Get into the spirit this weekend with holiday events | Entertainment

HolidayLights at CALM: If you haven’t already gone, head out to enjoy this drive-thru display of more than 3 million lights that turned a parking lot into an illuminated wonderland.

The show is open 5 to 9 p.m. daily through Jan. 1 (closed Christmas). Join the entrance line on Lake Ming Road, off of Alfred Harrell Highway (follow the signs).

Admission is $30 per vehicle but no buses, RVs or limousines allowed. Discounts — 20 percent for CALM members (using code CALM2020) and 10 percent for military (MILITARY2020) — are available but those receiving discounts must show proof of membership or service at entrance.

The most important detail about this event is to buy your tickets in advance at calmzoo.org. Some nights sell out and if you wait, you may be turned away, leading to a long ride home with a disappointed family.

Santa’s Holiday Laser Show: How do you turn this Christmas up to 11? Try adding some lasers. This weekend only, check out this drive-in laser show with pyrotechnics at the Kern County Fairgrounds. Watch 25 high-powered lasers produce hundreds of laser beams along with 45-foot-tall screens displaying more laser projections all while relaxing in your own vehicle or tailgating nearby.

Shows will be held 7:30 and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday in the Belle Terrace lot across from the fairgrounds, 1142 S. P St.

Admission is $35 per vehicle, $65 for VIP (parking in rows 2-7) or $80 for VIP exclusive (front-row parking) on Sunday; $45, $65 and $120 for Friday and Saturday. Purchase tickets at santaslasershow.com.

Bakersfield Christmas Town: This annual event at the Kern County Museum has you covered whether you’re OK in a crowd or you want to stay tucked away in your vehicle.

The drive-thru experience is great for older guests and those who get too cold in the outdoor activities that include ice skating, a meet and greet with Santa, 100-foot Jingle Bell Sledding Hill and a Holly Jolly Train Ride.

Hours are 5:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, through Jan. 1 (drive-thru only on Dec. 24 and 25) at the museum, 3801 Chester Ave.

Admission is $20 for walk-thru for attendees 3 and older; vehicle drive-thru $25 Monday through Thursday, $35 Friday and Sunday, $40 Sunday; limos or passenger vans $50 Monday through Thursday, $100 Friday through Sunday. No RVs or buses are allowed.

As an added perk, those who purchase two or more walk-thru tickets will have the drive-thru included in their ticket for that night. And those who purchase a drive-thru ticket can have that amount credited toward the purchase of same-night walk-thru tickets.

Visit christmastown.net for tickets and more information. Tickets can also be purchased at the event.

Christmas at Roberts Lane: You can’t call it a Kern County Christmas without an apple or peach dumpling from Teen Challenge. This year, the local addiction-recovery program is raising funds with a drive-thru event, selling those wonderful homemade fruit desserts as well as tamales, homemade salsa, churros, fresh popped kettle corn and drinks.

Visitors can also say hi to Santa and enjoy listening to the Teen Challenge Christmas Carolers.

The drive-thru runs 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays until Jan. 2 at 301 E. Roberts Lane. Order food on-site or in advance at eventbrite.com.

Theater lovers might be disappointed that three shows — “Elf” at Ovation Theatre, the Gaslight Holiday Extravaganza at the Melodrama and “The Little Mermaid” at Stars — are sold out, but there’s still plenty of on-stage fun to enjoy.

“Big Fish”: If you want a heartwarming show but say “Bah Humbug!” to traditional Christmas fare, check out The Empty Space’s musical in its closing weekend.

Based on the 2003 Tim Burton film “Big Fish,” the musical centers on the relationship between Will Bloom (Alex Mitts) and his father, Edward (Shawn Rader), a former traveling salesman with a penchant for tall stories.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the theater, 706 Oak St. Tickets range from $15 to $20 but you can also splurge on the VIP table for two, ($60) that includes front-row seats, popcorn and special libations for each guest. Tickets at esonline.org.

