Five Things To Do In Memphis This Weekend

Say hi to my parents!

by

The Nutcracker

Orpheum Theatre

Friday, December 13, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, December 14, 2 p.m. | Saturday, December 14, 7: 30 p.m. Sunday, December 15, 2 p.m.

My parents are coming to town this weekend, all the way from New Orleans! Woohoo! I have to say I’m a bit nervous, though, not because they’ll be meeting my boyfriend’s dog, Achilles, for the first time (he’s a bit of a wild card; he’s already eaten a hand-me-down ornament right off the tree — don’t tell his grandparents), but because it’s Friday the 13th. Yikeseroni and cheese and crackers! How is a girl supposed to make sure this weekend goes perfectly with bad luck on the line? I don’t even have a nutcracker out to keep away the evil spirits (I drew one in my journal, but I don’t think it counts). By the way, did you know that, in addition to cracking nuts (eheh), nutcrackers are supposed to keep away malevolent-doers? Clearly, I didn’t; otherwise, I would’ve invested in one. I guess there’s still time to buy one, but there’s also still time to get tickets to Ballet Memphis’ The Nutcracker. 

As someone who takes beginner ballet classes at Ballet Memphis and is firmly a beginner as my mom likes to remind me whenever I show off my skillz, I might be a bit biased, but The Nutcracker sounds like a perfect way to spend an evening. This year’s production features the new costumes and Memphis-twist that debuted last season. Performances last approximately two hours, and tickets ($16-$91) can be purchased here. 

Twelfth Night

Tennessee Shakespeare Company

Through December 22

Apparently, according to the briefest of Google searches, we owe the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe to the Brits. And the superstition goes that a man is allowed to kiss any woman standing under the mistletoe, and if that woman says no, bad luck will fall on her. Gross! That’s worse than Friday the 13th. Thanks, Brits. 

Also, thanks, Brits, for Shakespeare. You can interpret that sarcastically or genuinely. I won’t lie that my first encounter with the Bard in eighth grade was accompanied by my first purchase (read: with my mom’s credit card) of No Fear Shakespeare. Yes, my mother not only encouraged me to buy CliffsNotes; she bought them for me. Just once. Maybe twice, until I realized it was available online. For free. (Can’t believe I wasted 12 bucks. It wasn’t mine to spend. Still, though, what a scam.) 

But I’ve grown fond of the man’s work. Kinda. Sorta. Well, Twelfth Night, I’ve heard, is good. A “holiday tradition.” “Shakespeare’s most charming comedy cast in a topsy-turvy world of cross-dressing lovers, yellow cross-garters, and crossed identities.” Fine, yes, I’m quoting from Tennessee Shakespeare Company’s website and they might be trying to sell tickets to their latest production but they’ve never let anyone down. 

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through December 22nd. Tickets ($22-$44) can be purchased here. 

Christmas Fiesta

The Dixon Gallery and Gardens

Saturday, December 14, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The thing about Friday the 13th is there’s only so much you can do to prepare. If anything at all. I won’t step on cracks, can’t have my mom breaking her back while she’s visiting me — that’ll be the last time she comes to Memphis. I won’t open an umbrella inside on a Friday the 13th, though I do that regularly and people around me do not appreciate it. I just wish there was a thing to do to prepare, you know? Like, in Guatemala, they go on a cleaning frenzy every December 7th and burn an effigy of the devil to make way for good things to happen in the new year. Sounds wonderful — why isn’t there a superstition/tradition like that for Friday the 13th?

Anyways, you can learn more about other Christmas traditions of Latin American and the Caribbean at the Christmas Fiesta, presented by Cazateatro Bilingual Theater Group, Opera Memphis, and Dixon Gallery and Gardens. Visitors will enjoy the Christmas traditions of Latin America and the Caribbean, and learn about parrandas, posadas, piñatas, and more. Enjoy traditional Christmas music in Spanish, Latin food, crafts, and activities. Admission is free!

Memphis Holiday Parade

Beale Street

Saturday, December 14, 2 p.m.

There’s a Greek superstition where people burn old shoes at Christmastime, and the foul burning smell will drive away Christmas goblins, or Kallikantzaroi. That might make for some good Yuletide/Friday the 13th fun. A great way to keep my parents entertained, if you ask me, and a nod to my grandpa who once burned his shoes. He wasn’t Greek. And he wasn’t driving away goblins. He was trying to dry his golf shoes he’d just cleaned in the oven at a nice 350 degrees. 

Speaking of non-deadly fires, Memphis will be alight with holiday cheer at the annual Memphis Holiday Parade down Beale Street, with marching bands, steppers, twirlers, floats, and all sorts of sights on Saturday afternoon. 

You can also get your picture taken with Santa Claus for free on Friday the 13th, 5 to 7 p.m. on Beale. The pictures will be available on Facebook the next day here.

Acoustic Sunday Live

First Congregational Church

Sunday, December 15, 7 p.m.

A Filipino superstition forbids you from taking a bath on Christmas Day because doing so will wash away the blessings of the day (and you might suffer a strange long-term sickness). So, by that logic, if you take a bath on Friday the 13th, does that wash away the bad luck? And if you go to the source of water, like the Memphis Sand Aquifer, does that make you super lucky? And if you protect the aquifer, does that make you untouchable? 

If so, you might want to check out the Acoustic Sunday Live concert, or you could just go for the sake of a good cause. This year’s lineup features legendary folk singer Tom Rush, celebrated singer-songwriter Steve Forbert, acclaimed Canadian blues singer Shakura S'aida, and Nashville-based Americana songwriter Tim Easton, with special guests Memphis’ own Marcella Simien, as well as violinist Anne Harris, hailing from Chicago.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here.