Events for the week ahead: Community holiday lighting festivals, “Elf the Musical” comes to Seattle, Mary Bridge Festival of Trees and more happenings

Mary Bridge Children’s Festival of Trees will take over the Greater Tacoma Convention Center, 1500 Broadway, and present more than 40 trees decorated in all types of themes. Hours are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday (Dec. 1) and 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $6, $2 for students and children 12 and younger are free. All proceeds benefit Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. For more information, go to multicare.org/festival.

Designed to embrace your inner elf, “Elf The Musical,” tells the story of Buddy, who thinks he’s an elf after being transported to the North Pole as a baby. The Broadway musical is opening at the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle, on Tuesday and will continue through Dec. 10. Tickets are $45-$100 and are available at stgpresents.org.

In its 25th year, the Deck The Hall Ball is an evening of rock with The Killers, The Lumineers, Portugal. The Man, Odesza and others. The show will begin at 3 p.m. Tuesday at KeyArena, 305 Harrison St., Seattle. Tickets start at $55 and are available through Ticketmaster.

Local cities are celebrating the holiday with these community events:

▪ Explore Candy Cane Lane with boutique vendors, see the Winter Wonderland Lego displays and join in family-friendly activities at the City of Lakewood Tree Lighting Ceremony and Parade from 5:30-8 p.m. Friday (Dec. 1) at Lakewood City Hall, 6000 Main St. SW. It’s all free.

▪ Head out to the Old Town Christmas Celebration at the Job Carr Cabin Museum, 2350 N. 30th St., Tacoma. Santa will be there, holiday choirs will perform and there will be stories and crafts for the kids from 1-3:30 p.m. Saturday. The event is free but donations of non-perishable food items are suggested for the St. Leo Food Connection. Call 253-267-5405 for more information.

▪ The Gig Harbor Tree Lighting ceremony will be from 5-7 p.m. Saturday at the Skansie Brothers Park, 3207 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor. Santa will be there and there will be live entertainment, music and refreshments. It’s all free.

▪  Auburn’s Santa Parade and Tree Lighting will include a children’s parade followed by community caroling and other community fun, starting at 4 p.m. Saturday. The tree is at City Hall and the day’s free events are on Main Street in downtown Auburn. For more information, call 253-931-3043.

▪ The Sixth Avenue Santa Parade in the Sixth Avenue Business District in Tacoma will have roaming carolers, an event stage and the parade from State to Alder streets. Events will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday and are free. Go to on6thave.org/santa-parade-2017 for more information.

▪ The City of Fircrest Tree Lighting ceremony will start at 7 p.m. Sunday. Carolers will perform before the lighting and refreshments, a visit with Santa and more entertainment will follow at the Recreation Center, 555 Contra Costra Ave., Fircrest.

The PJ Masks Live: Time to Be a Hero show will come to McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St., Seattle on Tuesday. Catboy, Owlette and Gekko will come to life on stage in a leaping, flipping and climbing adventure. The show will be at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $18.50-$52 and available at Ticketmaster.

The Tacoma Musical Playhouse’s “A Big Band Christmas” will offer Christmas music by Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Chick Webb, Count Bassie and others. Tacoma’s Swing Reunion Orchestra, an 18-piece big band with vocalists, will take part in the show at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Tacoma Musical Playhouse, 7116 Sixth Ave., Tacoma. Tickets are $25 and available by phone at 253-565-6867 or online at tmp.org.

The 10th annual Tacoma Festival of the Nativity will celebrate the diversity of the Christmas Créche with lighted displays of more than 900 nativities from around the world. Hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the exhibit will also feature vocal and instrumental music. Hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday (Dec. 1) through Sunday. Non-perishable food items are requested for the Emergency Food Network. The free festival will be at the Tacoma North Stake, 1102 S. Pearl St., Tacoma. Go to tacomanativity.org for more information.

This story was originally published December 1, 2017 at 7:20 AM with the headline "Events for the week ahead: Community holiday lighting festivals, “Elf the Musical” comes to Seattle, Mary Bridge Festival of Trees and more happenings."