Great Escape: Lights, Theatre and Big Movie Releases

Festive Light Displays and More:

• Slater Memorial Park in Pawtucket will have the holiday lights lit and decorations on display through the month of December, including this holiday weekend from 4-8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more information contact Pawtucket Parks and Recreation at 401-728-0500 ext. 252 or visit www.pawtucketri.com.
• Just over the state line in Attleboro, The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette hosts its Christmas Festival of Lights daily from 5-9 p.m. through January 1, including Christmas Eve and Christmas. This event is free to everyone. For more details visit La Salette or call (508) 222-5410.
• The Holiday Lantern Tours of Historic Newport will take place on Dec. 23 at 4:30 p.m. Tours depart from the Brick Market Museum & Shop on Thames Street. You’ll learn all about Newport’s holiday traditions while taking a lantern-lit stroll through downtown Newport. Reservations are recommended. For more information and ticket prices call 401-841-8770 or visit Christmas in Newport.
• There will be special Christmas skating hours at the Bank of America ice skating rink in downtown Providence this weekend. The rink will be open for you to enjoy on Dec. 24 from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Dec. 25, Christmas Day, from 4-10 p.m. Visit Ice Skating for more information.

Theatre:

• There’s still time to catch It’s A Wonderful Life, A Live Radio Play at Trinity Repertory Company. There are show times on Dec. 22-24. For more details and ticket information visit Trinity Rep.
• The Mixed Magic Theatre in Pawtucket will hold its 12th Annual production of A Kwanzaa Song Dec. 22-24. Learn all about the seven principles of Kwanzaa through this music, dance and storytelling presentation. Visit  www.mmtri.com for ticket information and show times.

At the Movies:

• If you’ve read Stieg Larsson’s number one best seller, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, part of the Millennium Trilogy Series, you won’t want to miss this week’s opening of the motion-picture version starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, and Christopher Plummer. This movie opened on Dec. 21 in wide release.
• Also opening this week on Dec. 23 in wide release are two family-friendly  movies: The Adventures of Tintin, the new animated film by Steven Spielberg about a young reporter named Tintin and his pursuit of a story that takes him and his friends on a treasure hunt, and, We Bought a Zoo, a movie based on a true story about a recently-widowed father, played by Matt Damon, who moves his family to an estate that happens to be an old, run-down zoo. For show times and more details about all of this weekend’s releases visit Moviefone.

Local Happenings:

• The Dead Rabbitts take the stage at Ball’s Sports Bar and Grille on Putnam Pike on Dec. 23 at 9:30 p.m.
• Catch the Patriots when they play at home against the Miami Dolphins at Bar 101 on Dec. 24 from noon until 5 p.m.