Digbeth Apres Ski Lodge Party Pop-up
Festivities are officially go, go go with The Old Crown beer garden taking on a seasonal magical ski lodge theme with pine trees, falling snow, ski racks, piste maps, fairy lights, lanterns and presumably enough mulled stuff to float a few elves on. Decked out with all the luxuries of a ski lodge, the heated marquee and fur-lined benches promises to offer the perfect escape from the cold. Street food traders will serve up an Alpine inspired menu and resort classics like fondue and raclette. There’ll also be DJs, live bands and even a vintage ski shop on site selling everything from salopettes to alpine jumpers. No slope skills required. Now booking. (HB)
Weekends, Fri 8 Dec & Sat Dec 9, Fri 15 Dec & Sat 16 Dec, Fri 22 Dec & Sat 23 Dec, The Old Crown, Birmingham B12 0LD. From £10 www.designmynight.com

Festive themed food screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas at The Electric Cinema
One of the most inventive ways to enjoy a film in Birmingham is in the company of the deranged baker Annabel de Vetten and her Conjurer’s Kitchen repertoire of snacks themed on the movie being screened. We still have a marzipan big toe from a Big Lebowski screening a few years ago, it’s just too good to eat. To get freak food connoisseurs in the seasonal spirit Annabel has used her genius to complement Tim Burton’s classic animation The Nightmare Before Christmas. Hopefully there will be a tasty Oogie Boogie to chow down on. Two nights that will sell out quickly so don’t hang about.
Mon 18 Dec 8.15pm & Wed 20 Dec 12pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £20.70 www.theelectric.co.uk

Bar Humbug pop-up Cocktail Masterclass & The Full Santa
In preparation for their takeover of the former Two Cats venue in 2018, The Wilderness is hosting the tackiest most gloriously twisted Christmas experience of the season this side of the German Markets (their words). Festive inspired cocktails by award-winning beverage innovator James Bowker will flow forth Thursday to Saturday from the 30th November. Book now for paired cocktails and snacks or a cocktail masterclass. (HB)
Thu 30 Nov – Sat 23 Dec, Bar Humbug, 27 Warstone Lane, Birmingham, B18 6JQ.www.barhumbug.com

Christmas at the Movies at The Symphony Hall
Join the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for a nostalgic drift through some of cinema’s most instantly recognisable and iconic Christmas scores. A varied program including such favourites as Elf, Harry Potter and Die Hard, we can’t wait to hear Home Alone.
Fri 22 Dec 7.30pm at The Symphony Hall, Broad Street Birmingham B1 2EA £13 – £52 www.thsh.co.uk

Magical Lantern Festival at Kings Heath Park
Magical Lantern Festival Birmingham is back in bigger, better more impressive form this year, now with added tipi bar, Santa’s grotto and fairground rides to add to the magical lamp-lit woodland trail. This year’s tripping the light fantastic Chinese lantern style has upped-sticks to the expansive lawns of Kings Heath park with the larger-than-life lanterns including a Gingerbread House and magnificent iconic Birmingham Central Library. Lots of slots available with tickets from £5-15. Get your family-friendly festive glow on. (HB)
Fri 24 Nov – Mon 1 Jan, Kings Heath Park, 64 Brent Rd, Birmingham B30 2TP. Tel: 0121 444 2848, various times & prices: www.magicallantern.uk

Mr Charles Dickens Narrates Another Christmas Carol at The Coffin Works
Jonathan Goodwin plays the great Charles Dickens with sonorous glee in this Don’t Go Into The Cellar production. The group specialise in recreating outrageous Victorian theatre and they have managed to add a seamy sheen of sinister Victorian smog to the great author’s classic Christmas tale. Bring a coat it gets nippy (and spooky) in the Coffin Works.
Sat 16 Dec 4.30pm & 6.30pm at The Coffin Works, 13-15 Fleet Street, Hockley B3 1JU £10 www.coffinworks.org

White Christmas screening & wine tasting at The Electric Cinema
Is there a more perfect festive film than Bing Crosby’s seminal 1954 musical White Christmas? Go on admit it, just reading the title has got Bing’s warm and cuddly voice swirling around in your head. ‘Just like the one’s we used to know’, ah magic. How about getting your seasonal cockles warmed with a screening of this yuletide classic complemented by Hotel Du Vin’s expert sommelier Tony Elvin’s choice of fine winter wines. White, red, pink, port and obviously a mince pie or two.
Mon 18 Dec 6pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £24 www.theelectric.co.uk

