Oh, Happy Day! This month, enjoy holiday performing arts, festive treats, curated shopping opportunities and the return of our downtown ice rink.
by Addie Ladner

Have a Tiki Holiday! “Coming up with festive cocktails is always a fun challenge for bartenders,” says Jennifer Ashton, food and beverage manager at the rooftop bar 10th & Terrace. “Whether it’s peppermint or gingersnaps, I’m always amazed at how creative they get to incorporate those holiday flavors.” As a nod toward the tiki cocktail trend, several Raleigh bars are putting a tropical spin on their seasonal offerings. 10th & Terrace is offering the Peppermint Bark Dreams: inspired by the traditional Puerto Rican Coquito, it’s a rum drink that tastes like coconut eggnog, finished off with a peppermint rim (616 S. Salisbury Street; 10thandterrace.com). On Wye Hill Brewing’s Sippin’ Santa menu, the Snowball’s Chance in Hilo blends pineapple, citrus, Caribbean rums, winter spices and tiki bitters (201 S. Boylan Avenue; wyehill.com). Or try the Spiked Frozen Cider at Neptunes Parlour, a blend of cider, rum and cinnamon schnapps (14 W. Martin Street; neptunesraleigh.com).

Take your Kids to the Dessertery Before a Show

It’s the sweetest season of all, especially at The Dessertery. This family- friendly, pop-up dessert café is hosted inside the Kennedy Theater at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, a convenient spot for a treat before or after your favorite December show. Your entry ticket gives you access to a lounge full of all-you-can-eat treats, from cupcakes to puddings to cookies to hot cocoa, plus all your favorite toppings (more than 100 choices!), all set on a backdrop of twinkling Christmas trees and holiday tunes. Check the calendar for when Santa might make an appearance!
From $29; 2 E. South Street; martinmariettacenter.com

Listen to NC’s Top Tunes of 2024

North Carolina musicians were close to the center of things on the nation’s musical landscape in 2024, contributing in ways both large and small. Here’s music writer David Menconi’s take on how this year sounded to us, through the work of some of our state’s finest players.

Hit The RINK!

The RINK returns! It’s a winter wonderland in downtown Raleigh — once again, Red Hat Amphitheater has transformed into a festive outdoor ice-skating rink. Bring your own skates or rent them there, and you can also enjoy comfy areas with fires, family games, a hot cocoa station and photo ops. For an even more elevated trip, round up friends or family and reserve the Private Igloo Lounge for an additional cost — it fits up to eight people and comes with various food package options, including a hot cocoa bar, barbecue sliders, pretzels and holiday cookies.
All month | Various timesFrom $15; 500 S. McDowell Street; redhatampitheater.com

Journey to Space at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

For a transporting experience, visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ newest exhibit, Journey to Space. This highly interactive exhibit offers an overview of the technology astronauts use to stay safe, make repairs, launch and more. Step inside a rotating mockup of the Destiny Lab for a dizzying taste of zero gravity, operate a robotic arm or take a selfie on the space toilet. The exhibit also includes loads of information and artifacts, including a helmet and gloves worn by Neil Armstrong on his Apollo 11 mission.
All month | Various times; Free for museum members, from $12 for non-member children; 11 W. Jones Street; naturalsciences.org

Celebrate the Season with WALTER!

Join WALTER at our annual holiday market, an evening of shopping from a curated mix of retailers and artisans in a fun and festive atmosphere. This year’s event will feature more than 20 local vendors offering everything from jewelry to edible gifts to home accessories. For many of these small businesses, it’s a rare opportunity to meet customers face-to-face. Your ticket includes specialty cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a limited-edition tote bag and great company.
Dec. 4 | 6 – 9 p.m. $35; 1010 Saint Albans Drive; waltermagazine.com

Book a Dinner at Tamasha

Mike Kathrani and Tina Vora’s new fine-dining restaurant Tamasha offers modern, complex Indian cuisine in North Hills in a luxe atmosphere. Get the inside scoop here.

