Enter Cambridge and you cross a threshold into a unique world. Cambridge is a place where you can find both style and substance. Creativity blends with innovation and history. Diversity reigns. Art — with a capital A — imbues every neighborhood and walk of life.
Day and night, the arts are seen and heard everywhere in Cambridge. Public Artwork mirrors the city’s urban rhythms. Street Performers enliven parks, sidewalks and plazas. While theater-goers wrap around street corners awaiting the next show, jazz, rock, hip-hop and classical music reverberate from cafes, restaurants and nightclubs. Each city square — Central, Harvard, Inman, Kendall, Porter and Trolley — conjures its own soundtrack, colors and flavors.
This winter, try something new in Cambridge! Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” is the most up-close and vivid version of the beloved holiday story you will ever experience. Sparklefest in Harvard Square offers nonstop events throughout the season — beginning with Folk Music Month and moving on to latkes, tree lighting and artisanal craft markets.
For family fun, visit East Cambridge on Dec. 17 for Kendall Square Holiday on Ice, featuring professional figure skating performances, hot chocolate, pizza and open skating — all free!
Next, can you imagine six human deer dancing? Instead of turtle doves this holiday season, let me suggest a new twist: Winter Solstice Night at the Museum. On Dec. 21 at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, celebrate the start to winter with a performance of the traditional Abbots Bromley Horn Dance by the Christmas Revels’ Pinewoods Morris Men, and take in the museum’s horns and antlers exhibition.
Eager to flex your musical chops? Check out the many classes and community programs for all ages at Longy School of Music. For powerhouse musical muscle that will warm your heart and soul, you will not want to miss the Multicultural Arts Center’s 25th Annual Joyful Noise Gospel Concert with the Harlem Gospel Choir, honoring Martin Luther King Jr., on Jan. 14 in Harvard’s Sanders Theatre.
If you think you know Cambridge, get ready for a variety of arts encounters that paint a new picture of this one-of-a-kind city. I invite you to join us this holiday season, and take a walk on the Cambridge side of life!
-Jason Weeks, Executive Director Cambridge Arts Council
