City Park's annual holiday extravaganza, CELEBRATION IN THE OAKS, proves that, in these subtropical climes, you don't need snow or even chestnuts roasting on the open fire to enjoy and share Christmas cheer. Attracting each year over 500,000 visitors to its miles of lights, exhibits, music, shops and more, Celebration in the Oaks opens Thursday and runs nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. through Jan. 4. There are three ways to take in the sights and sounds of this holiday tradition: a self-guided walking tour, the driving tour, or by horse-drawn carriage. For the first time in the event's history, the driving tour will be open on Thanksgiving night. This Friday, a special pyrotechnic show is planned. The two-mile driving tour winds through musical, lighted displays including a three-ring circus, a pirate ship, a 52-foot Mississippi River paddle-wheeler, Candy Land, an Acadian Village, second-lining jazz musicians and more. The Garden Tour takes walkers through a model train exhibit, fountains, Storyland with its many amusement rides, a nativity scene and the Gallery of Children's Trees, a showcase of adorned Christmas trees. The Creole Kitchen Cafe serves up hearty local cuisine. The Artisan's Village showcases 10 artists of various mediums, demonstrating and selling their work. Along with local artist Richard Thomas' officially commissioned poster, items come from featured artists Joy Ebel, Nat Williams, The Neighborhood Gallery, Rudy Valentino, Oscar Donahue, Dominique Winslow, Christopher White, Jerome Ford and Kenneth Scott. Celebration in the Oaks expands its offerings each year. Last year's miniature train garden recreating the French Quarter with all-natural materials has been made permanent; for 2003, Celebration unveils Dinobration, nearly a mile's worth of multi-media animation of prehistoric creatures hiding behind bushes and climbing through the limbs of City Park's famed live oaks. Admission for the driving tour is $12 per car or family van, $20 for RV, limousine and buses; the walking Garden Tour is $5 per person, with children ages three and under admitted free. A combination of the Garden and driving tours is offered. Group rates are available. For more info, call 483-9415 or visit www.neworleanscitypark.com. -- Frank Etheridge

gurlesque 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 The buzz surrounding native Iowan Andrea Loest's fashion has grown from her days as an undergraduate when she was known as "the artist that sews." A 2002 graduate of the University of Iowa with degrees in Studio Art and Sexuality Studies, her designed dresses incorporate art, along with twisted commentary on feminism within fashion. Her dresses first came to New Orleans earlier this year as part of the all-female, politically tinged Southern Comfort exhibit at Loyola University. This time around, Loest has created an event that brings to the runway actresses portraying the personas of the dresses they adorn: Heroin Barbie, Doormat and Greedy Bitch, along with 20 others. Flirting with sensory overload, gurlesque features Honeygun Labs, a Brooklyn-based performance art group mixing 3-D motions and video, and their touring partners, Saint Eve, an in-demand house band for fashion shows and more. Admission $5. -- Etheridge

funky Meters and Stanton Moore 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29 The Howlin' Wolf, 828 S. Peters St., 522-WOLF The funky Meters (pictured) join Stanton Moore in continuing The Howlin' Wolf's 15th anniversary celebration Saturday. Many trees have died, and much ink has been spilled to sing the praises of the funky Meters. All of it has been deserved. They are the pinnacle of funk. No one does it better. When they lock in together and Art Neville's organ is filling in the spaces between George Porter Jr.'s utterly stinky bass lines and Brian Stoltz's guitar is sounding like a chicken that just found a worm as Russell Battiste is pounding the snare into submission and the band sings "Fiyo ...!" and the audience replies as one, "... on the bayou!," it is as transcendent a moment as there is in New Orleans music. The funky Meters don't play that often anymore, so that makes this appearance to help celebrate The Howlin' Wolf's 15th anniversary celebration even more special. Galactic drummer Stanton Moore, whose band has an admitted debt to the Meters, opens. Tickets $20. -- Kunian

Mulgrew Miller 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Nov. 29-30 Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St, 949-0696 Pianist Mulgrew Miller's career includes stints with drummers Tony Williams and Art Blakey amid his ongoing status as a first-call session ace. Miller has released several widely acclaimed solo outings, spanning from 1985 to his most recent effort for the MAXJAZZ record label, titled The Sequel. The pianist frequently improvises atop lyrically charged themes, generally derived from compositionally based melody lines. Some jazz critics compare him to pianist McCoy Tyner, yet Miller's rhythmically drenched chord progressions are perhaps less muscular in scope. The artist often shines as a formidable tunesmith, evidenced by one his finest outings to date -- the 1992 release titled Hand in Hand, featuring luminaries such as saxophonists Joe Henderson and Kenny Garrett. One striking component of Miller's artistry resides within his penchant for melding the mainstream side of matters with adventurously designed hard-bop style arrangements. Miller will be performing with drummer Adonis Rose's trio. Tickets $20 -- Glenn Astarita

Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 27-29; 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30; through Dec. 21 Southern Repertory Theatre, The Shops at Canal Place, 333 Canal St., third floor, 522-6545 Award-winning playwright Christopher Durang is known for his ability to create absurd characters and plant them in hilarious situations. His previous works, which include Beyond Therapy, Baby With the Bathwater and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, have kept theater-goers in stitches for years. In Mrs. Bob Cratchit¹s Wild Christmas Binge, it's evident that he is forever honing his skills. Not only does Scrooge have Tourette's syndrome, but the Ghost of Christmas Past is a klutz who just can't get things right as she keeps running into one very unhappy Mrs. Cratchit -- who has gotten blitzed on tequila and decided to jump off London Bridge. New Orleans native James Marvel takes a break from his life in New York City to direct a stellar lineup of local actors including Lara Grice, Andre' Du Broc, Fahnlohnee Harris, Greg Baber, Gary Rucker. Tickets $19 Wednesday preview performance, $30 opening night, $23 all other productions. -- Jessica Daigle

Turkey Day Race 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 27 City Park, Tad Gormley Stadium, 887-8900 The 96th annual Turkey Day Race wakes up runners on Thanksgiving Day at Tad Gormley Stadium. The 96th Annual Turkey Day Race gives everyone the chance to feel great and guilt-free this Thanksgiving; avoid packing on the pounds from your holiday meal later in the day, and help yourself and the community in the process by participating in a unique local tradition. "The Turkey Day race is the oldest, continuously held non-marathon race in the country," says C.J. Mouton, the race's director for the past 15 years. "There aren't too many events in America that hold together for 96 years." A charitable event held by the New Orleans Athletic Club, the race was established in 1907 by Francis Thomas "Tad" Gormley, and is a Thanksgiving tradition for generations of local families. The race prior to the 1980s handicapped runners based on their times, and its route ran along Rampart and Canal streets. Now, it's your pick of a 5-mile run or a one-mile "fun" walk/run through City Park. "In the last five years, we've started to see more and more families participate, whereas it used to be more of just the hard-core running community," Mouton says, adding that, for the last three years, the event has averaged 1,400 participants. "People like to come out, get some exercise and then head home to eat." This year's sponsors are Gambit Weekly, Lakeview Fine Foods and Foot Solutions, with proceeds divided evenly between the Spina Bifida Association and the Foundation for Entertainment Development and Education, which promotes performing arts among youth. Registration for both races is $18 prior to Nov. 27, $20 on Nov. 27, $15 at race site with no T-shirt. For registration and more information, visit www.turkeydayrace.com. -- Etheridge

Alex McMurray CD-release party 11 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26 The Circle Bar, 1032 St. Charles Ave., 588-2616 Alex McMurray is one of the best young songwriters in the country. His tunes with Royal Fingerbowl and the Tin Men show a sarcastic wit, a slightly skewed worldview, and a tenderness of emotion that can be a revelation. His songs also vary in form from shanties to shuffles to Tin Pan Alley tunes to beery ballads. His new CD, Banjanx, features 15 new entries to the canon of McMurray, who admits that they're "pretty heavy. They're not light-hearted." The CD also features the talented contributions and camaraderie of Carlo Nuccio, Matt Perrine and Bob Andrews, all of whom will be on hand to commemorate the occasion. Food will be served, and general merriment will be had. No cover. -- Kunian

Cattle Decapitation 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26 Zeppelin's, 3712 Hessmer Ave., Metairie, 889-0955 Originally a side project of brain-scrambling grindcore band The Locust, San Diego-based outfit Cattle Decapitation eventually emerged as a death metal force in its own right. Through a series of personnel shake-ups, the band acquired singer Travis Ryan (who had previously played with Strangulation and Anal Flatulence), and released Human Jerky and Homovore on a label called Satan's Pimp. Thereafter resting on death label Metal Blade, the band's entire discography reveals an abnormal obsession with the concept of innards and dismemberment. "Torn apart/Upon a hook," Ryan's raw throat growls, "Limb from f--king bloody limb/Carbonized and oxidized/Pancreatic ducts ripped out/Cleaned of all its organs/Nephrons smother in their wake/ Bludgeoned with a steak knife/Prepare a tasty meal." Cattle Decap features its own sick brand of activism in songs like "Veal and the Cult of Torture" and "Flesh-eating Disease (Flu-like Symptoms of E-Coli with Complete Digestive Shut-down)." Call for ticket info. -- Diettinger

Tab Benoit, George Porter Jr., Johnny Vidacovich 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26 Mid City Lanes Rock 'n' Bowl, 4133 S. Carrollton Ave., 482-3133 Tab Benoit celebrates the release of his new CD with a host of local musicians Wednesday at Mid City Lanes. Sometimes I want my blues dirty. I mean loud and crackling and grinding and boogie-able (if that's not a word, it is now). Sometimes it needs to be something I can dig my hips into. At moments like these, I go pedal to the metal to hear Tab Benoit. The Houma native's brand of south Louisiana blues comes off his guitar like sparks that keep your feet moving. He'll be featuring songs from his latest release, The Sea Saint Sessions, which adds to the long history of great recordings from Sea Saint Studios in Gentilly. If we're lucky, he'll do his great covers of Lil' Bob and the Lollypops "I Got Loaded" or Bob Dylan's "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat." Bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Johnny Vidacovich both have the versatility and chops to back Benoit wherever he chooses to go. Admission $10. -- David Kunian

