By Lacey Luce
It’s the night before Christmas and all through the city people are prepping for their own version of celebrating the holidays.
I, along with many others, am looking forward to an extra day off this Friday; and, unlike most of my friends, I don’t have to travel or navigate multiple family gatherings.
While it’s true that arts and entertainment offerings are a bit slim on Friday, living in the 15th largest city in the country means there is still plenty to do this weekend.
Before I start listing arty options for the weekend let me offer one important piece of advice: whatever you decide to do, please call ahead. The interwebs are a great tool but sometimes things don’t get updated or there are last minute changes to hours, especially during this time of year. So, do yourself a favor and a call ahead to confirm hours, et al.
A safe bet for getting out of the house on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is of course your local movie theater. Gateway Film Center gets a special shout out because they are running the classic White Christmas on Christmas Day. They also have an exhibition up from local artist Larry Doyle—so bonus feature at the theater.
If you are finding it hard to get into the holiday spirit with the rain, unseasonably warm weather and total lack of snow, then head out to the Short North, Scioto Mile, Topiary Park, Franklin Park Conservatory or the Commons for their light displays, and while you are there enjoy the public art sprinkled throughout our city, making it festive year ’round.
Saturday and Sunday things start to get back to normal. Here are six destinations that will cure your eggnog hangover:
Franklin Park Conservatory has some fun, family-friendly events scheduled.
ShadowBox Live has showings of Scrooge and Holiday Hoopla.
This is the last weekend for BalletMet’s The Nutcracker. There have been some great fan photos showing up via #artmakescbus. Seeing the Nutcracker is clearly a favorite tradition for many.
If you haven’t yet gotten your fill of all things Star Wars, the Vanderelli Room still has their exhibition Cloud City Collective up (call first to confirm weekend hours).
While the Columbus Museum of Art is closed on Christmas Eve and Day, they’re open on Saturday and Sunday. If you haven’t checked out the new wing, this is a great time to do so and see why the Wall Street Journal included it in their list of “Best Architecture of 2015.”
The Riffe Gallery is also open Saturday and Sunday (call for Christmas Eve hours). They currently have their Inaugural Juried Exhibition up. As always, admission is free at the Riffe, making it a wonderful addition to a day spent exploring downtown and enjoying all of the light displays.
There are as many things to do in our city as there are ways to celebrate during this time of year. Happy holidays!
Lacey Luce is a marketing, communications and events strategist at the Greater Columbus Arts Council whose holiday plans include seeing Star Wars again, eating Chinese food while watching The Wire, and revisiting the Columbus Museum of Art by herself so she can take as long as she likes.
