Friday, Dec. 1

Cambridge Arts 2023 Holiday Art Market from noon to 6 p.m. at 650 E. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge (and Saturday and Sunday). Free. Shop for gifts by local creators at this event presented in partnership with BioMed Realty. Information is here.

Day With(out) Art 2023: “Everyone I Know is Sick” from 2 to 3 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. This program of five videos – newly commissioned by artists from Hong Kong, Brazil, Canada and the United States – highlight a range of experiences spanning HIV, Covid, mental health and aging, inviting viewers to understand disability as a common experience rather than an exception to the norm. Information is here.

“Head Over Heels: The Musical” at 7 p.m. at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s Fitzgerald Auditorium, 459 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (through Dec. 10). $10. Those fond of songs by The Go-Gos will love this jukebox musical produced by students from CRLS, based on a play written in 1589 and featuring Elizabethan costumes with a 1980s twist. The high school’s Visual and Performing Arts Department often mounts shows that ran on Broadway. Information is here.

Dance, Film and Disability: Empowering Opportunities and Fostering Visibility at 7:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free. Margot Greenlee, founding director of the dance lab BodyWise in Washington, D.C., explores how screen dance empowers artists with disabilities and promotes inclusivity in the film industry. The event includes the premieres of films “Traveling Light” and “Dance Out Loud.” Information is here.

Culomba Vocal Ensemble performs from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 838 Massachusetts Ave., Riverside near Central Square, Cambridge. $10 to $20. Close harmony singing from around the world with this Massachusetts ensemble whose repertoire includes American folk; the music of Georgia, Corsica, the Balkans and Ukraine; early European polyphony; and original compositions. Information is here.

“The Slutcracker” at 8 p.m. at The Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square (and continuing through Dec. 31). $35 and 18-plus. Our area’s naughty holiday stage tradition is a burlesque version of “The Nutcracker” showcasing the talents of people from nearly every walk of life, body type and kink. Information is here.

“The Rocky Horror Show” at 8 p.m. at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (through Sunday). $21 to $80. This is the original musical by Richard O’Brien that launched the cult movie. We wrote about it here. Information is here.

Composer Éliane Radigue: Works for percussion and trumpet from 8 to 10 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $12 to $18. Two champions of the celebrated 91-year-old experimental French composer, Italian percussionist Enrico Malatesta and the American trumpeter Nate Wooley, perform “Occam X” for trumpet, “Occam XXVI” for bowed cymbals – the second time Malatesta has performed this in the United States – and “Occam River” for percussion and trumpet in this rare Boston performance. Information is here.

Annie & The Fur Trappers performs for Boston Swing Central from 8 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., Fresh Pond, Cambridge. $13 to $20. This social partner dance, which includes a lesson for beginners in the first hour, welcomes Annie & The Fur Trappers, a band originally from St. Louis, Missouri, that is dedicated to preserving and performing music from the 1920s and 1930s with instruments ranging from trombone and banjo to washboard. No partner required; no street shoes allowed. Information is here.

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Saturday, Dec. 2

Third Annual Janet “Ms. K” Kendrick Sisters of the Center Awards Brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender St., Riverside. $30 to $60. Named for the center’s former longtime executive director, the brunch celebrates local women leaders. The honorees this year are longtime CCC volunteers Angeliquc Smith and Claudia Battle, as well as former Cambridge city councillor and state representative Saundra Graham (posthumously). Information is here.

Small Mart from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. Free. Vintage vendors, artisans and makers will sell. Information is here.

Ninth Annual Union Square Holiday Stroll from noon to 6 p.m. at Union Square Plaza and beyond, Somerville (rain date: Dec. 3). Free. The festive neighborhood tradition includes decorated storefronts, inflatables on the Festivus Trail, unique eats and retail shopping, plus challenges and prizes. Information is here.

Cambridge Arts 2023 Holiday Art Market (continued) from noon to 6 p.m. at 650 E. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Information is here.

