An annual holiday parade, a star-studded concert, an African dance performance and decor on display in this week’s ‘Things To Do.’

Christmas Village Lunch Concert Series
Love Park
16th St. and John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Friday, Nov. 29, noon – 1 p.m.
Free
Love Park’s popular Christmas Village kicks off Thanksgiving Day with 80 vendors from all around the world selling all manner of Christmas and holiday decorating items and gifts. Wine and beer tasting events, a new tree light installation, storytimes, live performances, the lantern parade, a mascot weekend, the Make-A-Wish Weekend and the debut of the Philadelphia Eagles pro shop are just some of the offerings for 2019. The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus kicks off the expanded lunch concert series on Friday.

BeethovenNOW: Gil Shaham
Kimmel Center
300 S. Broad St.
Friday, Nov. 29,  8 p.m.
$39-$165
Beethoven only composed one violin concerto, but that was enough for violinist Gil Shaham, who calls it “an amazing trip … with some of the most sublime, most beautiful violin passages ever.” You’ll have the chance to hear for yourself when Shaham performs it at a post-Thanksgiving concert Friday night. He’ll be joined by Susanna Mälkki, chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

The 2019 Collingswood Holiday Parade
Route begins at Haddon and Zane avenues and continues to West Linden Avenue in Collingswood, N.J.
Saturday, Nov. 30, 10 a.m.
Free
South Jersey Magazine once dubbed the annual Collingswood holiday parade the “Best Main Street” experience. The parade route through the historic borough of Collingswood, which was settled in 1682, will include stilt walkers, live music performers, marching bands, Mummers, classic cars and even the Phillie Phanatic.

Lotus
The Fillmore Philadelphia
29 E. Allen St.
Saturday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.
$30
For two decades, Lotus has been building a following through their live instrumental music performances. Are they an electronic band? Are they a jam band? It’s hard to put them into one musical category, but classification doesn’t matter to their loyal fan base. The five members got their start at Indiana’s Goshen College and are now a festival fave. Their last studio release, “Frames Per Second,” came out in 2018 and was recorded live at Rittenhouse SoundWorks. Cameras documented the recording process for a making-of documentary released with the album.

Cabinet, Mason Porter
Ardmore Music Hall
23 East Lancaster Ave.
Ardmore, Pa.
Saturday, Nov. 30, 8 p.m.
$22-$69
Pennsylvania’s own Americana band Cabinet took an indefinite hiatus in 2017, but they’re back on the road again. They’re playing at the Ardmore Music Hall this weekend with fellow bluegrass/Americana artist Mason Porter, who is also a local guy. Pappy Biondo and J.P. Biondo, who are cousins and Scanton, Pa. natives, formed Cabinet in 2005, ultimately garnering recognition as one of Rolling Stone’s Country Artists You Need To Know in 2015.

Kulu Mele African Dance & Drum Ensemble
Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
3680 Walnut St.
Saturday, Nov. 30, 8 p.m. (almost sold out); Sunday, Dec. 1, 3 p.m.
$29-$59
West African dance, drumming and educational collective Kulu Mele celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Founded by the late local jazz percussionist Baba Robert Crowder to advance African music traditions, it’s been run by its creative director, Dorothy Wilkie, for the last 30 years. Kulu Mele’s commissioned work “Ogun & the People” debuts this week at the Annenberg Center. The work is centered around the parable of the warrior Ogun, a deity in the Yoruba/Afro-Cuban tradition.

The Philly Print Show
Philly Art Collective
253 N. 3rd St.
Sunday, Dec. 1, 4 p.m.
Free
Trying to find a unique holiday gift for a hard-to-please family member? Hoping to expand your art collection on a budget? This show will allow you to do both by showcasing the talents of local artists. All prints will be between $10 and $30. You’ll have plenty of choices and may be able to finish your holiday shopping in one excursion!

A Philly POPS Uptown Christmas With Tituss Burgess, Mandy Gonzalez and Luis Figueroa
The Met Philadelphia
858 N. Broad St.
Sunday Dec. 1 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
$20-$124.95
Thanksgiving is here, which means that the season of gifting, err, giving, has arrived. What better gift can there be but music? Yes, the flurry of holiday and Christmas-themed shows and events is upon us, just as we recover from the tryptophan overload of our Thanksgiving dinners. Fortunately, the season usually brings out entertainment’s heavy hitters. “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Dolemite Is My Name” actor Tituss Burgess sings, too, and he’s joined by star of “Hamilton” and “In the Heights” Mandy Gonzalez, YouTube sensation Luis Figueroa and the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Gospel Choir.

Yuletide at Winterthur
Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
5105 Kennett Pike
Winterthur, Del.
Through Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020
Free with museum admission, but tour reservations are recommended
This year, Winterthur’s annual Yuletide display celebrates 40 years with favorite exhibits, from its inception until now, chosen by museum visitors. The annual display of Christmas trees is back, along with an electrified 18-room dollhouse mansion (completely decorated in miniature for the season, of course) a display of antique Santas and more.

The African American Book Expo – Philadelphia
The Victorian Banquet Hall
4809 Germantown Ave.
Saturday, Nov. 30, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Free
The African American Book Expo first took place in Dallas in 2017. Founded by author and publisher Myss Shan, the idea was to bring together African American authors and readers together in a relaxed, convivial atmosphere. It proved to be a success, expanding to New York, Maryland and California. Shan’s publishing company, Shan Presents, which includes titles in the urban fiction and street literature genres, now has 80 authors, some of whom may be in attendance.