Your 5-minute guide to the best things to do in Charlotte | Jan. 20-26

What is there to do in Charlotte this weekend? Here’s our experts’ picks on everything from entertainment – movies to music to theater – to food and wine, beer and restaurants. And shopping, of course...

Friday

Dweezil Zappa is honoring Frank Zappa’s 50-year-old “Freak Out” album with the “50 Years of Zappa” tour, which stops at Neighborhood Theatre at 8 p.m. Jan. 20 to tackle some of dad’s more complicated compositions. Dweezil, 46 – who is battling his younger siblings over use of the Zappa name (his band formerly was called Zappa Plays Zappa) – also will conduct a workshop for guitar players earlier in the day. www.neighborhoodtheatre.com. – CD

December and January are typically a bit sleepy for the art world. As the art community begins to wake up around Charlotte, why not make one of your New Year resolutions to see more art? You can start with Bechtler By Night, Jan. 20. That’s one of the museum’s third Friday events, when admission is free 5-9 p.m., and its new second-floor exhibition, “Alberto Giacometti: 45 Drawings Portfolio” opens on the 20th, so this event is your chance for your first (and free) glimpse. Also, on view is Bechtler Collection: Relaunched and Rediscovered. If you haven’t seen this exhibition yet, it highlights extensive new research into the works and artists in the museum’s collection. In addition to free admission, there will be gallery games and scavenger hunts, Bechtler Bingo, an art activity, complimentary snacks, and a cash bar. – LN

One of the hippest things about The Jazz Room concerts at Stage Door Theater is that you can hear intimate instruments well without amplification. Case in point: New Orleans flutist Kent Jordan, who will lead a tribute to triple Grammy nominee Hubert Laws Jan. 20-21. – LT

Saturday

Stand-up comedy choices abound this weekend. There’s “Broad City’s” Hannibal Buress at Knight Theater Friday, there’s former “MADtv” star Anjelah Johnson at The Comedy Zone for multiple performances through Saturday, and finally, over at Ovens Auditorium, there’s Christian comedian Tim Hawkins, in town for a 7 p.m. show Saturday. For a taste of the 41-year-old former grocery truck driver’s brand of humor, hop onto YouTube and check out his “The Wife Song” – a little ditty about things to not say to your spouse, set to Green Day’s “(Good Riddance) Time of Your Life.” – TJ

If you’re looking for a more fully realized way to celebrate the Chinese New Year than just pulling out the stir fryer, make your way to the Peaceful Dragon Cultural Center (12610 Steele Creed Road) for its family-friendly Chinese New Year Festival, a going-on-20-years tradition. From 11 a.m.-2 p.m., organizers will offer traditional and colorful dance performances; free mini-classes in kung fu and tai chi; children’s activities; displays of crafts and arts including bonsai trees and jewelry; and, of course, plenty of Chinese food. Admission: $3 per person, $5 per family; or free with a non-perishable food item to be donated to Loaves and Fishes. Details: www.thepeacefuldragon.com. – TJ

Through Jan. 29: Got your reservations lined up? It’s Queen’s Feast Restaurant Week, when 130 restaurants in nine counties offer three-course dinners for $30 or $35. Get the list of restaurants and menus at www.charlotterestaurantweek.com. (Remember: You still have to pay the tax and tipping generously is appreciated.) – KP

Sunday

A tubercular courtesan, an impetuous playboy, a disapproving father, Paris in the 19th century. This can mean only one thing: Giuseppe Verdi’s melody-packed “La Traviata.” Opera Carolina has few, if any, more popular warhorses: The production – at Belk Theater Jan. 22, 26 and 28 – is the 10th in its 68-year history. – LT

Art Chansky talks about “Game Changers: Dean Smith, Charlie Scott, and the Era That Transformed a Southern College Town,” on D.G. Martin’s N.C. Bookwatch on UNC-TV at noon Jan. 22. – DP

Tuesday

Hey, what are you guys doing here? Chefs Aaron Rivera of Tapas 51 and Paul Verica of Heritage in Waxhaw swap places for the night, with each one making food in the other one’s style. Prices vary depending on the menu. Call Heritage, 704-843-5236, or Tapas 51, 803-548-1612, for reservations. – KP

Artisan, the student-cooked restaurant at The Art Institute of Charlotte, 2110 Water Ridge Parkway, opens for dinner on Tuesdays and Wednesdays until March 15 (except Feb. 1). For $16.95, you pick an appetizer, entree and dessert. All seatings are between 6-7:30 p.m. Reservations: 704-357-5900. – KP

Wednesday

Following its 2015 10th-anniversary tour (for its debut album, “Juturna”) and the release of frontman Anthony Green’s fourth solo album (“Pixie Queen” in September), progressive post-hardcore act Circa Survive stops at Amos’ Southend (1423 S. Tryon St.) at 7:30 p.m. to celebrate its second album: 2007’s “On Letting Go.” www.amossouthend.com. – CD

Charlotte Lit co-founder Kathie Collins will lead a discussion on Carson McCullers’ novel, “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,“ at 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at Charlotte Lit Studio, 1817 Central Ave., Suite 302. Free. Registration required: www.charlottelit.org/carsonmccullers. – DP

Take your wine and cheese tasting to a new level. Zack Gadberry, maker of Una Alla Volta cheeses, will pair with his wife, wine seller Victoria Gadberry, for an Italian wine and cheese pairing at Foxcroft Wine Co. in Dilworth, 1235 East Blvd. Tickets are $45 and it starts at 6 p.m. Reservations: 704-602-2133 or email michael@foxcroftwine.com. – KP

Poet and novelist Joseph Bathanti will be the featured reader 7-9 p.m. Jan. 25 at Waterbean Poetry Night at Waterbean Coffee at Northgate Shopping Center in Huntersville, and will read again the next night, 7-8 p.m., from his new collection, “The 13th Sunday after Pentecost,” at Main Street Books in Davidson. Both are free. – DP

Thursday

How can you resist a comedy “based on the memoir by GOD and David Javerbaum”? Queen City Theatre Company will do “An Act of God” at Duke Energy Theater Jan. 26-Feb. 4. It is indeed one act, with three actors playing the Big Guy and two angels and promising to answer all your questions about creation. – LT

Speaking of jazz, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble comes to McGlohon Theater Jan. 26. These seven brothers from Chicago’s South Side have played with Prince and Mos Def and at Coachella, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Sydney Opera House. If they sound familiar, perhaps you know the song “War” from the film “The Hunger Games.” – LT

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Your 5-minute guide to the best things to do in Charlotte | Jan. 20-26."