Metro Phoenix’s Best Things to Do This Week: Tianguis Night Market, Hanukkah, and More

The countdown is on. Mere days are left until Christmas and some folks are scrambling to purchase gifts, deck the halls, and maybe even find some time to enjoy the holidays. Need some help figuring out how to fit it all in? Maybe we can help.

Over the next few days, there are opportunities around the Valley for last-minute shopping, treat-making, and celebrating the holidays (be it Christmas or Hanukkah). Plus, you can also test your Seinfeldian trivia skills, witness the amazing feats of an old-world-style circus, or attend a screening of a horror film classic.

Read on for more information about these (and other) events happening from Monday, December 19, to Thursday, December 22. And for more things to do in the Valley, visit Phoenix New Times’ online calendar.

Seinfeld Trivia

Seinfeld, the infinitely popular TV show about absolutely nothing, sure left us with a new vocabulary and a lot to discuss, like low-talkers, close-talkers, anti-dentites, manziers, and mimbos. If you know what any, or all, of those terms mean, or have the intricacies of characters Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer’s lives burned into your memory, you’ll want to throw down during Seinfeld Trivia. The competition for prizes and bragging rights is hosted by Em, and — given how we’re near the zenith of the holiday season — may or may not include some questions about Festivus. Sign-ups start at 7 p.m. in the Rose Room. The 21-and-over trivia throwdown that is real and spectacular begins promptly at 8 on Tuesday, December 20, at Valley Bar, 130 North Central Avenue. Admission is free. Visit the Valley Bar website. Amy Young

Tianguis Winter Night Market

Look, we get it. Everyone’s lives are hectic these days, particularly during the holiday rush, and things like buying gifts get forgotten or pushed to the very last minute. That’s where events like the Tianguis Winter Night Market at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore, 906 West Roosevelt Street, come in handy. The outdoor event from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, December 20, will be populated by a wealth of local artisans, creatives, and vendors offering their wares for sale. Food and hot beverages will also be available for purchase, local DJs will be spinning up sounds, and fire pits will be set up. It’s free to attend. Call 602-595-9600 or visit the Palabras website for more. Benjamin Leatherman

The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley

Did you ever wonder what happened to the Bennett girls after the end of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice? The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley at Arizona Theatre Company, 222 East Monroe Street, is a light-hearted imagining of a winter gathering after the events of the classic novel. In the play, Lydia Bennett (now Wickham) is visiting her sister, Elizabeth, and brother-in-law, Mr. Darcy, at their grand estate, though without her good-for-nothing husband. Also staying for Christmas are the rest of the Bennett clan, including Jane and her husband, Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Darcy's sister. But the extended family aren't the only characters in the play; we also meet head housekeeper Mrs. Reynolds and several other members of the staff. And when Mr. Wickham, who had planned to stay away, shows up to the family celebration, chaos ensues. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 20, and Thursday, December 22; and 2 p.m. Tuesday, December 20, Wednesday, December 21, and Thursday, December 22. Tickets are $25 to $102. Jennifer Goldberg

Hanukkah at Crescent!

Click here for more details. Hanukkah has officially begun and there are events across the Valley the next several nights where you can commemorate the Festival of Lights, set candles ablaze, and even dance the Hora (hopefully without looking as awkward as King Charles). One of the hippest celebrations, though, can be found inside the lounge at Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Avenue, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 21. They’ll have Hanukkah staples available for purchase, such as sufganiyot (or Israeli jelly doughnuts) and latkes. (Other food and drink options include brisket tacos and Brooklyn Brewery beers.) A menorah-lighting ceremony is also planned and local pianist and vocalist Rick Naimark will perform a special Hanukkah set. Admission is free. Benjamin Leatherman

The Thing

If you need proof of the fallibility and shortsightedness of film critics, the backlash against John Carpenter’s The Thing is a textbook example. Upon its release in 1982, the masterfully crafted paranoiac splatterfest about a parasitic shape-shifting alien that decimates a group of Antarctic researchers was eviscerated by critics (who lambasted it as a “moron movie of the ‘80s” and “instant junk”). Forty years later, the movie is anything but reviled, as it's become a horror classic lauded for its nihilistic tone, relentless suspense, and creepy special effects. Experience the thrills and chills of The Thing when it screens at 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday, December 21, and Thursday, December 22, at Majestic Neighborhood Cinema Grill, 1140 E. Baseline Road in Tempe. Tickets are $8 for either showing. Benjamin Leatherman

Zoppé: An Italian Family Circus

It all started when a clown, Napoline Zoppé, laid his eyes on a ballerina, Ermenegilda, back in 1842. He was in love, her father didn’t approve, and so the pair literally ran away to start a circus and never looked back. Six generations later, Zoppé: An Italian Family Circus is still in the family, which will showcase their talented friends from around the globe stun crowds with high-flying acrobatics, rolla bolla performances, old-world charm, and more under the big top at Bell Bank Park, 1 Legacy Drive in Mesa, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 21, and Thursday, December 22. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $45 for VIP seating. Additional performances will take place through January 1. Christina Caldwell