Entertainment

Modesto holiday tradition adds special extras this year at Gallo Center. See what

Time For Three will take its Christmas show to the Gallo Center.
Time For Three will take its Christmas show to the Gallo Center. Submitted by Gallo Center for the Arts

Get the Eat. Sip. Play. newsletter in your inbox

Available now: Sign up here for the best food, drink and entertainment coverage in Stanislaus County.

Central West Ballet has added some special treats to its annual “Nutcracker” production for its Saturday matinée performance at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto. There’s even more holiday cheer to be enjoyed in the region Dec. 20-26.

Central West Ballet’s final performances of “The Nutcracker” for the season are Dec. 20-21.
Central West Ballet’s final performances of “The Nutcracker” for the season are Dec. 20-21. Rachel Driskill Photography

‘Nutcracker’ extras

The final performances of Central West Ballet’s holiday tradition “The Nutcracker” — following Clara’s adventure to the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy — are this weekend at the Gallo Center. The 2 p.m. Dec. 20 matinée performance comes with special offerings: a Sugar Plum Fairy Brunch and a Nutcracker Market.

Tickets for the extras, which do not include the performance, are available on the Central West Ballet website, listed below, and are $40-$50 for the brunch and market only; $70-$80, for the brunch, market and a post-performance event on stage with the cast, including snowfall and Sugar Plum Fairy goodie bags for children.

Tickets for the performance, $33-$79, are available at www.galloarts.org.

WHEN: 2 p.m. Dec. 20

WHERE: Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I St., Modesto

TICKETS: $40-$80

ONLINE: www.centralwestballet.org

Time for Three Christmas

Time for Three brings a holiday concert to the Gallo Center, with its soulful sound. The program includes beloved classics and the trio’s originals. Highlights include a bossa nova-inspired take on “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” an adaption of Bach’s Chaconne for solo violin, a funk-infused “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and more.

WHEN: 5 p.m. Dec. 21

WHERE: Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I St., Modesto

TICKETS: $45-$75

ONLINE: www.galloarts.org

Candlelight tours

The McHenry Mansion in downtown Modesto brings back its popular Candlelight Tours for the holiday season. The historic building will be decorated for a Victorian-era Christmas for the two-evening event.

WHEN: Tours begin at 5:30 p.m., with the last entrance at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20-21

WHERE: McHenry Mansion, 906 15th St., Modesto

TICKETS: $10, $5 age 10 and under

CALL: 209-577-5235

Father Christmas visits Columbia State Historic Park one recent winter.
Father Christmas visits Columbia State Historic Park one recent winter. Columbia State Historic Park

Miners Christmas

Columbia State Historic Park continues its holiday offerings with two days of a Miners Christmas, a demonstration of what Christmas in a Gold Rush town may have looked like in the 1850s. Listen to Christmas stories from miners, taste chestnuts roasted over an open fire and make old-fashioned crafts. Historic buildings of Columbia will be adorned in old-fashioned decorations. Father Christmas arrives by stage at 12:30 p.m.

WHEN: Noon-3 p.m. Dec. 20-21

WHERE: Main Street, Columbia

ADMISSION: Free

ONLINE: friendsofcolumbiashp.com

Holiday lights bus tour

The city of Escalon offers the sixth annual eTrans Holiday Tour D’Lights. The one-hour excursion will visit spots with festive holiday lights in the city. There will be music and hot beverages provided on board the buses and at the Escalon Community Center. The service can accommodate only 40 passengers each day, so it will be first come, first served.

WHEN: Departs 6 p.m. Dec. 19-20

WHERE: Escalon Community Center, 1055 Escalon Ave.

ADMISSION: Free

CALL: 209-541-6645

Related Stories from Modesto Bee
Pat Clark
The Modesto Bee
Pat Clark covers entertainment and other stories for The Modesto Bee. She attended California State University, Stanislaus, and grew up in Modesto. Support my work with a digital subscription
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER