

DECEMBER 27-29

FOOD & DRINK

Free Public Tour & Tasting
Beer geeks can get an inside look into Optimism's full brewery and cellar, where they can check out the lab and the sensory evaluation facilities (and taste beer, of course). 

PERFORMANCE

Murder on the Mistletoe Express
Cafe Nordo will return to its perennial Christmas heroine, Becky-June Beasley-Jones, whom we last saw in 2017's A View from Santa’s Lap. This time, Becky-June races home for "Grandma's last Christmas," but all sorts of sinister events disrupt the trip on the Mistletoe Express. Seattle playwrighting treasure Scot Augustson (Penguins) writes and directs, and Butch Alice stars as Becky-June. As with Nordo's other productions, the show will be accompanied by a four-course meal.

VISUAL ART

Sofia Arnold: Fever Dreams
The ZINC contemporary gallery says that this exhibition is drawn from the artist's "early life as the daughter of 1970s era 'back to the landers' in the unglaciated hills of Southwestern Wisconsin." Arnold's work does indeed have a lush, primeval quality with surrealistic tendencies.

DECEMBER 27-30

VISUAL ART

Sara Long: Building a Body of Light
For her 2015 show at Linda Hodges gallery, oil painter Sara Long began exploring the idea of “light as a lover.” Inspired by fleeting moments of sun rays in her apartment, she did a series of self-portrait nudes with light and shadows slashing across her body. While her previous paintings were primarily interior portraits, this show extends her examination of light outdoors. The paintings, centered on the artist’s “journey through guided meditation, psychedelics, coincidences, and sun-drunk moments,” emanate with the drowsiness of a hot summer day spent lounging in tall grass entwined with the body of another. KATIE KURTZ

DECEMBER 27-31

COMEDY

Gabriel Rutledge
In a recent interview, Central Comedy Show's Henry Stoddard and Isaac Novak singled out Gabriel Rutledge as perhaps the Seattle area's funniest comic—a view reinforced by Rutledge winning the Seattle International Comedy Competition and his frequent major TV appearances. Working in the familiar territory of family life and its countless frustrations and sorrows, Rutledge finds many quirky angles from which to squeeze distinctive humor out of everyday situations. His bit about parents desperately trying to snatch a couple of spare minutes to have sex might ring all too true for many. Happiness Isn't Funny is the title of his book and the guiding principle behind his unerring humor. DAVE SEGAL

PERFORMANCE

Jamie and the intergalactic Revolution of Planet Rhythmo Negato
Jamie, a young woman dealing with gender dysphoria, goes on a pretty wild New Year's ride when she's abducted by aliens and forced to use music to save their world, Rhythmo Negato. Featuring audience participation, a play-within-a-play, dancers from the Cabiri, music by Molly Hardin and the Global Musicians Fellowship, and a special party for New Year's Eve. Catch it before it goes to Broadway.

DECEMBER 28

PERFORMANCE

MUGZ
Americano will host this themeless drag night where styles can be diverse and out-there. Expect jaw-dropping insanity from "monthly mugz" Christian Brown, Michete, SHE, and Uh Oh (The Stranger's own Chase Burns), plus this month's guest, Vincent Milay. 

DECEMBER 28-30

PERFORMANCE

Homo for the Holidays: Jingle All the Gay!
At this point, we can call Homo for the Holidays a Seattle institution. After a decade of successful shows and a dramatic changeover in the cast this spring, Kitten N’ Lou are producing a "new chapter" and bringing the children a revamped gay holiday burlesque wet fever dream. Performers include Cherdonna Shinatra, Mr. Gorgeous, Markeith Wiley, Randy Ford, Abbey Roads, and lots of other talented queerdos. CHASE BURNS

DECEMBER 29

COMEDY

Blood Squad Presents Winter Weekend Slumber Slaughter
Blood Squad is an improv team that serves up dark, gory stories for those of you who are insatiable for chills any time of year. They don't perform very often, so their shows frequently sell out. This truly is not for the faint of heart; don't bring impressionable little kids or highly sensitive friends. Do bring your bloodlust and appetite for excellent improv!

