Thursday
No, there's not a weed convention in town. It's just Snoop Dogg performing. To prep for his show, you could watch Snoop in Scary Movie 5 or The Wrecking Crew or his reality show Snoop & Son: A Dad's Dream. Or you could listen to one of his 16 albums dating back to the '90s, including the 2018 LP Bible of Love. Special guests Tha Luniz and Afroman will open. Will you have a blast? Fo' shizzle. 8 p.m. Thursday at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood. Tickets cost $70 to $155 via ticketmaster.com.
Being relaxed and jolly and all, everyone moves a bit slowly this time of year. But if you want to see Santa, Mrs. Claus, and all kinds of fun holiday characters flying around, Santa's Circus is the show for you. The 90-minute spectacle includes acrobats, holiday garb, and seasonal stories to warm your December heart. The piece was created by Cirque du Soleil veteran Francisco Javier Santos, so you know you're getting a topnotch experience. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and additional showings through December 30 at Jungle Island, 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami; jungleisland.com. Tickets cost $21.99 to $65.99.
Happy birthday, RnBae! Two years ago, the local collective was born and has since delivered R&B showcases, concerts, listening parties, unique activations, and so much more. The second RnBaeVersary will certainly not be an exception to the R&B-jammin' vibe, going down this Thursday at Gramps. The group has been credited with helping the 305 love R&B again by putting artists such as Savannah Cristina and Twelve'Len front and center. Here's to keeping the bae-ness alive and well for the next two-plus years. 9 p.m. Thursday at Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Miami; gramps.com. Admission is free.
Looking for a way to entertain your friends and family during the holidays? Enter Kings Doral, a multifaceted dining and entertainment venue. Kings' restaurant recently launched a new menu of comfort food, including Impossible cheeseburger empanadas — plant-based "meat" and "cheese" inside flaky dough; pulled-pork sliderson mini potato rolls with fried onions, house-made pulled pork, and barbecue sauce;tomato bisque with focaccia, fried mac 'n' cheese, grilled cheese, and handmade mozzarella sticks; and a maple bourbon waffle sundae made withvanilla ice cream, toasted walnuts, maple bourbon caramel sauce, and a sugar-baked, chocolate-dipped waffle. After your meal,take your pick of 14 ten-pin bowling lanes, four private bowling lanes, a full-service lounge called the Rum Room, and karaoke in the Flamingo Room. 3450 NW 83rd Ave.,Doral;844-494-9400;kings-de.com.
Friday
Bayskate Miami is back for a fourth year. After a spooky, Halloween-inspired skating spectacle in 2017, there's a holiday shindig happening for 2018. Bayskate's Holiday Boogie goes down in front of the historic Pepper Fountain in Bayfront Park. In addition to free skating, there will be a Veza Sur beer garden with craft beverages, local food, and beer games; Gnome Forest picnic area; Ace Parlor cocktail spot; Botran coquito bar; and Chomp Park food village. Lace up and have a blast. 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, and 1 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; bayskatemiami.com. Admission is free. UPDATE: Bayskate Miami has canceled its Thursday night Holiday Boogie due to weather concerns.
Remember the TV show Celebrity Deathmatch? For a bunch of clay people fighting, it was amazing. Well, a Good vs. Evil Celebrity Deathmatch will happen in real life at the Hangar, pitting supervillains against heroes for everyone's favorite monthly queer, 18-and-over party. Four battles will take place, including Harry Potter versus Lord Voldemort (Sam Vincent versus Florida Elizabeth Man) and Princess Leia versus Darth Vader (Brandy Castro versus Christian Acevedo). Hair is sure to fly, so stay vigilant out there. 10 p.m. Friday at the Hangar, 60 NE 11th St., Miami; thehangar305.com. Admission is free with RSVP.
The Heavy Pets have played more than 1,200 shows since 2005. So how about another one, close to home during the holidays, eh? The Fort Lauderdale-bred indie-funky-reggaeing rock band is teaming up with the West Palm Beach rockers of Surfer Blood for the Holiday Ball. In addition to offering all kinds of jams — including tracks from the Heavy Pets' 2018 LP, Strawberry Mansion — this is a charitable affair too. Guests are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy for a drive, and there will be raffles for cool prizes to benefit the nonprofit 4Kids. 7 p.m. Friday at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale; jointherevolution.net. Tickets cost $14.
If you're tired of holiday music by now, why not change it up a little? On the completely opposite end of the spectrum of "Jingle Bells" is Gost, who will perform an intimate show at Gramps Friday evening. The bandmates are driven by "the power of the Devil," according to all of their online profiles, but there is definitely a glimmer of hope in Gost's dark, synth-y goodness. You might feel guilty rockin' out to tracks titled "Lake of Fire" and "Unum Infernum" this time of year, but you can repent later. 8 p.m. Friday at Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Miami; gramps.com. Tickets cost $15.
That heinous Christmas sweater Aunt Barb gave you in 1995 can finally have its moment. The always-wonderful shop/bar Thrift Shop is hosting an Ugly Sweater Party. Since this is America and we compete for everything, the person with the best ugly sweater will win a $200 bar tab. There is perhaps nothing better than winning an ugly-sweater contest in a thrift-shop environment. #Goals. 7 p.m. Friday at Thrift Shop, 28 NE 14th St., Miami; eventbrite.com. Admission is free.
