Top 5 Weekend: Nov. 20-23

Happy Thursday, Capital Region! We’re back with another must-see guide to your weekend, packed with parades, holiday markets & good music.

🥃 Smiths Public House topped our reader poll for Tuesday’s list of 5 things we’re loving right now with 27.9% of the vote. The UAlbany Psychological Services Center came in for a close second. Yay for therapy!

Susie said of her top pick: “Been loving Smiths for years, great food and atmosphere!” Another reader said they “love the booths… the back rooms are real nice.” Liz noted the “historic vibes, easy atmosphere.”

Audrey called out the Too Good to Go app, saying “I never knew there was such an app. Thank you for letting me and the general public know about these.”

A reader wanted us to highlight the Honest Weight Food Co-op (which we have) and Two Little Dumplings (which we’re dying to try). Finally, Morgan said we absolutely need to get a sando at Mallo’s in Troy—it’s on our list, Morgan!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

⭐️ 🎅 Billed as the largest night-time holiday parade in the Northeast, the 56th Schenectady Holiday Parade kicks off at 5 pm. Expect all of the traditional sights, including fantastic floats, fire trucks, marching bands, and Santa, of course. Sat, 5p, free.

⭐️ 🎄 Deck the Hall-bany is downtown Albany's weekly holiday market and festival co-produced by ParkAlbany and the Downtown Albany BID, held at the Clinton Market Collective and Quackenbush Square. Shop under heated tents, browse vendors, and sip free hot chocolate! Sat, 11a–4p, free.

⭐️ 🎸 518 Musicians on a Mission is an annual fundraiser to support the Capital City Rescue Mission, and features a full day of music at the Capital District Irish American Center. Playing on two indoor stages, the performers include The Refrigerators, The McKrells, Erin Harkes Band, The Lustre Kings and more. Sun, 2–9p, $25 (tix available at the door).

⭐️ 🚜 Holiday Lighted Tractor Parade began in 2013 as a community celebration and has grown into one of Washington County’s biggest annual events. Each year, more than 10,000 spectators line the streets to watch over 70 brilliantly lit tractors and festive displays roll through the heart of the village. Sat, parade starts at 6p, free.

⭐️ 💥 Saratoga Comic Con brings together the full spectrum of fandom for a weekend of pure joy and imagination. Cosplayers, comic collectors, sci-fi lovers, anime fans, furries, gamers, artists, and vendors all gather under one roof to celebrate the worlds and characters they love. Sat, 10a–7p, Sun, 10a–5p. Day pass: $30–$35, group rates available.

TODAY

✨ Shop for jewelry, sip cocktails, and nibble on hors d’oeuvres at Holiday Sparkle 2025 at the Arts Center of the Capital Region. This year, the fundraiser recognizes the couple behind Jacob Alejandro, the excellent coffeehouse we profiled back in February.

👯 Put Out the Welcome Mat with Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company up close, as the company performs on a large mat of interlocking squares featuring selections from its expansive repertoire at the Tang!

🛶 Glide into the PL1 bank vault for the 3rd Annual Mayfly Film Festival, an screening of 11 international short films about sustainability, stewardship, and the environment.

🚪 The Unopened Door – A Whimsical Tale For Grownups by Creative Action Unlimited Fall Production at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, shows through Saturday.

FRIDAY

🌲 Heal thyself with White Pine Therapy at the Sanctuary for Independent Media.

🖼️ Art Night Schenectady returns this month for another art-filled stroll around downtown.

🎭️ Skidmore College raises the curtain on its production of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” tonight, running through Sunday, and Dec. 4-6.

📚️ The Book Hive Pop-up Book Sale at Wolf Hollow Brewing Co. is the adult version of the book fairs you used to love as school kids.

🐠 Via Aquarium’s Adult Only No Theme Date Night means no kids, no theme, no prep and no pressure!

☠️ Lark Hall presents Black Sails, billed as Albany’s longest themed goth DJ night.

SATURDAY 

🚂 For the curious and seasoned collector alike, the Albany Train Show is your chance to get new and used train sets at great prices.

🍶 Get to Pat’s Barn in the Rensselaer Tech Park for the Collar City Pottery Market, selling everything from functional items to sculpture and jewelry. Sat-Sun.

🎹 If you’ve never been to the Troy Listening Room, this is an excellent show to experience one of the best musical venues in the Capital Region: NOW Ensemble & Le Rubb.

🐻‍❄️ The Lake George Polar Plunge is not for the faint of heart.

🖼️ Remsen Street Arts & Ragged Edge Studio present the Holiday Arts & Crafts Sale in Cohoes.

🍄‍🟫 Indian Ladder Farms invites you to a Mushroom Experience Dinner with Chef Dave Chaiken, with live music.

🥣 June Farms invites you to their Soup Stroll featuring 7 hearty soups to warm you up on a chilly November day.

SUNDAY

🚒 The South Glens Falls Fire Company Holiday Parade kicks off at a new, later time this year—4:30 pm!

🎤 The Variety Open Mic at The Mopco Improv Theatre is a supportive open mic for developing artists of all ages! Each performer gets up to 10 minutes to put on stage whatever they want.

🍂 Get to Voorheesville High School to browse among 100+ booths at the Holiday Craft & Vendor Fair.

ART ON VIEW:

• The 46th PhotoRegional: Seeking New Landscapes \ Opalka Gallery | opening reception on November 7

• Chris Duncan: Beats and Riffs | Union College Feigenbaum Center for Visual Arts

• Liberation and For Life celebrates 50 years of Black Dimensions in Art, showcasing 90+ artists and 100+ works that will blow your mind | Albany Institute of History & Art

• Up to Us highlights BDA’s powerful legacy with archival materials spanning 1975 to the future | The Tang Museum

• Noel W Anderson: Black Excellence and Romare Bearden & Ralph Ellison: From the Archive | UAlbany Art Museum | Read about it Hyperallergic

SAVE THE DATES:

🎭️ Journey of Love and Hope: A Peking Opera Musical plays at the Arts Center of the Capital Region on Saturday, Nov. 29.

🚢 “Titanic: An Immersive Voyage — Through the Eyes of the Passengers” is coming to Armory Studios in Schenectady on Nov. 29.

🇮🇹 Noah’s Italian in Saratoga opens on Dec. 2.

☕️ The Downtown Albany Hot Chocolate Stroll returns Saturday, Dec. 6.

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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