All Over Albany

Stuff to do this weekend

There's lots going on the the Capital Region this weekend -- both holiday and non-holiday. So if you're looking to take a break from all of the shopping and baking and wrapping and meal planning and whatever else is keeping you busy these days, after the jump you'll find a list of stuff we thought you might find interesting.

Got something else planned? Let us know about it in the comments.

And whatever you're up to, have a fantastic weekend!

Holiday stuff

Friday: It's a Wonderful Life screening at The Palace
The classic film screened in the old movie palace. 3 pm / 7 pm - $5 / $3 kids

Friday: Nick Lowe's Quality Holiday Revue at The Egg
"[T]he show will feature a few brand-new Christmas Classics from 2013's "Quality Street" as well as careful selections from his back catalog of hits and near misses." 8 pm - $35

Friday-Sunday: Melodies of Christmas at Proctors
Annual holiday concerts featuring the Empire State Youth Orchestra and Youth Chorale. various times - $15 and up

Saturday: Albany Berkshire Ballet performance of The Nutcracker
40th anniversary show. 1:30 pm / 5:30 pm - $38 / $25 12 and under

Saturday, Sunday: Performance of The Nutcracker's "Kingdom of the Sweets" at the National Museum of Dance
All performances are sold out.

Saturday: Holiday Madrigals at the Ten Broeck Mansion
Coffee and desserts and an afternoon of holiday songs from the Helderberg Madrigal Singers. The rooms at Ten Broeck Mansion are decorated for the holidays and you can wander while you listen. Saturday at 3pm - $25

Saturday: Messiah sing along at Hudson Opera House
Classics on Hudson is hosting its first-ever Messiah Sing Along. Gwen Gould will conduct Handel's Messiah at the Hudson Opera House and invite the audience to be the chorus. 4 pm - $15 donation request / free for students 18 and under

Saturday, Sunday: ASO presents The Winter's Tale at Troy Music Hall
Albany Symphony Orchestra holiday concert includes Corelli's Christmas Concerto. Saturday 7:30 pm / Sunday 3 pm - $19 and up

Sunday: Production of A Charlie Brown Christmas at The Palace
"The classic animated television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas comes to life in this faithful stage adaptation where Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the other Peanuts grapple with the real meaning of Christmas." Presented by the Park Playhouse. 7 pm - $20 / $10 kids

Sunday: The Trial Before Christmas screening at Revolution Hall
A screening of this year's mock trial at the Rensselaer County Courthouse to determine who really wrote "A Visit from St. Nicholas."2 pm - $5

Capital Holiday Lights in the Park
The Capital Holiday Lights in the Park continue in Washington Park. Friday and Saturday at 6-10 pm / Sunday 6-9 pm - $15 per vehicle

Trains and Toys at miSci
The model trains are at Museum of Science and Innovation in Schenectady. $6.50-$9.50

Film

"Merry Christmas you old building and loan"
Friday-Sunday: The Bow Tie Cinema in Saratoga Springs is showing It's a Wonderful Life as part of its Friday/Saturday night Insomnia Theater series and Saturday/Sunday morning Cine Classics series. Friday 11:30 pm / Saturday 11 am and 11:30 pm / Sunday 11 am

Free holiday movies at Proctors
Saturday: Proctors is screening Disney's Christmas Carol (1 pm), Elf (3 pm), Home Alone (5 pm), and Scrooged (7 pm) for free at the GE Theater.

Then It Came From Schenectady hosts a free screening of Black Christmas, plus a secret second feature, games, prizes and themed drinks. Saturday 9 pm - free

The Nightmare Before Christmas
Saturday: The Ballston Spa Film Festival's monthly free movie is Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Saturday 6:45 pm in the Ballston Spa High School auditorium - free

There's no place like home
Saturday There's a screening The Wizard of Oz at the Palace, hosted by Habitat for Humanity Capital District, with free popcorn and soda, games and prizes. Saturday 4 pm - free

Holiday movies at The Madison
The Madison is screening A Christmas Story and Love Actually this weekend.

Local holiday shopping

Shaker Craft Fair
Saturday: The Shaker Heritage Society is hosting a Christmas craft fair with over 75 local and regional artisans offering hand made crafts and food items. Saturday 10am to 4pm.

Theater

The Secret Garden
This is the last weekend for Capita Rep's production of Tony Award-winning musical The Secret Garden. Reviews have called the production "intimate and immediate" and "appealing." various times - $20 and up

New Play Festival
Saturday-Sunday: Local Actors Guild of Saratoga presents a new play Festival this weekend at The Dee Sarno Theater at The Arts Center in Saratoga. $15 per show, $30 flex ticket to all three shows

Hollywood Confidential
Friday-Sunday: Curtain Call Theater presents the regional premiere of the comedy Hollywood Confidential, about an actor whose bad day keeps getting worse. Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm - $24

Comedy

Theater Sports
Friday: Improv comedy teams compete against each other creating scenes and songs from audience suggestions in the Mop & Bucket Company's annual Theater Sports competition Underground at Proctors. Friday 8 pm - $14

Pretty Much The Best Comedy Show Ever
Saturday: Comedian Dan St Germain headlines Pretty Much The Best Comedy Show Ever at Proctors. Saturday 8 pm - $15

Music

Friday: Robert DeLong at Putnam Den
EQX holiday show. 9 pm - $17 ahead / $20 day of

Friday: The Figgs at The Low Beat
Holiday tradition. With: Blockhouses. 8 pm - $10

Saturday: The Figgs at Putnam Den
Another holiday tradition. With: Blockhouses. 9 pm - $10

Saturday: Marco Benevento at Parish Public House
Multi-instrumentalist. 8 pm - $12 ahead / $15

Saturday: Driftwood at Caffe Lena
Folk rock. 8 pm - $18

Sunday: Jewmongous at Caffe Lena
"[Sean] Altman, who writes hilarious and irreverent acoustic rock songs about being Jewish, founded Rockapella and led that group through its heyday years on the Emmy-winning PBS-TV series "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?", for which Altman co-wrote the famous theme song." 7 pm - $18

Ice skating

Johnny Weir at the ESP
Saturday: Two-time US Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir will be at the ESP ice skating rink for a demonstration (11 am), public skate (11:15 am), and autographs (noon). Saturday starting at 11 am - free

Of course, the rink is also open for public skating the rest of the weekend. The rink is open 11 am-8 pm. Skating is free. Skate rentals are $4 / $3 for kids under 12 (and skate rental is free on Fridays).

Swinburne Park
The city of Albany rink at Swinburne Park is now open for the season. (see the link for hours)

Holiday Happiness Ice Show
Saturday: The Hudson Mohawk Figure Skating Club presents its annual Holiday Happiness ice show at RPI's Houston Field House with skaters from around the area. Saturday 3:30pm - $5

Cap Rep and MopCo advertise AOA. And AOA is a media sponsor of the ESP ice skating rink.