COMEDY
Ongoing. The Jukebox Comedy Club features local, regional and nationally known comedians, open Wednesdays through Saturdays.
11/26. Second City’s Dysfunctional Family Revue will take the stage at 7:30pm in the ICC Performing Arts Center.
DANCE
11/4, 11/18, 12/2, 12/16. The Contemporary Art Center hosts Salsa at the CAC on the first and third Fridays of the month from 8:30pm to midnight.
12/2 – 12/3. Central Illinois Ballet presents The Nutcracker in the ICC Performing Arts Center at 7pm, with an additional 2pm matinee on 12/3.
12/10 – 12/11. Peoria Ballet presents The Nutcracker in the Peoria Civic Center Theater, with shows at 2pm both days and at 7:30pm on 12/10.
12/31. A special New Year’s Salsa at the CAC will feature dance lessons and open dancing from 8:30pm to 1am.
EXHIBITS
Ongoing. Sculpture Walk Peoria features 16 large-scale sculptures along Washington Street in downtown Peoria.
Ongoing. The Diocesan Museum in the Spalding Pastoral Center features exhibits on the Peoria Diocese, while the adjacent Fulton J. Sheen Museum offers a permanent exhibit on the life of the famous archbishop.
Thru 11/10. The works of Bill Frakes will be on display in the Heuser Art Center at Bradley University. A lecture will take place on 11/9 at 6pm, followed by a reception from 7 to 8:30pm.
Thru 11/17. Buffalo Street Portraits by Edgar Praus will be on display in the Hartmann Center Gallery at Bradley University.
Thru 11/18. A Veterans’ Art Exhibit will be on display in the ICC Performing Arts Center Gallery, with a reception on 11/9 from 5 to 7pm.
Thru 11/19. Sculptor Marlene Miller’s Blood and Iron: The Warrior Series will be on display at Exhibit A Gallery.
Thru 11/20. Creatures Great and Small, featuring the work of the Peoria Camera Club, will be on display at the Foster Gallery for Christianity and the Fine Arts, with a First Friday Open House on 11/4.
Thru 11/30. Leo: The Life and Legacy of C.L. Best is on display at the Caterpillar Visitors Center.
Thru 12/5. The ICC Art Program will showcase paintings by Bethany Carlson in Gallery 336B.
11/1 – 11/30. An 8×8 exhibit showcasing original works from more than 30 local artists will be on display at Exhibit A Gallery, with an open house on 11/12 from 1 to 4pm.
11/2 – 11/28. I’m Still Me: There is Life after Stroke and Brain Injury, a photo exhibit by Monica Vest Wheeler, will be on display in the Peoria Public Library Main Gallery.
11/3 – 12/28. The Illinois Art League Membership Show/Sale, Anything but Ordinary II, will be on display on the second and third floors of the Time Gallery in East Peoria, with receptions on 11/4 and 12/2 from 4 to 6pm.
11/4, 12/2. Art galleries and artist studios around the region open their doors from 5 to 9pm for First Fridays.
11/11 – 12/16. Staying the Course, featuring the works of artists Jenni Bateman, Nicola Blease-Perry, Ande Lister and Patricia Whalen-Keck will be on display at the Contemporary Art Center. An opening reception featuring music by Preston Jackson and Judy Page runs from 6:30 to 8:30pm on 11/12, with an artist talk at 3pm on 11/13.
11/12 – 3/12/17. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will be on display at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
11/19 – 12/31. Forest Park Nature Center will host a Nature Art Show and Sale from 9am to 5pm Mondays thru Saturdays and 1 to 5pm on Sundays, with an open house at 2pm on 11/19.
11/20. The works of Richard Medina will be on display from 3 to 5pm at Project 1612.
11/21 – 12/21. Bliss of Being – 30 Years of Woodcut Prints by Cathie Crawford will be on display in the Heuser Art Center at Bradley University. An opening reception runs from 6 to 8pm on 12/1.
11/27 – 12/31. The Word Made Flesh: Reflections on the Nativity crèche exhibit will be on display at the Foster Gallery for Christianity and the Fine Arts.
11/30 – 1/16/17. A mixed media exhibit by Spencer Sauter will be on display in the ICC Performing Arts Center Gallery, with an opening reception on 11/30 at noon.
12/1 – 12/9. Of Significance, MA Exhibition by Patricia Whalen Keck, will be on display in the Hartmann Center Gallery at Bradley University, with a reception from 5 to 7pm on 12/9. 
12/3, 12/10. A Holiday Trunk Show featuring local artists will take place from 10am to 4pm at Exhibit A Gallery
HOLIDAY EVENTS
11/11 – 12/16. The 3nd annual A Small Wonder Gift Shop will feature works of all media on sale in Gallery 3R at the Contemporary Art Center.