Miracle is the OG holiday bar. It opened its first location in New York City in 2014 and now boasts 80-some seasonal spots across the nation, including at Death or Glory in Delray Beach. The drink menu is extensive and includes the likes of Run Run Rudolph, with prosecco, gin, mulled wine purée, lemon, and cane syrup; and the Yippie Ki Yay Motherf****r!, with sweet potato Barbados rum, cachaça, Trinidad overproof rum, dry curaçao, marshmallow orgeat, and lime. There's also themed food, including the Feast of Zero Fishes — vegan jackfruit crab cakes, Old Bay aioli, and lemon. Also, the über-adorable glassware is for sale, and 10 percent of the sale price will be donated to Action Against Hunger, so you can drink and check off your Christmas list simultaneously. If you can't make it to Delray, swing by a similar Miracle pop-up at Gramps in Wynwood. 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily at 116 NE Sixth Ave., Delray Beach; 561-808-8814; miraclepopup.com.
True to the spirit of the chipper, somewhat-aimless live-action Disney day killers that inspired it, Rob Marshall's Mary Poppins Returns gets better the farther it wanders from its actual story. The plot concerns a greedy banker (Colin Firth), a missing deed, and a potential foreclosure of the rambling London home of widower Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) and his kids. The good news is that the filmmakers often set the story aside and invite us to hang out with the kids, a chip-chip lamplighter played by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and— above all else — Emily Blunt's Mary Poppins. She's a crisply officious wonderment of a nanny who brooks no sass or silliness — and, when the adults aren't looking, magics up the place. Those spoonfuls of sugar help the plotty, predictable lows go down. Opens wide Friday at theaters across Miami-Dade.
Saturday
A flick on 35mm will screen this Saturday night at Coral Gables Art Cinema. It's a mystery film, which is part of the fun. The folks at Gables Cinema won't say what it is. There are a few clues, though: It's 25 years old, a mouse has authorized its showing, and, supposedly, it's a favorite of Marilyn Manson's. Perhaps you'll figure out what it is before you get there. Or you can just show up and enjoy the surprise. 11:30 p.m. Saturday at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; gablescinema.com. Tickets cost $8.
Man, there is some dark stuff happening around this time of year. Case in point: the Christmas Massacre at Churchill's Pub. Rather than spending time with loved ones, you can opt to rock the F out with bands such as Catcher and the Rye, Born Beneath, Alloy, NTMK, Barber Floyd, God Rot, Hate Machine, and Mekronium at this holiday spectacle. 9 p.m. Saturday at Churchill's Pub, 5501 NE Second Ave., Miami; churchillspub.com. Admission costs $5.
It's that time of the year again: Beach House Pompano's Ugly Sweater Party.It's time to dig through your closet and throw on your most festive holiday sweater to rock the night away. Show off your look while diving into food and drink specials. Keep an eye out for shucked-to-order oysters, sliders with pimento cheese and caramelized onions, and jumbo shrimp tacos with fresh grilled mango. 8 p.m. Saturday at270 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., Pompano Beach;954-607-6530;beachhousepompano.com.
R House's popular Sunday Drag Brunch was recently extended to Saturday too. Both days, savor unlimited small plates brought to your table and continually replenished, as well as a choice of hearty entrées, including cinnamon French toast and truffled skirt steak and eggs. While you dine, watch live drag performances every 15 minutes. Seatings at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at R House, 2727 NW Second Ave., Miami; 305-576-0201; rhousewynwood.com. Brunch packages start at $40.
Sunday
Among the rising stars in the reggaeton realm is Ozuna. After hitting the AA Arena in September, he's back for another spin. The 26-year-old has only two studio albums under his belt — 2017's Odisea and August's Aura — but he has a boatload of hits. Aside from his solo stuff, including smashes "Si No Te Quiere" and "Te Vas," he's been featured on tracks with the likes of Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny. 8 p.m. Sunday at American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; aaarena.com. Tickets cost $79 to $199.
Didn't get invited to a loved one's holiday performance? Who needs little Johnny's recital — head to this one instead: The Winter Concert Series VI at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex this Sunday will present some of the most promising youth performers in the area, spanning music, spoken word, and dance. Hosted by Tradisyon Lakou Lakay Inc., a youth organization providing arts opportunities for local young people, the event is an important fundraiser too. 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Ter., Miami; eventbrite.com. Admission is a $10 suggested donation.
Kick off your holiday feasting with Novikov Miami's new Duck and Dim Sum Sundays. For $49 per person, two diners can dig into a half Peking duck and ten different dumpling plates, such as spicy prawn moneybags andsaffron sweet corn dumplings. The restaurant's à la carte menu offers favorites such as king crab honey truffle and hamachi carpaccio. Take it up a notch and pair your brunch with a sake flight ($16 to $26). Noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at 300 S. Biscayne Blvd., Miami;305-489-1000;novikovmiami.com.
Monday
Before your hungry self gets too excited, no, the MatzoBall isn't one giant dumpling. Sorry. It is, however, one of the biggest gatherings of Jewish singles you'll ever see. For its 32nd year, a huge party will happen at LIV. If you really want to impress your fellow single peeps, VIP and Fast Pass tickets are available. 10 p.m. Monday at LIV, 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; matzoball.org. Tickets costs $50 to $100.
Tuesday
Dreaming of a white Christmas? Well, you live in South Florida and you're not getting one, unless you see the iconic production at the Arsht Center. If you want to get out of the house Christmas Day, White Christmas — full of cheer, tunes, and dancing — is a nice option. 8 p.m. Tuesday and select dates/times through December 30 at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; arshtcenter.org. Tickets cost $34 to $123.
Wednesday
America isn't the only nation in South Florida. Native, First Nations, Amerindian, and aboriginal members of the Americas are coming together for the Miccosukee Indian Arts & Crafts Festival. The extravaganza will offer more than 45 vendors as well as performances from the likes of White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers and the Wasu Kasna Dance Troupe. A free shuttle service will run round-trip from Miccosukee Resort & Gaming to the Indian Village. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through January 1 at Miccosukee Indian Village, Mile Marker 36, U.S. Highway 41, Miami; eventbrite.com. Adult admission costs $12, and various discounts are available.
