Friday, Dec. 7
The lesbian-themed “The Favourite,” an Oscar contender with Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz opens today in metro theatres to various showtimes.
The first annual Dream Benefit Gala will raise money for homeless LGBT youth affected by HIV/STDs, poverty, and abuse. The event will feature a red carpet, music, food, and live entertainment from 7:30–11:30pm.
The Randey Daniels Foundation
It’s a holiday tradition. The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus presents Holly, Jolly & Gay!: The 38th Annual Holiday Concert tonight at 8pm and Saturday, Dec. 8, at 1pm and 6pm.
The Cathedral of St. Philip
The Celtic Thunder X Tour features 27 new songs including traditional and contemporary Irish songs.
8pm
Atlanta Symphony
Pullman Soul and Onyx Southeast presents: “House Music 1st Fridays,” a night of deep, soulful, Afro, Latin, and classic House Music. DJ Ron Pullman will be taking you on a five-hour music journey.
10pm
Atlanta Eagle
Saturday, Dec. 8
The 10th Annual Atlanta Santa Speedo Run is a one-mile, non-competitive dash through the streets of Atlanta alongside hundreds of Speedo-clad men and women.
Noon to 2pm
Beginning at Hudson Grille Midtown
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: storytime! Join Miss Terra Cotta Sugarbaker for a holiday-themed edition of Drag Queen Storytime. Whether it’s Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or Festivus, the event will help you celebrate the season with a book reading, some crafts, and maybe a few songs.
3–4 pm
Ponce de Leon Branch Library
Atlanta Ballet’s first new “The Nutcracker” in 20 years marks a milestone in dance history opening tonight at 7:30pm at the Fox Theatre and runs through Dec. 24.
Sunday, Dec. 9
Join Junkman’s Daughter for pictures with Krampus today. The store will have snacks, raffles, and some sweet holiday deals. It’s a first come first serve event. 1–3pm
The Auburn Avenue Research Library in partnership with the Baton Foundation, Inc., The Atlanta Opera, and Challenge the Stats will host Professor Naomi André as she discusses her publication “Black Opera: History, Power, Engagement.” Viewing opera as a fertile site for critical inquiry, political activism, and social change, Dr. Naomi André reveals how Opera continues to function as a transformative sociopolitical force, provoking complex reconsiderations of oppressive ideologies based on race, gender and sexuality, often serving as an authentic representation of the Black Diasporic experience.
3pm
Monday, Dec. 10
T-Time Atlanta Trans Youth holds their weekly meeting tonight starting at 7pm at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church.
Tuesday, Dec. 11
Enjoy salsa, bachata, and merengue music at Latino Tuesdays with DJ Melo spinning at Blake’s on the Park.
Wednesday, Dec. 12
Now out, country singer Chely Wright performs tonight at 7pm at Eddie’s Attic and again tomorrow night at 7pm at The Crimson Moon in Dahlonega.
Enjoy Scrooge, Tiny Tim, et al, as The Alliance Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol” opens tonight and runs through Dec. 24 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
7:30pm
Charis Books and More welcomes back long-time friend and fellow Southern Feminist bookstore owner Jamie Harker of Violet Valley Books to talk about her new book “The Lesbian South: Southern Feminists, the Women in Print Movement and the Queer Literary Canon.” In the book, Harker uncovers a largely forgotten literary renaissance in southern letters. Anchored by a constellation of southern women, the Women in Print movement grew from the queer union of women’s liberations, civil rights activism, gay liberation, and print culture. Broadly influential from the 1970s through the 1990s, the Women in Print Movement created a network of writers, publishers, bookstores, and readers that fostered a remarkable array of literature. With the freedom that the Women in Print movement inspired, southern lesbian feminists remade southerness as a site of intersectional radicalism, trangressive sexuality, and liberatory space, including in her study well-known authors like Dorothy Allison and Alice Walker as well as overlooked writers, publishers, and editors, Harker reconfigures the southern literary canon and the feminist canon, challenging histories of feminism and queer studies to include the south in a formative roles.
7:30–9pm
At long last, Seattle sisters BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon are joining forces to bring you a spankin’ new two-queen holiday extravaganza. DeLa is all sugar and Jinkx is all spice, but how do these two very different gals deal with the stress of the holidays? A little song, a lot of eggnog, and theaters full of people looking at them. VIP tickets include early entry and post-show meet & greet with BenDeLaCreme & Jinkx Monsoon. This is an all ages event, with a VIP event at 6:30pm and the show at 8pm.
Center Stage
Thursday. Dec. 13
The Metro Atlanta Association of Professionals (MAAP) will celebrate the holidays with its ultimate networking event of 2018, and the organization will be giving back to one of their community partners, For the Kid in All of Us. Join the fun at Honeywell’s Midtown campus for this event and please bring a new, unwrapped toy valued at $20 or more to donate to the annual toy drive for kids in need from 6–8pm.
