Hai-Ye Ni is principal cellist with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Credit: Ryan Donnell
MUSIC
Tchaikovsky Week 2: The Serenade
Tonight through Saturday
Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center
300 S. Broad St.
215-670-2300, $52-$105
www.kimmelcenter.org
Take in the thundering and awe-inspiring soundscapes this weekend at the Kimmel Center as the Philadelphia Orchestra’s associate conductor, Cristian Macelaru, blazes through select pieces from Tchaikovsky, Borodin and Balakirev.
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Friday, 7 p.m.
Union Transfer
1026 Spring Garden St.
$25-28
215-232-2100
www.utphilly.com
Union Transfer welcomes Colorado’s Big Head Todd and the Monsters as they tour in support of their 14th studio album, “Black Beehive,” due out in February. These blues rockers have been playing for more than 25 years and show no signs of slowing down.
The Smithereens
Friday, 8 p.m.
World Cafe Live
3025 Walnut St.
$27
215-222-1400
www.worldcafelive.com
World Cafe Live hosts this New Jersey quartet as they crank out hits like “Blood and Roses,” A Girl Like You” and “Only a Memory.” They are touring in support of their first album in a dozen years, “2011.”
THEATER
Other Desert Cities
Through March 2
Walnut Street Theatre
825 Walnut St.
$10-$85, 215-574-3550
www.walnutstreettheatre.org
When a novelist returns home after a long absence and tells her family she is publishing a memoir on a specific part of their volatile family history, her family doesn’t take it very well, especially her Republican parents and liberal aunt. This is one family reunion you don’t want to be a part of, but will be entertained throughly watching it unfold.
DRINK
Winter Beer Night
Tonight, 4 p.m.
Barcade
1114 Frankford Ave.
Pay as you go
215-634-4400
www.barcadephiladelphia.com
Looking for great craft winter beers and retro arcade games? Of course you are. Barcade has you covered with more than 20 winter beers on tap. There’s nothing like an Imperial Stout and some Galaga to replenish your core temperature.
The Drunken Botanist: A Chat-and-Sip Event
Tonight, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd.
Free
215-482-7300
www.schuylkillcenter.org
Experience ancient brews made from organic origins. The Schuylkill Center’s executive director, Mike Weilbacher, will read from author Amy Stewart’s “The Drunken Botanist” while you sample spirits made with Snap, Root, Sage and Rhubarb Tea from Old City’s Art in the Age.
SNEAKER BATTLE
Frshr than Your Avrge: Sneaker Event
Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.
Temple University
Student Center, Room 200
1755 N. 13th St.
$20
215-204-7000
www.ftyaevent.com
This is your chance to buy, sell, trade and even battle for sneakers! Yes, sneaker battling is a thing. Contestants will be judged on the condition of their kicks, their sneaker knowledge and how well they wear them.
SCAVENGER HUNT
Murder at the Franklin Institute Scavenger Hunt
Saturday, 1 p.m.
The Franklin Institute
220 N. 20th St.
$34.50
215-448-1200
www.watsonadventures.com
Put on your thinking cap and head down to the Franklin Institute for an afternoon of mystery and murder. Team up to try to solve the case by cracking codes and uncovering the museum’s secrets. This scavenger hunt is for the grown-ups.
DRAG SHOW
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons
Tonight, 9 p.m.
Trocadero Theatre
1003 Arch St.
$29.50
215-922-6888
www.thetroc.com
Watch the best drag queens battle it out at this showgirl showdown judged by TV and radio host Michelle Visage.
