Holiday Gift Guide, 12 Christmas Eve Dinners, Best Breweries, NC Chinese Lantern Giveaway
November 10, 2022
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS. The 78th Annual Raleigh Christmas Parade, presented by Shop Local Raleigh, takes place this Saturday, November 19, 9:30 a.m.–noon, on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. Sylvia Wiggins, director of Helping Hands Mission, will be the this year’s grand marshal. The Raleigh Christmas Parade attracts 60,000 spectators from across the state each year, and reaches more than 250,000 people via ABC11 TV broadcasting and streaming apps. It will also be shown on the ABC News Hulu channel.
CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS. The 27th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration takes place this Saturday, November 19, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. For the first time in three years, the event will bring together members of all eight state-recognized tribes to share demonstrations, presentations and performances that highlight the traditional and contemporary artistic, scientific, historical and cultural contributions of American Indians in North Carolina.
GIVEAWAY! befree is dedicated to improving lives by addressing the real, everyday challenges of people living with limited mobility. The company is committed to creating adaptive and inclusive fashion that really works. Fill out the form on our Midtown or Cary Living giveaway pages for a chance to win a pair of befree zipOns in either youth or adult size. We’ll select one winner Wednesday, November 23.
RECYCLING BINGO. Join Wake County’s virtual game of bingo through Wednesday, November 30, in honor of America Recycles Day, which took place November 15. Download a virtual bingo card to explore ways to protect the environment. Once you cover five in row, claim a free reusable metal straw, cleaning brush and carrying pouch. All players will be entered to win an Earth Machine compost bin. Submit cards by November 30 to .
TREATS + FEASTS. A North Carolina tradition continues after 23 years. La Farm Bakery is offering breads, pastries and desserts for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Choose from yeast rolls, turkey-shaped bread, sourdough stuffing mix, pumpkin spice challah, apple strudel challah, and fall French tarts in apple-almond, pumpkin and pecan. Bread baskets and boxes of pastries for holiday weekends are also available. Preorder for Thanksgiving by November 21.
The North Hills annual Holiday Sip and Shop takes place Saturday, November 19, noon–4 p.m. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the season as you shop for everyone on your list. Spend $150 and receive a free $25 North Hills Gift Card (one per person, while supplies last).
Indulge in a family-friendly, holiday-themed dessert cafe at The Dessertery, which kicks off this Saturday, November 19 and runs through December 23 at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. Enjoy holiday decor, all-you-can-eat sweets and hot cocoa, plus live entertainment on select nights at the Kennedy Theatre in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. Purchase tickets here.
Through January 3, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar is featuring two new burgers on its holiday menu. The Home for the Holidays Burger consists of a turkey patty, fried Brie cheese and grilled apples, and is topped with a house-made cranberry orange compote. The Hangover Burger delivers Bad Daddy’s signature Angus patty topped with house-made American cheese, a slice of rosemary ham and a fried egg, all sitting on top of a bed of smashed Bad Daddy’s tots.
Tickets are available for Friendsgiving at Mandolin in Raleigh November 20 and 21. The restaurant has created a seasonal menu, minus the turkey. Seating will be communal and the majority of the meal will be served family-style. A portion of the proceeds will support Now Serving, a local nonprofit that provides restaurant-prepared meals to people in need. Tickets are available online.
DREAMING OF TICKETS. Early bird tickets for J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival go on sale Friday, November 18 at 10 a.m. The popular outdoor music festival is scheduled to take place at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh on April 1–2, 2023.
DEAL OF THE WEEK! Swagger Boutique’s Black Friday sale starts Monday November 21! Shop 20% off clothes and shoes in stores and online through November 26. Swagger also has holiday decor and fun gifts for everyone you love. Come in and see them at the Lochmere Pavilion location (2425 Kildaire Farm Road, Suite 503, Cary) or Quail Corners location (5011-D Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh). Or, follow this link and check out with the coupon code GOBBLE20 (some exclusions apply).
NEW DIGS. Alliance Residential Company announced this week that Broadstone Oak City is now open to its first residents. Located at 2911 Mid-Century Drive off Capital Boulevard and Interstate 440, the property features 335 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment homes spread across four buildings.
NAME CHANGE. The Raleigh Boy Choir has changed its name to The Raleigh Youth Choir to reflect a more inclusive environment. Auditions allow singers to be placed in the appropriate choir for their voice, while still permitting flexibility to make further changes that result from vocal growth. Learn more here.
FOR A GOOD CAUSE. Enloe Charity Ball’s annual Kickball Tournament to benefit Alliance Medical Ministry takes place at the school on Friday, November 18, 2:30–6:30 p.m. Hundreds of students and staff will take part in the student-led event to raise $175,000. The 17th annual Enloe Charity Ball at Marbles Kids Museum takes place on December 10, 7–11 p.m.
JOBS ALERT. Chick-fil-A Midtown Corner is hiring 70 full-time and part-time employees in preparation for its opening on Thursday, November 17. Anyone interested in joining the team can text “Midtown” to 650.459.9229. The new restaurant will surprise 100 local heroes making an impact in Raleigh with free Chick-fil-A food for a year and donate $25,000 to Feeding America.
Pure Life Theatre Company presents “The Motown Sound of Christmas” at Theatre Raleigh on Friday, November 18 and Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m.; and on Sunday, November 20 at 4 p.m. Enjoy the classic sounds of Diana Ross and The Supremes, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight and The Pips, The Temptations and more. Additional shows take place in Durham and Cary in December.
Tri Pointe Homes Raleigh has teamed up with Note in the Pocket for a holiday raffle offering a custom-built dollhouse and doghouse. Built by Duncan-Parnell, the homes are scaled versions of homes currently being built by Tri Pointe in Raleigh. The prizes will be available for viewing beginning November 18 at the Park West Village Winter Wonderland event.
POTTERY PEOPLE. The 15h Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters takes place at the newly renovated Thompson Arts and Events Hall at the Historic Luck’s Cannery and 29 pottery shops on a self-guided studio tour on Saturday, November 19, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, November 20, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