Catch Burning Coal Theatre’s Rainmaker

Set on a blistering summer day in the Midwest, this uplifting romantic dramedy follows Lizzie Curry, an aging woman under pressure to find a husband and save her father’s cattle farm from drought. When a charming man shows up in town promising rain in exchange for money, it tests Lizzie’s faith in herself, her family and her farm.
Dec. 5 – 22 | Various times; From $20; 224 Polk Street; burningcoal.org

Take a Look Back at NC’s Most Iconic Sports Nicknames

On the day James Augustus Hunter signed a MLBl contract with the then Kansas City A’s, he got a new name: “Catfish.” It was given to him by A’s owner Charles O. Finley, who was fond of giving nicknames and knew of his new pitcher’s affinity for fishing in Hertford, North Carolina. Beginning in 1965, the precocious pitcher launched a Hall-of-Fame career highlighted with eight All-Star team honors, a perfect game, a Cy Young award and five World Series rings — three with Oakland and two with the New York Yankees. Hunter died in 1999 at the age of 53 after battling ALS, but his fame and nickname are indelibly etched in baseball lore. Catfish is just one of the interesting nicknames in North Carolina sporting history. Here are a few of sports writer AJ Carr’s other favorites.

Bring your Little One’s to North Regional Library’s Enchanted Forest Festival

As part of its winter programming, the North Regional Library is hosting a whimsical Enchanted Forest Festival for kids of all ages. Enjoy themed crafts, books and games, including decorating your own fairy door, and a chance to win prizes. Be sure to check out some of the recommended books on the way out.
Dec. 5 | 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Free; 7009 Harps Mill Road; wake.gov

See Raleigh Little Theatre’s Cinderella

For the 40th year, Raleigh Little Theatre will present its traditional holiday musical, Cinderella, which offers a hilarious and festive take on Charles Perrault’s enchanting fairytale. Performed by local talent, this production is fun for all ages — and a great opportunity for little ones to don their finest holiday gear to attend the show. And while Cinderella may technically be the belle of the ball, keep an eye out for beloved characters like the hapless but well-intentioned fairies-in-training and Cinderella’s awkward, scheming and sometimes crass stepsisters, who offer a unique spin on this charming story.
Dec 6 – 22 | Various times; From $35; 301 Pogue Street; raleighlittletheatre.org

Experience Theatre in the Park’s A Christmas Carol

Theatre In The Park’s locally beloved adaptation of A Christmas Carol is back for its 51st year. Written and directed by Ira David Wood III, this year his son, Ira David Wood IV, will officially take over the role of Scrooge. This adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens story is known for its comical threads, nods to modern-day life and over-the-top musical numbers. Experience the critically acclaimed performance either in Raleigh at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts or the Durham Performing Arts Center.
Dec. 6 – 22 | Various times; From $30; 2 E. South Street, Raleigh or 123 Vivian Street, Durham; theatreinthepark.org

Head to Anchorlight’s Winter Open House

Anchorlight Gallery is hosting one of its semi-annual open houses this month, where its more than 20 resident artists invite guests into their studios. It offers a rare chance to see the workspaces of creators like abstract painter Martha Thorn and architecturally informed painter Luke Buchanan. Artist Stacey L. Kirby will present her piece Division of Ancestral Deeds as the closing performance, an interactive installation with themes of family ancestry, generational trauma and inner truth. Works will also be on sale with proceeds going towards those in Western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.
Dec. 7 | 4 – 7 p.m.; Free; 1401 & 1407 S. Bloodworth Street; anchorlightraleigh.com

Enjoy the Sounds of the Joy of the Season Concert

At its annual holiday performance, the North Carolina Master Chorale, along with its Chamber Choir and Youth Choir, will be performing a wonderful mix of classic Christmas carols, like “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “We Three Kings,” plus lesser-known hymns and winter melodies. Accompanied by a brass ensemble from the North Carolina Symphony, it’s a rousing night — especially when the more than 200 onstage voices join for the crowd-favorite final song, “Joy to the World.”
December 10; From $32; 2 E. South Street; ncmasterchorale.org

Experience Carolina Ballet’s The Nutcracker

Experience this classic holiday dreamland adventure with mesmerizing choreography, stunning sets, costumes and a live orchestra as the soundtrack. The Nutcracker is arguably Carolina Ballet’s most popular production, and though it changes slightly each year, it always delivers Clara’s journey with timeless charm and magic, says company CEO Zalman Raffael. “Our production of The Nutcracker is set in an undefined Americana era, with an aesthetic inspired by two different influencers, Norman Rockwell and Tim Burton.” Catch this local interpretation of the historic fantasy at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts.
Dec. 12 – 24 | Various times; From $25; 2 E. South Street; carolinaballet.com

Catch the Oakwood Waits in Action

Founded in the 1980s, this a cappella singing group traipses through the holiday season in Victoria-are garb, singing carols singing at various holiday events and in their home neighborhood.

