December 7, 2012

The Ecology Center Farmers' Market 21st Annual Hliday Crafts Fair
Saturdays, December 8, 15 & 22 | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm 
Civic Center Park, on Center Street between MLK and Milvia
 
The 21st annual Holiday Crafts Fair brings together local craftspeople & artisans to sell a wonderful variety of beautiful & useful handcrafted gifts. Come for ceramics, fine art, jewelry, cards, clothes, tote bags, body products, toys, and more with live music. Adjacent to the Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Market, which will have the usual great selection of local produce and hot lunch options.

A Down Home Christmas with Nell & Jim
Thursday, December 13 - Friday, December 21 | 
Aurora Theatre Company | 2081 Addison St.
 
Aurora Theatre Company presents a "house" concert for the holidays filled with country and Christmas classics, as well as original numbers from Nell and Jim's new album House & Garden. Nell Robinson and Jim Nunally write and record roots music reminiscent of classic country duos, and are featured performers at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the Strawberry Music Festival, and the Kennedy Center. A Down Home Christmas re-creates that home for the holidays feeling with a joyous, intimate concert full of harmony and heart.

Friday, December 14 | 9:00 pm 'til late
Subterranean Arthouse | 2179 Bancroft Way |
$10-$20 sliding scale donation
 
The Subterranean Arthouse's 3rd annual Chanukah party, in collaboration with Hungry for Yiddish! A Mitzvah Project, and co-presented by KlezCalifornia and the Jewish Music Festival will feature: Yiddish songs by Heather Kleins' Inextinguishable Trio and Anthony Mordechai Russell, Yiddish dance by Bruce Bierman, and Saul Goodman's Klezmer Orkestar. Proceeds from this event will be donated to the Berkeley Food Pantry, which provides hunger relief in Berkeley and Albany.

The Marsh Annual Bash
Saturday, December 15 | 7:00 pm 
The Marsh Berkeley | 2120 Allston Way | $20-$35 sliding scale
 
Last year was so much fun that we have decided to open up The Marsh Holiday Party to everybody for the second year running. Public, press, new friends and treasured old friends - everyone is invited, so that we can all share in a cup of good cheer and enjoy holiday tales told by the best storytellers in town! Come and enjoy special seasonally-themed cocktails at our full bar, plus hot-mulled cider, cookies - and, if all goes well, 144 mini kugels made by our artistic director, Stephanie Weisman!



Holiday Donation Drives
Alameda County Food Bank | Donate at Downtown Berkeley YMCA | 2001 Allston Way

 

Berkeley High School Holiday Meal | Saturday, December 15 | Food & monetary donations accepted | Fresh food drop-off on Friday, December 14 - Saturday, December 15 | Monetary donations addressed to Berkeley High School ATTN: John Villavicencio |
1980 Allston Way

Berkeley Food & Housing Project's Annual Gifts for the Forgotten | Donations in $10 increments provide hats, socks, gloves & scarves to the homeless
Berkeley Food & Housing Project's 2012 Holiday Food Box Program | Donation drop-off on Friday, December 14 | 2362 Bancroft Way

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) Holiday Gift Program | In-kind and monetary donations accepted | 510-649-1930 x221 | [email protected]

Toys for Tots | City of Berkeley Police & Fire Departments | Donate at Berkeley Fire Stations & Ronald T. Tsukamoto Public Safety Building | 2100 MLK Jr. Way |
Apply to receive toys by calling 2-1-1



Special Holiday Menus
Monday, December 24 | Christmas Eve Dinner in Paris | Bistro Liaison | $50 per person, $25 children's menu | Reservations required | 510-849-2155 

Monday, December 24 | Victorian Christmas Eve Dinner | Revival Bar + Kitchen | $65 prix fixe menu

Tuesday, December 25 | Christmas Day Brunch | FIVE Restaurant | 2086 Allston Way | 10:30 am - 3:30 pm | $65 per person, $25 per child ages 6-12, free for children 5 & under

email: [email protected] web: downtownberkeley.com Tel: 510.549.2230