Gay List Daily’s must-do events: Thanksgiving Weekend 2008 edition

by Staff of Gay List Daily

Depending on what time you’re reading this, you’re either prepping for the big Thanksgiving feast or the gorging is but a distant memory. Either way, we’re here to get you on the right path for the rest of the holiday season, starting tomorrow. Take a deep breath, assume crash position and get ready to plow head-first into the non-stop parties and fun. After all, you can sleep in 2009.

Tacos: The Anti-Turkey: Dinner and a Movie with Urban Taco & Angelika Film Center

Friday, November 28, 2008 (and every night for a while)

Nothing is better for purging the Pilgrimy home cooking out of your system than good ol’ Mexican food. And nothing erases the vision of your cousin’s beer belly resting on the table more effectively than a movie. Now, rising from the turkey ashes like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup phoenix where tacos are chocolate and movies are peanut butter, Urban Taco has teamed up with the Angelika for a special $20-per-person dinner-and-movie combo. Choose from tacos, tortas, and salads then head across the street and catch a flick.

$20 per person; Urban Taco, Mockingbird Station; www.urban-taco.com

Ooooohhh…Twinkly: 5th Annual Light Up Lee Park Festival & Fireworks

Saturday, November 29, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Want to get into the holiday spirit in a big way? Head to Lee Park as a forest of trees is illuminated with hundreds of thousands of (energy-efficient!) LED lights. Catch fireworks at 7:00 p.m., live entertainment, food and drinks and the big man himself. (No, not John Holmes—Santa Claus!)

Free; Lee Park; www.arlingtonhallatleepark.com

Do You Have A License For That Shaker?: Grey Goose Battle of the Bartenders

Sunday, November 30, 4:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Bartenders from Abacus, Shinsei and Jasper’s are gathering for a battle to create the ultimate cocktail. Your ticket gets you an all-you-can-eat barbecue feast, as well as a chance to sample all the cocktails and vote for your favorite. The winning cocktail will get premium placement on all three restaurant menus. And you’ll get premium placement on Betty Ford’s Christmas Card list.

$75 per person; Abacus; www.kentrathbun.com