Things to Do in Paradise/Downtown

In Your Neighborhood

n Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks are set to perform a Holidaze in Hicksville Christmas concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. The show, featuring Hicks' folk-swing guitar, is set to include a performance of "Crazy for Christmas." Call 702-229-3515 or visit artslasvegas.org.

n A free performance of "Amahl and the Night Visitors" is scheduled at 7:20 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meeting house at 2275 E. Tropicana Ave. Call 702-450-3499.

n Bring a lunch and enjoy a free concert by Mariano Gonzalez playing Paraguayan harp from noon to 1 p.m. Friday at the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse jury assembly room, 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Gonzalez regularly performs with Tony Orlando and has done solo performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress. Call 702-229-3515.

n Historic photographs from the Las Vegas News Bureau's collection are scheduled to be on display at the West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Wednesday through Feb. 3. Visit lvccld.org.

n Believe in Magic, a free fashion show with dancers, snow and Santa, is scheduled at noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. through Sunday at Fashion Show mall, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Showtimes on Monday are noon, 2 and 4 p.m.

n The Las Vegas Academy Theatre is collaborating with the dance department on "Changing Faces," an original dance drama by instructor Jeneane Gallo-Huggins. Performances are scheduled at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday in the Lowden Theatre for the Performing Arts at Ninth Street and Clark Avenue. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Visit lvacademytheatre.org or call
702-855-9729.

n Rí Rá Irish Pub, inside The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, 3930 Las Vegas Blvd. South, is set to celebrate the End of the World Friday. The pub will feature a Last Meal dinner menu and specialty drinks. Visit rira.com/las-vegas.

n A holiday floral arrangement class is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Lieburn Senior Center, 6230 Garwood Ave. The cost is $15 and includes supplies. Call 702-229-1600.

n The 13th annual Native American Arts and International Film Festival is scheduled Thursday through Saturday at the Gold Coast, 4000 W. Flamingo Road. All-access passes are $100. Film festival tickets are $5 per film or $20 per day for adults, $1 and $5 for children and $3 and $10 for seniors, veterans and students. Admission to the arts and crafts and vendors areas is free. Visit naaiff.com or call 702-365-5686.

n Blue Beat, an evening of local jazz acts, is scheduled at 8 p.m. Wednesdays at The Beat Coffeehouse, 520 Fremont St. Beer and wine sales begin after 7 p.m. Call 702-409-5563 or visit thebeatlv.com.

n The 2012 Miss Santa's Helper contest is scheduled from 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Golden Gate, 1 Fremont St. The women will be competing for a $5,000 prize by collecting tokens from casino players. To enter the contest, call 702-388-2411. Visit goldengatecasino.com.

n Applaud the accomplishments of youths graduating from Rites of Passage Mentoring Workshops during a Kwanzaa 2012 Celebration of Culture scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd. Admission is free and open to the public. Visit lvccld.org or call 702-507-3989.

n The Phat Pack, a group of former "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular!" cast members, has taken up residence in the showroom at the Plaza, 1 S. Main St. The show is scheduled for 5 and 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Tickets start at $34.95, and through Jan. 29, a portion of the ticket sales will benefit Easter Seals Nevada. Call 702-946-8934.

Worth a Drive

n A Living Nativity with live animals is scheduled Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Green Valley Baptist Church, 270 N. Valle Verde Drive. Performances begin on the half-hour beginning at 6 p.m., with a final performance at 8 p.m. Admission is free. Call 702-376-0480.

n Underwater Santa is to swim in from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Silverton, 3333 Blue Diamond Road. Children can visit with Santa and his elves through the glass as he scuba dives around the 17,000-gallon aquarium and interacts with the fish. Call 702-263-7777.

n A Winter Wonderland public skate is offered at the Las Vegas Ice Center, 9295 W. Flamingo Road. Admission is $10 for adults and $6 for skaters 5 or younger through Jan. 6. For a full schedule, visit tinyurl.com/lvicice or lasvegasice.com.

n "Tape," by Steven Belber and directed by Jason Nino, is set 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Las Vegas Little Theatre, 3920 Schiff Drive. The past comes back to haunt two former high school best friends during a 10-year reunion. The play toys with the concept of memory and how it can change over time. Tickets are $15 for adults and $14 for students and seniors. Visit lvlt.org or 702-362-7996.

n A Polish Christmas Party, hosted by Eastern European Connection, is slated at 5:30 p.m. Friday in an office space at 6190 W. Charleston Blvd. Polish and American foods are set to be provided, and a telling of the Christmas story is to be shared. Contact pmpotoczny@yahoo.com or call 702-203-7085.

n Upcoming events at the Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road, include the Armenchik Live in Las Vegas Christmas Concert, set for 8 p.m. Saturday. The show features Armenian singer Armen Gondrachyan. Tickets start at $54. Also set to perform is rapper Pitbull at 8 p.m. Dec. 28 and 29 as part of the New Year's Eve weekend. Tickets start at $85. Visit palms.com.

n Children 6 to 11 are invited to a Gingerbread Friends activity with stories and a gingerbread craft to take home from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. today at the West Charleston Library, 6301 W. Charleston Blvd. Visit lvccld.org or call 702-507-3940.

n Actor and poet James McGuire plans to create an interactive gallery experience inviting the public to illustrate his poems in the gallery of the Spring Valley Library, 4280 S. Jones Blvd. The exhibit is scheduled to be on display through Feb. 5. Visit lvccld.org or call 702-507-3820.

