Tis the season for being thankful for fundraisers, concerts, arts performances, holiday events, major movie releases. Here’s a taste of what to expect in November and December; for weekly roundups of your best bets, make sure to subscribe to the Brickly and Flavorillo newsletters.
November
Working Ranch Cowboys Association: The WRCA’s 29th World Championship Ranch Rodeo roars back into the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St., for performances Nov. 14 to 17. Other can’t-miss events include Amarillo Museum of Art’s annual shopping expo Christmas Roundup, from Nov. 1 to 3 in the Civic Center Complex North and South Exhibit Halls; the Texas Panhandle’s Día de Los Muertos Festival on Nov. 2 at David’s Events, 714 N. Fillmore St.; Amarillo Parks & Recreation’s Día de los Muertos party on Nov. 2 at Sam Houston Park, 4101 Line Ave.; “The Language of the Cottonwoods: A Dialogue on the Plains and Sense of Place,” featuring The Thomas Jefferson Hour host Clay S. Jenkins, on Nov. 7 in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center at West Texas A&M University; Panhandle AIDS Support Organization’s Turnabout fundraiser on Nov. 9 at Arts in the Sunset, 3701 Plains Blvd.; Behind the Action: Making Magic with the Horses of Hollywood opening Nov. 12 at American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, 2601 I-40 East; Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum’s Tidings of the Trees on Nov. 21 at the museum, 2503 Fourth Ave. in Canyon; Lone Star Ballet’s Nutcracker Ball on Nov. 23 in the Civic Center Complex Heritage Ballroom; and Amarillo’s Original Toy Run on Nov. 24 at Tripp’s Harley-Davidson, 6040 W. Interstate 40. Plus, don’t miss Amarillo Wranglers home games on Nov. 1 and 2, Nov. 7 and 8, and Nov. 22 and 23, all in the Civic Center Complex Coliseum.
Amarillo Symphony: The orchestra continues its 101st season with a pair of concerts with the Amarillo Master Chorale dedicated to “epic movie music,” including favorite works from the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, Back to the Future and more. Concerts are set for Nov. 22 and 23 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St. Other arts highlights will include the last weekends from Nov. 1 to 3 of Amarillo Little Theatre’s Arsenic and Old Lace in the Allen Shankles MainStage, 2019 Civic Circle, and WT’s The Gamester in the Branding Iron Theatre; Stoex Design Gallery’s Day of the Dead art exhibition on Nov. 1; the monthly First Friday Art Walk on Nov. 1 at Arts in the Sunset; an opening reception for WT art faculty member Younus Nomani’s Lost & Found, running through Nov. 30, on Nov. 7 in the Dord Fitz Formal Gallery; the Harrington String Quartet on Nov. 8 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall; Amarillo College Concert Band on Nov. 11 in the AC Concert Hall Theatre; AC’s For the Beauty of the Earth piano concert on Nov. 12 in the AC Concert Hall Theatre; WT Jazz on Nov. 14 in Northen Recital Hall; ALT Academy’s Charlotte’s Web from Nov. 15 to 24 in the ALT Adventure Space, 2751 Civic Circle; Window on a Wider World’s Youth Art Show and Dinner on Nov. 15 at Arts in the Sunset; Chamber Music Amarillo’s The Grandeur of Brahms on Nov. 16 at Amarillo Area Foundation, 919 S. Polk St.; WT Dance’s Falling into Dance from Nov. 21 to 24 in the Happy State Bank Studio Theatre; and Cirque Dreams: Holidaze on Nov. 24 in the Civic Center Complex Auditorium.
Rodney Branigan: The Amarillo native and world-traveling guitarist comes home for a special Nov. 30 concert in The Golden Light Cantina, 2906 SW Sixth Ave. If you’ve never seen him simultaneously play two guitars, you’re missing out. Other concert options are scheduled to include Jake Bush on Nov. 1, Hayden Baker on Nov. 2, Chad Cooke Band on Nov. 8 and Jake Hooker & The Outsiders on Nov. 15, all at The Western Horseman Club, 2501 E. Interstate 40; comedian Tim Hawkins on Nov. 1 at The Church at Quail Creek, 801 Tascosa Road; Taylor Lowe on Nov. 2 and Mark Patterson Band on Nov. 23, both at Hoot’s Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; J.D. Clayton on Nov. 9, Corey Hunt & The Wise on Nov. 10 and Kin Faux and Jaret Ray Reddick on Nov. 16, all at The Golden Light; and Bryan Bielanski on Nov. 14 at The 806 Coffee & Lounge, 2812 SW Sixth Ave.
Gladiator II: Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington star in this 24-years-later sequel to the Oscar-winning action classic, opening Nov. 22. Buzz is already high. Also scheduled to open wide this month are animated film Hitpig! and family adventure Lost on a Mountain in Maine on Nov 1; horror film Heretic, family holiday comedy The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and sci-fi thriller Elevation on Nov. 8; Christmas action comedy Red One and drama Here on Nov. 15; and musical Wicked on Nov. 22. Special engagements are scheduled to include 10th-anniversary screenings of John Wick on Nov. 3 and 6; sci-fi fave The Fifth Element on Nov. 17 and 20; and anime classics Pom Poko and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya from Nov. 24 to 27.
December
Electric Light Parade: Center City of Amarillo’s annual holiday celebration, this year themed “Parade of Trees,” kicks off at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 at 11th Avenue and Polk Street, before continuing north to Fourth Avenue. Other holiday-time events include Northside Toy Drive’s popular Black Tie Affair on Dec. 13 in the Civic Center Complex Heritage Ballroom; and Amarillo Little Theatre’s first New Year’s Eve party on Dec. 31 in the ALT Adventure Space. Plus, look out for Amarillo Wranglers games on Dec. 20, 21, 27, 28 and 31, all in the Civic Center Complex Coliseum.
A Christmas Story: The Musical: Amarillo Little Theatre revives this crowd-pleaser, adapted from the cult classic holiday film, for performances Dec. 5 to 22 in the Allen Shankles MainStage. Other arts offerings will include AC Brass Ensemble on Dec. 3 in the Concert Hall Theatre; WT Concert and Symphonic Bands on Dec. 4 in Northen Recital Hall; TheatreAC’s Proof from Dec. 5 to 7 in AC’s Experimental Theatre; WT Bachelor of Fine Arts fall exhibition from Dec. 5 to 21 in the Dord Fitz Formal Gallery; the monthly First Friday Artwalk on Dec. 6 at Arts in the Sunset; WT Chamber Singers on Dec. 7 in Northen Recital Hall; WT Symphony Orchestra’s Music of the Christmas Season: Walking in the Air on Dec. 8 in Northen Recital Hall; the AC Concert Band’s holiday concert on Dec. 9 in the Concert Hall Theatre; the annual Tascosa Pops Concert on Dec. 10 in the Civic Center Complex Heritage Ballroom; Lone Star Ballet’s annual performances of The Nutcracker from Dec. 13 to 15 in the Civic Center Complex Auditorium; Amarillo Youth Choirs’ Songs of the Season concert Dec. 15 in the Globe-News Center; and Amarillo Symphony’s annual Happy Holiday Pops concerts Dec. 20 and 21 in the Globe-News Center.
Aaron Watson: The Amarillo native Texas country superstar brings his Family Christmas Tour home for a Dec. 13 performance in the Globe-News Center. Other musical highlights will include a joint performance by Holdfast + Lovecolor on Dec. 5 at The 806; the Collingsworth Family’s Christmas concert Dec. 6 at The Church at Quail Creek; and Matt Moran & The Palominos on Dec. 6, The Barnhearts on Dec. 13, Lane Bricker on Dec. 14, Justin Brown Band on Dec. 20 and Ross Bullock on Dec. 28, all at Hoot’s Pub.
Mufasa: The Lion King: Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) directs this CGI-animated prequel to the Disney classic, opening Dec. 20. Also scheduled to open this month are horror comedy Nightbitch, thriller Werewolves, horror film Get Away, and sci-fi comedy Y2K on Dec. 6; historical drama September 5 and comic-book thriller Kraven the Hunter on Dec. 13; thriller Babygirl, animated sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and action drama Homestead on Dec. 20; and sports biopic The Fire Inside and horror remake Nosferatu on Dec. 25. Special engagements will include anime classic My Neighbor Totoro from Dec. 7 to 11; and 70th-anniversary screenings of White Christmas on Dec. 15 and 16.
