You could catch a Bluegrass Nutcracker, attend a Christmas Eve service or check out the Budweiser Clydesdales through Dec. 27.
Bluegrass Christmas
7:30 Friday
If you’ve done the holiday right in Annapolis, you’ve heard some good music and seen some of the classic performances of the season. Now’s your chance to get one more “Nutcracker” in, but with a twist. Front Porch Orchestra will perform a bar-for-bar Bluegrass interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Christmas favorite at the Live Arts Maryland studio in Westfield Annapolis. The 8-piece bluegrass band will be joined by a narrator who tells the well-known story with an eye for the ridiculousness of it all. $30 plus fees, with discounts for children, seniors and active military.
To the market
7 a.m.-noon, Saturday
The holidays are about food, among other things, and with Christmas just two days away, a trip to the Anne Arundel County Farmers’ Market on Riva Road at Harry S. Truman Parkway could bring something special to your table. The Sunday market follows from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For the kids
Noon Saturday
Annapolis singer-songwriter Doug Segree formed SQRRL! two years ago, a band that performs for kids in schools with interactive, engaging songs. “A SQRRL! Holiday” is a seasonal show at Rams Head on Stage featuring special songs and a pint-sized mosh pit. $16.50 plus taxes and fees.
A few laughs
8 p.m. Saturday
If you’re home for the holidays and need a few laughs, stand-up nights at Vibe nightclub are new. Comedians Rahmein Mostafavi and Ryan Neser are both regional veterans with different styles performing in an event hosted by Lucy Bonino. $10 including fees.
Christmas Eve services
Sunday
Christmas Eve services are one of the best attended at Christian churches worldwide. Annapolis has beautifulchurches, many of them historic buildings decorated for the holiday. If you don’t belong to a local house of worship, good suggestions for the music, pageantry and faith of the day include the Naval Academy Chapel for the 6 p.m. Catholic Christmas Vigil Mass and the 9 p.m. Protestant Candlelight Service; St. Anne’s Episcopal Church at 10 p.m. for the candlelight Eucharist featuring carols, choir and music; and the midnight Mass at the ornately decorated St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
The big horses
1-3 p.m. Tuesday
The Budweiser Clydesdales are in Annapolis for the Military Bowl Parade on Wednesday, but the public gets a chance to see the giant draft horses up close in Miracle in West Annapolis, sponsored by Katcef Brothers distributors and the West Annapolis Business Association. Eight Budweiser Clydesdales, each 6 feet tall at the shoulder and weighing 2,000 pounds, begin their walk through the neighborhood from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Giddings Avenue before turning left on Tucker Street and circling the block. The event features games, activities, local vendors and food trucks. Free admission.
The big game
10 a.m. Wednesday
Tulane vs. Virginia Tech is sure to make Military Bowl tickets hard to find, but they are out there. Game day festivities begin with a 10 a.m. parade starting at City Dock and proceeding up Main Street to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, where a tailgate party is open to the public with food, drink and an 11 a.m. concert by country music artist Jimmy Charles.
The game starts at 2 p.m. and will be carried by ESPN. A Military Bowl pub crawl follows the game from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at participating Annapolis bars and restaurants. Tickets to the game start at $40 for standing room and run up to $100 plus fees.