FOOD & DRINK

The Original Coffee Break: Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
Cultures all over the world have their own traditions for gathering and sharing a cup of something caffeinated while socializing: teatime, the Swedish practice of fika, the coffee break. As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia has developed a daily ritual around the brew that lasts a couple of hours and honors the process, from roasting the beans to steeping to sipping. (According to Ethiopian legend, coffee was first discovered by a goatherd named Kaldi, who noticed his flock seemed to dance with energy after getting hopped up on the red berries of a shrub, and decided to try them himself.) At this event hosted by Milen Medhane—owner of the Ethiopian cafe and restaurant Kaffa Coffee in Rainier Beach—and Atlas Obscura Society Seattle field agent Christopher Blado, guests can participate in an authentic coffee ceremony that includes pan-roasting fresh beans and heating and pouring water from the jebena (a traditional water vessel). JULIANNE BELL

Pop-Up: Late Shake
Late Shake is a new Portland milkshake pop-up and the brainchild of Grahm Doughty, creative director of PDX-based Dapper & Wise Coffee Roasters. He’ll be bringing unique, creamy blends like the Honey Bee Shake (Bee Local honey and Jacobsen sea salt topped with a flower and bee pollen), the Double Gold Shake (fresh turmeric, ginger, apple, and cayenne topped with Fruity Pebbles), and the Honey Bear Shake (chocolate, hazelnut, and cardamom) to La Marzocco. Vegans need not miss out: There’s also a dairy-free option made with cashew ice cream. JULIANNE BELL

PERFORMANCE

West End Girls: A Drag Extravaganza
West Seattle's reliably weird pageant, hosted by Cookie Couture, will bring queer cheer. See the finest looks from Betty Wetter, Fraya Love, Londyn Bradshaw, Old Witch, and Siren, plus special guests Carmen Dioxide and D'Monica Leone. 

DECEMBER 30

FILM

Scarecrow Video Silver Screeners Presents 'The Women's Balcony'
Catch a screening of The Women's Balcony, a 2016 Israeli comedy-drama from director Emil Ben-Shimon about a group of Orthodox women who attempt to reunite their neighborhood and preserve their culture's traditions when a charismatic new Rabbi enters their lives. 

FOOD & DRINK

addo Themed Brunch: Grinch Who Stole Christmas
If Whoville had five-course holiday tasting menus (who's to say they don't?) they might resemble Chef Eric Rivera's brunch inspired by How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

PERFORMANCE

Campfire
Gutter Twink Productions will present a night of storytelling, interviews, and mixed performances with burlesque artist Mercury Divine and comedian Mona Concepcion as the special guests. 

GenderF!_!kt
This variety show highlights trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary artists and performers doing clowning, drag, burlesque, and whatever else they feel like. This month's lineup, hosted by Saira Barbaric, looks fantastic, including hiphop artist Guayaba, burlesque and drag artists Luce Fury and Neve Be, and DJ Kid Amiga. 

Mimosas Cabaret
The drag diva titaness Mama Tits presides over weekly iterations of Mimosas Cabaret, featuring a short musical, plus songs, comedy, dance, and brunch. December's theme is "A Boob Job for the Holigays."

Sandbox Radio: Resolutions
Sandbox Radio is an old-school-radio-style podcast that periodically stages fresh, fun, live shows. They'll collaborate with ACTLab for a brand-new live-taped episode featuring Seattle writing and acting talents like Scot Augustson, Elizabeth Heffron, and Wayne Rawley. Comedian/musician Lisa Koch, a local staple, will guest-star, and Puget Soundworks will live-score. 

VISUAL ART

Katlyn Hubner: Intimacy Issues
Focusing on the idea of transitions and loss, Baltimore-born Hubner asked her models to think about losing someone to death or lack of communication. The two-dimensional works convey yearning, hurt, and unrequited feeling. 

DECEMBER 31

COMEDY

Jet City Improv New Year's Eve Extravaganza
Looking for a party with diverting, family-friendly antics (and booze for the adults)? The rowdy and lovable folks at Jet City promise to make you laugh for two hours, and there will be appetizers and desserts to keep your stomach happy. It will all lead up to fireworks on the big screen, a champagne or sparkling cider toast, and dancing after midnight.

FILM

'Moulin Rouge!' New Year's Eve Sing-Along
SIFF will continue its tradition of ringing in the New Year with Baz Luhrmann’s ode to 19th-century Paris and 20th-century pop. You'll get a "bling ring," a drink, and the satisfaction of belting along with Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, and company. As always, you'll get out of the theater early enough to toddle over to Seattle Center for the fireworks show.

