North Carolina Symphony - Cirque Holiday Pops

The North Carolina Symphony is bringing Cirque Holiday Pops to the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts this Thanksgiving weekend, starting Wednesday, November 25. It's a family-friendly show that pairs a full orchestra with Cirque de la Symphonie, so you'll have the symphony playing live while acrobats perform around them. The program is built on holiday classics, and the whole thing is billed as a new production for this season.

On the podium is conductor Sophie Mok, leading the symphony through the music while Cirque de la Symphonie handles the acrobatics. The two run side by side throughout the show, with the visuals and the music working together rather than one just backing the other. It's designed for all ages, so it works as a family outing as much as a night out for anyone who just wants to hear the holiday standards played by a full orchestra.

There are five performances over the holiday weekend, which makes it easy to fit in regardless of when you're in town. The first is Wednesday, November 25, at 4 PM. Then there are two on Friday, November 27—one at 3 PM and another at 7:30 PM—and two more on Saturday, November 28, also at 3 PM and 7:30 PM. Doors open 90 minutes before each show, so you've got plenty of time to get settled before the music starts.

Everything takes place in the Meymandi Concert Hall at the Martin Marietta Center, 2 E. South St. in downtown Raleigh. Tickets start at $41 with all-in pricing, and with the five different showtimes, you can pick the one that fits your Thanksgiving plans best.