The cold and rain are here, which means it’s time for shows, cozy light displays and the start of holiday shopping. Here’s your guide to what’s happening in Salem this November. See what’s happening in Salem’s art galleries and museums this month here. *Starred events are free to attend, though they may include ticketed components or a suggested donation. Jump to a section Festivals and community events Comedy, improv and other entertainment Live theater, dance and cinema Live music and nightlife Classes, workshops and lectures Markets and shopping Festivals, fairs and community events Back to top Nov. 1 *Enjoy Mexican folk dancing and mariachi music at Restlawn Memory Gardens at their celebration for Día de los Muertos. The celebration includes food, face painting, a mariachi band, and an ofrenda, a traditional altar, for anyone to add a photo of a loved one who passed away. The event takes place at Restlawn Memory Gardens, 201 Oak Grove Rd. N.W., and starts at 5 p.m. Information is available on Facebook.  Nov. 2 *Salem dance group Casa de Cultura Tlanese is hosting a Día de los Muertos celebration filled with activities, games, performances and snacks. People can make paper flowers, get their face painted, play loteria and decorate sugar skulls. There will be Mexican art and food vendors at the event along with a dance performance. The event is from 12-8 p.m. at McKay High School, 2440 Lancaster Dr. N.E. More information is on Facebook.  *Celebrate Día de los Muertos and enjoy a second Halloween at Northgate Park with the Hallman Neighborhood Family Council. People can make bracelets, get a family photo taken and snack on popcorn and pan dulce. The event will also have a costume contest which will award six winners with gift cards worth up to $50. The event is from 4-7 p.m. and will be at Northgate Park, 3575 Fairhaven Ave. N.E. More information is available on Facebook.  Sophie, 10, and Lailia, 5, color sugar skulls at the Dia de Los Muertos event at McKay High School on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 (Laura Tesler/Special to Salem Reporter) Nov. 11 A Veterans Day luncheon by Center50+ will honor those who served with music and a lunch of ham, potatoes, cake and more. Tickets are free for veterans and $5 for guests. The lunch starts at noon. Call 503-588-6303 to RSVP. Nov. 22-Dec. 22 The Holiday Village at the Oregon State Fair and Expo Center Livestock Pavilion will be open for a month starting on Friday running through Dec. 22. The event includes thrilling carnival rides and seasonal foods and drinks and runs on Thursdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Parking is $5 per vehicle. More information can be found online.  Nov. 22-Jan.4 The Magic of Lights experience is coming to the Oregon State Fair and Expo Center. A mile-long stretch of the fairgrounds will be transformed into a bright holiday wonderland starting Friday and running until Jan. 4. The drive through holiday light experience will go from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 p.m. weekends. A standard vehicle pass starts at $19 in advance. More information can be found online.  Nov. 29-Dec. 2 With the holidays right around the corner it’s time for the lights to go up. From 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. the Willamette Heritage Center will transform into a holiday wonderland for the Magic at the Mill event which begins on Nov. 29. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for children ages 6 to 17 years old, and free for kids 5 years or younger. Willamette Heritage Center members also get in for free. Comedy, improv and other entertainment Back to top Nov. 8 Former “Saturday Night Live” featured player Luke Null performs two musical comedy shows at Infinity Room starting at 7 and 9:30 p.m. First show is all-ages, but material will not be clean. Later show 21+ only. Tickets $15 presale, $20 at the door. Nov. 12 Improv students from Willamette University present Lgungavy, an evening of hilarious material made up on the spot! Lgungevy features students from Professor Chuck Williamson’s Colloquium Class. Show at Infinity Room at 7 p.m. Tickets $5. Emma Pace Jonas on stage at Infinity Room. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Nov. 14 Comedian Matt Mathews will bring his “Boujee on a Budget” tour to Elsinore Theatre, which will explore his personal life and relationships, and will ask audience members to spill their deepest secrets. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a 7 p.m. show. Tickets start at $29.50. Stand-up comedy class students take the stage at Infinity Room at 7 p.m. for a show of their new material. Tickets $8 in advance or $10 at the door. Nov. 15 Infinity Room hosts The Teacher Show, featuring a lineup of comics who are also teachers presenting comedy from the classroom. Shows at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Nov. 21 RiRi Caliente returns to Infinity Room with another night of drag entertainment followed by karaoke. “Drag Time!” performances start at 8 p.m. Following performances, karaoke with RiRi Caliente starts at 10 p.m. and goes until Infinity Room closes. “Drag Time!” tickets are $10 in advance, and $12 at the door. Karaoke is free.  Nov. 22 Comedians Sean Jordan and Geoff Tate will entertain at Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 online and $25 at the door. Comedian Ify Nwadiwe headlines a night of laughs with MonsterBox Comedy at Infinity Room. The “professional nerd” is not just a comedian but also an actor and writer. The lineup includes other Northwest comedians like Ben Harkins and Adam Pasi. The show starts at 9:30 p.m., doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 online, $18 at the door. Nov. 24  “The Amazing Bubble Man,” Louis Pearl has been thrilling audiences around the world for over 30 years with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles. He performs at 2 p.m. Sunday at Chemeketa Community College in Salem. Tickets start at $14.22 for children and $19.52 for adults. Nov. 30 Comedian Rob Schneider will perform standup comedy at Elsinore Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets start at $49. Live theater, dance and cinema Back to top Nov. 1At the Elsinore Theatre, Black Jacket Symphony will play the iconic album “Led Zeppelin IV” live in its entirety, plus a set of Led Zeppelin’s greatest hits. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show is at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25.Nov. 2 Leonid & Friends, a tribute to the band Chicago, will play at Elsinore Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 2. Their setlist also includes Earth Wind & Fire, Blood Sweat & Tears, Ides of March, and more. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets start at $27.50. Nov. 2-17 “Urinetown: The Musical” is a satire taking place in a city with a terrible water shortage leading the government to ban private toilets, and the man who leads a revolution to restore access. Willamette University’s theater department will perform the musical at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, with 2 p.m. showings Saturdays and on Sunday, Nov. 17. General admission tickets are $15, with discounts for seniors, students and groups.  Nov. 4  A screening of “Escape from Extinction: Rewilding” will play at Salem Cinema at 6:30 p.m. The film focuses on the fight to save animals from extinction, including mountain gorillas in Rwanda and otters on North America’s Pacific coast. Tickets will benefit the Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School in Salem. Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 the day of the show.  Nov. 5The documentary “Jeff Koons: A Private Portrait” explores the life and mind of the controversial artist, featuring interviews with his family, curators and artists. It will show at Salem Cinema at 6 p.m., and tickets are $15 in advance or $18 the day of the show. Nov. 10, 11A 2015 filming of National Theatre Live’s production of Hamlet, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, will show at Salem Cinema. Sunday’s show is at noon, and Monday’s is at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 the day of the show.Nov. 12 *A Church at the Park event at Salem Cinema will show the work of photographer Diane Beals followed by a screening of the film “No Place to Grow Old,” which focuses on senior homelessness in Portland. The event is free, and starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be reserved online. Nov. 17 A screening of the 1984 film “Amadeus” at Salem Cinema will benefit Festival Chorale Oregon. Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 the day of the show. Nov. 17, 20“Kiss Me Kate: The Musical” filmed at the Barbican in London will play at Salem Cinema. The musical comedy features backstage shenanigans and Shakespearean sonnets. Sunday’s show is at noon, and Wednesday’s is at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. Nov. 22 Straight No Chaser, a male a cappella group, will perform at Elsinore Theatre. Doors open at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show. Tickets start at $45. Nov. 29 – Dec. 21 “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” will play at the Pentacle Theatre. The holiday play focuses on the middle sister of “Pride and Prejudice,” as she seeks independence, an intellectual match and possibly even love. Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with shows at 2 p.m. most Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets start at $25. Live music and nightlife Back to top Nov. 2 Take in the sounds of punk and witch rock when local band Grimiss performs at Infinity Room, along with Paris rock band Menades and Accidental Intoxication. The rock show starts at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. 