click to enlarge - © Katerina Solovyeva | Dreamstime
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Bah, Humbug!
December 1-3 & 7-9
The ghosts of Christmas past, present and future appear to audience members of all ages in Middlebury Acting Company's A Christmas Carol. The brand-new adaptation of Charles Dickens' famous fable tells the story of a miserly man who learns about the true spirit of the season.
Friday, December 1, Thursday, December 7, and Friday, December 8, 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 2, and Saturday, December 9, 2 & 7 p.m.; and Sunday, December 3, 2 p.m., Town Hall Theater in Middlebury. Pay what you can; preregister. Info, 382-9222, townhalltheater.org.
Family Flicks
December 2
click to enlarge - © Marysmn |Dreamstime
- New York International Children's Film Festival
The New York International Children's Film Festival returns to the Hop this year, bringing small cinephiles the opportunity to sample award-winning shorts from 13 countries. Whether it's the cartoon tale of a young soccer player facing off against a goose or an inspiring documentary about an animator, there's something for every young film lover.
Saturday, December 2, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m., at Loew Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts,
Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H. $5;
preregister. Info, 603-646-2422, hop.dartmouth.edu.
Visions of Sugar Plums
December 16 & 17
click to enlarge - Courtesy of Kirsten Nagiba
- Vermont's Own Nutcracker
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's beloved Christmas ballet gets the Green Mountain State treatment at Vermont Ballet Theatre's Vermont's Own Nutcracker. Local dancers shepherd audiences through the tale of Clara and the nutcracker prince, their adventures through the Land of Sweets, and their battle with the dastardly Mouse King.
Saturday, December 16, 2 & 7 p.m., and Sunday, December 17, 1 & 6:30 p.m., at the Flynn in Burlington. $20.55-49. Info, 863-5966, flynnvt.org.
Midnight Madness
December 31
click to enlarge - Courtesy of Vincent Cotnoir
- Highlight
Burlington's annual New Year's Eve celebration, Highlight, is back and better than ever on the final night of 2023. This year's lineup features a Taylor Swift's Eras Tour-themed dance party, a wow-worthy Circus Smirkus performance and live music by one-man band the Suitcase Junket — with many more acts to be announced on November 30.
Sunday, December 31, in downtown Burlington. $12-15; free for kids under 5. Info, [email protected], highlight.community.
Saturday Knight Live
February 3 & 4
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- Winter Renaissance Faire
Fear ye not: Thy gowns and doublets shall not lay abandoned 'til summer, for the Winter Renaissance Faire arriveth in the hamlet of Essex Junction. The family-friendly festivities run for two days and feature music, performances, sword-fighting demonstrations, and an artisan alley of craftspeople and mead makers from across New England.
Saturday, February 3, and Sunday, February 4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., at Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. $5-30; free for kids under 6. Info, 778-9178,
vtgatherings.com.
Cello, It's Me
February 11
click to enlarge - Courtesy of Arielle Thomas
- Turning Pointe
Vermont Youth Orchestra warms audience members' hearts in the dead of winter with its February concert, "Turning Pointe." The young musicians play soaring selections from Pyotr Ilycih Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's "Hiawatha," and American composer Amy Beach's Gaelic Symphony in E Minor.
Sunday, February 11, 3 p.m., at
the Flynn in Burlington. $22-25.
Info, 863-5966, vyo.org.
Sweet Child o' Mine
February 17-25
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Sweet-toothed Vermonters of all ages learn all about one of the Green Mountain State's most enduring agricultural traditions at Billings Farm & Museum's Magic of Maple. This week of festivities includes sugar on snow sampling, horse-drawn sleigh rides, crafts, story times and more.
Saturday, February 17, through Sunday, February 25, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock. Regular admission, $10-17; free for members and kids 3 and under. Info, 457-2355, billingsfarm.org.
Don't miss these Kids VT events!
Spectacular Spectacular:
A talent show for Vermont's rising stars
December 2
Performers ages 5 to 16 sing, dance and play music on stage at Higher Ground in this showcase sponsored by the Skinny Pancake and Davis Studio.
Saturday, December 2, noon, at Higher Ground in South Burlington. $10;
preregister. Info, 865-1020 x110
or sevendaysvt.com/talentshow.
Kids VT Camp and School Fair
February 10
Parents and caregivers get face time with representatives from summer programs and schools from around the region in this annual expo sponsored by Vermont Federal Credit Union.
Saturday, February 10, 10 a.m. -2 p.m., at the Hilton in Burlington. Free; preregister. Info, 865-1020 x110 or campfindervt.com.
Contest deadlines coming up
Green Up Day contests
On the first Saturday in May, Vermont celebrates Green Up Day, when residents pick up trash that's accumulated over the winter along roadways and public spaces. Kids can help promote this annual tradition — and win prizes — by designing a poster, writing an essay or poem, making a video, or recording a jingle encouraging others to participate. All K-12 Vermont students are eligible to enter. Find more information at greenupvermont.org.
Contest deadlines: Poster art: February 1. Writing: March 1. Video and jingle: April 1.
Destination Imagination
This annual team competition gives kids from kindergarten through college a chance to explore the creative process, learn new skills, dive into STEAM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math — and create original work which they present at a statewide tournament in March. Email [email protected] if you'd like to start a team. Find more information at creativeimagination.org.
Deadline to start a team: December 15