James McGarrell: Pandemonium in Arcadia Through November Heriard-Cimino Gallery, 440 Julia St., 525-7300 James McGarrell has long been known for his fantastical paintings featuring colorful melanges of contemporary figures set in mythic or dreamlike landscapes. After going off on some odd tangents over the past few years, McGarrell is back in fighting form in this new Pandemonium in Arcadia series featuring figures from the recent American past who seem to have taken a wrong turn on the interstate and ended up in the ancient Aegean past. His sequential format allows his processional characters to flourish, as men and women in ancient and contemporary clothing cavort amid nymphs, satyrs and motorcycles in an idealized Grecian landscape. By way of explanation, the gallery says, "McGarrell creates fiction on a grand scale, and applies his singular style of imagination, color and skill to animate these captivating and mysterious processions." -- D. Eric Bookhardt

Photek, TeeBee 11:59 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-2583 Electronica musician DJ Photek isn't a poser; like an MTV rap artist, Photek, aka Rupert Parks, runs his music congruent with his lifestyle. His fledgling noir-ish jungle12-inches led to the stark, minimalist drum-n-bass of his first proper album, Modus Operandi -- a combo of repetitive techno melodies and off-kilter-but-in-the-pocket drums almost like bop jazz. Further singles and comps later (mostly deep house tracks from his pre-Astralwerks past), Photek is now another young jet-setting, tennis-court-owning DJ. In turn, the music on 28-year-young Parks' newest album, Solaris, tries to convey, quoth the DJ, the "bored, rich decadence" of a Brett Easton Ellis novel, of "Pink Sands in the Bahamas." Meaning no, he ain't posing, but his house music's no longer so deep ... Hopefully Photek will try on his many different musical hats, live. Opener DJ TeeBee is also described in his bio as "A major player in the elitist UK drum-n-bass scene," though also, "headbanging." -- M.P. Welch

Michael Morris reading and book signing 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30 Afro-American Book Stop, New Orleans Centre, 1400 Poydras St., 588-1474 The tumble and tumult resulting from being abandoned by parents is a pain known by both Michael Morris and Brandon Willard, the 8-year-old narrator of his latest novel, Slow Way Home. Already praised by the Washington Post in a review that compared the work to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Slow Way Home tells Brandon's story as he deals with his mother's drug habit, her steady stream of abusive boyfriends and how to live through it all. After abandoning him and leaving his grandparents to raise him, Brandon's mother eventually returns to gain custody, and the emotion and plot flow from there. On his current book tour, Morris reads from the book and tells his own story as well, and in each town seeks to raise funds and awareness for local child advocacy groups. -- Etheridge

State Farm Bayou Classic 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29 Louisiana Superdome, (800) 756-7074 The Bayou Classic's annual gridiron grudge-match between Grambling State and Southern universities this year celebrates its diamond anniversary, a 30-year milestone that's proof of the event's (it's much more than a game) significance. The rival teams will square off on Friday afternoon before 70,000-plus fans; but before than that, more that 200,000 will descend upon New Orleans to enjoy a huge array of events and parties. An annual favorite is the "Battle of the Bands and Greek Show," held 7 p.m. Friday at the Superdome, featuring both schools' storied marching bands competing with pageantry and passion, and the Greek Show showcasing the "stepping" tradition of African-American fraternities and sororities. The annual Super Job Fair will network with guests from noon to 5 p.m. Friday at the Hyatt Regency on Canal Street. Tickets to the game range from $25 to $36, and are available from both schools, Ticketmaster and the Superdome. For more info and a complete listing of events, visit www.statefarmbayouclassic.com. -- Etheridge

Dwele with Slum Village 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE An R&B singer in the same vein as neo-soul solo artists Musiq and British Stevie Wonder sound-alike Donnie, Detroit native Dwele first caught urban-minded ears with his lilting hook on his hometown underground hip-hop trio Slum Village's "Tainted." Far less cheesy than better-known pop R&B singers such as Usher and R. Kelly, Dwele's lyrics paint organic themes of pressing on and keeping it real on tracks like "Money Don't Mean a Thing" and "Find a Way," the single from his Virgin Records debut, Subject. Slum Village was one of underground hip-hop's most promising forces a few years back, but the trio's late producer and visionary Jay Dee departed the group, crushing high hopes for a guerrilla penetration of the mainstream. With young MC Elzhi replacing Jay, the group's 2002 album, Trinity (Past, Present, and Future), couldn't match the street-smart freshness of its 2000 debut, Fantastic, Vol. 2. A new full-length is due soon. Phat Kat is also on the bill. Tickets $15. -- Cristina Diettinger