While you’re there, get some last-minute gift shopping done at the Holiday Boutique, offering options from a variety of local creatives and vendors set up in the theater’s gallery space.

“Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus”: Also closing this weekend is Bakersfield Community Theatre’s Christmas show. Inspired by a real-life newspaper editorial form 1897, the show focuses on 8-year-old Virginia (Lilah Antongiovanni), who is questioning the existence of Santa. A chance meeting with Francis (Josh Carruthers), a newspaper editor trying to find his voice to keep his job, sets everything in motion.

Performances at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the theater, Bakersfield Community Theatre, 2400 S. Chester Ave. Admission is $20, $16 for students, seniors and military. Tickets/reservations available at bctstage.org or by call 661-831-8114.

“A Long Christmas Dinner”: “The Little Mermaid” is sold out at Stars Theatre Restaurant but its sister venue, Stars Playhouse, has 

its own seasonal treat with this play by Thornton Wilder about a family’s holiday meal that changes through the generation.

It’s got it all — life and death, comedy and tragedy, and some extremely poetic writing — according to director John Spitzer.

If you’re worried that might sit a bit heavy on your heart, the evening of Wilder also features two of his other works: “Queens of France,” about a New Orleans lawyer who deceives three women into believing they are each the descendant and rightful heir to the long-lost Dauphin; and “Drunken Sisters,” a”satyr play” in which the Greek god Apollo through gluttony tricks the three sisters of Fate into releasing their death hold on a king.

Shows are 2 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the theater, 2756 Mosasco St.

Admission is $20, $15 for students. The $80 table for two (or three) includes a charcuterie board. Purchase tickets at bmtstars.com, by calling 661-325-6100 or in person one hour prior to showtime.

East Bakersfield Christmas: Mento Buru is bringing an all-ages show to the eastside Rock & Wings in celebration of “East Bakersfield Christmas,” its six-song EP of reimagined holiday classics. Anyone who has driven through this year’s HolidayLights at CALM may have heard these ska-fied takes on seasonal classics such as “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Greensleeves,” “Feliz Navidad” and “The Christmas Song.” Also expect “¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?” in full Spanish and Spanglish versions, and many more danceable tunes.

Also along for the sleigh ride is DJ Mickey Rock.

The free show is at 7 p.m. Saturday at Rock & Wings Eastside, 2858 Niles St. Call 661-432-7743 for more information.

Bad Santa: While most places are offering a classic Santa, Bottleshock Wine + Brew is covering all the bases for the naughty boys and girls out there with its Bad Santa, who pose for photos starting at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Also expect performances by John Goon (Friday) and Mike Peters (Saturday) at 7 p.m. The business will also roll out some new appetizers on its menu as well as a holiday spin on its spiced champagne cocktail. Those starting the party early on Saturday can enjoy a two-for-one deal on the cocktail all day.

Santa lands at 7 p.m. both nights at BottleShock Wine + Brew, 1002 19th St.

Spirits of the season: Head to Tiki-Ko or The Sinking Ship Room to enjoy one of its holiday special cocktails for a good cause.

Options include Hot Buttered Rum (also available in a vegan version), the bright and festive gin-based Home for the Holidays with cranberry and pomegranate syrup; and Bumba Claus, served in a Santa mug, a warm mix of overproof Demarara and dark Jamaican rums, macadamia nut liqueur, chocolate and coconut cream, served in a Santa mug.

My personal favorite is And I Saw Gabby Kissing Santa Claus, featuring Kraken Dark Spiced rum, ginger molasses syrup, coconut cream and pineapple and orange juices that can best be described as an adult liquid gingerbread cookie.

Cocktails are $12 and for each one sold $2 will go to benefit a designated charity. This week is Direct Relief, an organization that aims to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies. It has been active in California concerning the wildfires as well as COVID-19 response efforts.

Starting Wednesday, funds will be raised for NAMI Kern County, which offers free information, education, resources and support for people with mental illness as well as their families and friends.

Head to Tiki-Ko (1919 K St.) is open 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday and 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday. The Sinking Ship Room is open from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday.