36 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY december 21-27, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com to Parliament’s 1978 single “Aqua Boogie.” Their explanation? “A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop.” Got it? Well, you will when they take the stage. [DF] 8pm Friday, Dec. 22. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $49-$150. 6491070, goldenstatetheatre.com. Rock It This week, Big Sur rockers Pfeiffer Beach Hotel are making the winding drive up the coast to Monterey for a show—their first on the Peninsula—at Pearl Hour. The group is composed of a bunch of local musicians each accomplished in their own right, and is known for their fun, danceable tunes. What better way to mark the day after the winter solstice, as the light is beginning to return and the days are getting incrementally longer, than with a party? You won’t want to miss this one. [TCL] 9-11pm Friday, Dec. 22. Pearl Hour, 214 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. $10. 657-9447, pearlhour.com. Friday, Dec. 22-Saturday, Dec. 23 Holidays, the Celtic Way The 17th annual Winterdance Celtic Christmas Celebration will once again crisscross the Golden State for the Yuletide season (originally a pagan holiday to celebrate the winter solstice that mashed with Christianity). This year the shows in St. Mary’s by-theSea Episcopal Church spotlight the mandolin and banjo skills of a young local prodigy, Tyler Weed. The band includes his father, John Weed, on fiddle and Stuart Mason on guitar and bouzouki. Amelia Hogan joins them on vocals and bodhran, and Marisa Gilman presents Irish dance. Piper Lane Olson is a special guest. Expect traditional Irish music and jolly, festive songs. [AP] 7pm Friday, Dec. 22 and 3pm Saturday, Dec. 23. St. Mary’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 146 12th St., Pacific Grove. $30 advance/$35 at the door. 373-4441, celticsociety.org. Sunday, Dec. 24 Coming to Town It’s perhaps not widely known, but Santa doesn’t drink all the milk left out for him in the various homes he visits—a person can only drink so much milk. That’s especially true if he decides to take a load off right before takeoff and have a milk punch with Mrs. Claus, as it’s a lot of stress running a sweatshop full of elves who, while good-natured, can be clever and mischievous. On that note, all are invited—Santa impersonators, most of all— to downtown Monterey to be Santa for a night, as YASSS Monterey hosts a free SantaCon event at Compact Disco. Doors open at 4pm on Christmas Eve, and at 10pm, there’s a Santa costume contest with $500 in prize money. Attendees who want to leave and come back will get in-and-out wristbands so they can eat or drink elsewhere for a while and really make a night of it. That said, the Compact is slinging special cocktails and offering holiday treats (though there’s no word yet if milk punch is on the menu). While the event is free, it’s a fundraiser for Cal Fire, so donations are most appreciated along with your best Santa laugh and holiday spirit. [DS] 4pm Sunday, Dec. 24 (costume contest at 10pm). Compact Disco 831, 420 Tyler St., Monterey. Free. santaconmonterey.com. Hot Picks by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Dave Faries, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Agata Pop˛eda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz. Send ideas to calendar@mcweekly.com HOT PICKS Monterey. $15/adults; $13/children 12 and under; $5/skate rental. iceskatingbythebay. com. Friday, Dec. 22 Story Time In the beloved 1983 holiday film A Christmas Story, 9-year-old Ralphie must dodge his bully and the disapproval of various people in his life in pursuit of his ideal Christmas gift—a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Just this year, Lighthouse Cinema in Pacific Grove has doggedly pursued a different goal—to stay open. The theater closed abruptly in March, then reopened in May. These two storylines come together for a movie night and fundraiser on Friday, Dec. 22. Go watch the movie and buy some raffle tickets; all proceeds will go directly toward essential repairs and improvements for the theater. The big prize? A NECA Leg Lamp, as seen in the film. It’s a winwin, and a fun night out for all. [TCL] 6:30pm Friday, Dec. 22. Lighthouse Cinema and Event Center, 525 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. $20 (raffle tickets are also $20). 641-0747, lighthousecinema4events. com. Winter is Here… Many cultures around the world celebrate light during this time of year when the days are short and darkness fills the hours. The Monterey Museum of Art leaned into that idea this winter with its Illuminado exhibit, featuring artworks that celebrate this idea of light in interactive ways. Different types of trees invite visitors to write messages of gratitude and light; one tree literally lights up with the touch of a human hand. For the solstice, MMA invites the public back for the closing of this exhibit, tunes from DJ Gwynneth and food and drink for sale—in short, a party full of brightness on this shortest day of the year. Admission is free, and a donation to support the nonprofit museum via Monterey County Gives! gets you a raffle ticket for a chance to take home a tiny piece of artwork in the Miniatures exhibit, which will also be raffled off at this event. [SR] 5:30-7:30pm Friday, Dec. 22. Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 372-5477, montereyart.org. P-Funk It Up When you have two bands—one with a doo-wop background, the other brimming with funk and psychedelic rock sensibilities—and one legendary figurehead, what do you get? How about six No. 1 hits, more than a dozen Top 10 singles, and Rock Hall of Fame status. And if you’re still unclear about who we are talking about, well, we’re about to put a Bootzilla up your…OK, you know. Parliament-Funkadelic featuring George Clinton brings their holiday jam to Golden State Theatre in a show that can’t be missed. The collective band with its rotating lineup is responsible for “Flash Light,” “One Nation Under A Groove,” “Bop Gun” and other far-reaching songs. Trying to describe them is like trying to clearly define the parenthetical Celebrate the season the Celtic way at Winterdance. This year’s concert features the skills of local mandolin and banjo prodigy Tyler Weed, plus his father John Weed on fiddle, Stuart Mason on guitar and other guests. Rock out at Pearl Hour with Big Sur band Pfeiffer Beach Hotel—the group makes its first trip up the coast to perform in Monterey on Friday, Dec. 22. courtesy Pfeiffer Beach Hotel
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