11/18 – 12/23. Candlelight Walks featuring live holiday music take place from 6 to 9pm every Friday and Saturday at Luthy Botanical Garden.
11/18 – 12/31. Luthy Botanical Garden will host the annual Holiday Poinsettia Show during garden hours.
11/24 – 12/31. The 32nd annual East Peoria Festival of Lights featuring Folepi’s Winter Wonderland runs from 5 to 9pm Sunday thru Thursday, and 5 to 11pm Friday and Saturday, with the Parade of Lights on 11/19.
11/25. Peoria Area Community Events (PACE) presents the 129th annual Santa Claus Parade, the nation’s longest-running holiday parade, in downtown Peoria beginning at 10:15am, and the 24th annual Yule Like Peoria “Holiday Walk-A-Bout,” featuring a variety of live entertainment throughout downtown Peoria, from 6 to 9pm.
12/3 – 12/4. The Peoria Historical Society’s fifth annual holiday home tour, The Splendor of Christmas Past, takes place on 12/3 from 5 to 9pm and 12/4 from 1 to 5pm.
12/17. The Prairie Center of the Arts will host a Holiday Bazaar from 2 to 6pm, featuring over 20 artists selling handmade goods.
12/26 – 12/31. Learn the significance of Mishumaa Saba and Zawadi at the Kwanzaa Display at Luthy Botanical Garden.
LECTURES & PRESENTATIONS
11/10. The Fine Arts Society of Peoria presents The Inimitable Winston Churchill, a presentation by scholar and storyteller Dr. Elliot Engel, at 10am at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
12/8. The Fine Arts Society of Peoria presents Paris Art Nouveau: Its Chicago Origins, a presentation by art historian Rolf Achilles of the Art Institute of Chicago, at 10am at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
MUSIC
Thru 12/30. Live at the Five Spot takes place on Fridays at the Contemporary Art Center from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Upcoming shows include: Dexter O’Neal & the Funk Yard (funk/r&b, 11/4), Bill Porter (blues/rock, 11/11), Robin Crowe Band (country/blues, 11/18), Joe Metzka (blues, 11/25), The Brazilionaires (samba/pop, 12/2), Cousin Eddie (lite rock, 12/9), Spring Creek Station (country/pop holiday music, 12/16), Judy Page & Speak Easy (r&b holiday music, 12/23) and Nathan Taylor & Friends (New Orleans/folk, 12/30).
Thru 12/31. Rhythm Kitchen Music Café features live music on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 to 11pm.
11/1. The Limelight Eventplex presents Reel Big Fish with Masked Intruder and Stacked Like Pancakes at 6pm.
11/1. Hard Bop Jazz Band performs at 7:30pm in the ICC Lecture/Recital Hall Room 127F.
11/3. ICC Vocal Jazz will perform at 7:30pm in the ICC Lecture/Recital Hall Room 127F.
11/4. Stryper’s 30th-anniversary To Hell with the Devil tour comes to the Limelight Eventplex with Michael Layne Band at 6pm.
11/5. Country music singer/songwriter Dylan Schneider performs at the Limelight Eventplex at 6pm.
11/6. The Central Illinois Youth Symphony Small Ensemble concert takes place at the Life Together Center at 2pm.
11/8. Limelight Eventplex presents Invidia with Vyces, White Knuckle Riot and Dwells Within at 6pm.
11/9. The Bradley Percussion Ensemble will perform in the Dingeldine Music Center at Bradley University at 7:30pm.
11/9. Diplomatic Relations presents Direct Hit, Tenement, Tina Sparkle and Drained at Rail II.
11/11. Peoria Cabaret Theatre presents Yvonne Greer in “The Music of Movie Night” in the Broadway Lounge at the Waterhouse at 8pm.
11/12. 105.7 the X and the Limelight Eventplex presents Blue October with Danny Malone at 7pm.
11/12. Acoustic folk duo Curtis and Loretta will perform in the Song from the Woods concert series at 7pm at Forest Park Nature Center.
11/12. The Heritage Ensemble presents An Evening of Jazz from 7 to 10pm in the Life Together Center.
11/13. Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack of the duo Switchback will play as part of the Music in the McKenzie series at the Peoria Public Library North Branch from 2 to 4pm.
11/13. Tedeschi Trucks Band will perform at the Peoria Civic Center at 7:30pm with Amy Helm & the Handsome Strangers.
11/14. The Morton Fine Arts Association presents The Harmonicats at the Bertha Frank Performing Arts Center.
11/14. The ICC Chamber Singers and Concert Choir will perform at 7:30pm in the ICC Performing Arts Center.
11/14. The Peoria Symphony Guild presents Musical Monday with Marcia Henry Liebenow at 7pm at First Federated Church.
