Holiday Party Guide: Atlanta in December
I like to plan my social calendar out every month—especially during party months like October and December when there are so many options, and I want to squeeze in everything.
That is, I want to squeeze in all the most spectacular things. And I want to do that first, so I don’t accidentally commit to a dud when there was a level-10 party just around the corner.
I should specify: this is a list of parties and events specifically, not just holiday bars and Christmas pop-up. These are spectacles to behold. There are many options here that I did not include because… well… they just weren’t spectacular. My bar is high, okay?
Also, these options are all actually in Atlanta. ITP. We will have none of that outside-the-perimeter nonsense here.
Image provide by the Atlanta History Center
History on the Rocks: Holiday Cheers: Wednesday, December 3, 6PM at the Margaret Mitchell House
Get ready—this one approacheth! This Wednesday, December 3, the Atlanta History Center is hosting their monthly(ish?) History on the Rocks mixer, this time at the Margaret Mitchell House, for adults only.
The first drink comes with the price of your ticket, and the evening includes decorating a Christmas Tree in Margaret Mitchell’s living room in the styles of the 1920s and ‘30s. We’ll make our own ornaments (to take home, if desired!), play vintage board games, swap books, and tour the historic home itself. I’m really excited to kick off the season with historical design inspiration… as you might imagine.
Holiday Spirit Community Tree Lighting: Friday, December 5, 6:30PM
The Holiday Spirit is a free, family-friendly two-day festival (Friday, December 5, 5–8PM and Saturday, December 6, 10AM–5PM) at historic Oakland Cemetery. There will be a holiday market, live caroling, festive food and drink trucks, photos with Santa, and ticketed, timed tours over the course of the two days… but the main event, the real party in my opinion, is the Community Tree Lighting. That happens Friday, December 5, 6:30PM.
Masquerade Ball hosted by the Private Members Club, Thee Manor: Tuesday, December 9, 7PM to midnight, at SpaceMan rooftop lounge, located at the Hyatt Centric Hotel in Buckhead
This one is new for me, but I have been to Thee Manor on their Jazz & Blues night, and let me tell you: it does not disappoint. Their venue is in the heart of West Midtown, and it is just as vintage glamorous as their online gallery appears. We also smoked a cigar there, had a pour of a whisky I’d never tried, and Chef Trish’s scallops were divine. (I know Trish from Pure Barre Westside—she’s the best.) Adults only.
I am so excited that event hosts are reviving the spirit of Truman Capote’s Black & White Masquerade Ball. It’s one of my Top 5 parties I would hurt someone to attend. (I say this because I probably wouldn’t kill someone to go, but if I was in line, I would def Warrio-elbow someone in the throat to get a ticket.)
Thee Manor is hosting this Masquerade Ball at the Hyatt Centric Hotel in Buckhead, at the SpaceMan rooftop lounge. If my experience on a normal night at Thee Manor is any indication of how glamorous this event will be, then it is sure to be spectacular. I will definitely be there, dressed like a trophy, and probably wearing the mask I bought in Venice on a girls’ trip.
Note: formal attire! Don’t fool around and dress down. Don’t be that guy.
Image by Halfway Crooks Beer
Halfway Crooks’ Annual Boeven Ball: Friday, December 20, 8–11:30PM
A holiday formal inside a holiday pop-up? Don’t mind if I do!
This masquerade ball is the inaugural formal at Halfway Crooks, and I was promised maximalism—which is the only way to do Christmastime, imho.
I have yet to attend this one (obviously, since it’s brand new), but I have high hopes! It’s giving welcome schnapps, bandit masks, hors d’oeuvres passed by tuxedoed servers, drink pairings, festive disco music by DJ Folkstar, and, I quote, “surprises throughout.” I’m not really one for surprises, but if it’s delivered by someone in a tuxedo, I can be down.
See you there?
