Montgomery County Community College kicks off a holiday season full of events and activities starting with Pumpkinfest and continuing with our Lively Arts Series performances, community observatory night, student performances, cooking classes at the Culinary Arts Institute, student productions and more.

 Have fun designing and carving unique jack-o-lanterns for Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 20, from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center Gallery, Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. PumpkinFest is free and the pumpkins and carving tools will be provided. The rain date is Oct. 27.

Explore the wonders of the night sky during our Community Observatory Night on Wednesday, Nov. 14, from 8-10 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center on our Central Campus. The state-of-the-art observatory features a 16-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and observation deck with additional telescopes. The event is free and people of all ages are welcome.

 Enjoy an evening of dance at our fall Dance Ensemble concert—choreographed and performed by MCCC’s talented students—on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Science Center Theater on Central Campus. The concert is free.

See our students share their singing and musical talents in three Performing Arts Showcase performances. The shows will be held in the Science Center Theater on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 12:30 p.m. (matinee performance) and at 7 p.m. (choral concert) and on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. (jazz and friends). Performances are free. Tickets are required. 

 Relax and enjoy a sensory friendly performance that includes an interactive pre-show talk with the performers. As part of MCCC’s Lively Arts Series, the Philadelphia Dance Theatre Company will perform the Holiday Traditions Nutcracker on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 4 p.m. in the Science Center Theater. The Nutcracker performance features highlights of this holiday favorite, including the magical Kingdom of the Sweets scene. Tickets are required.

Get in the holiday mood with the KeyStone A Cappella, a six-voice professional a cappella group based in Philadelphia. They will perform holiday classics on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 4 p.m., in the Science Center Theater. Tickets are required.

Make time to watch the holiday film, Polar Express, shown on our big screen in the Science Center Theater on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. As a special treat, children will get free hot chocolate if they wear pajamas and bring their pillows. Tickets are required.

For more information about MCCC’s Lively Arts Series performances and to order tickets, visit mc3.edu/livelyarts or call the box office at 215-641-6518.

Special classes and events—including a three-day camp for kids beginning Dec. 27—are also available throughout the holidays at The Culinary Arts Institute (CAI) of Montgomery County Community College. Registration is available online.

Join other home cooks at Thanksgiving 2.0, a class designed to help recreate classic Thanksgiving dishes with tips on cooking and serving the turkey. Friday, Nov. 16; $89 per person; 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Learn how to design the perfect New Year’s Eve menu on Friday, Dec. 7.  $89 fee per person; 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Youth can learn some new kitchen skills during a special Holiday Kids’ Camp during their winter break: Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 27-29, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, for youth ages 10-17. Students will learn how to bake holiday cookies, prepare appetizers and much more. Professional CAI instructor-chefs teach the camps.

For further information on CAI events, contact Can Uslu, culinary resource specialist, at cuslu@mc3.edu or 267-646-5976.