11/15. The Bradley Honor Band will perform in the Dingeldine Music Center at 7:30pm.
11/18. Kip Moore brings his “Me and My Kind” tour featuring special guest Jon Pardi to the Peoria Civic Center at 8pm.
11/18. Brian Culbertson performs with Dexter O’Neal & Funk Yard at the Limelight Eventplex at 6pm.
11/19. Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown with special guests SIXX: A.M. and As Lions will play in the Peoria Civic Center Arena at 6pm.
11/19. The Peoria Symphony Orchestra presents Russian Masters with cellist Richard Hirschl at 8pm.
11/20. The Bradley Community Chorus and Bradley Symphony Orchestra will perform at St. Mary’s Cathedral at 4pm.
11/20. The Central Illinois Youth Symphony Fall Orchestral Concerts kick off at 2pm at Metamora High School.
11/20. The Central Illinois Jazz Society presents Illinois Central Jazz Train at 6 and 7:15pm in the Starting Gate Banquet Room at the Landmark Recreation Center.
11/20. Portions of Handel’s Messiah will be performed by the Morton Community Chorus and Orchestra at 3pm at Grace Church in Morton.
11/21. The Bradley Saxophone Ensemble will perform in the Dingeldine Music Center at 7:30pm.
11/23. Brushville and Kickapoo Junction will perform at the Limelight Eventplex at 6pm.
11/26. Country singer Granger Smith will perform with Drew Baldridge and Earl Dibbles Jr. at the Limelight Eventplex at 6pm.
11/30. The Bradley Guitar Ensemble will perform at 7:30pm in Bradley’s Dingeldine Music Center.
12/1. The Central Illinois Youth Symphony Senior Concerto Competition & Recital will take place at the Life Together Center at 6pm.
12/2. Howlin’ on Water… Dueling Pianos will perform in the Broadway Lounge at The Waterhouse at 8pm.
12/9. WWCT & Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment presents Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats at the CT Snowball Concert at Expo Gardens at 8pm.
12/8. Emerging country singer Russell Dickerson performs at the Limelight Eventplex at 7pm
12/10. Wandering Home for the Holidays, featuring the Way Down Wanderers with Sarah Marie Dillard & the Underground and EGI, begins at 7pm at the Limelight Eventplex.
12/10. The Peoria POPS Holiday Extravaganza Concert will take place at 7pm at Five Points Washington.
12/11. Heavy metal band Queensryche will perform with Armored Saint and Midnight Eternal at the Limelight Eventplex at 6pm.
12/12. The Morton Fine Arts Association presents Annie Moses Band in the Bertha Frank Performing Arts Center.
12/14. The Trinity Sanctuary Choir, Woodwind Ensemble, Brass Ensemble and Bells of Joy present A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at Trinity Lutheran Church at 7pm.
12/15. The I Love the ‘90s Tour comes to the Peoria Civic Center at 7pm, featuring Salt N Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Coolio, Tone Loc, Young MC and Rob Base.
12/16. The 105.7-The-X Nutcracker X-Mas show featuring Pop Evil, Red Sun Rising, Holy White Hounds and Citizen Zero kicks off at 6pm at the Limelight Eventplex.
12/30. Country performer Kane Brown performs at 8pm at the Limelight Eventplex.
12/31. Steady Flow with FiLiBuStA, Boogie T. and Herculez will ring in the New Year at the Limelight Eventplex at 7pm.
12/31. Howlin’ on Water… Dueling Pianos’ New Year’s Eve Bash takes place at The Waterhouse with dinner at 7:30pm and show at 9pm. 
POETRY & STORYTELLING
11/3, 12/1. Whisper & Shout, an open mic for poetry, takes place on the first Thursday of each month at the Contemporary Art Center from 8 to 10pm.
11/5. Prairie Storytellers Guild will host guest teller Stephen Hollen as Mark Twain, the greatest American storyteller, at 7pm at the Life Together Center.
11/12. The Fondulac District Library will host powwow music from Eagle Ridge Drum Group, and Jo Lakota will tell American Indian stories from 2 to 4pm to celebrate American Indian Heritage Month.
THEATRE
Thru 11/6. The Broadway blockbuster Wicked returns to the Peoria Civic Center Theater.
11/10 – 11/13. Bradley University Theatre presents Emergency Prom at 8pm with a 2:30 matinee on 11/13.
11/11 – 11/12, 11/17 – 11/20. The Corn Stock Winter Playhouse presents Tea and Sympathy at 7:30pm, with a 2:30pm matinee on 11/20.
11/11 – 11/20. Murder at Café Noir will take place in the ICC Performing Arts Center.
