This week: Chanukah festival, Polar Plunge and Bearfoot is back at the Bluegrass Ball

The Great Alaska Chanukah Family Festival — Jewish pop-rock band 8th Day will make their Alaska debut at this Chanukah celebration. Children can learn how to wire LED menorahs, make a fidget dreidels and other Chanukah crafts, while attendees dig into the shawarma bar, falafel and brisket latkes. $7-$12 (tickets sold separately for food and activities). 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22. (lubavitchjewishcenter.org/holidays)

9th Annual Bluegrass Ball featuring Bearfoot — After a six-year hiatus from touring, Alaska’s own “Bearfoot Bluegrass” will reunite for a 20-year anniversary and perform a collection of Bearfoot’s most popular tunes. Rounding out this year’s Bluegrass Ball are artists Todd Grebe and Cold Country, Uncle Salmontooth, Dan Booth and Amanda Kerr and Katy O’ Rion. $10. 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 20-21. Sitzmark Bar and Grill, 100 Olympic Mountain Loop (Check on Facebook for more)

Anchorage Civic Orchestra Holiday Concert — Feeling the winter blues? Get some pep in your step from some holiday hits with an orchestral twist, like “Ave Maria,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “‘T’was the Night Before Christmas” and more. $18-$23.50 at centertix.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday. Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. 621 W. Sixth Ave. (anchoragecivicorchestra.org)

A scene from Pulse Dance Company's "Nutcracker Redux" (Photo by Kerry Tasker)

Pulse Dance Company’s “Nutcracker Redux” — Pulse Dance Company’s all-Alaska cast debuts their second annual “Nutcracker Redux,” a contemporary retelling of the holiday story created in collaboration with Anchorage dancers and designed for adventurous audiences. See the “Waltz of the Flowers” get Fosse-fied. $22-$28 at brownpapertickets.com. 7-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 20-21. The Wendy Williamson Auditorium, 2422 E Tudor Rd. (pulsedancecompany.org)

Spenardian Launch Party — This hyperlocal publication for the neighborhood of Spenard is releasing its sixth issue, highlighting history, inhabitants and happenings in the area. There will even be a windmill-shaped piñata, an homage to the iconic Koot’s windmill. Free. 5-7 p.m. Saturday. The Writer’s Block Bookstore & Cafe, 3956 Spenard Road (See Facebook for details)

Winter Solstice Festival — Brighten the longest day of the year with fat tire bikes, sleigh rides, ice skating, food trucks and other festivities. Free. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. Cuddy Family Midtown Park, 201 E 40th Ave. (907-343-4492)

Team aeFreezers jumps into Goose Lake on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017 for the 9th annual Special Olympics Alaska Polar Plunge. The organization, which provides year-round sports training and athletic competition to individuals with intellectual disabilities, typically raises over $300,000 from the event. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

11th Annual Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Alaska — The Polar Plunge is a “so Alaska” opportunity for individuals, organizations, and businesses to support Special Olympics Alaska athletes by gathering pledges and plunging into the icy waters of Goose Lake. Free to watch, $125 per plunger. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, Goose Lake, 3038 Widgeon Lane (specialolympicsalaska.org)

Smithsonian Spotlight: New Media Presentation — Hear from Angela Łot’oydaatlno Gonzalez, author of the blog Athabascan Woman, and how she shares stories of Athabascan people. Angela will discuss the power of social media and how it connects people from around the world. Included with Museum admission. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Friday. Anchorage Museum. 625 C St. (anchoragemuseum.org)