SAN JOSE HEATS UP WITH FALL AND HOLIDAY EVENTS
SAN JOSE, CA (Oct. 8, 2012) – If you’re bummed that Summer fun is over, San Jose’s got you covered with amazing events and exhibits to bring you out of hibernation. From blockbuster exhibits like Mythbusters at The Tech Museum, to holiday festivities such as Downtown’s Christmas in the Park, there are plenty of ways to warm your spirit as the temperature cools down. For continued updates on events, visit www.sanjose.org.
FESTIVALS, HOLIDAY AND BLOCKBUSTER EVENTS
The Tech Museum presents "MythBusters Exhibition" (Oct. 13-Jan. 6) -- The Discovery Channel’s Emmy®-nominated series comes to life to uncover truths behind popular myths by mixing scientific method with gleeful curiosity and old-fashioned ingenuity in MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition. Try hands-on experiments, watch live myth-busting demonstrations, and explore authentic props and gadgets direct from the myth-busting set. www.thetech.org
Pumpkins in the Park (Oct. 13) -- Pumpkins in the Park returns for its 18th year in Guadalupe River Park.
Celebrating the fall harvest season, this free event beckons with a bright orange pumpkin patch, varieties of specialty apples to taste, fresh pressed apple cider, and entertainment by popular children¹s entertainers
Zun Zun, Andy Z and many more. Fun activities for children include pumpkin decorating, bounce houses, and environmental education activities. www.Grpg.org
Fright Nights at Winchester Mystery House (Now through Oct. 31) -- The award-winning Winchester Mystery House attraction "Fright Nights" returns for a second year, transforming the estate into the world’s most terrifying Halloween experience. Filled with haunted walk-through attractions, roaming scare performers, and nightmare inducing tales, “Fright Nights” will once again be an event visitors won’t want to miss. The revamped “Curse of Sarah Winchester Maze” – an interactive, multi-sensory gateway between Heaven and Hell – lets visitors mingle with the undead as they travel through the Corn Fields of Winchester Mystery House®, into the haunted ruins of the family Graveyard and ultimately, to a showdown with Sarah herself as she presides over one of her infamous séances. The “Walk with the Spirits” Flashlight Tour lets guests tour the mansion as they never have before - on their own. Explore the rambling, mysterious mansion with only the moonlight, a souvenir flashlight, and the imagination to provide illumination through the bewildering labyrinth of rooms and stairways. www.winchestermysteryhouse.com.
Halloween Haunt at California’s Great America (Now through Oct. 28) -- The park has been overrun by the forces of the night, ready to bring on an overwhelming fright. The blood curdling horror and mind-bending terror of Halloween Haunt features more than 500 ghastly creatures emerging from the darkness, seven spine-tingling haunted mazes, three themed scare zones, one themed attraction, three head-turning live stage shows plus Great America’s thrill-rides and attractions. Halloween Haunt is a special ticketed event and requires a separate ticket for admission. For up-to-the-minute information, visit http://www.cagreatamerica.com/haunt.
Mommy & Me "Halloween Family Fun Fest," at Santana Row (Oct. 30) -- Superheroes, princesses and little monsters are all invited to Santana Row's Mommy & Me Halloween festivities from 10 a.m. to Noon. Costumed or not, kids can trick-or-treat on The Row, decorate pumpkins, play with balloon animals, get face paintings and listen to music by Andy Z. Complimentary trick-or-treat bags are provided. Capture the day with a 5x7 picture taken by a professional photographer for $10 at the Halloween set in Santana Row Park. For more information, call 408.551.4611 or visit www.SantanaRow.com.
Haunt History Park (Oct. 28) – Kids and parents can haunt History Park from 12 to 4 pm, featuring a Trick Or-Treat Halloween Carnival with treats at the houses in the village, plus carnival games, Costume
Parade, and a Wrap-a-Mummy contest. www.historysanjose.org
San Jose Fall Home & Landscape Show (Nov. 2-4) – The Home Show is an event designed for homeowners in all stages of remodeling, landscaping and decorating their homes. Each event includes hundreds of home improvement and landscaping exhibits with product demonstrations and sample interior and exterior vignettes. San Jose Convention Center. www.acshomeshow.com
Harvest Festival Original Art & Craft Show (Nov. 23-25) -- One of the largest indoor art & craft shows on the West Coast, this festival features hundreds of artisans exhibiting American handmade items including beautiful jewelry, clothing, specialty foods, photography, original art, hand-turned wood, music, ceramics and much more. San Jose Convention Center. www.harvestfestival.com
Christmas in the Park (Nov. 23 – Jan. 1) - Anchored by a festive tree lighting and the San Jose Holiday Parade, and displays like the Santa Claus Railroad and the reindeer bar, Christmas in the Park is a fond family tradition in Silicon Valley. This popular event features 60 musical and animated exhibits, glittering lights and the 60-foot Community Giving Tree. Cesar Chavez Park. www.christmasinthepark.com.
PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS
San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (Now through Oct. 27) -- The Annual Art Exhibition and Auction is one of Silicon Valley’s cultural events of the year, featuring more than 150 works in a wide range of media by emerging and established contemporary artists. All works in the exhibition are auctioned at a Silent Auction on Saturday, October 6th and at a Live Auction Gala on Saturday, October 27th. www.sjica.org
Lyric Theatre presents The Merry Widow– (Now through Oct. 14) -- The Ambassador of bankrupt Pontevedro is determined that rich widow Anna Glavari marry one of her countrymen to keep her money in the country. Anna's former lover, however, refuses to court her for her fortune, and she refuses to marry him until he says "I love you.” Plays at the Montgomery Theater. www.lyrictheatre.org
Nederlander Concerts presents "Belly Dance Superstars" (Oct. 10) -- Featuring an array of dance movements, captivating music, glamour and pageantry at the San Jose Civic. www.nederlanderconcerts.com
Nederlander Concerts presents "Snow Patrol" (Oct. 21) – Enjoy Snow Patrol at the San Jose Civic. This Irish/Scottish five‐piece have sold over 11 million albums and have been responsible for several era-defining singles, including Run, Chocolate, and Chasing Cars (which spent an incredible 104 weeks in the UK Top 75 and was voted song of the decade in a Channel 4 poll). www.nederlanderconcerts.com
Symphony Silicon Valley presents "Symphonie Espagnole" (Oct. 20-21) -- Maestro John Nelson is noted worldwide for his mastery of large-scale Romantic music, and this concert is made to order. Written for the supreme Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, it tests the most skilled of violinists, and SSV has invited the young international sensation Karen Gomyo, to perform this work. California Theatre. www.symphonysiliconvalley.org
Memphis The Musical (Oct. 23-28) -- From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes a hot new Broadway musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love. Inspired by actual events, MEMPHIS is about a radio DJ who wants to change the world and a club singer who is ready for her big break. San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. www.Broadwaysanjose.com
Celebrate El Día De Los Muertos at The San Jose Museum of Art (Oct. 27) – This free community day offers a wide variety of multigenerational activities: hands-on art-making, live music, dance performances, storytelling, and an eclectic mix of artistic experiences. Discover an ofrenda (an altar used to honor memories of loved ones) and Catrina dolls (seven-foot-high traditional sculptures) by local artists. Live entertainment includes mariachi music, baile folklórico (folk dance), roaming calaca (skull) performers, and storytelling by Olga Loya, author of Momentos Mágicos. Decorate calaveras de azucar (sugar skulls), make skeleton puppets, and more. www.sanjosemuseumofart.org
Dive Deep: Eric Fischl and the Process of Painting at the San Jose Museum of Art (Oct 27-May 2) -- The San Jose Museum of Art is the only West Coast venue for this exhibition, which offers a rare glimpse into the working process of this influential American painter through 13 of his major paintings (including the beach and suburban scenes for which his is famous) and more than 100 related studies. www.sanjosemuseumofart.org
Bollywood King Mika Singh – Live in Concert (Nov. 3) – This Bollywood singer, composer, performer and songwriter and has belted out many chart busters from his private albums and Bollywood films. San Jose Civic. www.aaaentertainments.com
Marquez Brothers Public Dance (Oct. 27-28) -- The San Jose Convention Center rocks with the hottest Mexican bands. www.elmexicanopresenta.com
Opera San Jose presents "Strauss' Die Fledermaus" (Nov. 10-25) -- Set in 19th-century Vienna, this delightful farce is filled with effervescent melodies, lilting waltzes and charming sentiment. From the sparkling overture to the rollicking tribute to champagne, the Waltz King’s madcap masterpiece is the jewel of the golden age of operetta. California Theatre. www.operasj.org
“Amy Kaufman: b + w” at San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (Nov. 10-Feb. 9) – Enjoy large-scale charcoal drawings by this notable Bay Area artist. www.sjica.org
“Charles Ginnever: Rashomon” at San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (Nov. 17- Feb. 16) -- The museum will host the California premiere of this 15-piece steel sculpture installation modeled for this internationally acclaimed artist’s Rashomon Series. www.sjica.org
