This week we have a GREAT list of things to do from musical offerings to markets and workshops to keep the kids amused. There is something for everyone! Have a great week!
Joy of Music Festival – Dec 11th – 3pm – 9pm
Join the Dorcas Centre and the Unionville Theatre Company for an indoor Christmas Concert followed by an outdoor Christmas Market to get into the Christmas Spirit. The concert will feature the Unionville Theatre Company, Rhenish Church of Canada, Markham New Horizon Band and Air Cadet 351. Free entry with a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Markham food bank (if you can). Market with Christmas Tree lighting, horse carriage riding, over 40 vendors, food truck and more!
For more details click here. Price: Free with food bank donation.
Rooks to Cooks Winter Online Workshop – Yule Log – Dec 11th & 12th – various times
Tis the season for delicious holiday creations and we’re celebrating hard with the return of our incredibly popular Yule Log Workshop. In this workshop, participants will learn to make, bake, shape, and decorate our signature double chocolate yule log with various edible woodland decorations; sugared cranberries, marshmallow mushrooms, and coconut moss decorations. Whether your child is looking for a chocolatey challenge to get in the holiday spirit or is simply here to eat, this workshop is sure to satisfy.
For more details click here. Price: $45
A Candlelight Christmas – Dec 11th – 6pm
Decorated for the season, the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum comes to life with the traditions of Christmas past. Join our costumed staff on this charming evening tour. Admission includes a seasonal family photograph. Call to book your tickets. Space is limited due to Covid-19 regulations. Pre-registration is required. Walk-ins not admitted.
For more details click here. Price: $15-$20
Step-by-step Holiday Cartooning Workshop – Dec 12th – 10am
Attend a family-friendly cartooning lesson with Arruniya Mohendran, art educator extraordinaire at Winged Canvas! Learn how to draw a holiday reindeer step by step under the guidance of a professional artist. We’ll cover all the essentials, like how to begin the creative process, sketching shapes, line art, colouring techniques and more! Upon registration and payment, participants will receive a link to join the workshop livestream, where they can follow along, comment and ask questions in the live chat! Fully online and ultra affordable. One ticket covers the entire family!
For more details click here. Price: $10
#KidsOnTech Documentary Screening – Dec 15th – 7pm
Screening of #KidsOnTech documentary presented by Waldorf Academy. This documentary, co-produced by the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, explores the impacts of high-tech use on kids and the options available to parents and teachers. Stay for a LIVE Q&A with co-producer Pierre Laurent after the screening. All are welcome.
For more details click here. Price: FREE
Winter Wonders Webinar – Dec 9th – 1pm
Join the TRCA and Toronto Public Library to discover the wonders of winter wildlife! Learn how wildlife survive chilly weather and how to recognize their tracks and signs. This event is taking place via Zoom. After registration you will be emailed a link to join the webinar.
For more details click here. Price: FREE
Claremont’s Festive Forest – Dec 11th – from 11am
Join the TRCA to celebrate the spirit of the season at Claremont’s first ever Festive Forest! Make a natural birdfeeder to hang during our hike through the snowy forest as we focus on giving back to nature this winter. Finish the day by learning how to be a little more sustainable and making a nature-friendly take-home decoration before enjoying treats around the fire! This two-hour, family friendly program focuses on enjoying the magic of the season while getting outside and celebrating our forest friends!
For more details click here. Price: $14.95 per person. Under 3’s free.
Light It Up Markham – Dec 10th – 6pm
‘Light it Up’ is a celebration of lights and shop local event on Main Street Markham. Visit our first every Holiday Market showcasing festive, specialty goods, one-of-a-kind arts and crafts from local artists and artisans, festive live entertainment, free tote bags for the first 100 shoppers and more. Do your holiday shopping at local small businesses who will be open late to welcome you! We encourage everyone to #ShopLocal this holiday season and support small businesses after the most challenging period of time they’ve faced to-date. Take in the beautifully-decorated shop windows and cast your vote for ‘People’s Choice’ in our annual Holiday Window Decorating contest. Make a night of it and dine at one of our many restaurants. Travel along Main Street enjoying charming, holiday entertainment for all ages, our beautiful Christmas tree decked out for holiday cheer, socially-distanced Santa photos, dazzling light installations, a holiday photo booth and more! Light it Up will be collecting non-perishable food items for Markham Food Bank at the entrance to the Holiday Market.
For more details click here. Price: Free (please bring a food bank donation if possible)
Uxbridge Optimist Fantasy of Lights – until Jan 2nd
Drive through fantastic light displays – over 75 light displays from community groups, businesses, schools, churches, families etc. from all around the Uxbridge area. Come and share your winter holiday in their amazing Christmas light display. The 2020 Uxbridge Optimist Fantasy of Lights will be a Drive-Through event only this year. This year’s Uxbridge Optimist Fantasy of Lights is going to be another special winter holiday! For the past twelve years, it has been our honour and privilege to host this event put on by the people of Uxbridge for the people of Uxbridge. Our light display is one of the biggest exhibits of Christmas lights in Ontario.
For more details click here. Price: Donations appreciated.
Grinch’s Grotto at Scarborough Town Centre – until Dec 24th
From the creators of The Dr. Seuss Experience, step into the Grinch’s Grotto, and commemorate the Grinchiest of years with our favorite green resident just north of Who-ville. When you reserve your spot, you and your loved ones will get a rare opportunity to visit the Grinch in his special cave and strike a pose (or two) with him. Plus, you won’t leave empty-handed. Each group will emerge with not just a photo taken by a professional photographer, but also with a few extra special Grinchy surprises. Space will be very limited to ensure social distancing, so make sure and reserve your spot early!
For more details click here. Price: from $39.99
Festive Nights at Brooks Farm – various dates up to Dec 23rd
Join Brooks Farms to embark on a magical evening of lights and live music in an enchanted forest. Enjoy a story time tractor ride, sip on some delicious hot chocolate, roast marshmallows, live music from local artists, meet and greet with holiday characters, visit with the REAL SANTA, ELSA the ICE QUEEN and more! All children visiting receive a gift from Santa!
For more details click here. Price: from $24.99 Infants 23 months and under FREE.
The Barra MacNeils – An East Coast Christmas Concert – Dec 12th – 7.30pm
The Barra MacNeils – An East Coast Christmas is a musical potpourri of traditional MacNeil family favourites gleaned from Christmas ceilidhs, midnight masses and the general festive frolic that accompanies each holiday season. With their captivating vocals, distinctive harmonies and extraordinary musicianship, The Barra MacNeils inject new life and energy into the sights and sounds of Christmas, prompting the Halifax Daily News to describe them as “a treasure of the East Coast, rich with tradition and unmatched in ensemble performance”; and the Globe & Mail to name the recording on which this tour is based “one of the best five Christmas albums of all time!”
The five MacNeil siblings – Lucy, Boyd, Stewart, Kyle and Sheumas – combine on a vast array of instruments including accordian, guitar, piano, fiddle, bodhran, mandolin, banjo, Celtic harp, tin whistles, bouzouki, flute … all underpinned by the nimble-fingered Jamie Gatti on bass. The result is a sound that is unmistakably The Barra MacNeils, one moment a rousing chorus, then a hauntingly beautiful Gaelic ballad, the next a flurry of foot-stomping instrumentals, which of course pulls one then another into a step-dancing revelry.
For more details click here. Price: $60.