The St. Louis Weekend Events Guide for Thursday, January 21st through Sunday, January 24th, 2016.

Downtown/Soulard

Sesame Street Live “Make A New Friend”: No matter where you’re from or where you’ve been, everyone is special – so join in! Elmo, Grover, Abby Cadabby, and their Sesame Street friends welcome Chamki, Grover’s friend from India, to Sesame Street. Together, they explore the universal fun of friendship and celebrate cultural similarities, from singing and dancing, to sharing cookies! Join the fun and make a memory with your friends and family. Tickets are $15, $38, and $68.

Date: January 22 – 24
Time: Fri: 10:30am & 6:30pm, Sat: 10:30am, 2 & 5:30pm, Sun: 1 & 4:30pm
Place: Peabody Opera House – 1400 Market St

Hot Country Nights: Parmalee: Get ready to get your country on with Parmalee performing live on the FOX Sports Midwest Live! stage as Ballpark Village continues their 92.3 WIL HOT COUNTRY NIGHTS Presented by FORD series. Look for Chris Janson, Joe Nichols, and Billy Currington to come in future weeks. Tickets are $11 in advance and $15 the day of.

Date: Friday, January 22
Time: 6pm
Place: Ballpark Village – 601 Clark Ave

Wine Beer & Whiskey Taste: St. Louis Mardi Gras hosts the annual event as part of the L’Ecole Culinaire Gourmet weekend. Spend the evening meeting the makers of more than 50 beverages from Missouri and beyond. Ticket price includes samples of all wines, beers, and whiskeys. This year’s beer list includes:Best Damn Root Beer, Goose Island, Faust, Shock Top, an unnamed experimental product from Anheuser-Busch, and more. Grab finger-lickin’ samples from three of St. Louis’ best BBQ joints: Pappy’s, Salt+Smoke, and Sugarfire. Dance the night away with tunes provided by DJ Quain. Advance tickets are available online or $50 at the door.

Date: Friday, January 22
Time: 7-11pm
Place: Soulard Market Park

Cajun Cook-Off: Presented by Lumière Place and L’Ecole Culinaire, meet top St. Louis Chefs as they compete for the Cajun Cooking Crown. Stop by the US Foods Demo Kitchen to pick up a tip or two and enjoy delectable samples of what they prepare. Demos will feature: Mike Johnson of Sugarfire taking you through a step by step preparation of the famous New Orleans BBQ Shrimp he made while cutting his teeth in the kitchen with Emeril Lagasse, Chef Rob Komotos, who earned his stripes in the Cardwell’s kitchen, will lead you through the process of making a winning roux for your gumbo. Enjoy a complimentary Cajun dish courtesy of Tony Chachere, then grab a Southern Comfort Hurricane or Bud Light and head to the dance floor to stomp your feet to the sounds of the bayou from the Johnny Henry Band. Advance tickets are available online or $45 at the door.

Date: Saturday, January 23
Time: 12-4pm
Place: Soulard Market Park

Winter Jam: Christian music’s largest annual tour, featuring: For King and Country, Matthew West, Crowder, Lauren Daigle, Red, Sidewalk Prophets, NewSong, KB, Trip Lee, We Are Messengers, Stars Go Dim, and Tony Nolan. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Date: Saturday, January 23
Time: Pre-jam party: 5pm, Show: 5:45pm
Place: Scottrade Center

Art of Chocolate and Wine: Chocolate and wine lovers unite to celebrate and taste the finest artisan, hand-crafted chocolates and confections our region has to offer and sip on wines that will ignite your senses. Guests will have the opportunity to purchase on-site and place orders for chocolates, pastries and wines just in time for Valentine’s Day! Chocolatiers and confectioners include: Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier, Bittersweet Artisan Truffles, Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company, Companion Bakery, Cravings, Kakao Chocolate, Little Dipper Chocolate, and more! A portion of the proceeds will benefit Pedal the Cause, to accelerate cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Tickets: $35 per person, $30 for Pedal the Cause 2015 participants, or $40 at the door.

Date: Sunday, January 24
Time: 1-4pm
Place: Robust Wine Bar – 635 Washington Ave

Circus Harmony: Giocoso: Circus Harmony presents its 11th annual confluence of music and circus arts. This year, the show is titled Giocoso, a musical term meaning joyful. It features young people from the north side, south side, west county, Israel, Cuba, Germany and Antigua performing to original and world music in a presentation that celebrates working together to create something beautiful and inspirational. Catch the flying children in this all-new show and feel your spirit soar! Tickets are $20.

