Your guide to What's On this weekend

Don’t make any plans for the weekend until you’ve checked out our guide to what’s on in and around Exeter:

THEATRE

Exeter Comedy Club Christmas Specials
Friday, 8.30pm, Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street, Exeter
Featuring Lloyd Griffiths, Joel Dommett, Nathan Caton and Rob Deering.  www.exeter.gov.uk/cornexchange

George's Marvellous Medicine
Daily, Exeter Northcott Theatre
The Birmingham Stage Company present Roald Dahl's amazing story about a young boy who makes a marvellous new medicine to cure his grandmother of her terrifying temper. But when his grandmother drinks his special new potion, the most incredible things start to happen. And George's adventure has just begun! www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

Jack and the Beanstalk
Daily, Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street, Exeter
Fee fi fo fum!  Tne minute Jack's mother is chucking his magic beans in the bin, the next thing he knows he's whisked off to a land of giants where great treasures await... unless he ends up in an enormous cooking pot! Kickline returns with the same incredible mix of magic, laughs and silly sing-alongs that made 'Cinderella' such a massive hit. www.exeter.gov.uk/cornexchange

A Charity Command Performance
Sunday, 6pm, Exeter Northcott Theatre
A unique event of world class performances and artists including, amongst others, Dame Hilary Mantel, Mark Rylance, Imogen Stubbs, Jonathan Lewis, Joss Ackland and Vanessa  Kirby. Tickets: £60. www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

MUSIC

Music in the Castle
Friday, 7.30pm, Powderham Castle
Music for the Christmas season for choir and organ with audience carols Gentlemen and Choristers of Exeter Cathedral Choir directed by Andrew Millington accompanied on the 1769 historic organ in The Music Room of Powderham Castle. Tickets £15, students £7. Box office: 01626 890243.

Clare Teal’s Festive Fiesta
Friday, 8pm, Barnfield Theatre, Exeter
Clare and her exceptional band invite you to a fabulous cocktail party of sounds and songs made famous by the likes of Peggy Lee, Doris Day, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald plus lesser known standards and brand new originals from Clare’s celebrated new seasonal album JING, JING – A – LING, all delivered with her inimitable style and flair plus a huge dollop of down to earth charm. Tickets £20. www.barnfieldtheatre.org.uk

Live Music - Friday
Various Venues, Exeter
New Inn, Alphington: Honest John & Ray Beavis, 9pm, free.
The General Buller, St Thomas: Goliath, 9.30pm, free.
Artigiano, High Street:  Emma Lauran, 8pm, free.
Prospect Inn, Exeter Quay: Moob, 9.30pm, free.
John Gandys, Gandy Street: Eventine, 9pm, free.
The Old Firehouse, New North Road: Thomas Food and the Die Hards Christmas gig, 10.30pm, free/£1  later.
The Sorry Head, Blackboy Road: Dumber than the Average Bear, 9pm, free.
Mama Stone’s, Mary Arches Street: Joey the Lips, 8pm.

Christmas Concert
Saturday, 7.30pm, Ottery St Mary Parish Church
Ottery Parish Church is the perfect opening for Christmas celebrations.The main choral work will be Dvořák’s Mass in D.  The choir will be accompanied by organist, Andrew Carter and the Society Orchestra, led by Sarah Greinig. The orchestra will also be playing Haydn’s Symphony No 50. You will have the opportunity to join the choir in a selection of traditional carols as usual, and the choir will perform some less well-known carols for you to enjoy.  A retiring collection will be taken for Hospiscare. Tickets are available from Tourist Information in Broad Street, Ottery St Mary (01404 813964). Adults £10.50, children £4.50.

Christmas with the Cathedral Choir
Saturday, 7.30pm, Exeter Cathedral
Well-known carols and the new works will be joined on the programme by some lighter Christmas items. As usual there will be plenty of opportunities for the audience to join in with the 'old favourites'. Early booking advised- these concerts have sold out in recent years. Adults: £9-£16, Students/Under 18s: £5-£10. www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk/boxoffice

1970’s Retro Office Christmas Party Night 2014
Saturday,7.30pm, Exmouth Pavilion
Dust off your platforms and practice your strutt as the 1970ʼs roll into town. Groovy Gazza Productions will be bringing their non stop disco dancing tribute show to the centre to kick off the Christmas Party season. http://www.ledtickets.co.uk/

The Steampunk Yule Ball 2
Saturday, 8pm, Exeter Phoenix
The Steampunk Yule Ball is back for its second year with the crème de la crème of the UK and US Steampunk scene. An unusual evening of Music, Comedy, Performance Art, Cabaret, and Elegant Couture. Featuring: Professor Elemental, The Mysterious Freakshow, BB Blackdog, Birthrite, Lord Montague Jacques Fromage III, The Wattingers, Miss Von Trapp, Inna Sketchi Manna, Tea Duelling, Steampunk Market, DJ’s and more! Tickets £10 (£8). www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

Live Music – Saturday
Various venues, Exeter
The King’s Arms, Cowick Street: The Embezzlers, 9.15pm, free.
The General Buller, St Thomas: The Usual Suspects, 9pm, free.
Prospect Inn, Exeter Quay: Guilty Plea, 9.30pm, free.
The Old firehouse, New North Road: Dubclass Christmas gig, 10.30pm, free/£1 later.
The Sorry Head, Blackboy Road: Mammoth, 9pm, free.
The Bowling Green, Blackboy Road: Kiss This! 9.30pm, free.