11/11 – 11/13, 11/17 – 11/20. Peoria Players Theatre presents A Christmas Story, a musical, at 7:30pm, with 2pm matinees on Sundays.
12/1 – 12/4. The Conklin Players present Naughty or Nice: A Doo-Wop Christmas at Five Points Washington at 7pm, with a 2pm matinee on Sunday.
12/1 – 12/18. The Ultimate Christmas Show (Abridged), presented by Peoria Cabaret Theatre, will take place in the Broadway Lounge at The Waterhouse.
12/2 – 12/4, 12/7 – 12/11. Eastlight Theatre presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at 7:30pm with 2pm matinees on Sundays.
12/8 – 12/11. The Peoria Park District’s Community Children’s Theatre presents Bugsy Malone at the Bonnie W. Noble Center.
12/9. Lightwire Theatre presents A Very Electric Christmas at the Limelight Eventplex at 6pm. a&s
FOR MORE INFORMATION…
Art Garage—art-garage-studio.com, 231-2511
Art-Space Peoria—facebook.com/artspacepeoria, 868-0474
ArtsPartners of Central Illinois—artspartners.net, 676-2787
Atelier 5835—5835 N. Galena Road, Ste. 105, Peoria, 383-3341
Bradley University Galleries—art.bradley.edu/bug, 677-2989
Bradley University Theatre—bradley.edu/academic/departments/theatre
Caterpillar Visitors Center—visitcaterpillar.com
Central Illinois Artists Organization (CIAO)—ciaopeoria.com
Central Illinois Ballet—ciballet.com, 620-3164
Central Illinois Jazz Society—cijs.org, 692-5330
Central Illinois Youth Symphony—ciys.org, 370-6424
Contemporary Art Center—peoriacac.org, 674-6822
Corn Stock Theatre—cornstocktheatre.com, 676-2196
Diplomatic Relations—facebook.com/diplomaticrelationsil
Ear in the Envelope—820 SW Adams, Peoria, 550-3518
Eastlight Theatre—eastlighttheatre.com, 699-7469
Exhibit A Gallery—exhibitagallery.net, 693-6180
Fine Arts Society of Peoria—fineartssociety.net
First Fridays—peoriafirstfriday.com, ciaopeoria.com
Five Points Washington—fivepointswashington.org, 444-8222
Fondulac District Library—fondulaclibrary.org, 699-3917
Forest Park Nature Center—peoriaparks.org/forest-park-nature-center
Foster Gallery for Christianity and the Fine Arts—fumcpeoria.org, 673-3641
Heritage Ensemble—heritageensemble.com, 550-4242
The Hive—thehive305.com, 360-4880
Howlin’ on Water—howlinonwater.com, 494-9100
Illinois Art League—illinoisartleague.com
Illinois Central College/Arts at ICC—artsaticc.com, 694-5136
Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment—jaytv.com, 839-1220
Jukebox Comedy Club—jukeboxcomedy.com, 673-5853
Limelight EventPlex—limelighteventplex.com, 693-1234
Luthy Botanical Garden—peoriaparks.org/luthy-botanical-garden, 686-3362
Morton Community Chorus—pjw.cc
Morton Fine Arts Association—mortonfinearts.org, 266-5135
Peoria Area Community Events—peoriaevents.com
Peoria Ballet—peoriaballet.com, 690-7990
Peoria Cabaret Theatre—peoriacabarettheatre.com, 494-9100
Peoria Civic Center—peoriaciviccenter.com, (800) 745-3000
Peoria Historical Society—peoriahistoricalsociety.org, 674-1921
Peoria Park District—peoriaparks.org, 681-2861
Peoria Players Theatre—peoriaplayers.org, 688-4473
Peoria Public Library—peoriapubliclibrary.org, 497-2000
Peoria Riverfront Museum—peoriariverfrontmuseum.org, 686-7000
Peoria Symphony Orchestra—peoriasymphony.org, 671-1096
Prairie Center of the Arts—prairiecenterofthearts.org, 657-6767
Prairie Storytellers Guild—prairietellers.us, 682-2915
Project 1612—project1612.com, 798-0375
Rhythm Kitchen Music Café—rhythmkitchenmusiccafe.biz, 676-9668
Sculpture Walk Peoria—sculpturewalkpeoria.org
Spalding Pastoral Center—cdopmuseums.org, 671-1550
Speakeasy Art Center—speakeasyartcenter.com, 267-2058
Sunbeam Building/Studios On Sheridan—sunbeambuilding.com, 573-8404
Toraason Glass—facebook.com/ToraasonGlass
Trinity Lutheran Church—trinitypeoria.com, 676-4609
The Waterhouse—waterhousepeoria.com, 494-9100
Wheel Art Studios—bit.ly/wheelart, 306-1741
