Things to Do in Chicago Nov. 24-30: The Mix

Scrooge welcomes the day in “Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol.” (Manual Cinema)

Family Fun

• The 88th Chicago Thanksgiving Parade features marching bands, floats, inflatables, cultural performances, equestrian units and co-hosts Jen Lilley and Jesse Hutch, the stars of the upcoming holiday movie “B&B Merry.” Plus, a special visitor from the North Pole makes an appearance. From 8-11 a.m. Nov. 24 on State from Randolph to Ida B. Wells Dr. Visit chicagothanksgivingparade.com.

Giant balloon characters are among the fun at Chicago’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. (Chicago Thanksgiving Parade)

• If you’ve ever dreamed of confronting dozens of vats of artisanal slime to dip your hands into, you’ll want to head over to Sloomoo Institute. The new space features a series of fantastical, interactive experiences that delight the senses of sight, touch, smell and sound, including a waterfall of slime, immersive videos and more. At 820 N. Orleans. Tickets: $39, $69. Visit sloomooinstitute.com/chicago.
• For a unique outdoor skating experience, visit the Maggie Daley Park Skating Ribbon. Tickets are released on a rolling basis and can be purchased online. Open daily from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. to March 5, 2023, at 337 E. Randolph. Tickets: $16+. Skate rentals are available or bring your own. Visit maggiedaleypark.com.

• Winterland at Gallagher Way expands his year — inside Wrigley Field, where the ice rink will be located. Other features include Christkindlmarket, a holiday train, a tube slide, a carousel and bumper cars, plus more rides and games. Tickets are required for Wrigley Field; Gallagher Way admittance requires no ticket. Through Jan. 8, 2023, at Gallagher Way, 3635 N. Clark. Tickets: $5+. Visit gallagherway.com.

Amaze Light Festival 2022. (Mark Campbell)

• Amaze Light Festival features German-style cottages filled with handmade gifts, toys, food and sweet treats and surrounded by a light show, train rides and much more. To Jan. 8 at Odyssey Fun World, 19111 Oak Park, Tinley Park. Tickets: $30+. Visit amazelightfestival.com/chicago.

Theater

• “Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol” is the performance collective’s imaginative updating of the holiday tale. Through puppetry and music, it tells the story of avowed holiday skeptic Aunt Trudy, who has been recruited to channel her late husband Joe’s famous Christmas cheer over a Zoom call with family. But as Trudy becomes more absorbed in her own version of the Ebenezer Scrooge story, the puppets take on a life of their own, and the family’s call transforms into a stunning cinematic adaptation of Dickens’ classic ghost story.Streamed online the past few years, this is the show’s first time live on stage. From Nov. 29-Dec. 24 at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor, Glencoe. Tickets: $35-$90. Visit writerstheatre.org.

Janyce Caraballo (left) and Samantha Newcomb in “Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley.” (Greg Inda)

• Jane Austen fans will want to catch “Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley,” the world premiere of the final play in Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s trilogy, which imagines the continued stories of characters from “Pride and Prejudice.” Janyce Caraballo (Georgiana) and Samantha Newcomb (Kitty) star; Marti Lyons directs. From Nov. 26-Dec. 24 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets: $30-$89. Visit northlight.org.

David Cerda (from left), Ryan Oates, Grant Drager and Ed Jones in “The Golden Girls — The Lost Episodes, The Obligatory Holiday Special.” (Rick Aguilar Studios)

• Hell in a Handbag Productions’ “The Golden Girls — The Lost Episodes, The Obligatory Holiday Special” presents new episodes celebrating the holidays with Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, Sophia and their wacky friends and relatives. Spenser Davis directs. From Nov. 26-Dec. 30 at Hoover Leppen Theater at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted. Tickets: $29-$48. Visit handbagproductions.org.
• Artemisia Theatre presents “Title X,” Julie Proudfoot’s new play in which eight radically different women share stories about their fight for autonomy over their own bodies. Proudfoot and Willow James co-direct. From Nov. 25-Dec. 18 at Theater Wit, 1229 E. Belmont. Tickets: $25-$40. Visit theaterwit.org.