Dirty Old Folkers Christmas Panto at The Kitchen Garden Cafe & The Hare and Hounds
The Dirty Old Folkers bring their inimitable brand of chaotic folkery and comedy stylings to the good citizens of Kings Heath for a Christmas shindig like no other. Reveling in ribald inappropriateness and occasional toilet humour the boys will be performing their own version of Aladdin. This will be the tenth Panto season for the Folkers. There will be surprises and you will probably be offended. Ho ho ho.
Tue 19 Dec & Thu 21 Dec 8pm at Kitchen Garden Cafe, York Street, Kings Heath B14 7SA £13.20 www.wegottickets.com
Sat 23 Dec 8pm at The Hare and Hounds, High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7JZ £11 skiddletickets.com

Christmas Story Box at The Kitchen Garden Cafe
The Birmingham Storytelling Cafe have laid on a bounteous seasonal gift of exquisitely told festive tales, music and dance. Old favourite Graham Langley will be leading the Christmas yarns in his usually extravagantly engaging way, alongside Storytelling Cafe regulars Sharon Carr and Cat Heatherington with music from Pam Bishop.
Wed 20 Dec 6.30pm at Kitchen Garden Cafe, York Street, Kings Heath B14 7SA £7.70 www.wegottickets.com

*Sold out* It’s A Wonderful Life screening at The Edwardian Tearooms, BMAG
Quite simply the greatest Christmas film ever made, if this doesn’t get your festive muscles twitching then you really are the king of humbug. James Stewart’s George Bailey learns just how different the world would be without him, you really won’t know whether to laugh or cry and will probably end up doing both. A special Christmas menu will be available and of course, mulled wine.
Sat 2 Dec 6pm at BMAG, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DH £5 www.birminghammuseums.org.uk

Barbara Nice’s Christmas Cracker at the mac
Mother of five and Kings Heath housewife Barbara Nice comes to the mac for two nights to present her annual Christmas Cracker show in December. All the usual festive activities will be available; tombola, raffle, mince pies and rather a lot of audience participation, so expect to pull a cracker and wear your coloured paper crown with pride. We’re wondering if husband Ken will make it or if he’ll stay at home watching Pointless. Always great fun, Barbara not Ken, and the unexpected will undoubtedly happen.
Fri 15 Dec & Sat 16 Dec 8pm at the mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH £15 macbirmingham.co.uk

Free Karaoke and Christmas Party at The Night Owl
We don’t need much of an excuse to pile down to The Night Owl but free karaoke in Digbeth’s finest Northern Soul establishment might just be one. Whatever your musical poison get some air in those lungs and let rip to your favourite songs. Steven Davis of The Ska 45s is special guest DJ and expect the shenanigans to continue as long as there is grooving on the dance floor.
Thu 21 Dec 8pm at The Night Owl, 17-18 Lower Trinity Street, Birmingham B9 4AG Free www.facebook.com

Raiders Of The Old Skool presents, The Nightmare Before Christmas at Suki 10C
No Christmas is complete without a full on hands in the air rave and luckily for us Raiders of The Old Skool are taking over Suki’s for a night long session of nostalgic beats and energy. Fantazia regular DJ Faydz will be dropping a two hour set into your brains and with three days left till Christmas there’s loads of time to recover.
Fri 22 Dec 9pm at Suki 10C, 21 Bordesley Street, Birmingham B5 5PJ £9.05 www.skiddle.com

Le Freak Christmas Party & Soul Train Final at The Night Owl
Le Freak is one of the finest monthly parties in Birmingham, a friendly vibe mixed with a pumping all night session of the finest in soul, disco and funk. Don’t be surprised if strangers drag you on the springy dance floor, it’s that kind of place. This Christmas special features the Soul Train dance off final, a competition that began in September, with the winners receiving two hundred and fifty nicker, not bad. Get a ticket as it’s cold queuing round the block in Digbeth this time of year.
Sat 23 Dec at The Night Owl, 17-18 Lower Trinity Street, Birmingham B9 4AG £5 www.theticketsellers.co.uk

Check out our alternative Xmas shows feature here, festive food & drink picks here and top 10 festive cinema picks here