Children’s Musical Theater presents “Barnum” (Nov. 15-18) -- “Step right up!” Based on the life of showman P. T. Barnum this musical covers the beginnings of “The Greatest Show on Earth!” Nominated for a Tony and Drama Desk award for Best Musical, this show features jugglers, trapeze artists, clowns and music. www.cmtsj.org
Nederlander Concerts presents "Fresh Beat Band" (Nov. 17) -- The Fresh Beat Band, Nickelodeon's popular preschool music group and stars of the hit TV series of the same name, performs at the San Jose Civic. www.nederlanderconcerts.com
Cathy Ridby is Peter Pan (Nov. 20-25) -- Tony Award nominee Cathy Rigby takes flight in an all new production of Peter Pan! Discover the magic all over again of this two time Emmy award winning and two time Tony award nominated production. San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. www.Broadwaysanjose.com
Children’s Musical Theater presents “Les Miserables” (Nov. 30-Dec. 9) -- San Jose's innovative Children's Musical Theater is the first regional theater in the Bay Area to produce the Broadway sensation, "Les Misérables." The show, running at the Montgomery Theater in San Jose, is one of CMT's Marquee Productions -- which use alumni and grown-up actors. www.cmtsj.org
Nederlander Concerts presents "Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberal Tour" (Dec. 1) – Enjoy an evening of stand-up sets from Miller followed by a panel discussion on topics of the week and local news. Audience members can direct specific questions to the Miller at the end of the evening. Miller wants the audience to know, "Yes, politics are a big part of the evening but it's about being funny first…and foremost." www.nederlanderconcerts.com
San Jose Dance Theater presents The Nutcracker in collaboration with Los Gatos Ballet (Nov. 30-Dec. 2) -- The Silicon Valley Symphony joins forces in collaboration with the San Jose Dance Theatre for the third year in a row in the 47th annual production of the Nutcracker Ballet in beautiful downtown San José. Let Tchaikovsky’s endearing timeless masterpiece carry you to a better place. San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. www.sjdt.org
San Jose Symphonic Choir presents "32nd Annual You-Sing-It Messiah" (Dec. 3) – Enjoy the 30th annual You-Sing-It Messiah, a community sing-along of Handel’s beloved oratorio and a December tradition. www.sanjosesymphonicchoir.org
Nederlander Concerts presents "Tower of Power & WAR" (Dec. 8) -- For over 40 years, Tower of Power has been creating their own style of soul music. Enjoy their unique brand of music, labeled by the band's leader and founding member Emilio Castillo as "Urban Soul Music," at the San Jose Civic. www.nederlanderconcerts.com
Symphony Silicon Valley presents "Carols in the California" (Dec. 8) -- Ring in the holidays at the California Theatre with a festival of carols sung by the Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale. The Symphony's resident chorus and its conductor Elena Sharkova are joined by the world-acclaimed Sonos Handbell Ensemble in a program of delightful holiday music. www.symphonysiliconvalley.org
Ballet San Jose presents “The Nutcracker” (December 8-23) -- This treasured holiday classic gets a brand new look with choreography from Ballet San Jose's own Karen Gabay and sets and costumes from American Ballet Theatre. Symphony Silicon Valley, under the baton of Ballet San Jose Music Director and Conductor George Daugherty, performs Tchaikovsky. Arrive early and enjoy carolers in the lobby of the Center for the Performing Arts and meet characters from the show. www.balletsj.org.
Nederlander Concerts presents "The Legend of Zelda" Symphony of the Goddesses (Dec. 14) -- Based on one of the most popular and beloved games of all time, “The Legend of Zelda™: Symphony of the Goddesses” tour is a spectacular concert that features live orchestral performances of theme music from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda franchise. www.nederlanderconcerts.com
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Team San Jose (TSJ)
Team San Jose, Inc. is an innovative partnership unifying the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau, hotels, arts, labor and venues to deliver an exceptional visitor experience and serve as the gateway to San Jose as a destination. Our company manages the San Jose Convention Center and Arts and Entertainment venues including the California Theatre, the Center for the Performing Arts, Montgomery Theater, Parkside Hall, San Jose Civic and South Hall. For more information about San Jose and Team San Jose, please visit the new www.sanjose.org.
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