Get your leg lamp ready to watch "A Christmas Story," watch a trippy light show or enjoy the Pittsburgh Symphony's Highmark Holiday Pops — here's what to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
Stage
It was such a hit last year they’re bringing it back – leg lamp, Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot range model air rifle and all. Pittsburgh Public Theater mounts a new production of “A Christmas Story,” Philip Grecian’s stage comedy adapted from the 1983 holiday film classic about young Ralphie Parker and his family. Fourteen performances at Downtown’s O’Reilly Theater remain through Dec. 23.
Sound + Light
Aesthetically, at least, December needn’t be all candy canes and holly. It can get trippy, too. On Thu., Dec. 14, Dayton, Ohio’s SOS Lightshow brings to town its psychedelic projections — think liquid light — courtesy of Sync’d. The long-running series marrying visual spectacles to complementary audio will pair SOS’s offerings with live music by three psychedelia-minded local bands, Astrology Now, The Garment District and Melt. Sync’d Presents: A Psychedelic Evening with SOS Lightshow takes place at Spirit Hall.
Music
The Pittsburgh Symphony’s Highmark Holiday Pops returns for its seasonal run. The full orchestra and special guests celebrate with everything from “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Chanukah Lights” to Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, “Mary, Did You Know?” and selections from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” Guests include vocalists Melinda Doolittle and Christopher Sanders and Pittsburgh’s own Mendelssohn Choir. There are eight performances at Heinz Hall, Fri., Dec. 15, through Dec. 23.
Festival
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center hosts its annual free Holiday Community Day on Sat., Dec. 16. From 11 a.m.-2 pm., the landmark Downtown building offers live music, drummers, dancers, and free hot beverages, along with Christmas and Kwanzaa markets and even photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. You can also check out the gallery shows, including Tim Okamura’s “Onna-Bugeisha: Warriors in Light.”
Marketplace
Sat., Dec. 16, brings another chance to find locally sourced holiday gifts as the Pittsburgh Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show returns. Definitions of “avant-garde” might vary, but if things like jewelry from upcycled materials and steampunk-styled goods are your bag, more than 60 local vendors will set up shop at Teamsters Local Union 249, in Lawrenceville, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $3, and free for children under 12.
Drag
Some 15 years ago, Alaska 5000 burst on the Pittsburgh drag scene … and then broke nationally, earning runner-up on the fifth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and winning season two of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars.” She’s since built a career as a recording artist and world-touring performer. On Sun., Dec. 17, “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Alaska … A Christmas Show” hits the Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead for an evening of music and comedy.