21+ show starting at 10 p.m. Dance the night away at Rave of the Dead to celebrate Día de los Muertos along with electronic Latin music. The rave will bring together DJs from around Oregon, art installations and food vendors. Local woman-owned business Mykie’s Bar and Lounge, 155 Liberty St. Suite 130, is hosting the rave which starts at 9 p.m. Information about the event is available on Facebook. Tickets are $9.31-11.44.  Nov. 2,3 Salem Philharmonia Orchestra presents “German Romantics” at East Salem Community Center, 1850 45th Ave. N.E. The program opens with Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture, followed by Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, and concludes with Brahms’s magnificent Symphony No. 3. Artistic Director Jonathan DeBruyn conducts and will give a pre-concert talk 45 minutes before the show. Saturday’s concert is at 7 p.m. and Sunday’s is at 2 p.m. Tickets are $23 for adults, $20 for students and seniors, and free for youth 17 and under.  Nov. 6 Puerto-Rican composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón will perform at Willamette University’s Hudson Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $15, with discounts for seniors, students and groups.  Nov. 8 Taken By The Sky, a Portland-based Fleetwood Mac tribute, will play at Elsinore Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets start at $25. *A SamaZama Koto/Cello Duo performance at Salem Public Library’s Loucks Auditorium will blend traditional and contemporary Japanese music with tango, jazz, blues and western classical music. Masumi Timson will play the koto and Joseph Harchanko will play the cello. The free concert is first-come, first-seated, and starts at 6 p.m. Salem Rock Band Birth of Happiness will perform at Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a 7 p.m. show. Tickets are $15 presale and $20 the day of the show. Nov. 9 VETcare, a housing program for veterans, is throwing a benefit concert at the Salem Armory Auditorium. The concert, VETFEST, will include a lineup of Ty Curtis and the Ty Curtis Band, Johnny Wheels & the Swamp Donkeys and David Welch. Proceeds will go towards supporting VETcare’s programs. Tickets are $25 for the general public, $20 for veterans or active duty.Descartes a Kant, who blends punk, metal, pop, cabaret and theater, will perform at Salem’s Historic Grand. Doors open at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $15. Reggae singer and songwriter J Boog will perform at Elsinore Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets start at $29. Nov. 10 Legends of the Celtic Harp will bring myths, stories and music to Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a 6 p.m. show. Tickets are $25. Nov. 11 The Salute to Our Veterans show brings country stars Darryl Worley, William Michael Morgan, and the Joey James Band to the Salem Armory. Show at 5:30 p.m. Tickets start at $33.85 for general admission. Nov. 13 Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro will return to Elsinore Theatre to perform “Holidays in Hawai’i.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets start at $39. Nov. 16 Infinity Room presents live music featuring Showtigers (Salem-based alt rock), The Bone Rollers (Grants Pass-based flamboyant stoner psych/doom/post-punk), and Giantess (Salem/Eugene-based space pirate party rock). All-ages show at 7 p.m. Tickets $10 in advance or $13 at the door. Vocalist, instrumentalist and songwriter Curtis Salgado will perform at Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre. Doors open at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. showtime. Tickets are $25. Nov. 17Christian musician Anne Wilson will perform at the Elsinore Theatre, along with special guest Jordan Rowe. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a 7 p.m. show. Tickets start at $19.95. Nov. 18 Cellist, composer and singer Helen Gillet will perform at the Historic Grand Theatre. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 online and $20 the day of the show. Nov. 20 *A free sonic arts performance fusing electronics and instruments will be held at Willamette University’s Rogers Rehearsal Hall at 7:30 p.m.Nov. 23 Hillstomp, a Portland junkbox blues duo, will perform at Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre. Doors are at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 online and $25 the day of the show. Infinity Room is hosting electronic rock and pop groups The King Dot, Verbash and Sustentacula. The show starts at 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $13 at the door.  Nov. 29 Salem based rock group Symmetry/Symmetry is celebrating the release of their new album with a party at Infinity Room with another artist from Salem, Jordan Taylor Roach. