The Dandelion Chandelier Luxury Event Calendar for December is a curated list of events in the luxury world around the globe. Whether your passion is Travel; Food and Drink; Planes, Yachts and Autos; Fitness and Sports; Fashion & Design; Entertainment; or The Arts, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know to have a brilliant month.
december headlines from the world of luxury
The luxury flock touches down in glamorous locations both sub-zero and tropical this month. From Christmas markets to Art Week in Miami to full moon dances on the beach in the Caribbean, there’s sparkle and music everywhere on our luxury event calendar for December. As the Winter Solstice approaches, the world lights up.
travel
Where will the month take you? Many of the top luxury vacation destinations this month happen to be islands: off the coast of Chile, in the Caribbean, and in the Pacific. There are new luxury hotels to explore in Shanghai, Dubai, Myanmar and Savannah. And of course, the glittering islands of Great Britain, Hong Kong and Manhattan await. And if you’re so inclined, check out our list of great trips to give as holiday gifts this year, here.
food and drink
December is a bubbly month in the world of food and drink. Epicures and oenophiles can mix and mingle at a holiday-themed bar in New York or London, or at a champagne party on the Avenue de Champagne in Epernay. Top Chef returns to Bravo for its 16th season. Feeling more adventurous? Head to Oaxaca for the Night of the Radishes.
planes, yachts and automobiles
The speed machines are revving up for the holidays. There are auto shows in deliciously warm climates (LA, Dallas, San Diego, Bologna, Key Largo, and the Design District in Miami); a Brobdingnagian indoor boat show in Paris; a nighttime air show in the Netherlands; a superyacht rendezvous in Phuket; and to top it all off, a glamorous yacht race in Sydney Harbor in the days before the fireworks light up the Australian sky for New Year’s Eve.
fitness and sports
In fitness and sports, it’s game on in American football this month, with the NCAA College Football Playoff selection and a couple of early bowl games at the end of the month. The NFL’s regular season heats up as team jockey for position in the post-season. Rugby and squash host world championships; there’s a bobsled race and a women’s ski championship race at the ultra-luxurious St. Moritz; there are marathons in the vacation destinations of Honolulu and the Cayman Islands; and a steeplechase thoroughbred horse race in Kempton, UK.
fashion and design
The attention of the contemporary art and fashion worlds turns to Miami this month. Art Week is really more like 10 days, with shows, lectures, fundraisers and parties galore. A highlight this year will be the 3rd (RED) AUCTION to support the fight against AIDS, curated by Theaster Gates, Sir David Adjaye and Bono. Meanwhile, leading brands debut capsules and collaborations to tempt holiday shoppers. Fashion-oriented museum exhibits this month include the opening of The Birth of Cool at London’s Fashion and Textile Museum. And Sotheby’s is auctioning items from Barbara and Frank Sinatra.
entertainment
In culture and entertainment, there are feel-good films like Mary Poppins Returns and the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg biopic On the Basis of Sex. Plus dramas like Ben is Back starring Julia Roberts, and Mary Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie. In television, there are holiday specials a-plenty. And the return of some fan favorites, most notably The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
There are some big debuts in theater this month: The Jungle at St. Anne’s Warehouse, and the revival of True West. But the biggest opening of the month is undoubtedly the Aaron Sorkin reboot of To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway.
Mariah Carey, John Legend and Rufus Wainwright will be singing Christmas tunes in concert. And there’s a convention in LA of comedians with popular podcasts, and plenty of new podcasts to tune into.
the arts
December is always a splendid month for the arts — the champagne problem is deciding which performances and exhibits to see. There’s a plethora of holiday vocal and instrumental concerts from which to choose in nearly every city in the world. There are Nutcrackers galore. The New York Philharmonic performs the Messiah.
In visual arts, Judy Chicago: A Reckoning at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami is a full-career survey of the artist’s work. Pedro Figari: African Nostalgias at Museu de Arte de São Paulo will span the full breadth of the Uruguayan artist’s career, with a focus on how his background as a human rights lawyer influenced his paintings.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the death of the pioneering conceptual artist Marcel Duchamp, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is mounting the most comprehensive exhibition of his work in the Asia-Pacific region to date, titled The Essential Duchamp.
What else is going on?
There are magical nights planned in France this month. In Nancy, the feast of Saint Nicholas is celebrated in a fairy-tale setting, with an equestrian parade, a craft market, exhibitions, theatrical performances, concerts and a spectacular fireworks display on December 2–3.
La Fête des Lumières in Lyon is a traditional celebration of gratitude toward Mary, mother of Jesus. Held on December 8 each year, Lyonnaise tradition dictates that every house place candles along the outside of each window, making for a beautiful night.
In addition to Christmas on the 25th, there are many other holidays and commemorations of note. December 1st is World Aids Day, dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and mourning those who have died of the disease.
National Day in the United Arab Emirates, on December 2nd, celebrates the union of the original seven emirates in 1971 with fireworks, car rallies and dance shows. Hanukkah begins on Sunday, December 2nd at sundown, and concludes on Monday, December 10th. Boxing Day is celebrated on December 26th in the UK and also in a number of other countries that previously formed part of the British Empire. The African-American celebration of Kwanzaa begins that same day.
new year’s approaches
And of course New Year’s Eve will see global celebrations, fireworks, and the singing of songs. In Spain and Mexico, many will mark the occasion by eating a grape with each of the twelve chimes of a clock’s bell during the midnight countdown, while making a wish with each one. In France and other French-speaking areas, families join for feasts and parties to celebrate le Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre. In London, Big Ben will chime – in New York, a crystal ball will drop. In Japan, Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight to banish bad thoughts and behavior. In Singapore, “wishing spheres” bear the written wishes of thousands of people.
For each country in its own way, it’s a moment of renewal, rejoicing, redemption and hope. Wherever December takes you, we hope it’s luminous.
see the full list of december 2018 events
— Travel
— The Arts
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