Date: January 23 & 24
Time:Sat: 2 & 7pm,Sun: 2pm
Place: City Museum – 750 N 16th St

Cherokee

6th Annual Shimmy Showdown: VanElla Productions is proud to host this hilarious, improv, “death match” style competition featuring the most fabulous, glamorous, and talented women. 12 Competitor. 1 Night. 1 Shimmy Shaker will reign supreme! This year features even more incredible world class competitors from across the nation, making the competition even more intense, varied, exciting and completely unpredictable: Adèle Wolf – Oklahoma City, Annie Cherry – Kansas City, Auralie Wilde – NYC, Cher D. Blame – Kansas City, Eva Mae Garnet – San Diego, Fiona Flame – St. Louis, Shazza Dazzla – Shreveport/STL, and more. Plus a glorious step down performance from 2015 Shimmy Showdown Champion, Greta Garter, Music by DJ Monsieur Gaston, and an All Star show featuring all of our wonderful national stars on Saturday, the 24th right back at 2720 Cherokee AND a super sexy after party that only Van Ella Productions could throw! Tickets are $15 or $35 for both the Shimmy Showdown and the Night of Stars!

Date: January 22 & 24
Time: Doors 8pm, Show 9pm
Place: 2720 Cherokee

Central

Clayton Restaurant Week: 14 form the 7th Annual Clayton Restaurant Week. For those unfamiliar with the Restaurant Week concept…they are a vital part of over 75 major cities’ annual schedule of events. For diners, simply visit the participating restaurant of your choice January 18 – 24 and select from a special 3-course dinner menu for $25 per person, plus tip and tax. You can also add an “Extra Helping” $5+ donation to Operation Food Search to help provide nutritious food to the hungry in our community. #CRWSTL

Date: January 18-24
Time: Participating restaurant hours
Place: Participating restuarants

Science on Tap: A beer-tasting event for your brain. Learn about the chemistry and science behind the entire beer brewing and bottling process. This event will feature 80+ beer tastings, science demonstrations, live music from Bottoms Up Blues Gang, and more. This total sensory experience will let you be hands-on with some of beer brewing’s most popular ingredients. Experience molecular gastronomy with your favorite beer, discover how buoyant your beer is and learn how Sam Adams Nitro technology works. Ticket includes: complimentary parking, over 80 beers to taste, and 4 tasting plates using local beers. Tickets are advance: $50 Members $55 non-Members or $60 at the door.

Date: Saturday, January 23
Time: 7-11pm
Place: St. Louis Science Center – Oakland Ave

3rd Annual Sweet Tooth Tour: Enliven your taste buds and warm your tummy during the cold winter months. Our food purveyors treat you to their delightful offerings on this self-guided tour of sweetness. Tour and taste at 14 location in Maplewood including: Strange Donuts, Vom Fass, Kakao Chocolate, Mystic Valley, Schlafly Bottleworks, Traveling Tea, and more. Tickets are $18 each for stops at the 14 locations. Tickets sell out quickly.

Date: January 23
Time: 12-5pm
Place: Maplewood

Wolpertinger 2016: Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. is turning five!! Celebrate with us at our annual, anniversary beer festival celebrating the spirit & community of Saint Louis’ craft brewers. This year’s festival will feature: UCBC special releases, including our anniversary brew, Wolpertinger 2016, and two imports from the Urban Chestnut Hallertauer Brauerei: Hopfenperle and a Fresh Hop Lager. Our special guest brewery this year is Deschutes! Director of brewery operations, Karl Ockert, will be on hand with rare beers from the Deschutes cellars. Plus beer from over 30 local breweries, live music from the Bolzen Beer Band & more, and some edibles from UCBC. Tickets are $35 in advance/$40 day of.

Date: Sunday, January 24
Time: 1-5pm
Place: UCBC Grove Brewery & Bierhall – 4465 Manchester Ave

Illinois

5th Annual Alton Restaurant Week: Local, family-owned restaurants in Alton, Godfrey, Grafton and more will be participating in the fifth annual Alton Restaurant Week Jan. 15 – 24. Diners will be able to enjoy menu items for $10 at lunch and $25 at dinner all week long by visiting one of the participating restaurants. You can also receive a free souvenir Alton Restaurant Week glass (while quantities last) by stopping by the Alton Visitor Center with a receipt from one of the participating restaurants.

Date: January 15-24
Time: Participating restaurant hours
Place: Participating restaurants

Mills Apartments