We’ve got your weekend: Time to light it on fire (figuratively and literally)

Houses you can’t, but would want to, live in (photos by: Sarah Isabelle Prevot)

Thursday, December 20/Convention Center (900 Convention Center Blvd): The ice rink is here! Along with many other holiday treats that will be served up at ChristmasFest, which opens on December 20. This year, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center announced an expansion of the sixth annual NOLA ChristmasFest, which will now encompass more than 325,000 square feet to accommodate new attractions and makes room for more family-friendly holiday fun. Nearly 45,000 visitors from across the South enjoyed the 2017 Christmas festivities. That means even more room for ice skating and ice slides, holiday characters, amusement rides, themed inflatables, arts and crafts, and much more inside Hall H at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center along the Mississippi Riverfront. The Gingerbread House exhibit, Kringle Carousel, Winter Whirl, Snowball Fight Area, Snowy Summit Climbing Wall and other favorites will be back under one roof at this year’s NOLA ChristmasFest. The Fest will run from December 20 until December 31. For full details, you can check out their webpage here.

Friday, December 21-Sunday, December 23/Ashe Cultural Center (1712 Oretha Castle Haley): The Black Film Festival has found their home for 2018 — the Ashe Cultural Center. The Black Film Festival of New Orleans was created to ensure representation of the American film maker of color. This festival and space exist with the intention of representing those who may have otherwise found issue having their voice recognized in a world where most evaluations are made from a non-diversified population. The film festival begins at 8:00 PM; they will be screening The Adulterer as well as other films from filmmakers from around the country. For more information and a festival line-up, you can check out their webpage here.

Friday, December 21/Cafe Istanbul (2372 St. Claude Ave.): Sometimes the only thing better than watching a movie is seeing it performed live. Add to that the fact that this performance of It’s a Wonderful Life will also be recorded for a national broadcast, and you have the event that will be taking place on Friday at Cafe Istanbul. Prolific New Orleans native and multiple award-winning actor Lance Nichols is one of several international and local stars from the world of entertainment who is lined up to appear in this year’s Tenth Anniversary New Orleans and region benefit production of It’s a Wonderful Life. Doors open at 6:00 PM with the show beginning at 7:00 PM. For full details and tickets, you can check out their webpage here.

Monday, December 24/2128 Jefferson Highway: If you haven’t seen something set on fire for the holidays, have you really lived? Well, here’s your chance (again). The Bonfire of the Ivories will be taking place on Christmas Eve, and on this special evening on the Mississippi River they will burn a piano in honor of the river of song and for the ones that we’ve lost this year. The words of the song are up and ready for the public, and you can access them here. It all starts at 7:30 PM and goes until 10:30, so get out there and light the night on fire.

Monday, December 24/Ace Hotel (600 Carondelet Street): If you are like many New Orleanians, the idea of “staying in” when we have days off just doesn’t register. If you are looking to get out and get some soul, The Three Keys at the Ace Hotel will have Robin Barnes singing as well as many guest appearances, such as Bad Santa –Derrick Freeman (Soul Brass Band) — as the host, Jamison Ross, Trixie Minx, Rapper Renard Slangston Hughes, and more. The concert begins at 7:00 PM, and tickets are $15-$20. You can purchase them here.

Tuesday, December 25/Compère Lapin (535 Tchoupitoulas Street): The time has come to indulge, and Chef Nina Compton’s pre-fix dinner is here to help you. Compton is putting on a family-style dinner at her critically acclaimed restaurant, Compère Lapin, located inside of the Old 77 Hotel & Chandlery Hotel. The festive dinner will be offered from 1:00PM until 7:00PM on Christmas Day, Tuesday, December 25, 2018. Priced at $85 per person (excluding beverages, tax and gratuity), the Christmas menu follows:

CHESTNUT SOUP
Roasted Root Vegetables

WARM WINTER SQUASH
Mustard Greens

OYSTER DRESSING

ROASTED PORK BELLY
rice and peas

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO
brown butter and sage

ST. LUCIAN BLACK CAKE
Milk Punch Ice-Cream

“PONE”
Molasses Caramel, Cardamom Ice cream