Theater Wit “Who’s Holiday!” staring Veronica Garza. (Charles Osgood)

• The adults-only comedy “Who’s Holiday!” stars a booze-guzzling, cigarette-smoking, grown-up Cindy Lou Who (Veronica Garza) as she remembers the fateful night she met The Grinch and the turn her life took after that meeting. Charles Pazdernik directs. From Nov. 25-Dec. 30 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont. Tickets: $24-$50. Visit theaterwit.org.
• “Jack Off the Beanstalk,” Tom Whalley’s very adult holiday panto, inspired by the fairy tale, includes song favorites by Kelly Clarkson and Whitney Houston. Bryan McCaffrey directs. From Nov. 28-Dec. 18 at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway. Tickets: $35. Visit pridearts.org.
• Here’s a one-hour version of Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” for the entire family. On select dates families can have breakfast or dinner with Santa. From Nov. 25-Dec. 30. Drury Lane Theatre for Young Audiences, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. Tickets: $26+. Visit drurylanetheatre.com.
• “Christmas Bingo: It’s a Ho-Ho-Holy Night.” Vicki Quade’s holiday show unites two of the best things about being Catholic: Christmas and bingo. From Nov. 25-Dec. 31 at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln. Tickets: $35. Visit greenhousetheatre.org.
• The Annoyance presents “It’s Christmas Goddamnit!,” a dark comedy about a dysfunctional family attempting to celebrate the holidays. To Dec. 17 at Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont. Tickets: $25. Visit theannoyance.com.
• “I Saw Mommy Kissing The Second City” is the comedy troupe’s new holiday revue filled with seasonal hilarity. From Nov. 25-Dec. 23 at Paramount Theatre’s Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena. Tickets: $38. Visit paramountaurora.com.

Dance

• Reginald “The Hoofer” McLaughlin and friends present “The Nut Tapper.” The annual holiday production is a unique, multicultural, percussive adaptation of the classic ballet from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite,” featuring swinging tap, Spanish flamenco and Mexican zpateado. At 4 p.m. Nov. 27 at Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 Lincoln. Tickets: $20. Visit oldtownschool.org.
• Von Heidecke’s Chicago Festival Ballet presents its staging of the classic ballet “The Nutcracker,” replete with lavish costumes and lovely sets that include a Christmas tree that grows before your eyes. A 2 p.m. Nov. 27 at Rialto Square Theatre, 102 N. Chicago, Joliet. Tickets: $22.50-$40.50. Visit rialtosquare.com.

Music

Heidi Kettenring. (Amy Boyle Photo)

• “Merry Christmas Darling — Heidi Kettenring Sings Karen Carpenter” features the musical theater artist performing the singer-songwriter’s classic tunes and holiday hits. At 8:30 p.m. Nov. 25; 3:30 and 8:30 p.m. Nov. 26; and 3:30 p.m. Nov. 27 at Venus Cabaret at Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport. Tickets: $70. Visit mercurytheaterchicago.com.

Singer beabadoobee (aka Beatrice Laus) (Erika Kamano Photo)

• Beatrice Laus, who goes by the stage name beabadoobee, tours behind her new album “Beatopia.” The Filipino-British songwriter found inspiration for the album from the imaginary world called Beatopia that she created when she was 7 years old. Lo-fi darlings Lowertown open, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Riviera Theatre, 4746 N. Racine. Tickets: $30-$45. Visit jamusa.com.

Museums & Galleries

“City in a Snow Globe.” (Anna Munzesheimer)

• Chicago Architecture Center presents its first holiday exhibition, “City in a Snow Globe,” which consists of five scale models of winter scenes that visitors can peer into. Also on display are more than two dozen snow globes created by designers and architecture firms. To Feb. 17, 2023, at Chicago Architecture Center, 111 E. Wacker. Admission: $10, $14, children under 5 free. Visit architecture.org.
• “Pullman: Conscious Revitalization of the Overlooked,” an exhibit by architect Armel Sagbohan, maps the north and south sides of Pullman through a series of photographs and sketches that inform the idea of a master plan to address the divide between the two sides of the neighborhood. To Jan. 29, 2023, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. Admission is free. Visit chicagoculturalcenter.org.

Movies

• The holiday tradition continues at the Music Box Theatre with the annual “The Sound of Music Sing-a-Long.” The classic Rodgers and Hammerstein film is screened with subtitled lyrics so everyone can join in the fun. Plus there’s a costume contest, a pre-show vocal warm-up, and free props. Nov. 25-27 and Dec. 3-4 at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport. Tickets: $14, children under 12, $10. Visit musicboxtheatre.com.
• The beloved film “The Princess Bride” gets the Chicago Symphony Orchestra treatment as the orchestra performs Mark Knopfler’s score live as the movie is screened. At 7:30 p.m. Nov. 25-26 and 3 p.m. Nov. 27 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan. Tickets: $65+. Visit cso.org.