What to do to get into the holiday spirit this week in Detroit

Via Ballet Folklorico De Detroit, hosting their annual holiday concert on Sunday.

If you’re anything like me and haven’t finished your shopping list this week, there is still time! ‘Tis the season for holiday markets, and there are plenty this week. If you’re ahead of the game, might I suggest a Christmas classic on the big screen? Or if you’re sick of the holidays already,  there is still plenty going on in the city to keep your inner Grinch entertained. Cheers!  

Wednesday

🎻The Christmas classic “Home Alone” always sucks you in when it re-airs on TV, but for an elevated experience, enjoy the film projected on a giant screen, accompanied by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Get dressed up this Wednesday and relive John Hughes’ charming and hilarious story about family, with John Williams’s captivating score. Dec. 15, $53+, info.

💬 Skillman Foundation’s President and CEO Angelique Power brings radical truth, joy and imagination to her work building equitable communities. Find out how this Wednesday with Urban Consulate Confidential at the Cochran House in Detroit. Host Orlando P. Bailey will have a candid conversation with Power about what she is learning, building and dreaming for the future of Detroit. Dec. 15, free, info.

🏃🏻‍♀️Tie up those laces and dig out your mittens. The cold weather won’t stop the Eastern Market Brewing Co. Run Club. All experience levels and paces are welcome. Plus, EMBC runners enjoy 20% off their well-deserved beer tab after the run. Dec. 15 and every Wednesday, free, info.

Thursday

🎒 This Thursday, we’re cutting class early and heading over to the TCF Center to assist with Pope Francis Center’s annual backpack drive. The organization distributes hundreds of backpacks stuffed with winter essentials for the unhoused community in Detroit. This is part of our third Detour DoGooders event, and you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to give back and enjoy the company of your fellow Detour members and new friends. Not a member yet? That’s okay. If you become one today, your monthly donation will be doubled by NewsMatch all year long! Now that is a two-for-one special! Dec. 16, free for Detour members, info.

This weekend

🔥The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s Parks & Pints series is back for Winter at Valade. Gather around the fire with friends, neighbors and fellow Detroiters who love parks and public spaces to learn more about the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and enjoy a s’more on the house! Dec. 17, free, info.

🎥 Get in the Christmas spirit this weekend and enjoy the 1950s classic “White Christmas” at the Redford Theatre. The film, starring Bing Crosby, tells the story of a successful song-and-dance team that becomes romantically involved with a sister act. The foursome teams up to save the failing Vermont Inn of their former commanding general. Dec. 17-18, $5, info.

🎤 The holiday season is upon us and it is time for “Home for the Holidaze 18 Songwriter Showcase & Charity Drive” at PJ’s Lager House. This Friday, local performers will come together for an evening of acoustic music for a good cause. Donations and proceeds from the event go towards purchasing food and winter clothing items distributed to homeless people and animals through the selected charities, Outcry Street Ministry and the Hater Kitty Rescue Army. Dec. 17, $7+,  info.

🛍 If you’re behind on holiday shopping there are still many opportunities to support local artists and small businesses this holiday season! Here are a few holiday markets you should hit this weekend before it’s too late: 

❄️Brooklyn Street Local Holiday Market, Dec. 17-19, free, info.
❄️Holiday Artisan Market at The Congregation, Dec. 18, free, info.
❄️Merry Midtown at City Bird, Dec. 18, free, info.
❄️Bazaar Holiday Universe at Tangent Gallery, Dec. 19-23, info.

🎶 It’s been a big year for Britney Spears, who is now a free woman after 13 years of conservatorship. Put your party pants on and boogie to all things Britney at El Club this Saturday for a Gimme More Britney Spears dance party. Dec. 18, $15, info.

💰This Sunday at The Garden Bowl, the community is Going Gangbusters for Gregg, a local icon battling prostate cancer. Win prizes from local artists and restaurants when you play Big Time Bingo, enjoy live music from local bands and DJs, and experience the joy of our generous music community firsthand. Dec. 19, $20 donation, info.

🏳️‍🌈This Sunday, the Detroit Lions are supporting Affirmations, a local LGBTQ+ Community Center, inside Ford Field, starting at 1 p.m. Watch the Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals, support a great cause and receive an exclusive Detroit Lions Pride t-shirt. Dec. 19, $25, info.

🎧For the millennials in the room, Nelly and Ludacris are performing at The Fox Theatre this Sunday night and my inner 19 year old could not be more excited. It’s time to shake your tailfeather like it’s 2003 because it is gettin’ hot in herrre. Dec. 19, $133, info.

💃🏼Enjoy a festive afternoon and take in a performance at the Ballet Folklorico De Detroit’s annual holiday concert at the Senate Theater in Southwest. Dec. 19, $15, info.

Next week

🎄Take a public twist on a cozy holiday tradition this Christmas Eve-Eve and gather round for Shakespeare in Detroit’s reading of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” at the Marygrove Conservancy. Milk and cookies included! Dec. 23, $50, info.

🍕 Get toasty, jingly and mingly at PizzaPlex’s all-night happy hour, featuring deals like a pizza and two beers for $16 and, of course, an appearance from Ol’ Saint Nick. Dec. 23, free, info.