n Bass Pro Shops' fifth annual Santa's Wonderland Village is scheduled to be open through Monday. At the 8200 Dean Martin Drive location, patrons can get photos with Santa, do crafts and play free games. The village offers an old-time model train, remote-control trucks, a laser arcade, a soft-gun range and slot-car racing. New to this year's village is a talking caribou. Most crafts and activities are free. Visit tinyurl.com/santabasspro. 

n Opportunity Village's Magical Forest is set to run from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Jan. 6 at 6300 W. Oakey Blvd. In addition to the holiday display, attendees can expect photos with Santa, nightly entertainment, a carousel, train rides, a gingerbread house display, mini-golf and more. Admission is $9 for children, $11 for adults and free for children 3 or younger. Passports, which include entry and attraction rides are $15.50 for children 3 to 12 and $17.50 for those 13 or older. Parking is free. Call 702-259-3741 or visit magicalforest.org.

Ongoing Events

n The Grand Ole Vegas Revue, a vaudeville-style tribute to early 20th century theater, is slated to run at 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays in the showroom at the Plaza, 1 Main St. Tickets start at $49.95 for adults and $19.95 for children. A 15-minute singalong is set to preceed each show. Call 702-946-8934.

n Performances of Cockroach Theatre Company's production of John Kolvenbach's comedy "Love Song" is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Art Square, 1025 S. First St. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Visit cockroachtheatre.com.

n Visitors can enjoy faux snow at 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 7 and 8 p.m. Fridays through Sundays through Dec. 23 in Town Square Park at Town Square Las Vegas, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South. A free concert is scheduled from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Visit mytownsquarelasvegas.com.

n The Container Store in Town Square Las Vegas, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South., plans free gift wrapping and bow demonstrations at 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

n The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South, is scheduled to host its annual Winter in Venice through Jan. 6. In addition to festive decorations, winter parades accented by projections on the building and ice skating performances are scheduled at 6 and 8 p.m. Outdoor ice skating is offered from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Visit venetian.com or palazzo.com.

n Kids can spend some time hanging out in the trees at the touring "Tree House: Look Who's Living in the Trees" exhibit scheduled to be on display through Jan. 14 on the second floor of the Lied Discovery Children's Museum, 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North. The exhibit includes a tree house kids can explore, 3-D images of animals living in trees, an animal dance floor where kids can try to identify animal sounds and a computer forest game where children can harvest trees without harming wildlife. Regular admission is $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for children. Visit ldcm.org.

n Ceramic sculptural artist Robin Stark is showcasing work from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday through Feb. 14 at Las Vegas City Hall Grand Gallery, 495 S. Main St., first floor. Stark's sculptural forms have a reference to the traditional ceramic vessel but focus on expressive formal elements. Call 702-229-1012.

n Guatemalan-born artist Sergio Valenzuela studied in Paris and has work on display in private collections in Spain, Norway, Nicaragua, El Salvador and the United States. Thanks to the the Honorary Vice Consul of Guatemala, Aldo Aguirre, Valenzuela's work is scheduled to be on display in the gallery at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, through Jan. 2. Visit lvccld.org.

n Wings over the Springs is back at the Springs Preserve with owls, falcons, hawks and ravens flying overhead in two live shows at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekends and select school holidays through Feb. 24. New to the show are the Harris hawk, peregrine falcon, yellow vulture, African augur buzzard, common buzzard and a pair of yellow-billed black kites native to Southern Africa and the Middle East. The two female kites are said to be the only members of this species in the U.S. The flight shows are free with Springs Preserve membership or paid admission. For $10, guests can upgrade to a backstage pass that allows direct interaction with the birds after the show. Visit springspreseve.org.

n The Bet on the Farm! Farmers Market is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd. Admission is free. Most farmers accept only cash. Visit springspreserve.org or betonthefarm.com or call 702-822-7700.

n The Downtown 3rd Farmers Market is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays on Third Street between Stewart and Ogden avenues in the old downtown transportation hub building. Visit downtown3rd.com.

n Happy Hour Improv is scheduled to host a "Jam Session" from 7 to 9 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of the month at Theatre7, 1406 S. Third St. For a $10, cash-only fee, audience members will have an opportunity to participate in the improv show. Visit happyhourimprov.com or call 702-372-3201.

Plan Ahead

n The Knights of Columbus plan a holiday themed all-ages Saturday Night Stomp swing dance party the third Saturday of each month at 911 E. Ogden Ave. Lessons are scheduled at 7 p.m., and social dancing is set to run from 8 p.m. to midnight. The dress code prohibits jeans. Admission is $5, cash only. Visit saturdaynightstomp.com.

n "Narratives of Progress,"a show of paintings by Armin Mühsam that depict man-made, sterile landscapes after the disappearance of the natural, is scheduled to be on display Jan. 28-March 16 at the Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 Brush St. Visit artslasvegas.org.

n Gilley's Saloon at Treasure Island, 3300 Las Vegas Blvd. South, is set to host It's a Lucky 13 New Year's Eve from 9 p.m. Dec. 31 until 4 a.m. on Jan. 1. Tickets start at $84.75. Call 702-894-7722.

n Fremont Street Experience is scheduled to host Downtown Countdown from 6 p.m. Dec. 31 to 3 a.m. Jan. 1. The event is set to feature concerts from rock groups Buckcherry, Queensryche and Quiet Riot, a fireworks display and a midnight countdown led by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. Tickets start at $30. Visit vegasexperience.com/newyearseve.