The top 10: Shopping, men in high-heeled shoes and musical Shack Shakers

Texas Ballet Theater’s ‘The Nutcracker’

1 It’s a December tradition for young and old that this year will feature dancers from Australia’s Queensland Ballet at some performances. The Texas Ballet Theater moves its run of the holiday classic from Dallas to Fort Worth, beginning Friday. Performances, including several Saturday and Sunday matinees with free kids activities such as story time and crafts, run through Dec. 24 at Bass Hall. Tickets are $20-$115; kids activities are free with matinee ticket purchase. Bass Hall is at 525 Commerce St., Fort Worth. 877-828-9200; www.texasballettheater.org

Winter Wonderland in the Foundry District

2 Need another shot at shopping “small” this month? Try this event organized by the shops — and invited vendors — of this warehouse district tucked between West Seventh Street and White Settlement Road, from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Forget Santa, and take a holiday photo with the Grinch instead. Then, grab some hot chocolate or cider and watch people rap while others wrap presents for charity. Artist Katie Murray will construct a Christmas tree from found objects, too. 200 Carroll St., Fort Worth. www.thefoundrydistrictfw.com

Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Varekai’

3 Athleticism, art and dance, as well as some mighty fanciful creatures, live deep in the forest in this Cirque show, one of several the legendary troupe performs all over the world. Shows will be 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13-16, 4 p.m. Dec. 16 and 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena, 1201 Houston St. Ticket prices range from $49 to $170 via Ticketmaster. 800-745-3000; www.ticketmaster.com

Modern’s 125th Anniversary Community Day

4 No, it hasn’t always been in its sleek Tadao Ando-designed concrete building, but the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth has been around for quite some time, making it the oldest museum in the state of Texas, the organizers of this event say. To celebrate, the museum will throw a party 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday with gallery tours, photo stations, stilt walkers, carols and children’s activities. Even Santa gets in on the act (4:30-6:30 p.m.). And of course, after dark, there are the wondrous lights outside. 3200 Darnell St., Fort Worth. 817-738-9215; www.themodern.org

‘The Polar Express’ plus pajamas

5 Throw on your jammies for three weekend Polar Pajama Party showings of the holiday movie starring Tom Hanks aboard the train headed to the North Pole. It’s showing at the IMAX theater at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Pajama parties for the screenings at 4:40 p.m. Saturday and Sunday will be after the movie, and the party for the screening at 6:45 p.m Sunday begins at 5:45 p.m. General admission is $12; chocolate tickets are $2 and hot chocolate is $3.50. The movie screens through Dec. 14. 1600 Gendy St., Fort Worth. 817-255-9300; fwmsh.org

Parker McCollum and Josh Turner at Billy Bob’s

6 McCollum, the singer-songwriter from Austin, has a new album, “Probably Wrong,” a title that should endear him to just about anyone in the audience. He performs at 10:30 p.m. Friday at Billy Bob’s Texas in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Tickets are $16-$20. At 10:30 p.m. Saturday, it’s Grammy- and CMA-nominated singer-turned-author Josh Turner, a native of Hannah, S.C. Tickets are $20-$50 for Turner’s show. Billy Bob’s Texas is at 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth. 817-624-7117; billybobstexas.com

2017 Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

7 This one-mile family-friendly event has one startling visual: men — lots of sons, brothers, fathers, uncles and more — all walking in high heels. They do it in solidarity with survivors of domestic violence in an annual event that benefits SafeHaven of Tarrant County. It’s 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at Heart of the Ranch at Clearfork, 500 Clearfork Main St., Fort Worth. Registration is $20 at www.crowdrise.com/safehavenwalk. Participants get free hot drinks from the Beignet Bus, and other food trucks will sell items.

Cowtown Indie Bazaar

8 This annual event with a “Local. Handmade. Vintage.” label is perfect for the hard-to-buy-for people on your holiday list. It also has holiday decor for sale, and even flower-arranging classes from Alice’s Table. It will be 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall at Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth (enter from Gendy Street). The first 40 shoppers in line get goody bags. Online admission is $3, $5 at the door; 12 and younger are admitted free. Classes are $65 per person, and there’s an additional charge — usually $8-$10 — for parking for the event. www.cowtownindiebazaar.com

Arlington Holiday Lights Parade

9 A few years ago, the Star-Telegram’s Faye Reeder summed up the participants of this annual community event nicely: “floats, bands, dancers, skaters, antique cars, horses, homeless doggies, wiener dogs with lights and all sort of wonderful lighted entries.” Can’t top that. The parade starts at 6 p.m. Saturday in downtown Arlington, with the tree lighting at 7. Entertainment and “reindeer games” for kids start at 2 p.m. The weather is sure to be Texas in nature, so take one of everything. For more information, including a map of the route, visit holidaylightsparade.com.

Legendary Shack Shakers

10 What exactly is Southern Gothic music? Go and hear the Legendary Shack Shakers at Main at South Side and figure it out for yourself. The band mixes blues, punk, rock and country, and perhaps can be best tucked under the “rockabilly” label (but probably not very neatly). Doors open at 8 p.m. Saturday, and the show starts at 9 with Austin’s Jesse Dayton performing. Main at South Side is at 1002 S. Main St., Fort Worth. Tickets are $12-$15 from ticketfly.com.

This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 9:52 AM with the headline "The top 10: Shopping, men in high-heeled shoes and musical Shack Shakers."