THURSDAY 12/22

Local news anchor Craig O’Neill gives a reading of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. for Grinchfest, complete with a costume competition for guests dressed as residents of Whoville, a holiday photo booth, crafts and green ice cream from Purple Cow, Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library. Club Level holds an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party to benefit Toys for Tots, 8 p.m., $10, $5 with donation of toy, jacket, blanket or clothes. Adam Faucett & The Tall Grass take the stage at the White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. Mike Smith headlines at The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m. Thu.; $8, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Fri., $12. The Ben Miller Band, supercharged with the talents of Tyrannosaurus Chicken, casts its stomp trance on the audience at George’s Majestic Lounge, 8 p.m., $12. Walton Arts Center’s Baum Walker Hall, Fayetteville, hosts a one-night performance of “The Hip-Hop Nutcracker,” 7 p.m., $22. Charlotte Taylor and her band Gypsy Rain play a show at Cajun’s Wharf, 9 p.m., $5.

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FRIDAY 12/23

Afrodesia Studio of Performing Arts hosts The Season: A Fly Soliloquy, featuring poetry and spoken word performances from Oya Orisha, Gensu Lung’aho, Meyonsha Riddles, Price The Poet (Donald Ray Price), xVallejox (Vallejo Lee), Futa (Futa Svgp Holloway), Olanzo Carver, Southwest Boaz and Fiyah Burnz (BruckShot Da Barbarian), 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road, 9 p.m., $5-$10. Resident drag artist Symone curates the show at Club Sway for “Symone Says,” 9 p.m. Fire & Brimstone plays a free set at Tavern Sports Bar and Grill, 7:30 p.m. Power Ultra Lounge hosts Jingle Mingle Cocktail Party with music from DJ Swift and DJ Nick Hud, 9 p.m., $10, cocktail attire required. The Foul Play Cabaret burlesque troupe tantalizes at Maxine’s in Hot Springs, 9 p.m. Mixtape master M. Bolez spins his mixes at Smoke & Barrel in Fayetteville, 10 p.m., free. Mountain View-born guitar duo Two Dudes play a free show at The Main Cheese, 6 p.m. At Oaklawn, the Christine DeMeo Band rings in the holiday at Silk’s Bar and Grill, 10 p.m., and Susan Erwin sings at Pop’s Lounge, 6 p.m. Texarkana brings its honky-tonk sound to Markham Street Grill & Pub, 8:30 p.m., free. Lightwire Theatre brings “A Very Electric Christmas” to Walton Arts Center’s Baum Walker Hall, Fayetteville, 7 p.m., $10-$20. Big Shane Thornton plays at TC’s Midtown Grill in Conway, 9 p.m. The Josh Parks Band performs at Thirst N’ Howl, 8 p.m. Se7en Social Lounge hosts an Alumni Christmas Jam featuring Dr. Feel Good and benefiting children at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, 8 p.m., $10. The Rev Room hosts a “Winter Bassland” with bass-heavy electronic dance music and snow machines, 7 p.m., $5-$10.

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SATURDAY 12/24

Stone’s Throw hosts Christmas Eve karaoke with its new brew, Off the Wal-Nut Milk Stout, 6 p.m.

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WEDNESDAY 12/28

Self-described “girl gang” Dazz & Brie brings tunes from the new release “Can’t Afford California” to South on Main with Rah Howard, 8:30 p.m., $10. Christine DeMeo plays a free show at the Tavern Sports Bar & Grill, 7:30 p.m. Comedian Kristin Key riffs on her upbringing as the daughter of a Church of Christ minister with a series of shows at The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m. Thu., $8; 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., $12-$26. The Joint holds its weekly improv comedy show, The Joint Venture, 8 p.m., $8.

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THURSDAY 12/29

Songwriters Jack Ferrara and Tiffany Lee share a bill at South on Main, 10 p.m., $10. Mojo Depot closes out the year at the White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. The UALR Trojans women’s basketball team plays the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns at the Jack Stephens Center, 6:30 p.m. The Joint Theater and Coffeehouse in Argenta will screen “Dark Side of the Rainbow” and serve craft beer specials, 7-10 p.m.

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FRIDAY 12/30

Will Downing headlines “Sophisticated Sounds of Soul” at the Robinson Center, featuring Najee and Genine Perez, 8 p.m., $50-$60. The Rev Room hosts a burlesque and drag show, Shimmy and Shake for Standing Rock, to benefit the Dakota Pipeline protestors, 8:30 p.m., $12. Fayetteville duo Rozenbridge offers cello and guitar covers at Maxine’s, Hot Springs, 9 p.m. High Rise gives a show at JJ’s Grill in Conway, 8:30 p.m. White Mansions and Sad Palomino share a bill at Smoke and Barrel, Fayetteville, 10 p.m., free. Over at Oaklawn, Moxie plays Silk’s Bar and Grill, 10 p.m., free, and Susan Erwin plays the happy hour set at Pop’s Lounge, 5 p.m. TC’s Midtown Grill in Conway serves up beloved burgers to the tunes of Malicious Groove, 9 p.m. Stingray Boots, featuring two members of American Lions, plays at The Main Cheese, 8 p.m. George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville celebrates its 90th birthday with a bash featuring The Cate Brothers, Mountain Sprout, The Squarshers, Irie Lions, Henry + the Invisibles and more, 6 p.m.

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SATURDAY 12/31

The UALR Trojans women’s basketball team plays the University of Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at the Jack Stephens Center, 1 p.m., followed by a faceoff from the corresponding men’s basketball teams, 3 p.m. See A&E news (page 21) for a New Year’s Eve roundup.

SUNDAY 1/1

The Rev Room features Jeff D. McMillon IV, Ronel Williams, Kinfoke Clique, Olanzo Carver, Trey Baggett, Gensu Lung’aho, Meyonsha, Young Mill, Mixed Theory and 540 for Indie Music Night, 8 p.m. Jazz brunch at Skinny J’s in Argenta features music from saxophonist Michael Eubanks, 10 a.m.

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MONDAY 1/2

Public Domain plays a post-revelry set at Smoke and Barrel, Fayetteville, 10 p.m., free. The UALR Trojans men’s basketball team plays the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at the Jack Stephens Center, 7 p.m. Folk duo Still on the Hill plays a free show at the Faulkner County Library in Conway, 2 p.m.

TUESDAY 1/3

The Ron Robinson Theater screens “The Lovers and the Despot,” the true story of a kidnapped couple who spent eight years making films in North Korea, 6 p.m., $5.

WEDNESDAY 1/4

The Ron Robinson Theater screens the tale of Laura Albert’s literary persona, “Author: The J.T. Leroy Story,” 6 p.m., $5

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