From Nutcrackers to SZA: The Complete Guide to Christmas Fun | Culture

go out: show

Paul van dyke
SWG3, Glasgow, Boxing Day
Dance music giant Cream is in Glasgow for a Boxing Day bash led by renowned German DJ, producer and musician Paul van Dyk. Top supporting cast includes Chicago house pioneer Felix da Housecat and trance experimentalist Giuseppe Ottaviani. Get ready to sweat off any lingering hangover and chop up any excess pie. Michael Cragg

Quay Lane
Wednesday 28 December, Wigmore Hall, London
Most classical venues go dormant between Christmas and New Years, but Wigmore Hall fills the void. Pianist Piers Lane gave the first concert of the Christmas week: the program featured Grieg’s Holberg Suite and Liszt’s Christmas Tree Suite, as well as sonatas by both composers. Andrew Clements

Lianne Carroll’s Cold Turkey!
Ronnie Scott’s, London, Boxing Day (two shows) and Tuesday 27 December
Singer-keyboardist Liane Carroll is one of Britain’s most respected and affectionate exponents of swing, blues, gospel and soul. These post-Christmas appointments at Ronnie’s are a regular in the jazz calendar and always rejuvenating. john fordham

Sophie Ellis-Bexter
Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, Friday 30 December
Billed as “disco divas of all ages,” this pre-New Year’s Eve party, headlined by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her traveling, sequin-heavy disco party, is the perfect warm-up to the next night’s New Year’s Eve bash (courtesy of Pet Shop Boys ). Support for Altered Images from Clare Grogan. Mitsubishi Corporation

go out: Art

JMW Turner & Ramin Fofana
Tate Liverpool, until 4 June
Among some of Turner’s most eerie paintings, this powerful anthology is filled with snow and ice. His Arctic whaling scenes take you to the North Pole – but without Santa or his elves in sight. Instead, the whaler crew trapped in the ice greets the pale sun through the freezing mist, to the soundtrack of Fofana.

hieroglyphs
British Museum, London, until 19 February
holiday magic from ancient culture Their spells have haunted them for millennia. Ancient Egyptian scripts were considered magical before they were deciphered: their decipherment revealed the effective vocabulary of texts such as the Book of the Dead. This exhibition takes you on a journey from curiosity to understanding.

life series
Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne, until 31 August
The south coast gallery will celebrate its centenary in 2023 and begin a survey of its collection. From William Nicholson’s windswept farm lit by the cold winter sun to an Ivon Hitchens painting where the sky crumbles to gray over the mottled earth And blue doodles, there’s plenty to keep you buttoning up your coat.

winslow homer
National Gallery, London, until 8 January
A dark storm rages in an exhibition by one of America’s iconic artists. Homer describes the sea as a savage, inhuman whirlpool filled with monsters. His depictions of sharks are terrifying, but just as doom-laden as his scenes of rescue and disaster in a raging, icy Atlantic — they come from the heart of winter.Jonathan Jones

go out: stage

let’s dance the nutcracker together
Sadler’s Wells: Lilian Baylis Studio, London, Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve
Suitable for the youngest audiences (babies and up), the ballet prides itself on clear storytelling. Here’s an edit of the year-old Christmas ballet, featuring Tchaikovsky’s much-loved music for Clara, the Mouse King and the Sugar Plum Fairy, for a 50-minute “kid-sized” package. Lindsay Winship

Carl Donnelly
Up the Creek, London, Friday
South London institution Up the Creek is known for hosting a brutal fast-mic night – and odd superstars keen to test out new material.But it’s also suitable for those who prefer safe hands, such as comedians donnelly – one of the most experienced shows on the track – very much in the first category. Join him for some seemingly easy-going observation tours this Christmas break. Rachel Arosti

orlando
Garrick Theater London, until 25 February
Neil Bartlett’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s beautifully fluid novel follows a young aristocrat as he travels through four centuries of history, switching genders in the process. Emma Corrin’s star turn. Miriam Gillinson

Klaus: The Musical
The Lowry, Salford, until 8 January
Adapted from The Adventures of Santa Claus by L Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz). A quirky story about a young Santa who was abandoned as a baby and adopted by wood fairies. With music by Andy Collyer. mg

---

stay in: streaming

marie antoinette
Thursday, 9pm, BBC Two and iPlayer
Deborah Davis aka the award-winning screenwriter of The Favourite, another leftist – if less outrageous – contribution to the royal family. There’s no shortage of fictionalized portrayals of the last queen of France, but if Davies’ previous work is any guide, this show may be the shiniest, smartest, and funniest yet.