All are invited to celebrate the holiday season in style as Democrats and Progressives from across metro-Atlanta gather for the last Dems After Dark Event of the year. Come mix and mingle with elected officials, candidates, grassroots leaders, campaign pros and a ton of voters, donors and volunteers, 7pm, Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center
Join the Atlanta Women’s Chorus for their first ever Holiday Show. What says “holidays” better than AWC’s beautiful music and looking at the world through the eyes of children? The chorus welcomes Ford Elementary Chorus (12/13) and Atlanta Music Project Chorus (12/16) as special guests. The evening will feature festive favorites, winter ballads, and some upbeat contemporary pieces.
Tonight at 7:30 and Dec.16 at 3pm.
Grace UMC Atlanta
Out Front Theatre Company is ringing in the season with its first-ever holiday production, the world premiere of “The Ethel Merman Disco Christmas Spectacular.” Decking the halls with holiday tunes, the production imagines what the legendary Ethel Merman’s 1979 disco Christmas television special might have been. The year is 1979 and the undisputed “Biggest Voice on Broadway” has released her now-infamous disco album. A cavalcade of celebrities who make Studio 54 their second home have been recruited to help bring a disco beat to the holiday season, and leading the charge is none other than Ethel Merman herself. Things avalanche into chaos, but “The Merm” can’t be deterred in her quest to hustle around the Christmas tree and into every living room in America. Combine a harried stage manager gripping onto his first big assignment, a love affair that would melt Jack Frost’s heart, and a miserly producer who doesn’t seem pleased with anything that is unfolding, and the outcome is a night of entertainment that is exactly what everyone has on their wish list.
8pm, now through Dec. 22
Friday, Dec. 14
The legendary Libby Whittemore kicks off her 10th season of Libby’s at the Express with her annual holiday show “Ho, Ho, Home for the Holidays and A Connie Sue Day Christmas.” She is joined by the hilarious Connie Sue Day (the 31st lady of country music) for one of Atlanta’s favorite holiday traditions.
7:30pm
Now through Dec. 23
Actor’s Express
Rainbow Pub Crawl presents an Ugly Sweater Toy Drive tonight.
My Sister’s Room
Every Friday at midnight, it’s time to slip on those fishnets and makeup for the greatest live troupe in the city — Lips Down on Dixie, Inc., for a righteous party in front of the big screen for “The Rocky Horror Show.”
Midnight
The Plaza Theater
Saturday. Dec.15
Join Charis Books and More for an all-day party to help you get in the spirit and get your holiday shopping done early. Everything in the store will be 10% off. Free gift wrapping is available with any book purchase and homemade treats will also be available.
11am–7pm
Don’t get them wet or feed them after midnight! The Plaza Atlanta hosts a screening of the classic “Gremlins” with a special guest – the film’s star Zach Galligan!
7pm
Sunday, Dec. 16
The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children meets today at the Atlanta International School from 2:30 to 4pm.
For the Kid in All of Us has been collecting toys for Georgia’s children in need for the past 14 years. This isn’t your usual holiday cocktail party … it’s the 2018 Toy Party & Silent Auction. This year, the 15th annual Toy Party & Silent Auction is changing it up, keeping it fresh, and going back to its roots. Admission includes great entertainment, complimentary food, and a wide variety of drinks, including four free drinks with every general admission ticket. Please bring an unwrapped toy greater than $20 for any ticket purchased … it’s for the kids.
6pm
Atlanta Opera
Monday, Dec. 17
Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender, and aspiring allies, providing a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources, and activism around social issues.
7–8:30pm
Charis Books and More
Tuesday, Dec. 18
Join host Ken for Let’s Make a Deal tonight starting at 6pm at Friends Neighborhood Bar.
Wednesday, Dec. 19
Sing along to some showtunes as part of Twisted Broadway at Lips Atlanta.
Join DJ Stan Jackson for Boys Night Out tonight with lots of great beats.
10pm
Heretic Atlanta
Thursday, Dec. 20
Charis and Cliterati pair up to present an inviting and fierce open mic and reading series on the third Thursday of every month. All are welcome to come share their work. This month, everyone is invited to share works in progress, pieces from NaNoWriMo, or poems they want to get off their chest before 2018 is over. This is a Charis Circle From Margin to Center Literary event and the suggested donation is $5.
7:30–9:30pm
Charis Books and More
UPCOMING
Saturday, Dec. 22
Jane Lynch brings her comedic and performing chops to City Winery Atlanta for two shows tonight: 7pm and 10pm.
Monday, Dec. 31
Out Atlanta rocker Michelle Malone winds down 2018 at a New Year’s Eve bash featuring music from her new album “Slings and Arrows,” as well as audience favorites.
7:30 pm
Eddie’s Attic