FOOD & DRINK

Canon New Year's Eve
Canon’s thing is extravagance, and they do it well. For New Year’s Eve, the James Beard Award–nominated “whiskey and bitters emporium” is pulling out all the stops with a hedonistic feast that includes oysters, shaved foie gras, pan-roasted duck breast, king crab, triple-seared A5 Wagyu beef with black truffles, and nougat glacĂ©, all paired with drinks. Cap off the luxurious meal with a hot Night Cap cocktail, made with bourbon, cognac, Marnier hemp milk, amaretto, and winter spice, or with some Canadian Club whiskey from 1970.

Deep Dive New Year's Eve Party
Renee Erickson's "dramatic and thoughtfully curated" new bar inside the Amazon Spheres will host a moody, sophisticated evening with house classic cocktails, champagne service, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts.

MIDNIGHT: Hawaii
Canlis, Seattle’s most famous fine-dining destination restaurant, continues to surpass itself each year with its notorious New Year’s Eve bash. A previous ski-chalet-themed soiree had hot tubs, real snow, and Saint Bernard dogs, while 2017’s glamorous 1950s-inspired affair boasted a period-accurate, Spady-family-approved re-creation of a mid-century Dick’s Drive-In. This year is no exception: The theme will be Hawaii, in tribute to founder Peter Canlis’s love of the islands. Never forthcoming with details, owners Mark and Brian Canlis have teased that there will be tropical fare, champagne, live animals, waterfalls, and “a hint of the unexpected.” To round out the celebration, they’ve enlisted aloha apparel outfitter Tommy Bahama to join them, and the Chris Norton Band will return to perform. The dress code is less Aloha Friday and more “island black tie”—it’s still Canlis, after all—so dress to the nines and prepare to dance the night away.

Walrus New Year's Eve
Nothing connotes luxury and celebration quite like oysters, so what better way to bid adieu to 2018 than with slippery bivalves at Renee Erickson’s acclaimed Ballard oyster bar? This year, the restaurant is serving a luxe four-course dinner, and offering a special cocktail list, wine, and nonalcoholic drinks along with caviar and champagne. Given Erickson’s knack for festive gatherings, it’s sure to be a convivial evening. JULIANNE BELL

PARTIES

Chihuly New Year’s Eve pARTy
If you desire to dance and drink amid otherworldly glass sculptures while fireworks explode overhead, this is your party, O well-heeled friend. The Michael Benson Band will play live tunes in the Glasshouse, where you'll have a perfect view of the illuminated sky as you carouse in comfort. Two drink tickets, a champagne toast, and appetizers and desserts are included. Sorry young 'uns, it's 21+.

Indulgence New Year's Eve Bash
The 18th annual Indulgence New Year's Eve Bash will provide plenty of entertainment before the clock strikes midnight, including comedy performances, live bands like KLYNTEL (who will supply "collective grooves") and Fusion Jazz (who will mix up some hiphop, funk, and R&B), DJs Supreme La Rock and Funkdaddy, and after-hours access to MoPOP's exhibits. Plus, the party takes place right under the Space Needle, so you'll have prime views of the fireworks show.

Spectra: New Year’s Eve Under the Arches
If you require an unobstructed view of the Space Needle's annual fireworks show, the Pacific Science Center's annual New Year's Eve bash is a good choice for you. While you wait for the luminary explosions to go off, you can sip drinks from an open bar, dance to live DJs, enjoy after-hours access to science exhibits, sing karaoke accompanied by laser art. Don't forget to grab a glass of champagne for a midnight toast.

Take Flight: Last Night at the Museum
Do the dinosaur skeletons at the Burke Museum come to life after midnight? Probably not, but attending the museum's New Year's Eve party in collaboration with LoveCityLove is the only way to know for sure. At this "kaleidoscope of light and color" event, you can grab a drink and wander through eight rooms filled with DJs, dancers, live bands, artists, and slam poets until it's time for a champagne toast at midnight. Soak it all in, because this will be the last chance to explore the museum before they begin renovations for the fall 2019 reopening.

PERFORMANCE

Moisture Festival New Year's Eve Extravaganza
At this New Year's spectacular, Moisture Festival variety performers will wow you with juggling, aerial acts, and more entertainment. Plus, giant red balloons and snacks and champagne!

New Voices—New Year's Eve!
It's only appropriate to welcome the new year by witnessing new talent. Up-and-coming composers will bring you musicals about "a punked-out Lizzie Borden, hostage situations, deranged prom queens, Jack Kerouac," and more.