Prince Andrew: The Musical
Wednesday, 9pm, Channel 4 and all 4 channels
This deeply irreverent comic-strip biopic feels like a welcome fix following the oddly flattering latest season of “The Crown.” Comedian Kieran Hodgson as the not-so-great Duke of York joins Munya Chawawa as Prince Charles and Harry Enfield as Blair Along with drag queen Baga Chipz as Thatcher.

not guilty
Wednesday, ITVX
In this new series, Vicky McClure ditches the action girl trick to play a mother who confronts the man who apparently deals with the brutal murder of her teenage daughter. Part gripping murder mystery and sensitive study of grief, it reunites McClure with Johnny Harris, the chillingly abusive father who played her in “This Is England 86.”

ephemera
Tuesday, 9pm, BBC One and iPlayer
McClure’s comrade Martin Compston, who also gave up his police job in search of more affection, joined forces with Tony Curran and Andrew O’Hagan ) novel, published in 2020—a tender tale of male friendship from the 1980s to the present. Ashley Jensen. RA

---

stay in: game

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Now, Nintendo Switch
Perennial Nintendo Christmas family favorite Just updated with brand new courses. Download them in time to save yourself from the Charades.

sports story
Now, Nintendo Switch
A cross between a sports game and a 90s pixel art RPG, this indie entry lets you experience a sports Hogwarts. Likewise, Macdonald

---

stay in: photo album

SZA-SOS
come out now
Five years after her critically acclaimed debut Ctrl and a handful of singles in between, sweet-voiced R&B superstar Solána Rowe has finally released her follow-up. The perfect soundtrack rolls over to the moody winter, and lead single Shirt is a complex paean to self-preservation.

Little Simz – no thanks
come out now
The past 12 months have been fantastic for rapper Simbiatu Ajikawo, aka Little Simz. Her fourth album, 2021’s Sometimes I Might Be Introvert broke into the UK top 5, earning her the UK Best New Artist Award and the Mercury Award. She cemented mainstream success with this typically layered fifth album.

Ab-Soul – Herbert
come out now
Rapper Ab-Soul’s album, which takes a similarly laid-back approach to music from fellow label and former collaborator SZA, comes six years after his last album, Do What Thou Wilt. Produced by DJ Dahi (Drake, Vampire Weekend) and Sounwave (Kendrick Lamar, FKA twigs), they conjure up the swirling vibe of recent single Gang’Nem.

Alicia Keys – Christmas Baby
come out now
The 15-time Grammy winner (pictured below) has joined the increasingly busy Christmas album market with 11 classics (Schubert’s Ave Maria) and relatively new Christmas anthems (Merry Christmas (The War Is Over) )). As an added bonus, there are also some originals, including recent single December Back 2 June. Mitsubishi Corporation

---

stay in: brain food

Branson
Sunday Sky Documentary
This four-part series Research into the life and career of Richard Branson proves to be a valuable insight not only into entrepreneurs, but into our fascination with billionaires and their egos. This week’s final episode chronicled Branson’s space race.

Add to Cart
podcast
As the January sale looms, this spirited podcast from cartoonist Kulap Vilaysack and journalist SuChin Pak analyzes the broader societal forces driving our shopping habits, from cosmetics to the power of representation.

literary clock
online
The literary counterpart to artist Christian Marclay’s video work The Clock, this clever website from Johannes Enevoldsen compiles passages from books that reference the exact time you’re reading. Scenes meander from Dave Eggers to Jules Verne. Amar Kalia