(Dance)
The Nutcracker
The Smith Center
Even if we weren’t required by law to inform you every year about upcoming performances of The Nutcracker, that unassailable holiday classic — magical waltzing flowers, nimble fairies, moonlit snow! — we’d do it anyway. Because its status as a holiday classic is, of course, unassailable. Presented by Nevada Ballet Theatre. December 13-24, various times, $31-$190, nevadaballet.org
(Family)
Winter at Hogwarts
Summerlin Library
No shhh at this library today: It’ll be chockablock with little witches, wizards, and their parents joyously indulging their Pottermania. Crafts, food, and more! December 18, 3-5p, free, lvccld.org
(Showcase)
The Vegas Voice
spread the word
Literary spark plug Vogue Robinson emcees this new performance showcase. December’s lineup includes Mob Museum smart guy Geoff Schumacher, singer Kella T, and more. December 20, 5p, free, 1065 American Pacific Drive, facebook.com/LasVegasVoice
(Music)
Voctave: Spirit of the Season
Courtesy UNLV
UNLV’s Ham Hall
Voctave, the chart-topping 11-person a cappella group, will bust out the holiday hit parade. Sing along if you dare! December 17, 7:30p, $20-$50, unlv.edu/calendar
(Festival)
Intersect Festival
Courtesy Ramirez Art
Las Vegas Festival Grounds
Music, art, and tech — that’ll be the program for this new festival, headlined by Beck, Foo Fighters, Anderson.Paak, and more than 30 other performances — including Kasey Musgraves (pictured) in “a drone light show celebrating women in tech.” December 6-7, Las Vegas Festival Grounds, $99 one day, $169 both days, intersect.aws
(Visual Art)
I Was Happy Then, by Krystal Ramirez
Whitney Library
“Much of the work is participatory and political,” Ramirez says of her exhibit, which, in part, uses the iconography of protest-style signs to examine the relationship between language, identity, and public performance. Themes include patriotism, art, feminism, and social media. Through February 2, free, lvccld.org
PANEL TALK: Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed new film The Irishman, about Jimmy Hoffa: How much of it is true? A Mob Museum panel, featuring journalist Dan Moldea and others, sorts it all out. December 11, 7p, free with museum admission ($16.95), themobmuseum.org