Bring the kids to this interactive holiday shopping market in downtown hosted by the MAKRS Society, a group that hosts creative pop-ups, farmers markets and other community events. In addition to more than 100 regional vendors and dozens of food trucks, enjoy live music, a DJ, two holiday-themed lounges (accessed at an additional cost) and wrestling matches (that’s right: a Santa vs. Grinch show-down!). Children will particularly enjoy this year’s Kid Zone offerings, which include a petting zoo, face painting and some popular holiday characters like elves and reindeer running around on stilts.
Dec. 14 | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Free admission; Fayetteville Street; makrs.com

See Floravita at Birdland

Amid a busy season, artist Pete Sack has curated an exhibition that calls upon viewers to contemplate the idea of time, and how fast, precious and slow it can feel all at once. Called Floravita, the exhibition on display at Birdland Gallery in Boylan Heights is hosted by The Grid Project, a collective for emerging artists to share their work and connect with other creatives. Included in the exhibition are painter and sculptor Oami Powers, multimedia artist Sally Van Gorder, figure and portrait artist Alia El-Bermani and screenprinter Skillet Gilmore. Catch the closing reception on Dec. 8.
Free; 706 Mountford Avenue; instagram.com/the.grid.project

Let your Garden Go Wild

“This time of year, my garden looks wild and furry,” says North Carolina State University architecture professor Sarah Glee Queen. A longtime gardener, Queen keeps chickens and maintains a perennial bed and year-round vegetable garden within her Mordecai landscape. For her, December is the time to take advantage of fewer things to do in her yard and make the most of the plants that are still vibrant. Here are her tips. 

Head to Saxapahaw for Chatham County Line’s Holiday Electric Tour

On the heels of touring around the country for their latest album, Hiyo, Raleigh-born roots group Chatham County Line has brought back a fan tradition, their Holiday Electric Tour. Included on the tour is a stop at The Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw. Don’t be fooled by the title: this isn’t a Christmas sing-a-long but jam session of sorts with the band’s musical friends onstage, including producer and recording artist John Mailander, to sing from its canon of songs. If you take the journey out there, make time to grab a burger and duck fat fries from the Saxapahaw General Store and go for a walk along the Haw River before the show.
Dec. 14 | 7 p.m.$20; 1711 Saxapahaw-Bethel Church Road; hawriverballroom.com

Walk the Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour

Ever wonder what it’s like to live inside some of Raleigh’s oldest homes? Have a peek during the Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour, a neighborhood walking tour with entry to 10 houses. Many residences date to the early 1900s and late 1800s, and modern-day inhabitants have made them their own in surprising ways. A tour ticket includes festive refreshments like cookies and cider, and keep an eye out for cheerful holiday entertainment along the way from groups like the Historic Oakwood Second Line Band, the Awesomettes and the Oakwood Waits. From Dec. 14 & 15 | 1 – 7 p.m.; $45; check in at N. Bloodworth Street & Oakwood Avenue; historicoakwood.org

Party at Long Leaf Hotel’s Not So Silent Night

Head to The Longleaf Hotel’s lounge for its fourth annual Not-So-Silent Night of live music and seasonal cocktails in a joyful atmosphere. Enjoy performances by Chelley & The Slay Bells among other bands along with some of the bar’s signature cocktails, like the Jerry Christmas, which includes Sailor Jerry rum, Oak City Amaretto, Alley 26 orgeat and lime, or the It Was an Ugly Tree Anyway, a mixture of Videri hot chocolate, oat milk, vanilla, Benedictine and cayenne.
Dec. 19 | 7 p.m.Free; 300 N. Dawson Street; thelongleafhotel.com

Enjoy a Tribute to Tom Petty

Don’t back down on your long-time love for the late rock legend Tom Petty. Catch the Triangle-based tribute band The Petty Thieves at The Pour House this month. The group prides itself on bringing the same upbeat energy and songs as Petty did, but with their own current-day spin. The band’s origins date back almost 20 years, to when friends Matt Daniels and Will Boone bonded over a love of Petty at local open-mic nights. Now it’s grown into a rollicking six-member group that keeps a full calendar touring locally.
Dec. 20 | 9 p.m. From $12; 224 S. Blount Street; pourhouseraleigh.com

Head to Cary for a Hanukkah Menorah Lighting

During the eight days of Hanukkah, a menorah at Cary Arts Center in the town’s downtown plaza will be aglow each night. On the sixth night of the menorah lighting, the city is hosting a special evening with kids’ activities, holiday music and dessert at Downtown Cary Park.
Dec. 30 | 5:15 – 6:30 p.m. Free; 327 S. Academy Street; downtowncarypark.com

This article originally appeared in the December, 2024 issue of WALTER magazine.