Write Science: How Science Fiction uses Today’s Technology to Envision the Future from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free with museum admission. As part of MIT Press’s Twelve Tomorrows series, a panel of Hugo Award-winning authors discuss the value and utility of using science fiction and cutting-edge research to imagine the future and interrogate the present. We wrote about it here. Information is here.

Materials Lab Workshop: Visible Mending from 1 to 4 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 materials fee and 14-plus. Maggie Ruth Haaland shows how to use basic stitches and mending techniques to creatively mend a garment so the patch is apparent. Bring an item of your own to repair; mending supplies will be provided. Information is here.

Board Game Café at the Library (for Adults) from 2 to 4 p.m. in the auditorium of the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free, but register. Check out the library’s board game collection and stay to play an old favorite or learn something new. Light refreshments will be served. Information is here.

Boston Japan Film Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building 32, also known as the Ray and Maria Stata Center, at 32 Vassar St., Cambridge. Free, but register. Short films include “Shuhari – Finding my way through Japanese calligraphy” and “Third Wheel.” Feature films include “The Last Passenger,” followed by a talk session with director Takashi Horie, and “Silent Fallout,” followed by a video message from director Hideaki Ito and talk session with MIT professor Kenneth Oye and Harvard professor Marc G. Weisskopf. Information is here.

“The Rocky Horror Show” (continued) at 3 and 8 p.m. at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $21 to $80. Information is here.

“Head Over Heels: The Musical” (continued) at 7 p.m. at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s Fitzgerald Auditorium, 459 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. $10. Information is here.

Composer Carl Stone 70th Birthday Concert at 8 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $12 to $18. One of the pioneers of live computer music (called “the king of sampling” by the Village Voice) performs with local electronic sound artist and sampling devotee David Dogan. Co-presented by Non-Event and the MIT Spatial Sound Lab. Information is here.

“The Slutcracker” (continued) at 8 p.m. at The Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. $35 and 18-plus. Information is here.

MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble: Bird is the Word from 8 to 10 p.m. at Killian Hall in the Hayden Library Building at 160 Memorial Drive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Free, but register. An evening of jazz singing directed by Boston-based vocalist-arranger-composer Laura Grill Jaye, the ensemble’s current director and coach. Information is here.

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Sunday, Dec. 3

Somerville Flea Holiday Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (also Dec. 17). Free. Vintage collectors and artisan makers sell. Information is here.

Cambridge Arts 2023 Holiday Art Market (continued) from noon to 6 p.m. at 650 E. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Information is here.

“The Rocky Horror Show” (continued) at 2 p.m. at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $21 to $80. Information is here.

Music Speaks: Under a Tree, We Wander from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free, but register. Violinist Joshua Peckins plays classics and contemporary pieces, introducing the composers and their music with spoken word. Information is here.

“Scenes from Somerville” with Stephanie Vecellio opening reception from 3 to 4:45 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free, but register. The illustrator uses marker and pen to capture shadow and light in playful saturation, bringing a sense of nostalgia for the present to everyday scenes in the neighborhoods of Somerville (and sometimes Greater Boston). Exhibit is on display all month. Information is here.

Somerville Prints! opening reception from 3 to 5 p.m. at Brickbottom Gallery, 1 Fitchburg St., Somerville (through Dec. 30). Free. An exhibition of Somerville printmakers and other artists using printmaking techniques in their work. Information is here.

Megamel: A Winter Balinese Gamelan Concert from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building E-51, also known as the Tang Center, 70 Memorial Drive, Cambridge. Free, but register. This performance will include selections from the MIT Gamelan Class and Gamelan Galak Tika under the direction of Gusti Komin rich with gongs, metallophones, hand drums and bamboo flutes that create shimmering layers of rhythmical and lyrical patterns. Information is here.

“The Slutcracker” (continued) at 4 p.m. at The Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. $35 and 18-plus. Information is here.

