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Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Parks Foundation

FRI | 12.31

SPECIAL EVENT

CELEBRATE SA

San Antonio’s annual New Year’s Eve party is back to ring in 2022 with live music, family-friendly activities and, of course, a fireworks show. Presented in partnership by the San Antonio Parks Foundation and City of San Antonio, Celebrate SA will take place across downtown at Hemisfair and La Villita on Friday, December 31. The free event will feature musical performances on three stages located at Hemisfair, the Arneson River Theatre and the corner of Villita Way and South Alamo streets. The main stage at Hemisfair will showcase performances by DJ Catwalk and R&B artist Andria Rose, followed by a marathon 200-minute set by 10-piece party band Mélange. In addition to food and vendor booths lining South Alamo and Villita Way, families can enjoy a carnival with games, rides and other attractions at the corner of South Alamo and César E Chávez Blvd. As is tradition, the night will be capped o by a Texas-sized fireworks show sure to satisfy the Alamo City’s appetite for explosive entertainment. Free, 6 p.m.-midnight, Hemisfair, 434 S. Alamo St., and La Villita, 418 Villita St., (210) 212-8423, saparksfoundation.org. — Kelly Nelson

WED | 12.29

COMEDY

THE ROAST OF LARRY GARZA

Exiting stage left has never been part of the plan for local stand-up comedian Larry Garza. When he was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer in 2016, the co-founder of the sketch comedy crew Comedia A Go-Go wasn’t about to let the disease steal his spotlight. So, he did the only thing he knew would keep his spirit from breaking. He decided to laugh his way through the situation. Five years later, Garza is still fighting strong. He’s gone through countless surgeries and procedures and has experienced several setbacks, all while keeping a positive a itude about the future. On December 29, Garza will headline his own memorial, which will double as a Comedy Central-style roast and fundraiser. He has invited more than a dozen of his comic and non-comic friends to take the mic and give him an old-school verbal beatdown. Full disclosure: Larry and I became friends after I profiled him for the Current’s 2016 cover story. I will also participate in the upcoming roast. “The celebration of life needs to happen when someone is alive, so they can enjoy it,” Garza recently told the Current. “I want to actually be there, not be there in an urn.” $15 (Sold Out), 8 p.m., Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, (210) 541-8805, improvtx.com/sanantonio. — Kiko Martinez 12 CURRENT | December 29, 2021 –January 11, 2022 | sacurrent.com

SPORTS

SPURS VS. HEAT

Former NBA Finals foes return to San Antonio on Wednesday night when the Miami Heat square off against the Spurs. Propelled by the off -season acquisition of Kyle Lowry and steady play of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Miami has proved resilient in a much-improved Eastern Conference despite recent COVID concerns. The resurgence of catalyst Derrick White has been a game changer for the Spurs, who head into the biggest challenge of their campaign after their showdown with the Heat. A grueling seven-game road trip that tips off in Memphis against the Grizzlies and continues through the competitive East presents a steep climb for a youthful team still trying to secure its footing. Dejounte Murray’s brilliance as a playmaker and White’s emergence as San Antonio’s talisman should give the Spurs a chance to fi ght its way through another gauntlet. With Gregg Popovich less than 16 wins away from becoming the winningest coach in NBA history, optimism endures in San Antonio. $17-$1,660, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center, One AT&T Center, (210) 444-5000, a center.com, KENS. — M. Solis

Twitter / @spurs

THU | 12.30 SUN | 1.02

COMEDY

ALI SIDDIQ

Houston-based comic Ali Siddiq brings a range of experiences to the stage. He began to develop his comedy style while serving time in a Hondo prison for cocaine traffi cking, and he pulled from these experiences in the 2015 Comedy Central series This Is Not Happening. A portion of that story — including the phrase “Mexican got boots!” — became a smash hit on YouTube. While going viral upped his profi le,

Courtesy of LOL Comedy Club

Siddiq got his fi rst big break on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam in 2008. By 2017, he was ready to follow in the footsteps of one Johnny Cash by performing for currently incarcerated inmates. The resulting special, Ali Siddiq: It’s Bigger Than These Bars, featured the comic performing to a larger group as well as interacting with inmates in cells and with prison offi cials. “I think it gave them a perspective that this wasn’t the end,” he said. “You can get out of this with the right mental fortitude and be the same as me.” $64-$320, 8 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. (New Year’s countdown show) Friday, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, improvtx.com/sanantonio. — Mike McMahan

WED | 01.05 TUE | 01.11

THEATER

HAMILTON

The Tony Award-winning musical about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton is a groundbreaking stage production with music and lyrics by superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda. The play, which casts actors of color to portray white historical fi gures, has been on countless tours following its 2015 Broadway premiere and has since become an international phenomenon. It’s probably also made U.S. history teachers nationwide think to themselves, “Is this all I needed to do to get these kids to listen to a lesson on the Ba le of Yorktown?” When Hamilton last made a stop at the Majestic Theatre two years ago, the Current called it “the strongest musical to tour to San Antonio in years” and “an impressive achievement, propelled by Miranda’s innovative lyrics and score, which combine rap, pop and ‘traditional’ Broadway show tunes into a stunning whole.” If you haven’t go en the opportunity to see Hamilton on stage yet, a recording of the live production was made available on Disney+ in July 2020. Take a peek at that fi rst and see if songs about presidential administrations and centralizing national credit are up your alley before you join the Revolution. $49-$1,035, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday January 5-16 (see website for additional showtimes), Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — KM

SAT | 01.08

FILM

BLADES OF GLORY

As part of the Rink Reels series celebrating ice skating movies, the Rotary Ice Rink, Center City Development & Operations Department and Slab Cinema are presenting a screening of the 2007 Will Ferrell fi gure skating comedy Blades Of Glory. The fi lm stars Ferrell and Jon Heder — hot from Napoleon Dynamite — as mismatched competitors who

Paramont Home Entertainment

compete as the fi rst all-male fi gure skating pair. Of course, hijinks ensue. The movie, which naturally features an appearance from Nancy Kerrigan, was a hit at the time, with critics comparing it favorably to previous Farrell hits including Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy and Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby. Anyone feeling inspired by the fi lm can stop by the adjacent Rotary Ice Rink, which will remain open until January 17. Don’t forget blankets and chairs for the movie. Free, 6:30 p.m., Travis Park, 301 E. Travis St., (210) 207-3677, centrosanantonio.org. — MM

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Reminder:

Although live events have returned, the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Check with venues to make sure scheduled events are still happening, and please follow all health and safety guidelines.