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance, $12 at the door.  Nov. 30 The Oregon Opry with Roman & The Long Haul, Dumpster Joe and Simon Sharipoff will perform at Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the show. A lineup of rock and alternative artists are performing at Infinity Room. Performers include Salem rock artist Felitare, Happy Front and Salem duo 39 Zayz & WONGSTAR. The show starts at 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $13 at the door.  Classes, workshops and lectures Back to top Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22  Chemeketa Community College’s Planetarium hosts “The Sun, Our Living Star” Fridays at 7:30 p.m. All shows include a brief introduction that explores the night time sky over Salem during this season of the year. Tickets $5 for adults, $4 for children. Cash only, no ATM in the building.  Chemeketa’s planetarium is located in Building 2, Room 171 on the Salem campus. Tickets sold starting 15 minutes before showtime, no late admissions. More information here. A show in the Chemeketa Community College planetarium in December 2023 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Nov. 6-Dec.18 It’s time to bring some tropical island sound this holiday season. Center 50+ hosts holiday music ukelele lessons Wednesdays through Dec. 18. A single class costs $48 for residents and $57 for non-Salem residents, and two classes cost $72 for residents and $84.40 for non-Salem residents. Intermediate note reader classes run from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and intermediate strummer classes run from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration for the class can be done at the Connection Center at Center 50+. Nov. 12 Join Lydia Kiesling, author of “Mobility” and “The Golden State” for a writing workshop focused on how description drives stories. Held at Chemeketa Community College and starts at 6 p.m. Tickets $27.99 for students, $54.46 for general admission. *A free class about hummingbirds’ specialized biology will answer questions about why their feathers sparkle and more. It will be taught by Marilyn Ellis, Oregon Master Naturalist and Certified Interpretive Guide. It will be from 2-3:30 p.m. in Anderson Room A&B at Salem Public Library. Nov. 14, 21 Have you ever wanted to learn the basics of woodworking? Now is your chance to sign up for the Beginning Woodworking 101 Course at Center 50+ to learn how to make a cutting board and a small sofa table. The November class runs two Thursdays from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The classes cost $35 for Salem residents, $42 for non-Salem residents and an additional $35 supply fee paid to the instructor. Registration can be done at the Connection Center at Center 50+.  Markets and shopping Back to top Nov. 1-2  Start off the month of November with the Salem Fiberarts Guild Annual Handweaver’s Sale starting Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Willamette Heritage Center. The event also runs on Saturday and features handmade items. There will also be a raffle. More info can be found here.  Dish towels for sale at the 2021 Salem Fiberarts Guild Handweavers’ Sale. Nov. 1-3 Get ready for the dazzling Holiday Marketplace at the Oregon State Fair and Expo Center starting Friday and running through Sunday. The market is open Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It includes free photos with Santa, holiday foods and drinks, live performances, raffles and prizes. General admission is free and parking is $5 per vehicle. More information can be found here.  Nov. 23 Willamette Art Center’s annual Empty Bowls sale takes place at Cascade Hall at the Oregon State Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale features over 1,500 unique ceramic pieces — bowls, but also ceramic planters, dishes, vases, mugs, cups, luminaries, platters, pitchers, and other handmade pottery. Proceeds benefit Marion Polk Food Share and Willamette Art Center.The events includes live demonstrations of wheel throwing by volunteers from Willamette Art Center, wood turning by Willamette Valley Woodturners, and wood carving by Capitol Woodcarvers.  Nov. 23 Come get some holiday shopping and community time in at the Showbiz Salem Holiday Market on Saturday from 10 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Oregon State Fair and Expo Center. The market includes gifts, crafts, specialty foods, local wineries, breweries and distilleries. Entry is free and parking is $5 per vehicle. More information can be found online.  STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: [email protected] MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Events calendar: what to do in Salem for November 2024 appeared first on Salem Reporter.