Exeter Children's Orchestra
Sunday, Exeter Corn Exchange, 6pm, Market Street, Exeter
The Exeter Children's Orchestra is a group of local kids who love music and meet to practise under the baton of their inspirational conductor, Richard Bowyer. They play a mixture of classical, pop and other styles, and they and their audience always have a great time!Tickets £7 (£3.50 under 18s). www.exeter.gov.uk/cornexchange

Budleigh Male Voice choir
Sunday, 7.30pm, Exmouth Pavilion
A varied programme of Christmas music and Carols. With guest soloists Jenny Abbots, soprano from Torbay and Isaac Visser, treble, from Exeter Cathedral Choir. http://www.ledtickets.co.uk/

Live Music – Sunday
Various venues
The Bishop Blaize, Commercial Road, Exeter: Upside Down, 6pm, free.
The King’s Arms, Cowick Street, Exeter: Better Luck Next Time (UK) 6.30pm, free.
The Sorry Head, Blackboy Road, Exeter: Sunday Club Sessions, 8pm, free.
The Famous Old Barrel, Exmouth: Martin Weller, 8.30pm, free.
First & Last, Exmouth: Dirty Money, free.
The Ferry Boat Inn, Shaldon: Mafia Babies, 4.30pm, free.
Sidbury Village Hall: Rob Martell, 8.30pm, free.

EVENTS

Christmas bingo
Friday, 7.30pm, Pinhoe School, Harrington Lane, Pinhoe, Exeter
Come along to this Christmas bingo and help local Guides raise funds towards their trip to Adelboden in Switzerland. Eyes down at 7.30pm, refreshments and raffle.

Russian Christmas Fayre
Saturday, 9.30am, Exeter Guildhall, High Street, Exeter
The annual Christmas Fayre of the Exeter – Yaroslavl Russian Twinning Association. Russian Goods, Books, Jewellery, Home Produce and Refreshments will be on sale. A perfect chance to find an unusual Christmas gift. There will also be a raffle, tombola and a lucky dip for children. 9.30am-12.30pm.  www.eyta.org.uk

Father Christmas at Killerton
Saturday, 11am, Killerton House, Broadclyst, Exeter
Ho ho ho! Father Christmas parks his sledge on the Killerton drive, and gets everyone in the festive spirit. As he is especially visiting Killerton, Father Christmas has promised to be dressed in his special green robes, as he traditionally was in the Victorian era. He'll be waiting to meet you by a roaring log fire in the Music Room. Every child aged 8 and under receives a gift. £3 per child. Two sessions 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm

Inside Outside Christmas Craft Market
Sunday, 11am, Transit Shed, Exeter Quay
Lovely venue on Exeter Quayside where you can buy your Christmas gifts from local makers ... art, fudge, knitted, woven & crocheted goods, woodwork, pottery, jewellery, art & prints and much more. Warm yourself up by popping across the road to The Prospect Inn for a hot toddy or a hot coffee! Supporting Children’s Hospice South West.  Santa will be there too! 11am - 4pm.

The Exeter Nativity
Sunday, 4pm, Exeter
Beginning on the High Street by Boots, follow Mary, Joseph and their Donkey, along with all the characters from the Christmas Story, on the most famous journey in history. Enjoy hearing the story of the first Christmas told through drama and carols both in the open air on the West Front and in the Cathedral. A free event for all the family.  http://exeter-cathedral.org.uk/event/all-events/the-exeter-nativity.ashx

Carols and Readings
Sunday, 4pm, Cygnet Theatre, Friars Gate, Exeter
Join the Cygnet Company and Staff for Carols and Readings Free admission with a Retiring collection followed by mulled wine and mince pies. http://www.cygnettheatre.co.uk

EXHIBITIONS

Present Makers 2014
Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell Street, Honiton
THG’s annual selling exhibition of contemporary craft is a festive opportunity to purchase the finest work by leading South West makers. Blurring the boundaries between art, craft and design, Present Makers introduces exciting new exhibitors to the gallery whilst popular makers from previous years are invited to return. Past Present Makers exhibitions have included unique examples of textiles, prints, stained glass, ceramics, jewellery, wirework and wood, all perfect as Christmas gifts. The exhibition runs until 20 December.  www.thelmahulbert.co.uk

Nick Davies: Intention/Invention/Convention
Exeter Phoenix
Artist Nick Davies presents a platform for an interconnected series of projects that include the launch of his latest artist’s book The Principal of Limited Sloppiness, new sculptures created entirely from Tippex, along with other works exploring how mistakes, chance, and accident can play a role in the creative process. www.exeterphoenix.org.uk