Great Things to Do in Western New York: December Events

Fairgrounds Festival of Lights - continues through Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at the Hamburg Fairgrounds, 5600 McKinley Pkwy. in Hamburg (selected dates). Admission starts at $18 per carload; visit the fairgrounds.com for more information.

Niagara Festival of Lights - continues through Thursday, December 31st at Hyde Park in Niagara Falls, from 5 to 8 p.m. each night.

Rotary Rink opening - Saturday, December 5th at Fountain Plaza's Rotary Rink; skating starts at 5 p.m., with the annual tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m.

BPO at Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church - the ninth annual Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra holiday concert on Sunday, December 6th at 6 p.m. at the Church, 8445 Greiner Rd. in Clarence. Tickets are $20; visit easternhillschurch.org for more information.

Kissmas Bash - Sunday, December 6th at the HSBC Arena, starting at 5 p.m.. Kiss 98.5's annual holiday show featuring Keri Hilson, Kris Allen, Cobra Starship, and more. Tickets start at $10; find out more at kiss985.com.

"Miracle on 34th Street" - runs Friday, December 11th through Sunday, December 20th at the Lancaster Opera House, 21 Central Ave. in Lancaster (select dates and times). Adults $18, seniors and students $16, children $13; for dates and show times, visit lancopera.org.

Holiday Celebration - Saturday, December 12th at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave. in Buffalo, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Music, kids activities and crafts, and more. Adults $7, seniors (55+) and students with ID $6, kids 6 to 13 $4. For more information, visit buffalogardens.com.

BPO's A Visit From St. Nick - Sunday, December 13th at 2:30 p.m. at Kleinhans Music Hall, 370 Pennsylvania St. (Symphony Circle) in Buffalo. Family concert led by conductor Paul Ferington, the holiday show features a sing-along with Santa Claus. Tickets are $16.50 for adults, $12.50 for children; visit bpo.org for more information.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze - Tuesday, December 15th through Sunday, December 20th at Shea's Performing Arts Center, 658 Main St. in Buffalo. Part of the M&T Bank Broadway Series; aerialists, acrobats, musicians, and dancers bring holiday ornaments to life. Tickets start at $27; there are eight shows over the six-day run. For more information, go to sheas.org.

BPO Holiday Pops Concerts - Friday through Sunday, December 18th through 20th at Kleinhans Music Hall, 370 Pennsylvania St. in Buffalo. Music director JoAnn Falletta leads the BPO through the sounds of the season. Tickets range from $56.50 to $76.50; Friday and Saturday showtimes are 8 p.m., Sunday showtime is 2:30 p.m. Visit bpo.org for additional information or tickets.

First Night Buffalo - Thursday, December 31st from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, 153 Franklin St. in downtown Buffalo. The premiere drug- and alcohol-free New Year's Eve event, First Night is celebrated in more than 115 cities around the world. Tickets are $8 in advance (available at Wegmans), $10 at the door; children 2 and under are free. Check out firstnightbuffalo.org for more information.