ChinatownConnection.com

Renaissance Festival

Nutcracker Market.  More than 500 merchants from across the country participate in a shopping extravaganza. All proceeds benefit the Houston Ballet Foundation, its academy and scholarship programs. Houston events at Reliant Park, South Loop 610 @ Kirby exit. Houston Holiday Christmas Guide. Event ID:11/11

Finding Nemo Presented by Disney on Ice. Houston events at Reliant Stadium. Call 713-629-3700 for tickets. Event ID:11/11

Alley Theatre - The Scene. "The Scene" examines the lives of four striving New Yorkers on the fringes of the entertainment business. Houston events at Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. Call 713-228-8421 for more info. Event ID:11/25

Houston Grand Opera - The Daughter of the Regiment. Marie, an orphan raised by an army regiment is surprised when a wealthy aunt surfaces to reclaim her. But when the aunt arranges a marriage, the entire regiment and Marie's true love march in to set matters right. In French with English subtitles. Houston events at Wortham Center, 501 Texas. Call 713-228-OPERA for more info. Event ID:11/9

Stages Theatre - Black Pearl Sings. Houston events at Stages Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway. Depression-set play depicts an encounter between Susannah, a "song collector" for the Library of Congress, and Pearl, a prisoner descended from slaves whom Susannah discovers to be a living library of folk song. The play will have a staged reading this summer at Virginia's Barter Theatre, but Stages' mounting will be its official world premiere. Call 713-527-0123 for more info. Event ID:11/11.

Pompeo Batoni: Prince of Painters in Eighteenth Century Rome Exhibition. Houston events at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Sesame Street Presents: The Body. Get to know what’s under your skin at Sesame Street Presents: The Body, an amazing new educational exhibition featuring Elmo, Oscar, Grover and the rest of your Sesame Street friends! Run, jump and play your way through a new interactive exhibition all about the human body. This exhibit will cover everything from fingers and toes to your ishy-squishy insides. Houston events at Health Museum, 1515 Hermann Drive. Call 713-521-1515 for more info.

Treasures from Shanghai: 5,000 Years of Chinese Art and Culture. Featuring 77 sets of objects from the Neolithic period (circa 3,000 B.C.) to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.), this incredible collection includes rare examples of oracle bones that represent the first form of Chinese writing, bronze vessels, polychrome potteries, sculptures, porcelains, paintings, jade/bamboo carvings and lacquer works. Location: Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle Drive. Event ID:1/6/2008.

Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia. Discover five million years of Ethipia's diverse history and culture. The exhibition will include the original fossilized remains of the 3.2 million-year-old hominid known as Lucy. With 40 percent of her skeleton intact, Lucy remains the oldest and most complete adult human ancestor fully retrieved from African soil. Location: Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle Drive. Event ID:4/20/08.