Mike Block and Balla Kouyaté perform at 7:30 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $37 to $48. Balla Kouyaté is a balafon player and singer coming out of the Djeli tradition of Mali. Mike Block is a Grammy-winning American cellist, singer and composer and member of the Silkroad Ensemble. The two have been collaborating for more than a decade. Information is here.

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Monday, Dec. 4

MIT Tango Club from 6:45 to 8 p.m. (beginner) and 7:45 to 9 p.m. (intermediate) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building 36, Room 112, 50 Vassar St., Area II, Cambridge (and every Monday through Dec. 11). $25. Argentine tango classes with outstanding instructors. No partner required, but wear comfortable clothes and shoes with leather or suede soles that allow you to pivot and walk backward. Information is here.

Mark Chiusano reads from “The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing and Very American Legend of George Santos” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The Newsday reporter spares no details in documenting how the embattled New York congressman grew his legend from Wall Street gigs to an amateur volleyball career, from embellished claims of Jewish heritage to a fabricated 9/11 story involving his mother’s death and beyond. Maya Jasanoff, author of “The Dawn Watch,” joins the conversation. Information is here.

PSB Book Club at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge (and held monthly). Free, but register. This month’s selection: “Lucy by the Sea” by Elizabeth Strout. Information is here.

Chess Night from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill (and continuing every first Monday of the month). Free. Players of all skill levels are welcome, and chess sets are provided. Information is here.

Naïka performs at 8 p.m. at The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $22. The Miami-born singer writes and performs music influenced by the French, Caribbean, African and South Pacific cultures that she grew up with, mixed with Western pop and R&B. Information is here.

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Tuesday, Dec. 5

Norton Lecture with Viet Thanh Nguyen: “On the Death of Asian Americans” at 6 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge (and three more times through April 16). Free, but register. Harvard’s preeminent lecture series in the arts and humanities presents Pulitzer-winning author and USC professor Viet Thanh Nguyen, who’s titled his series “To Save and to Destroy: On Writing as an Other.” Information is here.

John Freeman and contributors read from “Freeman’s: Conclusions” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The editor of the 10-year-old literary journal that brings together the best new fiction, nonfiction and poetry around a single theme discusses the release of his final issue, which ponders the ways of reaching a fitting conclusion. Joining the conversation are contributing writers Allegra Goodman, Claire Messud, Hitomi Yoshio and Joshua Bennett. Information is here.

Smut Slam from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $10 suggested donation. This fast-paced storytelling open mic invites participants to tell five-minute, real-life dirty stories. The top three slammers win sexy swag from Good Vibrations. Information is here.

Laugh Giraffe Comedy Show at 8 p.m. at Union Tavern, 345 Somerville Ave., Union Square, Somerville (and every Tuesday). $10. Stand-up comedy showcase. Information is here.

Princess Chelsea performs at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $25. In her North American debut, the New Zealand-based artist will perform her cinematic, dreamy pop with a six-piece band, including her 2018 grunge girl group track “I Love My Boyfriend” and her 2011 Nancy & Lee-inspired “Cigarette Duet.” Also playing: Kitty Ray. Information is here.

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Wednesday, Dec. 6

“In the Whale: The Greatest Fish Story Ever Told” screening from 6 to 8 p.m. at The MIT Museum, Gambrill Center, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $15. A feature-length film about the darkest 30 seconds of one man’s life and Q&A with the director. Information is here.

Sweet Exchange from 6 to 9 p.m. upstairs at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $60. A first-ever holiday kickoff that includes a carefully curated box of handcrafted treats from small bakeries in Greater Boston, plus pop-up vendors, free hot chocolate or alcoholic sips for sale at Nook, and holiday tunes. Information is here.

Open Mic Night @ West from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free, but register. Even if you’ve never had the chance to perform in public, bring your own instruments and your love of song and jam with others at this low-stakes night of music and fun. Keyboard and microphone will be on site. Free. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Jan. 21). $50. An award-winning team of Latine artists created this American Repertory Theater stage production of the 2002 film that still resonates with its empowering story of the immigrant experience, friendship and big dreams. Information is here.