Note: formal attire! Don’t be mad at me if I wear the same gown to both, y’all. I’m still working on rebuilding my postpartum wardrobe. Also, it’s for grown folks only.
Horizon Theater’s Madeline’s Christmas: December 6 - 31
Adapted from the children’s book by Ludwig Bemelmans, this musical features child actors from the Atlanta Children’s Theater. When the entire old house in Paris covered with vines, including all twelve children in two straight lines, comes down with the flu—that is, everyone except the smallest, Madeline—Madeline has to keep house and keep everyone warm. (Here I am telling you I’m a mother without telling you I’m a mother.) Good thing the rug dealer happened by! Plus, this performance is actually for children, so the subject matter is geared toward kids, but enjoyable for adults.
This year is my first time attending this play, but I am very excited, and I have a good feeling about it.
The Center for Puppetry Arts’ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: now through December 28
It doesn’t get any more signature Atlanta than this performance! Adapted from the 1964 Rank & Bass stop-motion feature, this is one children’s play I attended and adored before I ever had a child myself. You can usually build your own puppet afterward… which I also did before I ever had a child. And! Every ticket comes with free entry into the World of Puppetry Museum, which is DOPE. Last year, they even had the actual puppets from the original Rudolph on display! (But even if they don’t, there’s plenty to interact with, from their shadowpuppet display to the Scar mask from Broadway’s Lion King.)
This performance is also for children, so it’s definitely the one to bring the family to, especially with the interactive museum as a before-and-after party.
I’m a member at the Center for Puppetry Arts, so you can expect them to show up often in event line-ups at the Wayward Curator. They just don’t ever disappoint.
Alliance Theater’s A Christmas Carol: Wednesday – Sunday, now through Christmas Eve
This is the original Charles Dickens novel put on stage, but with real Christmas magic. That’s the only way I know how to describe this level of artistry regarding stagecraft: it’s so fantastic that you will feel like a child on Christmas again. There’s no detail spared. There are costumes and snow and caroling! The acting is fantastic—they even do the accents!
I slept on this performance for the longest time because I was broke as hell and the tickets are somewhat cost-prohibitive. But if you’re wondering whether it’s worth the cost, IT IS.
And if you just can’t swing it, let me tell you about a little piece of Christmas magic called the Fulton County Library Partnership Pass. If you have a library card, you can “check out” the library pass for one week, use it to book your tickets, present it at will call, and see the show for free! (And by “free,” I mean “your taxes have already paid for it, so you should go!”)
Naturally, the pass is a hot commodity, so here’s the link to see the passes’ availability. Get ready to refresh like you’re waiting on concert tickets!
This one is not for children. Your older kids will probably enjoy it, maybe 12+, but it wasn’t specifically designed with children in mind as the audience, if that makes sense.
Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker: Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, December 6–27
Okay, I checked: the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center is, in fact, inside the perimeter! I mean, barely. But it is! (For that reason, plan accordingly. Their parking is wildly expensive, and I hate paying to park, so if you’re wondering whether to rideshare, you may as well, from a financial perspective.) I know I’m starting off with the negatives, but if I’m including it on this list, then you can be sure the positives outweigh significantly.
I have a friend who used to dance with the company, and when she told me the dollar number spent on this edition of the show, my eyeballs rolled back to dollar signs like a slot machine—but y’all, it is so clear that they spared no expense on this production. Every number truly delivers.
That said, there are many numbers—I know they wouldn’t dare think about cutting the Arabic sequence for brevity!—so the show has about a three-hour run time in my experience. For that reason, bring the patient children if you want to watch to the end. My 15-month-old would not be able to sit still throughout, but my 3-year-old niece did, no problem. So, you be the judge!
If there’s anything I missed, or if you have something coming up soon you’d like featured here, drop me a line and follow me on Instagram.
And if you enjoyed this holiday party guide to Atlanta in December, there’s plenty more where that came from. Sign up for Wayward Curator notifications here.
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