Christmas is coming early to Saratoga Springs this year! There are a plethora of holiday-themed events lined up this weekend in the region—and all of the best of them are happening right here in the Spa City. So get ready for a winter staycation for the ages.
Kick off the weekend early at saratoga living‘s first annual “Saratoga Gives Back” party at Putnam Place on Thursday, December 12. Not only will this winter-themed bash serve as the launch of saratoga living‘s new Holiday Issue—featuring our “10 Under 40” honorees, who’ve done incredible philanthropic work throughout the Capital Region—but also 50 percent of all ticket proceeds will go directly to 1 of the 10 local charities/nonprofits represented by our honorees.
Make Friday, December 13 a night out at the theater—specifically, Saratoga’s HomeMade Theater (HMT) in Saratoga Spa State Park. From December 13-22, HMT will perform a stage adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life.
The biggest day of the week for wintry fun will be Saturday, December 14. That night, dress up as Santa Claus (or in your favorite ugly Christmas sweater) and join dozens of other lookalikes for a pub crawl throughout Downtown Saratoga for the 9th annual Saratoga SantaCON. There’s no price of admission or registration; participants are only asked to bring five or more nonperishable items to donate to the Franklin Community Center. Also on Saturday, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center will be presenting some wonderful classical music, when the Orchestra of St. Luke’s performs J. S. Bach’s joyous Brandenburg Concerti (yes, all six!) at the Bethesda Episcopal Church on Washington Street in Saratoga. Or, for a little bit of rock, lace up your blue suede shoes and head over to the Saratoga Springs City Center for the two-day Winter Wonderland with the King (December 14-15).
Close out the weekend with another holiday staple: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. On Sunday, December 15, the Canfield Casino will present a one-day-only Christmas Carol Experience, an immersive and fun reading of Dickens’ holiday favorite, featuring wine, ale, spiced cider, Christmas carols and more.
Check below for what’s going on in Saratoga and the rest of the Capital Region this week/weekend:
Monday
Enjoy a free concert featuring the Skidmore String Ensembles at the college’s Arthur Zankel Music Center (December 9)
Tuesday
JAZZ at Caffè Lena with Chuck Lamb, the venue’s monthly jazz series, will feature virtuoso Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo (December 10)
Celebrate Mrs. Hyde’s birthday with free admission and docent tours at Glens Falls’ Hyde Collection in honor of the museum’s founder, Charlotte Hyde (December 10)
Local author Carlo DeVito will discuss his book, A Jane Austen Christmas, at Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany (December 10)
Wednesday
Don’t miss the eclectic bluegrass quintet Crooked Still at The Egg in Albany (December 11)
Kinetic Reflections, an internationally renowned ensemble of interpretive movement artists, will bring their mesmerizing act to the Crandall Library in Glens Falls (December 11)
Thursday
Freihofer’s “Live at the Jazz Bar: SWING NIGHT” will return for a special free evening of swing music at the Hall of Springs in the Saratoga Spa State Park (December 12)
Get in on a free Winter Bluegrass Jam at Glens Falls’ Crandal Public Library (December 12)
Disney On Ice presents Dream Big all weekend at the Times Union Center in Albany (December 12-15)
The Cirque du Soleil’s Twas the Night Before will kick off a two-week run at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan (December 12-29)
Friday
The Gibson Brothers will bring their scintillating brand of bluegrass to Proctors in Schenectady for a North Country Christmas Show (December 13)
The Lake George Community Band will also present a Christmas Show at Hudson Falls’ Strand Theatre (December 13)
Enjoy a film noir-inspired holiday comedy, entitled “CHRISTMASTOWN,” at The Linda in Albany (December 13-14)
The Adirondack Ballet Theater will perform Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker all weekend at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls (December 13-15)
The second annual Deck the Stalls Holiday Market will feature the best of New York City’s multi-cultural market scene, with live music and great food, at Essex Market in Manhattan (December 13-15)
Saturday
Help collect toys and donations during Jam for Tots, featuring Annie in the Water and The Deadbeats at Putnam Place in Saratoga (December 14)
The Albany Symphony will present The Magic of Christmas, a program full of Christmas carols and holiday tunes, at Albany’s Palace Theatre (December 14)
New York City is throwing its own SantaCon 2019 pub crawl starting in Midtown Manhattan (December 14)
Get in some last-minute holiday shopping during the 2nd annual Festival of Wreaths Vendor & Craft Fair at Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School in Hudson (December 14)
Participate or just enjoy watching the 14th Annual Santa Speedo Sprint down Lark Street in Albany (December 14)
Race for charity through Halfmoon Town Park during the 2019 Jingle Bell Run (December 14)
The Saratoga Clay Arts Center’s Schacht Gallery will open its 9th annual members juried exhibition (December 14 through January 18)
Sunday
Enjoy a program of international Christmas music with the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra’s Yuletide Around the World at Glens Falls High School (December 15)
Catch the Mother Goose Jazz Band Concert, a show filled with creative, jazzy arrangements of traditional nursery rhymes at the Albany Public Library (December 15)
Grammy-winning superstar Mariah Carey is bringing her All I Want For Christmas Is You Tour to Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden (December 15)
The Albany Pro Musica Concert Chorus will present The Many Moods of Christmas at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (December 15)
The Empire State Youth Orchestra will give two different performances, one for its percussion ensemble, another for its wind orchestra, at the Massry Center for the Arts in Albany (December 15)
The Rhinebeck Choral Club will present its Winter Concert at Rhinebeck Reformed Church (December 14 and 15)