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Thursday, Dec. 7

Designing Experience: Performance, Play and Participation from 4 to 6 p.m. at The MIT Museum, Gambrill Center, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $15. A panel of Cambridge-based students and community leaders explore the design of human experience and discuss how – whether for games, performances or other engagements – design plays a critical role in how we perceive, interact and feel. Information is here.

Harvard Art Museums at Night from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Calderwood Courtyard at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Wander the galleries and browse the shop during this recurring event while enjoying sounds from DJ C-Zone, flatbread pizza and drinks for purchase from Bone Up Brewing. This time, interact with the Materials Lab, take short spotlight tours and enter to win prizes. Information is here.

The “America’s Test Kitchen” cast discuss their latest books at 6 p.m. The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $12. At this annual event co-sponsored by Harvard Book Store, television hosts Jack Bishop, Lisa McManus and Elle Simone Scott stir up interest in the books “The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2024,” “Kitchen Gear: The Ultimate Owner’s Manual” and “Gatherings: Casual-Fancy Meals to Share.” Information is here.

Cookbook Book Group from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library Collins Branch, 64 Aberdeen Ave., West Cambridge. Free, but register. All cooking levels are welcome at this potluck where you bring a dish (or your thoughts) to share and discuss with other cooks. This month choose any recipe from “Mamushka” (2015), “Kaukasis” (2017), “Summer Kitchens” (2020) or “Home Food” (2022) by London-based Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules. Information is here.

Amanda Peters reads from “The Berry Pickers” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the lecture hall of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. Peters’s debut novel about the parallel lives and struggles of two Mi’kmaq siblings in the wake of a traumatic kidnapping in Maine has been shortlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, has won the 2023 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize and was named on the Amazon Editors’ Best Books of 2023 list. Information is here.

Ice Sculpture Stroll from 6 to 8 p.m. at Assembly Row, 355 Artisan Way, Assembly Square, Somerville. Free. There are nine sculptures to discover at this annual event, with live music, treats and retailer giveaways (all while supplies last). Information is here.

Holiday Cookie Swap from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free, but register. Bring two dozen homemade cookies to share. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate will be served. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $60. Information is here.

“The Slutcracker” (continued) at 8 p.m. at The Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. $35 and 18-plus. Information is here.

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Friday, Dec. 8

Laughing Through the Pain: A Dark Comedy Show from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $17. An evening of dark humor with eight comedians who bring on the laughs while tackling taboo topics with wit and charm. Information is here.

Judith Tick reads from “Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: The Jazz Singer Who Transformed American Song” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. In this first major biography since Fitzgerald’s death, a professor emerita of music history at Northeastern University describes with fresh and original detail the complicated career of a powerful woman who set a standard for American excellence nearly unmatched in the 20th century. Bob Blumenthal, author of “Saxophone Colossus: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins,” joins the conversation. Information is here.

“Head Over Heels: The Musical” (continued) at 7 p.m. at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s Fitzgerald Auditorium, 459 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (through Sunday). $10. Information is here.

Lamplighter’s Great Brewery Bake-off from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port, Cambridge. $10. Ten amateur bakers compete, audience members sample and local bakery owners judge to crown a winner – with ticket proceeds benefiting On The Rise. Information is here.

“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $60. Information is here.

“The Slutcracker” (continued) at 8 p.m. at The Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. $35 and 18-plus. Information is here.

Ninth Annual Prism Concert Spectacular from 8 to 11 p.m. the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. $10. A unique amalgam of music performed by the MIT Wind Ensemble and special lighting designed by MIT’s E33 Productions. Includes Symphony in B-flat, Hindemith’s landmark work for wind ensemble. The Groton Hill Wind Ensemble joins the ensemble for a performance of John Barnes Chance’s Variations on a Korean Folk Song. Information is here.